VS Code for mainframe development

Code4z is a collection of free extensions for Microsoft Visual Studio Code tailored for developers on the mainframe platform.

The extensions include:

• Zowe Explorer — VS Code extension, powered by Zowe CLI, that streamlines interaction with mainframe data sets, USS files, and jobs
• COBOL Language Support — COBOL Language Support standardizes the communication between language tooling and your code editor using the Language Server Protocol (LSP)
• Explorer for Endevor — Explorer for Endevor gives you the ability to Browse and Retrieve CA Endevor elements using a user-friendly, intuitive interface

I’d like to share a few workflows Code4z enables.

COBOL Language Support and CA Endevor Bridge for Git

• Use VS Code’s built-in git interface to git clone source code from CA Endevor using Endevor’s Git Bridge
• Edit COBOL code using the COBOL Language Support, taking advantage of all the coding assistance provided by the extension
• Use VS Code’s built-in git interface to push, pull and merge changes

Zowe Explorer and Developer Testing

• Unit test code changes by submitting batch jobs using Zowe Explorer. Access JCL in datasets and submit them to the target z/OS system. View the results on the VS Code editor, allowing quick and easy batch based unit testing of code changes.

COBOL Language Support and Explorer for Endevor

• View code elements in the entire map of Endevor using the Explorer for Endevor Extension. Editing is not allowed, but the COBOL Language Support will provide syntax highlighting for COBOL elements.
• Download code elements, including their dependencies, using the Explorer for Endevor extension and add them to the git project if code modifications are needed.

With the introduction of these extensions (some even open source), the landscape of IDE tooling for the mainframe seems to be at an inflection point. Developers will not be bound to commercial IDEs and can use a free, lightweight editor like VS Code customized with only the extensions that they want. Given that some of these extensions are open source, we are likely to see rapid growth in features and usability.