MDOpen for Visual Studio Code provides an extension to the MDChange suite of products that run on the IBM i. Use this extension to manage the build and deployment of your IBM i code. For more information about MDChange and Midrange Dynamics, the author of this extension, please visit our site.
Pre-Requisites
MDCMS with a minimum version of 8.6 must be installed on each IBM i partition that this extension will connect to.
A valid MDOpen license must be active on each IBM i partition that this extension will connect to.
You have a user profile and are registered in MDSEC on each IBM i partition that this extension will connect to.
The MDCMS REST API and Diagramming Server, which is an Apache http server, must already be generated, active and available through any firewall on each IBM i partition that this extension will connect to. The full instructions on how to generate and configure the Apache server are available here.
The OpenSSH server must be active and available through any firewall on each IBM i partition that this extension will connect to.
The Code for IBM i extension from Halcyon Tech should also be installed, though connections do not have to be created in the Code for IBM i extension for MDOpen to function, as MDOpen creates its own connections.
Getting Started
Once the MDOpen for Visual Studio Code extension is installed:
click on the MDOpen icon in the sidebar. The MDOpen connections panel will open.
Click the + icon (Add an MDOpen Connection) at the top of the panel to add a connection to an IBM i partition where MDCMS is used.
Parameter
Description
Nickname
A name of the connection to easily know which connection it is
Host
the host name or IP address of the IBM i partition
MDCMS Rest API Port
the port number that the MDCMS REST API server is listening on, or the port number that a proxy server that forwards http traffic is listening on. If left blank, 80 will be used for unsecured traffic and 443 for secured traffic
Use HTTPS
click if SSL certificates are in place for the MDCMS REST server connection
Ignore Certificate Errors
click if you want to disable SSL/TLS certificate verification
SSH Port
the port number the OpenSSH server on the IBM i partition is listening on. This is typically 22.
Username
the name of your user profile on the partition
Password
your password
Environment
the instance of MDCMS on the partition to connect to. Leave blank if for the default instance which is the libraries MDCMS, MDREP, MDSEC and MDXREF. If there is a suffix for the library names for the instance, the suffix should be entered here as the environment value.
Connect to Code for IBM i at startup
click if you want MDOpen to connect to Code for IBM i right at startup of the MDOpen session
click Save & Exit
single-click on the connection to open it and begin using all of the functions available for it.
Good to know
when clicking on a link and ctrl key pressed at the same time the opened tab will be persistent and stay open until closed by user
