Introducing the JCL Language Support VS Code Extension
I am delighted to share that the JCL Language Support VS Code extension is now available on the marketplace. Originating from a Broadcom hackathon with a theme of all things Zowe this extension enhances Visual Studio Code by enabling syntax highlighting, snippets, linting and report generation for JCL. Using the Zowe Explorer extension users would have access to the mainframe allowing them to gain these useful capabilities for all of their data sets. Now let’s jump into the exciting additions this extension brings.
Syntax Highlighting
One of the features of the JCL Language Support VS Code extension is its syntax highlighting capability. This feature increases the ease of reading JCL in VS Code and allows users to easily identify syntax errors that can be hard to notice. Snippets are another feature included to help developers.
Snippets
Since JCL is frequently reused and repurposed this extension also includes snippets. These code snippets allow for the quick addition of useful portions of JCL. There are currently several code snippets available including some for frequently used utilities such as IDCAMS and others for things like creating a job card or specifying a Data Set Name.
CA JCLCheck Enabled Features
Syntax highlighting and JCL snippets will be available for all users, however the most valuable features may be linting, which analyzes code for potential errors, and report generation that creates easily shareable reports. These capabilities leverage CA JCLCheck so for these features to work JCLCheck is also required.
Linting
The capability for JCL linting allows users to easily locate and identify problems. This feature can be activated by manually saving a JCL file or by using the “Check your JCL” command from the command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P). By using JCLCheck this extension is able to lint JCL inline as opposed to only getting a report at the bottom in traditional JCLCheck.
Report Generation
If you would like to generate JCLCheck reports then this extension can also generate reports similar to CA JCLCheck, this can be activated from the command palette using “Generate Report”. When activated a user named markdown file will be created containing all pertinent reports. There is also a hyperlinked table of contents allowing for quick navigation to whichever report is desired.
Getting Started
The base features of this extension will work upon installation however for the CA JCLCheck enabled features there is some preparatory work that needs to be completed. There are some environmental prerequisites, and a Zowe JCLCheck profile needs to be created. After completing those steps you are ready to enjoy the new features available.
Now available on the marketplace.
For more information about the Language Support Protocol (LSP), see this article: LSP Magic — Mainframe Language Support in Modern IDEs.
