IBM File Manager for z/OS®

The IBM File Manager for z/OS® VS Code extension works in conjunction with the Zowe Explorer VS Code extension. IBM File Manager for z/OS® provides flexible, user-friendly tools for enhanced file processing when working with z/OS data sets.

This comprehensive solution provides intuitive interfaces for accessing, editing, and managing datasets and files on z/OS systems, and is a modern alternative to work with IBM File Manager outside the existing Eclipse-based client.

General requirements

• Assumes knowledge of IBM File Manager for z/OS® product installation and features
• The File Manager VS Code extension connectivity to File Manager host is similar to using the Application Delivery Foundation for z/OS® common component (ADFzCC) server
  • Assumes knowledge of how to install and configure the Application Delivery Foundation for z/OS® common component server
  • ADFzCC must use the AT-TLS feature when configuring TLS support

VS Code extension requirements

• VS Code 1.90.0+
• Zowe Explorer 2.17.0+
  • Assumes that the user has knowledge of the Zowe Explorer extension before using the IBM File Manager extension

Host requirements

• IBM File Manager for z/OS® 16.1.0+
• IBM Application Delivery Foundation for z/OS® Common Components 1.9.7+
  • There must be at least one ADFz common component server configured and deployed on the host that you want to work with

Note that while 15.1.x host builds might work, they are not officially supported.

Features

The current version of the IBM File Manager extension does not have the full functionality of the ISPF File Manager client, or the Eclipse File Manager client.

The feature set is strictly related to the File Manager Base component.
Itemized below are the features supported and not supported in broad terms.

File Manager editor

The file manager editor can be used in two modes:

• Viewing and editing data sets using the character mode editor

  • Hex values display
  • Column ruler
  • Navigation commands
  • Record selection, cut, copy, paste, insertion and deletion
  • Undo history

• Viewing and editing data sets using the formatted mode editor

  • Hex values display
  • Navigation commands
  • Tabular record editing, with record insertion and deletion

Template editor

The template editor offers various options for editing existing templates used with the File Manager editor in its formatted mode.

The current implementation offers the following feature set:

• Layout selection
• Segmentation toggle
• Layout criteria editing
• Held and Selected column toggle

ADFz Common Component server connections

• Associate an ADFz port with a Zowe Profile
• Remove the association between an ADFz port and a Zowe profile

Unsupported features

• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
• Trust manager for certificates used when connecting to the ADFz Common Component server

File Manager editor

• Utility functions for the character mode and formatted editor such as Find/Replace, Exclude, Sort
• Editing of hex values
• Toggling of excluded or suppressed records
• Batch operations
• Other File Manager commands or utilities (masking, import, export, extract, merge, compare, etc.)
• Editing of CICS, DB2, IMS, MQ resources

Known issues

• Opening a file in edit mode in the File Manager character mode editor while that file has already been opened in edit mode by another File Manager editor session (VS Code, Eclipse or ISPF), will result in an error message indicating that the file is locked and cannot be opened. When the other edit session ends and releases the lock, you'd normally be able to open it in edit mode in your VS Code File Manager editor session. However, the "locked" error will still be reported and the file won't open. Currently, the only resolution is to restart VS Code. This issue will be resolved in a future release.

Getting started

Specifying the ADFz connection port

Before you begin, all the above requirements must be fulfilled.

1. Open VS Code
2. If necessary, create at least one Zowe profile: team configuration profile or v1 profile (deprecated)
3. Switch to the Zowe Explorer toolwindow
4. Right-click on the profile that matches the z/OS subsystem your ADFz common component server is running on
5. From the Application Delivery Foundation for z/OS menu item, choose Configure port
6. Enter the port that your ADFz common component server is configured to use

You are now ready to use the IBM File Manager VS Code extension.

NOTE: if you access a File Manager feature before configuring the port number, you will be prompted to specify the port the first time only.

File Manager editor

Data sets under the Zowe Explorer tree view can be opened in the File Manager editor in both character and formatted mode (with a template applied). Both the character and the formatted modes support View and Edit sessions.

The character mode editor supports essential navigation commands such as TOP, BOTTOM, UP, DOWN and LOCATE, and offers toolbar options to display hex line representations, and to enable a column ruler. It also offers editor actions to work with records directly. All other related editor actions, such as Cut, Copy and Paste, are supported across different opened data set sessions in character mode.

The formatted mode editor supports the same set of navigation commands, along with the hex representation of text displayed in table cells. The Cut, Copy and Paste operations are currently not supported for entire records.

The editor's cache page size can be configured via the extension's VS Code Settings.

File Manager VS Code command palette

The IBM File Manager for z/OS extension supports the Open Data Set palette command to open a data set in the File Manager editor, and the Open Template palette command to open a template in the Template editor.