Amy Lantz

Getting Started with VS Code for IBM i [Video Tutorial]

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Code for IBM i is rapidly gain traction as an efficient, cost-effective alternative to RDi for RPGLE (fixed and free format), COBOL, CL, and Db2 for i development.

To help traditional IBM i developers explore this fast and flexible IDE, Patrick Behr offers this first tutorial in his Getting Started with VS Code for i video series. In it, he demonstrates how to install VS Code and its IBM i Development pack, connect to an IBM i server, set and manage library lists, filter your object browser, and change and compile RPG source.

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Alan Seiden

VS Code for IBM i: SEP Debugging Prerequisites

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Code for IBM iCode for i users have been showing great interest in Service Entry Point (SEP) debugging. SEP permits debugging of applications that run in a different job than the programmer’s job, such as a web server or prestart job.

Available with Version 2 of the IBM Debug Service, SEP requires several prerequisites, including the IBM i Debug extension, PTFs, and Licensed Program Products (LPPs). This article focuses on the PTFs and LPPs, objects that are frequently overlooked.

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Alan Seiden

Use grep to Search IBM i Source Members (RPG, CL, COBOL, more)

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From the Seiden SmartSupport mailbag:

One issue I keep coming across is the inability to search for text in source members across all libraries. We use a commercial tool, but it is expensive and cumbersome. Coming from the Linux world, where I can “grep” for anything, I find this a ridiculous restriction.

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Amy Lantz

Debug RPGLE and COBOL with VS Code for IBM i

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Our Twitter feeds recently rang out with this long-awaited news from Liam Allan:

“Debugging ILE COBOL and RPGLE inside @code like it’s any other day! I’m pumped for this release #ibmi.”

As reported by Alex Woodie in IBM i Debugger Comes to VS Code, IBM decoupled their RPG/COBOL debugger from RDi after years of encouragement from Liam. It’s now available as a Debug Service to the thousands of IBM i developers who have downloaded Visual Studio Code for IBM i. Read more →

Amy Lantz

Tips for Fast, Reliable Open Source on IBM i

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Open source continues to gain traction in IBM i shops, and for good reason. It excels at delivering new interfaces and functionality for RPG and COBOL applications, plus it broadens the talent pool for your development team.

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Amy Lantz

VS Code for IBM i: A Resource Guide

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UPDATED 1/14/2025

Code for IBM iVS Code for IBM i offers an alternative to RDi, the fee-based graphical IDE for IBM i, and SEU, the native green-screen IDE. It’s faster than RDi and easier to learn than either RDi or SEU. It supports development in RPGLE, COBOL, JavaScript, PHP, Python, Node.js, etc. Liam Allan’s Code for IBM i 2024 review updates us on the state of the open source project.

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Liam Barry Allan

VS Code for IBM i — Tips and Extras

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Visual Studio Code 1.35 iconVisual Studio Code is a widely used IDE in the non-IBM i world. Recently we released Code for IBM i, a freely available extension for VS Code that supports RPGLE and COBOL development for IBM i. You can read about the basics of Code for IBM i and about code coverage functionality in my previous posts.

Today I’m going to cover three additional tips for using Code for IBM i. Of course, for any of this to work, you need to install Code for IBM i.

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Liam Barry Allan

Visual Studio Code, RPG and Code Coverage

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2023 Update

The Code Coverage extension for VS Code for i remains in development
and is unavailable at this time.


This is the second post in my series on RPG and COBOL development using Visual Studio Code and Code for IBM i. Today’s topic is Code Coverage.

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Alan Seiden

Five Reasons We Use Git to Manage IBM i Source Code

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GitIf recent customer requests for Git training are any indication, this popular, free, open source tool for managing source code is gaining momentum and will soon be mainstream on IBM i.

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Alan Seiden

Vote for a Mac edition of RDi

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Rational Developer for i (RDi), the modern editor for IBM i RPG, COBOL and other languages, runs on Windows and Linux, but not Mac.

IBM has shown some willingness to port the product to Mac. They have posted a poll to allow users to vote for this enhancement or to comment on the proposal: https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rfe/execute?use_case=viewRfe&CR_ID=13454

Those wishing to vote will find a “vote” link near the bottom of the poll page.