Alan Seiden

Improve Your TN5250 Experience in VS Code for IBM i

/0 Comments/in /by

Update: New installations of Code for i include the +uninhibited option by default, as described here.

The open-source TN5250 emulator provides a handy way to launch IBM i 5250 sessions from within VS Code for IBM i.

The one drawback I’ve found in TN5250 is the Cursor in protected area of display error when I accidentally type on a protected area of the screen—an area where input isn’t allowed. The error must be cleared before I can continue to work.

Read more →

Alan Seiden

Physical File GREP (PFGREP): Fast IBM i Source Code Search

/5 Comments/in /by

pfgrep: Fast search for IBM i PFsOur 2023 article on searching source physical file members using the QShell grep command showed grep’s potential. In practice, while we found QShell grep to be flexible, we also experienced slow performance and occasional errors.

Now, our own Calvin Buckley has built an improved grep command called pfgrep to search traditional IBM i source physical file members. Quick and reliable, pfgrep is also free and open source.

Read more →

Amy Lantz

VS Code for IBM i: Profiles [Video]

/0 Comments/in /by

Returning with a new episode in his Getting Started with Code for i video series, IBM Champion Patrick Behr now focuses on how to set up profiles.

Profiles let you define different library lists and filters based on what you’re working on. They give you one-click access between, for example, production and test environments, accounting and warehouse applications, or whatever you need to need to do next.

Read more →

Alan Seiden

Compare Source Between Two Partitions using VS Code for IBM i

/0 Comments/in /by

Comparing source code between IBM i partitions has been a desired feature of Code for i. Although connecting to two systems within one Code for i window is not yet supported, comparing source from two systems IS possible.

Patrick Behr recently posted a comparison technique using Git that works for multiple files. Another technique, which seems well suited for comparing single files rather than multiples, was provided by Christian Jorgensen in the Code for i Github repository. We share both versions below.

Read more →

Alan Seiden

Using SSH Keys with VS Code for IBM i

/0 Comments/in /by

VS Code for iTo make our IBM i servers more secure, our system administrator has configured our SSH services to require public key authentication rather than password-based logins. To comply with this security policy, we also set up our Visual Studio Code for i connections to use SSH keys.

This article explains how to set up an SSH key with Code for i.

Read more →

Amy Lantz

VS Code for IBM i: A Resource Guide

/26 Comments/in , /by

UPDATED 11/18/2025

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.

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 →