IBM i Member Timeline
A Visual Studio Code extension that automatically captures and shows the save history of IBM i source members. Every time you open or save a source member, a snapshot is stored locally on your PC — giving you a fast, lightweight history you can browse, diff, and manage without touching source control and without any round trips to the IBM i.
Requires the Code for IBM i extension.
Features
- Automatic snapshots on open — a baseline snapshot is captured when a member is opened for editing (browse-mode opens are skipped; if the content matches the last snapshot, no duplicate is created)
- Automatic snapshots on save — a snapshot is captured each time you save a source member
- Change detection — if the content hasn't changed since the last snapshot, no new snapshot is created
- Blank members are skipped — newly created, empty source members do not get a snapshot until they contain content
- Initial Snapshot pinned automatically — the very first snapshot for a member is pinned and labelled "Initial Snapshot" so you always have a restore point; pinned snapshots are never pruned automatically
- Timeline view — browse all snapshots for the active member in the IBM i Explorer panel
- Diff against current — click any snapshot to open a side-by-side diff against the current source
- Compare With — right-click any snapshot to compare it against the active file, another snapshot, a local file, an IFS file, or another member
- Snapshot comments — right-click any snapshot to add or edit an optional note (e.g. "Before refactor", "Working version")
- Pin snapshots — right-click any snapshot to pin it; pinned snapshots are exempt from automatic pruning and survive Clear Member History
- Open snapshot — right-click to open a snapshot as a read-only file in a new editor tab
- Reveal in File Explorer — right-click to open the snapshot location in Windows Explorer, macOS Finder, or your Linux file manager
- Delete snapshots — right-click one or more snapshots to permanently remove them; supports multi-select
- Clear member history — one-click button in the view title bar to remove all unpinned snapshots for the active member; pinned snapshots are preserved
- Configurable limit — control how many unpinned snapshots are kept per member; older ones are pruned automatically (pinned snapshots are never pruned)
- Stored locally — all snapshots are saved on your local PC, not the IFS
- No IBM i server calls — all content is read from VS Code's in-memory document model; no round trips to the IBM i are made
Requirements
How It Works
When you open a member for editing or save a source member (via the member:// scheme used by Code for IBM i), the extension:
- Checks whether the member was opened in browse (read-only) mode — if so, no snapshot is taken
- Reads the document content already in memory — no IBM i download required
- Hashes the content and compares it to the last saved snapshot
- If the content has changed, writes a new snapshot file to local storage and updates the index
Snapshots are stored in VS Code's local extension storage on your PC:
| OS |
Path |
| Windows |
%APPDATA%\Code\User\globalStorage\thomprl.ibmi-member-timeline\ |
| macOS |
~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/thomprl.ibmi-member-timeline/ |
| Linux |
~/.config/Code/User/globalStorage/thomprl.ibmi-member-timeline/ |
The folder structure within that location:
thomprl.ibmi-member-timeline/
index.json ← tracks all snapshot metadata (timestamps, comments, file paths)
snapshots/
<member>_<timestamp>.<ext>
...
Extension Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
memberTimeline.enabled |
true |
Enable or disable snapshot capture on open and save |
memberTimeline.snapshotLimit |
20 |
Maximum snapshots to keep per member (1–500); older ones are pruned lazily when the member is opened |
Usage
- Connect to an IBM i system using Code for IBM i
- Open a source member — the Member Timeline view appears in the IBM i Explorer panel and a baseline snapshot is captured automatically
- Save the member to capture additional snapshots
- Click any timeline entry to open a side-by-side diff against the current source
Timeline Options
| Action |
Description |
| Click / Diff icon |
Opens a side-by-side diff of the snapshot vs. the current source on IBM i |
| Right-Click → Add Comment |
Adds or edits an optional note on the snapshot; the note is shown in the timeline description and diff title |
| Right-Click → Pin Snapshot |
Pins the snapshot so it is never pruned automatically and survives Clear Member History; the entry icon changes to a pin |
| Right-Click → Unpin Snapshot |
Removes the pin from a previously pinned snapshot |
| Right-Click → Select for Compare |
Marks this snapshot as the left side for a future comparison; the entry icon changes to indicate selection |
| Right-Click → Compare With → Active File |
Diffs the snapshot against whatever file is currently open in the editor |
| Right-Click → Compare With → Selected |
Diffs against the snapshot previously marked with "Select for Compare" (only shown once a selection exists) |
| Right-Click → Compare With → Local File |
Opens a file picker to choose any local file to diff against |
| Right-Click → Compare With → IFS File |
Prompts for an IFS path and diffs against that file (requires an active IBM i connection) |
| Right-Click → Compare With → Member |
Prompts for a member path (LIBRARY/FILE/NAME.EXT) and diffs against that member |
| Right-Click → Open Snapshot |
Opens the snapshot as a read-only file in a new editor tab |
| Right-Click → Reveal in File Explorer |
Opens the snapshot location in Windows Explorer / macOS Finder / Linux file manager |
| Right-Click → Delete Snapshot(s) |
Deletes the selected snapshot(s), including pinned ones. Supports multi-select — hold Ctrl or Shift to select multiple entries before right-clicking |
| Clear icon (view title bar) |
Removes all unpinned snapshots for the active member (with confirmation); pinned snapshots are preserved |
Command Palette
| Command |
Description |
IBM i Member Timeline: Storage Summary |
Shows total snapshot count, member count, and disk space used |
IBM i Member Timeline: Delete All Snapshots |
Permanently removes all snapshots for all members (with confirmation) |
API Usage
Code for IBM i Extension
This extension depends on Code for IBM i for:
| API |
Purpose |
instance.subscribe('connected', ...) |
Refreshes the timeline view when an IBM i connection is established |
instance.subscribe('disconnected', ...) |
Clears the timeline view when the connection is dropped |
member:// URI scheme |
Identifies IBM i source member documents; the extension parses these URIs but makes no calls to the IBM i server |
No IBM i server calls are made by this extension. All snapshot content is read from VS Code's in-memory document model.
VS Code APIs
| API |
Purpose |
vscode.workspace.fs |
Local file I/O — reading and writing snapshot files and the index |
vscode.workspace.onDidOpenTextDocument |
Captures a baseline snapshot when a member is first opened |
vscode.workspace.onDidSaveTextDocument |
Captures a snapshot when a member is saved |
vscode.workspace.onDidChangeConfiguration |
Responds to changes in extension settings |
vscode.window.createTreeView |
Member Timeline panel in the IBM i Explorer sidebar |
vscode.commands.executeCommand('vscode.diff', ...) |
Opens the side-by-side diff editor |
vscode.commands.executeCommand('vscode.open', ...) |
Opens a snapshot file in a new editor tab |
vscode.commands.executeCommand('revealFileInOS', ...) |
Reveals the snapshot file in Windows Explorer / macOS Finder |
vscode.commands.executeCommand('setContext', ...) |
Sets context keys used by when clauses in menus |
vscode.window.showInputBox |
Comment input and member path prompts |
vscode.window.showOpenDialog |
Local file picker for Compare with Local File |
vscode.window.setStatusBarMessage |
Brief notification when a snapshot is selected for compare |
context.globalStorageUri |
Resolves the extension-scoped local storage path |
License
GNU General Public License v3.0
