Holly Lacher

Edit IFS Files Using Visual Studio Code for IBM i

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

Code for IBM iVisual Studio Code (VS Code) is a lightweight source code editor that runs on multiple desktops, including Windows, Linux, and MacOS. It provides built-in support for PHP, Node.js, Python, and many other languages and runtimes.

Halcyon Tech’s Code for IBM i extension adds the ability to edit IBM i Integrated File System (IFS) files inside VS Code. It’s easy to get set up to access and edit IFS-based code using this popular editing tool.

In just seven quick steps, you can install VS Code and its Code for IBM i extension and begin working with IFS files stored on your IBM i.

Read more →

Amy Lantz

Code for IBM i: Project Mode

/0 Comments/in , /by

Code for IBM iVisual Studio Code for IBM i recently acquired a series of enhancements that greatly enrich the RPGLE developer experience.

Known as Project Mode, the new features allow RPGLE developers to easily navigate their code — and understand it — all while editing remotely in the IDE. They can now find all references to definitions, find definitions of all references, and go to the implementation of export procedures without leaving the editor.

Read more →

Liam Barry Allan

Visual Studio Code and 5250

/9 Comments/in , /by

With our latest version of Code for IBM i, developers have access to virtually everything they need when writing both RPG and open source applications, all in a single editor.

This blog post covers the two types of terminals available: a PASE shell, enhanced in 0.84 for faster launch, and a 5250 terminal.

Read more →

Liam Barry Allan

RPGLE Linting and Content Assist with VS Code for IBM i

/8 Comments/in , /by

vscode-rpgle extensionA great IDE contains features that increase your coding speed and accuracy so you can focus on your program’s logic. One of my favorite productivity enhancers, content assist, has been bundled in Visual Studio Code for IBM i since its inception. Content assist gives you autocomplete options for code as you write it, reducing syntax errors.

Today we’re announcing a new killer productivity tool for Code for IBM i—a built-in linter!

Read more →

Liam Barry Allan

Visual Studio Code, IBM i & PHP

/0 Comments/in , /by

Visual Studio Code 1.35 iconEvery post about Code for IBM i thus far has been how it can be used for writing RPG, CL, COBOL, etc. But what about other languages? Of course, PHP is another one of those very popular languages on IBM i. Calvin wrote a little while ago about how it’s possible to use RDi to write PHP code on the server, which is great. I think we can take it up a notch, which brings us to this post.

Read more →

Liam Barry Allan

VS Code for IBM i — Tips and Extras

/9 Comments/in , /by

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.

Read more →

Liam Barry Allan

Visual Studio Code, RPG and Code Coverage

/0 Comments/in , /by

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.

Read more →

Liam Barry Allan

Visual Studio Code, RPG and IBM i

/34 Comments/in , /by

Visual Studio Code 1.35 iconVisual Studio Code is an IDE and platform for developers to write backend, progressive web apps, frontend, and everything on the spectrum of development. I have created an extension for VS Code, called Code for IBM i, that allows users to work on and maintain their IBM i code. VS Code is the best IDE for extensibility, which is why I wanted to take on such a task.

While Visual Studio Code was built to work with all languages, in my opinion it didn’t have much support for RPGLE or COBOL on IBM i until this point. We’re streamlining RPGLE development in terms of tools and speed for our users. We want to make developing RPGLE and COBOL easy for everyone in the most efficient way possible.

Read more →

Alan Seiden

Vote for a Mac edition of RDi

/4 Comments/in , /by

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.