Easytrieve Language SupportEasytrieve Language Support empowers developers with modern, shift-left capabilities that eliminate repetitive, manual tasks and fuel productivity. The modern day developer, relatively new to the mainframe can now work with mainframe applications with familiar, open-source tooling. The extension leverages the language server protocol to provide features such as autocomplete, syntax coloring, hover, and Go to definition, as well as diagnostic features for Easytrieve code and its macros. The Easytrieve Language Support extension enables you to connect to the mainframe using a Zowe zosmf profile to submit jobs, and retrieve macros used in an Easytrieve program and store them locally on your PC. The extension also has the capability to generate JCL files to wrap around your Easytrieve program to execute your program on the Mainframe. Easytrieve Language Support recognizes files with the extension For a high level overview of the Easytrieve Visual Studio Code Extension as well as instructional videos about how to use many functionalities of the extension, see Broadcom’s Educate YouTube channel. Easytrieve Language Support is part of the Code4z experience from Broadcom, which offers a modern experience for mainframe application developers. To get started with Code4z, check out our foundational extension pack. Address Software Requirements
There are no client or server-side software requirements for Easytrieve Language Support. After installing the extension through the Visual Studio Code Marketplace, basic extension functionality is available. Integrating
Integrate the Easytrieve Language Support extension with other solutions to extend the capabilities of the product and to expand the range of use cases. Integrate with Zowe ExplorerIntegrate Easytrieve Language Support with Zowe Explorer and set up a profile that enables communication between VS Code and the mainframe. This profile is used for the following executions on the mainframe:
To use the default profile, leave this field empty. For more information, see Zowe Explorer Profiles. For more information on creating a zosmf profile, see Creating a zosmf profile. Integrate with SSH client for VS CodeIntegrate Easytrieve Language Support with an SSH client for VS Code (or any VS Code extension that enables communication with a Linux server) in order to compile and run an Easytrieve program on a remote Linux system. Integrate with WindowsIntegrate Easytrieve Language Support with Easytrieve for Windows to execute the Easytrieve code locally. When using the Easytrieve for Windows version, the code created using VS Code can be executed directly from VS Code on a local PC and the output can be viewed using VS Code. For more information, see Install Easytrieve for Windows. Note: Configuring Easytrieve Report Generator for Windows is required for the local-build and run task. Integrate with DB2Integrate Easytrieve Language Support with DB2 to handle large amounts of data that are compatible with various operating systems and programming languages. The DB2 databases can be integrated with other software and tools. Language Server Features
The following features are available through the Easytrieve Language Support Extension: Source Code ValidationCode in Syntax ColoringAn Easytrieve program developed using this extension is syntax colored. The coloring schema uses VS Code standards. HoverThe Hover functionality provides additional information about symbols (fields and filenames). Use the hover function by placing the cursor over the field name or file name. Information might be limited if the symbol is defined in a macro. Go to DefinitionThe Go to definition feature makes it possible to jump to the specific location where a symbol (field or filename) is defined. This function is limited to the currently edited file. This feature is not available for symbols defined in a macro. Autocompletion (context-specific)Autocompletion can be used only when a colon Language Server Settings
The extension UI provides several fields in which you can specify your configuration settings. For more information about how to configure settings, see Visual Studio Code User and Workspace Settings. Currently, the Easytrieve Language Support Extension is only available on Windows 10 or later, and only supports ODBC and DB2 databases. The extended printer definition is not supported on the current version of the Easytrieve Language Support extension. The Easytrieve Language Support extension is compatible with Zowe versions up to 2.18.X, but it does not support Zowe version 3 or any later versions. The following Language Server Settings can be customized using the extension: Options TableSpecify where to store options as an input for the compiler. If the value is a relative path, this value is evaluated against the first root of the workspace. Update this field when other values other than default values are applied in the options table for validating and parsing the code by the extension. The default is empty. This results in a W703 warning (missing options table). In the Options Table field, enter the path to the file containing the options table definitions in text format. Use the Important: A Notes:
MacrosIn the Macros field, provide a list of directories (absolute paths) or DSNs with macros separated by semicolons. An absolute path is treated as a local directory. Other values other than absolute paths are treated as dataset names. The default value is empty. Click refresh macros in the status bar to download macros from datasets. Alternatively, you can execute the following command in the command palette:
For more information, see the Macro Search Directory Parameter in the Easytrieve documentation. Configure Your Database ConnectionConfiguring Possible values for this field are the following databases:
Note: After changing this value, be sure to restart the language server by restarting VS Code. Db Name OverrideUse ODBC Datasource name or Database name for SSID PARM Override to override the database name (e.g. SSID) specified in the source code. This override is useful when the local database used by the language server name differs from the one used on the target system (used during execution). The default of this setting is empty. Note: After changing this value, the language server requires a restart of VS Code. Configure Your JCL Settings
The JCL generate functionality makes it possible to create JCL files required to execute the Easytrieve program on the mainframe. These JCL files are built using the JCL settings present in the Easytrieve Language Support Extension settings. The following options apply to the JCL generate functionality. To generate a JCL for the Easytrieve code, specify the following:
Execute Your Easytrieve Program on the Mainframe
To execute an Easytrieve program on the mainframe, generate a JCL file using the JCL generate feature. Supporting DD statements like Input Output (IO) files and JCL comments which are specified in JCL format can be added to the generated JCL in one of three ways:
Note: Leave the User Prompt empty and press Enter to continue generating the JCL with the IO files specified on the
Upload Easytrieve Programs on the Mainframe
After generating the JCL, if the To have a valid reference to the dataset and program member, it is necessary to upload the Easytrieve program to the specified dataset in the mainframe.
If a dataset name is specified in the Note: Ensure that a Zowe profile is configured to upload the EZT and the JCL files to the mainframe. Customize Easytrieve Options on Distributed Platforms
The following options control the syntax check of SQL statements of the Easytrieve Report Generator application program. These options are used to set the level of the syntax check for Easytrieve programs. Note: These options are new compiler options for the Language Server and are currently only available in the extension.
Technical Assistance and Support
The Easytrieve extension is made available to customers on the Visual Studio Code Marketplace in accordance with the terms and conditions contained in the provided End-User License Agreement (EULA). If you are on active support for Easytrieve Report Generator, you get technical assistance and support in accordance with the terms, guidelines, details, and parameters that are located within the Broadcom Working with Support guide. This support generally includes:
Note: To receive technical assistance and support, you must remain compliant with “Working with Support”, be current on all applicable licensing and maintenance requirements, and maintain an environment in which all computer hardware, operating systems, and third party software associated with the affected Broadcom software are on the releases and version levels from the manufacturer that Broadcom designates as compatible with the software. Changes you elect to make to your operating environment could detrimentally affect the performance of Broadcom software and Broadcom shall not be responsible for these effects or any resulting degradation in performance of the Broadcom software. Severity 1 cases must be opened via telephone and elevations of lower severity incidents to Severity 1 status must be requested via telephone. |