Fast & PF-urious Search for IBM i
A lightning-fast VS Code extension that brings the power of PFGREP to your IBM i source code searches. Search millions of lines across hundreds of libraries in seconds.
Stop doing this: STRPDM → Library 1 → Option 25 → Search → Close → Repeat for Library 2 → Repeat for Library 3...
Start doing this: Ctrl+Alt+F → Type pattern → Search all libraries at once → Click result → Jump to code
Installation
Prerequisites
✅ Code for IBM i Extension: Must be installed and connected to your IBM i system
✅ PFGREP Utility: Must be installed on your IBM i system. You need to install it once
How to Install PFGREP on IBM i?
You only need to do this once per IBM i system.
Connect to your IBM i terminal (SSH or QP2TERM) and run:
- Run this command:
/QOpenSys/pkgs/bin/wget https://github.com/SeidenGroup/pfgrep/releases/download/v0.5.1/pfgrep-0.5.1-0seiden.ibmi7.2.ppc64.rpm && /QOpenSys/pkgs/bin/yum install pfgrep-0.5.1-0seiden.ibmi7.2.ppc64.rpm
- Verify installation:
which pfgrep
# Should return: /QOpenSys/pkgs/bin/pfgrep
Install Extension
- Install "Fast & PF-urious Search" from VS Code Marketplace
- Ensure you have an active IBM i connection via Code-for-i
- Press
Ctrl+Alt+F to start searching!
Step 2: Open the Search Dialog
Press Ctrl+Alt+F anywhere in VS Code
The search dialog showing pattern input, library selection, and options
Step 3: View Your Results
Results appear in the File Explorer (left sidebar) under a new section called "Fast &PF-URIOUS results":
Results appear in the Explorer sidebar with library → file → member hierarchy
Click any line → Opens that member with your cursor on that exact line! 🎯
📊 Understanding Your Results
What You See
Each result shows:
- Library name (📚 icon) with total match count
- Source file (📄 icon) grouped under each library
- Member name with line number and code snippet
- Context lines (if enabled) appear dimmed below each match
What You Can Do
| Action |
How |
| Jump to code |
Click any result line - opens member at that exact line |
| Export results |
Click the → button at top of results section |
| Clear results |
Click the × button to remove results |
| Expand/collapse |
Click arrows next to library/file names to organize view |
The export (→) and clear (×) buttons at the top of the results panel
- When you click the export button (→), a new editor window is opened with the search results in it.
- You can save this file anywhere for documentation or sharing with your team.
🔍 How to Search
Basic Searches
Simple text search (case-insensitive by default):
Pattern: CUSTNO
Libraries: PRODLIB,TESTLIB
Result: Finds "custno", "CUSTNO", "CustNo", etc.
Exact phrase with spaces:
Pattern: EXEC SQL
Libraries: PROD*
Result: Auto-wrapped as "EXEC SQL" - finds the exact phrase
Case-sensitive search:
Pattern: CustNo
☑ Case Sensitive
Result: Only finds "CustNo", not "CUSTNO" or "custno"
Library Patterns
You can use wildcards and combine multiple patterns:
| Pattern |
What It Searches |
MYLIB |
Only MYLIB |
PROD* |
All libraries starting with PROD |
MYLIB,YOURLIB |
Two specific libraries (comma-separated) |
MYLIB/QRPGLESRC/* |
Only the QRPGLESRC source file from MYLIB |
Context Lines
Show surrounding code for better understanding:
Context Lines: 2
Result:
CUSTPGM (Line 142) - DCL-S custNo ZONED(7:0); ← Your actual match
(Line 143) - custName = ''; ← Context line (dimmed)
(Line 144) - custAddr = ''; ← Context line (dimmed)
Context lines appear dimmed so you can easily distinguish them from actual matches.
⚙️ Search Options Explained
Normal Search (Default)
- Searches for exact text (fastest and simplest)
- Multi-word phrases automatically wrapped in quotes
Examples:
SQL → Finds "SQL" anywhere in the code
EXEC SQL → Auto-wrapped as "EXEC SQL" (exact phrase)
Regex Search (Advanced)
- Full PCRE regex support for complex patterns
- More powerful but requires regex knowledge
Examples:
^DCL- → Lines starting with DCL-
\bCUSTNO\b → Whole word CUSTNO only (not CUSTNO1)
EXEC\s+SQL → EXEC followed by SQL with any whitespace between EXEC and SQL
(SELECT|INSERT) → Match either SELECT or INSERT
💡 Pro tip: Use Normal Search for most cases. It's faster and simpler. Switch to Regex only when you need advanced pattern matching.
Other Options
- Case Sensitive: Match exact case only (default: OFF = case-insensitive)
- Context Lines: Show 0-50 lines after each match (default: 0)
🚀 Common Use Cases
1. Find Where a Field is Used
Pattern: CUSTNO
Libraries: PROD*
☐ Case Sensitive
☐ Smart-search (REGEX)
Result: All references to CUSTNO across all PROD libraries
2. Find SQL Statements
Pattern: EXEC SQL
Libraries: MYLIB,YOURLIB
☐ Case Sensitive
☐ Smart-search (REGEX)
Context Lines: 2
Result: All embedded SQL statements with 2 lines of context
3. Find Procedure Definitions (Regex)
Pattern: ^DCL-PROC
Libraries: *
☐ Case Sensitive
☑ Smart-search (REGEX)
Result: All lines starting with DCL-PROC (procedure definitions)
4. Compare Across Environments
Pattern: CUSTFILE
Libraries: PRODLIB,QALIB,DEVLIB
☐ Case Sensitive
Result: See where CUSTFILE is referenced in each environment
5. Find API Calls
Pattern: QCMDEXC
Libraries: MYLIB*
Context Lines: 3
Result: All QCMDEXC calls with surrounding code for context
❓ Troubleshooting
"PFGREP is not installed" Error
This is the #1 most common issue! PFGREP must be installed on your IBM i system.
Solution:
- Connect to IBM i terminal (SSH or 5250)
- Run this command:
wget https://github.com/SeidenGroup/pfgrep/releases/download/v0.5.1/pfgrep-0.5.1-0seiden.ibmi7.2.ppc64.rpm && yum install pfgrep-0.5.1-0seiden.ibmi7.2.ppc64.rpm
- Verify installation works:
which pfgrep
# Should return: /QOpenSys/pkgs/bin/pfgrep
- Restart VS Code
- Try your search again
"Not connected to IBM i" Error
You must be connected via the Code for IBM i extension first.
Solution:
- Look at the bottom status bar of VS Code
- Click the IBM i connection icon
- Select "Connect to IBM i system"
- Enter your credentials
- Wait for connection to complete
- Try search again
"Don't have authority to that library" Error
You don't have read access to one or more libraries in your search pattern.
Solution:
- Double-check library names for typos
- Verify you have
*USE authority to those libraries on IBM i
- Try searching a library you definitely can access (like your personal library)
- Ask your system administrator to grant access if needed
Results Not Appearing
Checklist:
- ✅ Connected to IBM i? (Check status bar at bottom)
- ✅ PFGREP installed? (Run
which pfgrep on IBM i)
- ✅ Library pattern correct? (No typos?)
- ✅ You have authority to libraries?
- ✅ Your pattern actually exists in those libraries?
Quick test:
Pattern: DCL-S
Libraries: [a library you know has RPG code]
If this works, your original pattern or library selection might be the issue.
Search Takes Too Long
If your search is running for a long time:
- You might be searching too many libraries with
*
- Try narrowing your library pattern (e.g.,
PROD* instead of *)
- Check if your pattern is too generic (e.g., searching for "A" will find almost everything)
📚 Reference
Search Limits
- Maximum matches per search: 5,000 lines
- You'll receive a warning notification if this limit is reached
- If you hit the limit, consider:
- Narrowing your library pattern
- Making your search pattern more specific
- Searching fewer libraries at once
| Feature |
Fast & PF-urious |
VS Code Built-in |
IBM i RDi |
| Speed |
⚡ Ultra-fast |
🐌 Slow over network |
🐌 Slow |
| Multi-library |
✅ One search |
❌ One at a time |
❌ Library-by-library |
| Modern UI |
✅ VS Code integration |
✅ VS Code |
❌ Eclipse-based |
| Context lines |
✅ Built-in |
❌ Not available |
❌ Not available |
| Click to jump |
✅ Direct to line |
✅ Yes |
✅ Yes |
| Export results |
✅ Text format |
❌ No |
❌ No |
| Free |
✅ Open source |
✅ Built-in |
❌ Licensed |
| Regex support |
✅ Full PCRE |
✅ Basic |
✅ Yes |
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Shortcut |
Action |
Ctrl+Alt+F |
Open search dialog (works anywhere in VS Code) |
Enter |
Execute search (when dialog is open) |
Escape |
Close dialog / Cancel search |
Technology Stack
- PFGREP: Fast grep implementation optimized for IBM i physical files (by Seiden Group)
- Code for IBM i: Connection layer and file access to IBM i systems
- VS Code API: UI components, tree view, and editor integration
🤝 Contributing & Support
Found a Bug or Have a Feature Idea?
- File an issue: GitHub Issues
- Contribute code: Pull requests are welcome!
- Share feedback: Help make this extension better for the entire IBM i community
Development Setup
Want to contribute? Here's how to get started:
- Clone the repository
- Run
npm install
- Open in VS Code
- Press
F5 to launch Extension Development Host
- Make your changes and test
Special Thanks
🙏 Programmers.io - For constant inspiration and motivation
🙏 Seiden Group - For porting GREP to IBM i (PFGREP utility)
🙏 Code-for-i Team - For the communication layer that makes this possible
🙏 All Contributors - For feedback and improvements that made this extension better
📝 License
This project is licensed under the GPL v3 License - see the LICENSE file for details.
🎯 Quick Reference Card
Need help fast? Here are the essentials:
| What |
How |
| Open search |
Ctrl+Alt+F |
| Results location |
File Explorer (left sidebar) → "FAST & PF-URIOUS Results" section |
| Jump to code |
Click any result line |
| Export results |
Click → button in results panel |
| Clear results |
Click × button |
| Most common error |
"PFGREP not installed" → Install PFGREP on IBM i (see Step 1B) |
Pattern Examples:
CUSTNO = Simple text searchPROD* = All libraries starting with PROD^DCL-PROC = Regex for lines starting with DCL-PROC (enable Smart-search checkbox)
Still confused? Re-read the "Quick Start" and "Understanding Your Results" sections above.
Made with ❤️ for the IBM i developer community
