SMP/E MCS Language Server for VS Code
Language Server Extension for IBM SMP/E MCS (Modification Control Statements).
What's New in 1.3.6
- smpe_lint
--data flag - Set the smpe.json location explicitly (--data <path>) for Docker containers and CI runners without a usable home directory; default lookup now also works on Windows.
What's New in 1.3.5
- Free Form Query entry types complete - The entry type picklist now covers all SMP/E CSI entry types (46 → 86): added
HFS, SHELLSCR, the ELEMENT pseudo-entry and all data element types, each with its valid subentries.
- National language variants - Entry types like
HFSESP or MSGENU automatically resolve to the subentries of their base type.
What's New in 1.3.4
- Free Form Query subentry picker fix - Already selected subentries show a checkmark again when reopening the picker, and new picks are merged alphabetically instead of appended to the end.
What's New in 1.3.3
- Signature Help - When the cursor is inside an operand's parentheses (
DISTLIB(│)), a floating box shows the expected parameter, a short description and the type. It triggers automatically while typing ( and after accepting an operand from the completion list; boolean flag operands show no box. Toggle with smpe.signatureHelp.enabled (default true).
- Fix language discrepancies - Free Form Query now has only english button labels.
What's New in 1.3.2
- Code Actions (Quick Fixes) - The editor lightbulb (
Cmd+. / Ctrl+.) offers one-click fixes for diagnostics: Add statement terminator (inserts the missing .), Insert operand X / Insert all required operands (inserts skeletons for missing required operands), and Set REWORK to current date (fills an empty REWORK() with today's Julian date yyyyddd).
What's New in 1.3.1
- MCS completion menu stays open while typing
++STATEMENT prefix - Typing ++S, ++SR, ++SRC, … no longer dismisses the completion list. The completion menu remains open and continues to filter MCS statements as more characters are typed.
- Snippet items respect VSCode/blink prefix filter - Boilerplate snippet completion items now carry an explicit
filterText so VSCode (and blink-cmp in Neovim) match them against the typed prefix. Snippets are no longer hidden when typing ++P, ++PT, etc.
What's New in 1.3.0
- Saved Queries in Free Form Query - Save and reuse complete CSI queries. Queries are stored in
.smpe-saved-queries.yaml in the workspace root. The Free Form Query panel shows a collapsible saved queries section below the input form.
- Auto-Detect Language Mode Toggle - New setting
smpe.editor.autoDetectLanguage (default: true) and command SMP/E: Toggle Auto-Detect Language Mode. When disabled, manual language mode changes (e.g. switching a .smpe buffer to REXX) are preserved and no longer overridden by the extension.
See the CHANGELOG for full details.
Features
- Syntax Highlighting - Color highlighting for SMP/E statements
- Code Completion - Context-sensitive completion for MCS statements and operands
- Diagnostics - Real-time validation with error and warning messages
- Code Actions (Quick Fixes) - Lightbulb fixes for missing terminators, missing required operands, and empty
REWORK()
- Signature Help - Floating parameter hint for operands with description and type (toggle via
smpe.signatureHelp.enabled)
- Hover Information - Documentation when hovering over statements and operands
- Go to Definition - Navigate to SYSMOD/FMID definitions (
F12 or Cmd+Click)
- Find References - Find all references to a SYSMOD or FMID (
Shift+F12)
- Document Symbols - Outline view and quick navigation (
Cmd+Shift+O)
- Workspace Symbols - Search for SYSMOD definitions across all
.smpe files (Cmd+T)
- Folding Ranges - Collapse/expand MCS statements and multi-line comments
- Check Missing Input Members - Scan workspace for missing MCS input files with filterable Webview results
- CodeLens - Inline z/OSMF CSI queries for SYSMODs and DDDEFs
- z/OSMF Integration - Query CSI, browse USS directories and MVS datasets
- Column Rulers - Visual guides at columns 72 and 80 (mainframe card boundaries)
- Document Formatting - Auto-format SMP/E statements
Supported Statements
The extension supports all common SMP/E MCS statements, including:
++APAR, ++PTF, ++USERMOD, ++FUNCTION++MAC, ++MACUPD, ++MOD, ++SRC, ++SRCUPD++JCLIN, ++JAR, ++JARUPD++VER, ++ZAP, ++DELETE- and many more...
Configuration
General
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
smpe.serverPath |
"" |
Path to the smpe_ls executable (uses bundled server if empty) |
smpe.dataPath |
"" |
Path to the smpe.json data file (uses bundled file if empty) |
smpe.outlPath |
"" |
Path to the smpe_outl executable (uses bundled binary if empty) |
smpe.debug |
true |
Enable debug logging |
smpe.signatureHelp.enabled |
true |
Enable Signature Help for operand parameters |
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
smpe.formatting.enabled |
true |
Enable document formatting |
smpe.formatting.indentContinuation |
4 |
Spaces for continuation lines |
smpe.formatting.oneOperandPerLine |
true |
Place each operand on its own line |
smpe.formatting.wrapListsAfterN |
2 |
Wrap comma-separated lists after N items per line (0 = disabled) |
smpe.formatting.formatOnSave |
false |
Automatically format document when saving |
smpe.formatting.moveLeadingComments |
true |
Move comments from before the first statement into the statement during formatting |
Diagnostics
All diagnostics are enabled by default. Set to false to disable specific checks.
| Setting |
Description |
smpe.diagnostics.unknownStatement |
Report unknown statement types |
smpe.diagnostics.invalidLanguageId |
Report invalid 3-character language identifiers |
smpe.diagnostics.unbalancedParentheses |
Report unbalanced parentheses |
smpe.diagnostics.missingTerminator |
Report missing statement terminators (.) |
smpe.diagnostics.missingParameter |
Report missing required statement parameters |
smpe.diagnostics.unknownOperand |
Report unknown operands |
smpe.diagnostics.duplicateOperand |
Report duplicate operands |
smpe.diagnostics.emptyOperandParameter |
Report empty operand parameters |
smpe.diagnostics.missingRequiredOperand |
Report missing required operands |
smpe.diagnostics.dependencyViolation |
Report operand dependency violations |
smpe.diagnostics.mutuallyExclusive |
Report mutually exclusive operand conflicts |
smpe.diagnostics.requiredGroup |
Report missing required group operands |
smpe.diagnostics.missingInlineData |
Report missing inline data |
smpe.diagnostics.unknownSubOperand |
Report unknown sub-operands |
smpe.diagnostics.subOperandValidation |
Report sub-operand validation errors |
smpe.diagnostics.contentBeyondColumn72 |
Report content that extends beyond column 72 |
smpe.diagnostics.standaloneCommentBetweenMCS |
Report standalone comments between MCS statements (causes SMP/E syntax error) |
z/OSMF Integration
The z/OSMF integration requires a .smpe-zosmf.yaml configuration file. The extension
resolves the file in the following order:
- Workspace folders — all open workspace folders are searched, first match wins
- Global fallback —
~/.config/smpe_ls/.smpe-zosmf.yaml
To create a configuration file in the workspace root, run:
Ctrl+Shift+P → SMP/E: Create z/OSMF Config
This creates .smpe-zosmf.yaml in the root of the first workspace folder and opens it
for editing. If you want a shared configuration across all projects, place the file at
~/.config/smpe_ls/.smpe-zosmf.yaml instead.
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
smpe.zosmf.queryTimeoutSeconds |
300 |
Maximum wait time for z/OSMF CSI queries (30–600s) |
smpe.zosDatasetsLlq |
["MCS"] |
z/OS dataset last level qualifiers that trigger SMP/E language activation |
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
smpe.checkMissingInputMembers.searchFolders |
["customization"] |
Folders (relative to workspace root) to search for input member files. Use "*" for entire workspace. |
Editor
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
smpe.editor.showColumnRulers |
true |
Show column rulers at positions 72 and 80 for SMP/E files |
smpe.editor.autoDetectLanguage |
true |
Automatically detect and set the SMP/E language mode for files with ++ statements or matching z/OS dataset LLQs. Disable to allow manual language mode overrides. |
Commands
All commands are available via the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P).
| Command |
Description |
SMP/E: Query SYSMOD via z/OSMF |
Query a SYSMOD against a CSI |
SMP/E: Query DDDEF via z/OSMF |
Query a DDDEF against a CSI |
SMP/E: List Zones via z/OSMF |
List zones of a CSI |
SMP/E: Free Form CSI Query |
Open the free form CSI query panel (saved queries + filter history) |
SMP/E: Create z/OSMF Config |
Create a .smpe-zosmf.yaml config file in the workspace root |
SMP/E: Clear Stored Password |
Clear the stored z/OSMF password |
SMP/E: Manage Filter History |
Edit, delete, or clear saved filter entries |
SMP/E: Check Missing Input Members |
Scan the workspace for missing MCS input member files |
SMP/E: Toggle Auto-Detect Language Mode |
Toggle the smpe.editor.autoDetectLanguage setting |
SMP/E: Open Training |
Open the bundled training documentation |
File Extensions
The extension activates automatically for files with the following extensions:
Screenshots
Coming soon
License
AGPL-3.0 - See LICENSE for details.
Author
Made with ❤️ by Sir Tobi aka Cybersorcerer
Note: SMP/E is a registered trademark of IBM Corporation.
