What's new in IBM Developer for z/OS on VS Code

The final release of the year introduces multiple enhancements designed to improve the development experience.

Centralized ZCodeScan Rules Management: The ZCodeScan integration is revamped to simplify configuration. Previously, each Git repository required its own rules file. Rules can now be centralized for an organization, as follows:

• Store rules in a dedicated repository and load them into a multi‑root workspace alongside application repositories.

• Share rules across projects or maintain different rule sets for different application types.

This capability is enabled through a new ZCodeScan profile type in the ZAPP file, which specifies the rules file to use. The release also introduces the first step toward custom rules: declarative rules can be defined using regular expressions in a separate file referenced in the ZAPP file.

Note: The previous method of placing the rules file in the root remains supported, but requires an additional ZAPP entry for consistency.

Improved Control and Data Flow Browsers: Enhancements to the graph browsers include:

• Compact control flow layout for easier navigation of large programs.

• Search functionality added to the data flow browser, consistent with the control flow experience.

• Context‑aware selection: right‑click in the code to open the browser and highlight the corresponding paragraph (control flow) or variable (data flow).

Several other refinements and fixes are included, such as:

• The ability to customize the columns of the z/OS® Resources table.

• An MCP tool for changing the default Zowe™ profile to set the correct context for AI Chat interactions.

• Support for HLASM on z/OS 3.2 with pre‑scanned SYS1.MACLIB macros for code completion.

• RSE API CLI commands to copy files between UNIX System Services and data sets.

• Localization to Simplified Chinese (zh‑cn) and Traditional Chinese (zh‑tw).

• Bug fixes and stability improvements.

See the complete list of all the enhancements and fixes for this release in the Changelog.

Hotfix updates are available for IBM Developer for z/OS on VS Code 5.7.1 and 6.1.0. Z Open Editor 6.1.1 and the IBM RSE API Plug‑in for Zowe CLI 6.1.1 are published in the VS Code Marketplace. Version 5.7.2 is available only from the Mainframe Download Site. All 6.1.1 release artifacts are also available there.

Fixes included in this release:

• Fixed the issue that prevented using environment variables in Zowe™ team configuration files when using MCP tools.

• Fixed the issue that prevented uploading nested dependency folders in user builds on Windows.

• Fixed the issue with the copy unix-cross-lpar command to show a more consistent progress bar for large file and directory copies, and updated the command to use a temporary download location rather than current workspace.

• Adopted authOrder for RSE profiles when logged in with token authentication to ensure that sessions retrieved from the CLI use the correct authentication method.

• Fixed the issue with the disable-symlink-resolution flag for the zowe rse search uss command by adding a version check and an appropriate error message if the RSE API host component is below v1.2.3.

(Available at IBM Mainframe Downloads only.)

• Fixed the issue that user build menu items were not available for REXX files when zopeneditor.userbuild.alwaysShowCommands was enabled.

• Fixed issues with using local HLASM macros on Windows when specifying an absolute path with a drive letter and a glob pattern. Added the includeFileExtensions user setting to HLASM to enhance the performance of the local macro scanner by preventing scans of non-HLASM files.

• Fixed the issue where local HLASM macros did not work reliably for relative maclib paths in multi-root workspaces.

Version 6.1.0 is now available, introducing new capabilities and a revised licensing model for accessing IBM Developer for z/OS on VS Code's Advanced Features.

Introducing IBM Developer for z/OS Select 1.0.0 which is a new product bundle that offers organizations a choice of editors for application development. It supports team preferences by enabling editing in both Eclipse and VS Code. This edition enables a distinct subset of advanced capabilities in Z Open Editor compared to the Enterprise edition. The redesigned Welcome page provides an overview of available trial features and lists the capabilities included in both the Select and Enterprise editions. For complete details, refer to the documentation.

This latest release includes the following enhancements:

• Added "Show Call Hierarchy" and "Peek Call Hierarchy" context menu actions to COBOL language support. Select a paragraph or section and review all associated perform targets or sources.

• Expanded the advanced feature control flow graph browser to support PL/I programs. Enhancements include the ability to select and view subsets of the graph and to search for nodes using regular expressions.

• Added a graph browser feature for COBOL to visualize data flow. Select any variable in the source code and open the Data Flow Browser from the "Show In" context menu to display the data used to populate the variable, as well as where the variable's content flows, such as how it's used downstream. As with control flow, you can click any node in the graph to directly navigate to the corresponding source code.

• Expanded the list of Model Context Protocol tools by adding tools to execute ZCodeScans and User Builds, and to perform source code actions such as formatting multiple files and removing their sequence numbers in batch. Also Added more Zowe tools to upload to data sets and download job output files. Tools from the previous release were updated to include additional data, enabling large language models to perform advanced operations such as sorting data set members by last change date.

A short demo video is available to showcase selected MCP tools in action:

Demonstration of MCP Tools in IBM Developer for z/OS on VS Code 6.1.0

The RSE API CLI now includes several new options for working with UNIX archive files.

The latest release of IBM Z® Open Editor and the broader IBM® Developer for z/OS® on VS Code portfolio introduces AI capabilities through its first set of Model Context Protocol features, which integrate with VS Code's Agent Mode. This enhancement enables AI to access contextual information from Z Open Editor across both the local workspace and the z/OS development environment. AI Chat can be used to interact with Zowe™ to locate a data set, fetch spool files for a job, or retrieve files from the z/OS UNIX home directory and open them directly in the editor. AI can also assist with diagnostics by referencing items in the Problems view and suggesting resolutions. It can analyze Z Open Editor's log file to identify why copybooks are missing for a given program, and perform follow up checks on the ZAPP file and user settings. Refer to the documentation for additional examples that demonstrate how these tools enhance productivity and provide AI with real-time awareness of the development context.

Other major additions in this release include:

• COBOL control flow diagrams: A graphical browser that opens beside the currently open program, enabling examination of “perform” calls. Isolate a specific flow to discover what calls a particular paragraph or section, or what it calls.

• CICS TS 6.3 support: Adds all the new and updated statements to COBOL and PL/I language support.

• "Expand Source Code" for PL/I: A context menu command that expands PL/I macros in addition to include files and opens the result in a new editor tab.

• HLASM enhancements: Includes new z17 operands in code completion.

• Several fixes and updates for COBOL, JCL and HLASM.

• On the Zowe™ side, tested with the new Zowe Explorer 3.3, fixed copy-paste issues for data set members, and addressed various community-reported bugs.

Breaking changes introduced in this major version update:

• To support VS Code's Agent Mode APIs, install Z Open Editor in VS Code 1.102.3 or newer. Stay on the latest VS Code release, especially if you plan to use the new Model Context Protocol (MCP) capability added to Z Open Editor, as Microsoft delivers monthly feature updates and fixes. If using a cloud-based deployment of VS Code, verify that it is upgraded to the required version. Containers must also include Node.js 22 and Java 21 to run Z Open Editor. At the time of this release, no version of Red Hat® OpenShift® Dev Spaces includes the required VS Code version. Continue using Dev Spaces with Z Open Editor 5.7.1 until an update is available.

• The minimum Java version required to run Z Open Editor's language server is Java 21 LTS. Upgrade your local Java installation if you are still using Java 17, and configure either the $JAVA_HOME environment variable or the zopeneditor.JAVA_HOME user setting accordingly.

• As this is a major version upgrade of IBM Developer for z/OS on VS Code, request new license activation kits from your IBM sales representative. Existing 5.x keys remain compatible with this version of the editor; however, upgrading ensures readiness for future updates. If you are using an RSE API server to automatically unlock the editor, no new keys are required.

A bug fix release is now available that addresses a few issues.

• Fixed the issue where the JCL language server showed errors about missing PROC files, even when zopeneditor.jcl.enableResolvingProcs was set to false.

• Fixed the issue where language detection with an RSE API profile ignored the files.associations setting in some cases.

• Fixed the issue where language detection logged error messages when opening your local files.

• Fixed the issue where the CLI command to create a member returned a Node.js file system error.

• Fixed the issue where clicking the hyperlink in the Submit Job confirmation dialog resulted in 500 or Not Found errors.

The August release includes several enhancements and fixes.

Added another Advanced Capability called Language Detection for z/OS data set members. It uses the RSE API’s scan feature to determine the programming language of a file and automatically sets the language in VS Code, enabling the appropriate language support in the Editor. Previously, manual configuration of data set to language mappings was required in user settings, which created challenges when working with multiple languages in the same data set or when accessing files from unconfigured data sets. Now, just open the file, and if the content matches one of the supported languages, the Editor automatically switches the language mode.

The Editor now integrates with IBM CICS® for Zowe Explorer, extending its capabilities for all users. A graphical view called CICS Resource Inspector is introduced, accessible directly from COBOL source code through a codelens. Instead of navigating through the CICS Explorer view, just click the codelens while editing, select your region, and the new view instantly opens to display a detailed breakdown of resource properties.

Enhancements to ZAPP file editing include support for additional variable types and preview hovers in the editor. Built-in variables such as ${javaHome} (showing Z Open Editor’s path to Java) or ${workspace} help validate that preprocessor commands use correct relative file paths.

Several bugs are resolved in this release. Improvements address COBOL REPLACING syntax handling and refine the computation of variable references in specific scenarios.

The July release of IBM® Developer for z/OS on VS Code with Z Open Editor and RSE API Zowe™ CLI Plugin addresses technical debt and introduces key improvements.

Added support for mounted drive letters and UNC path names for Windows users. You can now share copybooks and include files on a network drive by specifying their location in the ZAPP file using either double backslashes or forward slashes. See the updated documentation for property groups with full details and configuration options.

This release introduces productivity-focused enhancements for ZAPP file creation and modification. If a custom variable is undefined in your settings or a built-in variable is misspelled, an error message appears in the VS Code Problems view. For variables based on user setting, you can also hover over them to view the value used for each variable.

The data elements table is enhanced in this release with advanced filter options using regular expressions, as well as support for exporting the displayed data as a CSV file. You can open the CSV data directly in VS Code using one of its many CSV-related extensions, or export it to a file for use in a spreadsheet.

Zowe Explorer introduced paging for data sets and members with version 3.2.0. This feature now also works with RSE API profiles. Use the zowe.ds.paginate.dataSetsPerPage user setting to define the page size or disable paging.

IBM® Developer for z/OS® on VS Code v5.5.0 is now available and introduces new capabilities and enhancements. This release includes major updates to the free Z Open Editor 5.5.0, such as language support for COBOL V6.5 and PL/I 6.2, which align with the latest compiler updates. The COBOL and HLASM language servers now apply semantic syntax highlighting based on parsing results. For example, for COBOL programs, the editor highlights code that compiles versus code the compiler ignores in conditional compilation statements, based on conditions defined in the code or as compiler options in ZAPP files. Additional updates include bug fixes across all supported languages and improved resolution of JCL PROCs and HLASM macros by retrieving them from z/OS, depending on configuration. The free RSE API Plug-in for Zowe CLI adds new terminal commands to edit and compare files from the command line.

In addition to the free updates, IBM Developer for z/OS on VS Code introduces two major new Advanced Features:

• Introducing IBM ZCodeScan: a linter-like experience for COBOL in the editor that scans program files for best practice violations and security vulnerabilities. Violations appear directly in the editor and in the Problems view. Rule severity is configurable, so rules that do not apply to a project can be disabled. The rule configuration file resides with the source code, so it becomes automatically available in the build pipeline, where ZCodeScan's CLI can be used instead of the editor to ensure compliance as part of a continuous integration process.

• Introducing the Data Elements View: a feature previously available in IBM Developer for z/OS for Eclipse is now added to the VS Code extension. The Data Elements view provides a data table that displays data elements within COBOL or PL/I program files. It enables you to browse, search, sort, and filter data elements from programs and their copybook or include files. Variables appear with length and offset, and navigation to them within the program or include file is possible with a single mouse click.

Other advanced features include enhancements. For example, the 3270 emulator opens directly inside VS Code in a dedicated webview, in addition to launching in a web browser. The emulator also supports the latest Zowe authentication methods, including tokens or credentials provided through environment variables. Variable naming in ZAPP files is unified between IBM Developer for z/OS on VS Code and IBM Developer for z/OS on Eclipse. This consistency enables both editors to function interchangeably. As a result, ZAPP files created in VS Code work in Eclipse for features such as property groups and user build.

• Added the ability to execute the preprocessor with custom file extensions. To enable preprocessing, register your file extensions using the files.associations setting and/or the zopeneditor.datasets.cobolDatasets or zopeneditor.datasets.pl1Datasets user settings.

• The preprocessor running on z/OS® for local files now also uses the zopeneditor.autoPreprocessor user setting. When multiple ZAPP profiles exist that apply to local files and this setting is enabled, for example, a local and an MVS profile, the first one listed is used.

• The Editor now prompts for credentials if a Zowe™ profile without stored or previously entered credentials is used to execute the remote preprocessor. These credentials are then shared with other functions as described above.

• Added a new setting zopeneditor.jcl.enableResolvingProcs to toggle the retrieval of PROC targets in JCL files. This behavior was previously always enabled but now defaults to disabled with the value "false" to reduce the amount of z/OS traffic generated when opening JCL files. Note that the context menu operation "Expand source code" is currently unavailable unless the setting is enabled by setting it to "true".

• Fixed the issue where user builds performed with z/OSMF and SSH Zowe CLI profiles did not download the log files after a build failure.

• Fixed the issue that may cause corrupted content when saving or uploading files from Windows to a data set with Shift-In or Shift-Out characters using RSE API Zowe profiles.

• Fixed the issue where copybook resolution with an RSE API Zowe profile spawned excessive mainframe threads while fetching PDS members.

• Improved credentials management with Zowe Explorer 3.2.0 when using "autoStore": false in your Zowe team configuration files. You now get prompted for your credentials once, which are then in a common memory cache until the editor restarts. This works now for reusing credentials across the Zowe Explorer views, running a user build, running the preprocessor, and resolving include files from z/OS. Note that you might get prompted for your z/OSMF and SSH passwords separately at the moment, which is under exploration for future improvement.

The release of IBM Z® Open Editor and RSE API Plugin for Zowe™ CLI focuses entirely on various enhancements and bug fixes.

• Added the ability to run a preprocessor for COBOL or PL/I for files that you edit locally on z/OS®. You can now continue to use the preprocessor that runs on Z for Git files. Also, added the ability with the release, see Remote preprocessor and created a new tutorial page in these docs.

• You can now use regular expressions to search file names and file content in the z/OS Resources table for both data sets and UNIX files. See Search toggles.

• Reimplemented the way COBOL and PL/I language servers parse code with double-byte characters. You can now convert code back to EBCDIC in memory to correctly count the byte length of strings. The byte counter returns to the status bar and shows how many bytes you use on the current line.

• Added the popular Expand Source Code operation to JCL files.

• Several language-related issues are now fixed.

• Improved how credentials are cached and reused to reduce login prompts in the Zowe Explorer and CLI when credentials are not stored in a credentials manager, such as when you work on Red Hat® OpenShift® Dev Spaces. Fixed several RSE API issues that occur when saving files.

New installations of Z Open Editor now include a 90-day trial for Advanced Features. You can install all entitled VS Code extensions from the Mainframe download site.

These packs and the download zip files on the Mainframe Download site now includes the IBM CICS® for Zowe Explorer VS Code extension and the IBM CICS Plug-in for Zowe CLI. The ADFz pack and zip also include the IBM File Manager for z/OS VS Code extension and IBM Fault Analyzer for z/OS VS Code extension. See Mainframe Downloads.

Alternatively, you can also download the new extension packs published in the VS Code Marketplace and Open-VSX.

• IBM Developer for z/OS on VS Code (IDzEE) and

• IBM Application Delivery Foundation for z/OS (ADFz)

Released Z Open Editor and RSE API Plugin for Zowe™ CLI 5.3.0, which enhances the JCL editor with PROCs support, adds new commands to the RSE API CLI, and fixes various bugs.

IBM Z® Open Editor is part of the IBM Developer for z/OS Enterprise Edition and IBM Application Delivery Foundation for z/OS product offerings. Throughout the last year, shipped new and improved added-value capabilities in each of the monthly releases on top of the free Z Open Editor, which addressed the needs of the enterprise customers based on their feedback. In 5.3.0 release, another exciting new capability was added to the paid-for variant of the VS Code solution portfolio: the ability to run an advanced 3270 emulator support in the emulator directly out of Z Open Editor. The emulator called RCE (Remote Connection Emulator) provides many features which include a fully customizable user experience, advanced text selection features for cut or copy or paste, a customizable screen keyboard, bidirectional editing, and many other features. The emulator is scalable by running as a web server on your Remote System Explorer API server, runs in a browser, and you can authenticate with your regular Zowe RSE API profile that you use when you work with Zowe Explorer. So, it is a simple right-click in Zowe Explorer to open a remote connection session on any of your z/OS® systems that run RSE API server version 1.2.1 or newer. See Advanced RCE.

Furthermore, added improvements to the RSE API and Z Open Editor integration by adding paging features to the z/OS Resources table. When you review large numbers of data sets or lists of data set members, you can page through a configurable number of elements at the time, speed up the user experience, retrieve the results only one page at the time from the server.

The first release of 2025 focuses on quality of service improvements and bug fixes. Improved the advanced features list by adding support for custom HLASM macros stored in z/OS data sets. Optimized how Z Open Editor's utilize Zowe Explorer's new virtual file system even further and added a progress bar when you load many include files from a remote location. You no longer have to monitor the log file to see if everything is loaded successfully, instead the status bar tells you how many files it still needs to load together with a cancel button that enables you to stop the whole process. Be sure to tweak the parallel downloads setting to optimize for your specific setup. Based on a popular request a new user setting is added that enables you to start a user build on arbitrary files through right-click together with several fixes.

On the Zowe™ Explorer with RSE API side, a new warning dialog is added to prepare you for password expiration. Support for cross-LPAR operations continues with all new RSE API CLI commands.

Finally, documentation is revised to run the tools in Red Hat® OpenShift Dev Spaces and GitHub Codespaces with Dev Containers.

With the availability of version 5.1.0 of Z Open Editor, the transition is complete to Zowe™ v3 by fully adopting the virtual file system introduced with Zowe Explorer v3. When you open a program that has copybooks or include files, and if those files are fetched from MVS through a ZAPP property group, use the same mechanism as Zowe Explorer to store them as the exact virtual resource. It does not matter if the file is opened directly through Zowe Explorer's Date Set View, or Z Open Editor's copybooks resolution and a ctrl or cmd-click on the underlined file reference, or through our advanced z/OS® Resource table: you see the same virtual file resource name in the VS Code editor tab. Unify the file resources, this enables the ability to edit the copybooks and save changes back to MVS. By default such files open as ready-only to avoid confusion introducing this feature and accidental code changes, but with the new user setting "zopeneditor.zowe": {"readonlyRemoteIncludeFiles": "<true-or-false>"} you can enable that the files are editable and can be written back to MVS. When you work on these new features, also revisit the "zopeneditor.zowe": {"listBeforeDownload": "<true-or-false>"} setting and refine the checks performed for the existence of a data set member before you try to download it, because 404 errors are not handled well by z/OSMF.

The release also adds a key feature to the advanced PL/I preprocessor to support developers using PL/I Macros in their code. Provided a new REXX program sample that the preprocessor feature can execute on z/OS® to use the PL/I compiler to expand the macros and send the results back to the PL/I language server. PL/I developer can use this feature to eliminate the syntax errors they saw in the past when you edit code with macros, as the parser does not yet have support for these statements. The preprocessor uses the expanded source code to show how macros were expanded in rich hovers inside the program editor as well as a side-by-side view. Continue to edit your program without syntax errors and regenerate the expanded macro representation and refresh the hovers on save. Added an article about the preprocessor support to the Team Blog section under COBOL and PL/I preprocessor support by IBM Z® Open Editor.

For the IBM® RSE API Plugin for Zowe CLI, added several exciting new commands and options. One focus area is new cross-LPAR commands and new parameters for paging results, such as for long list of data set members.

The release also marks the start of a new generation of Cloud-based editing support for the platform. Retired the OpenShift Dev Spaces clone Wazi for Dev Spaces in favor to support Red Hat's OpenShift Dev Spaces directly. This enables you to immediately be on the latest version of OpenShift and Dev Spaces and use the same platform as their distributed development counterparts, facilitates the break down of solos and the creation of hybrid application development teams that maintain container-based and mainframe-based solution together.

Version 5 of Z Open Editor and the RSE API Plugin for Zowe™ CLI are now available on the VS Code Marketplace, Open-VSX, npmjs.com, Mainframe Downloads. The most important update is the switch to Zowe v3, which means Zowe Explorer 3.0.2 and Zowe CLI 8.x. These two, or newer versions, are now required as the previous versions 2.x of Zowe Explorer and CLI 7.x that does not work with this 5.0.0 release.

The other two breaking changes that triggered a major version number update for the release are

• VS Code 1.91 or newer version is now required to switch to the latest language server APIs in VS Code to utilize features that were added to the protocol.

• Java 17™ or newer version is also required for these language server updates and the release nicely coincides with IBM® Developer for z/OS® 17 that has also switched to Java 17 as its runtime. If you are on an older version of Java, Z Open Editor does not activate and the Welcome page informs you to upgrade.

The release is coordinated with the paid-for products IBM Application Delivery Foundation for z/OS 5.0.0 and IBM Developer for z/OS Enterprise Edition 17.0.0 that include Z Open Editor with technical support and the Advanced Capabilities. The packaging of the VS Code components included in these products have been renamed from "IBM Wazi for VS Code" to "IBM Developer for z/OS on VS Code". These offerings also provide the IBM Z Open Debug extension, Dependency Based Build version 3, with its all-new zBuilder framework, and Wazi Deploy. Also note, early versions of the IBM Fault Analyzer and File Manager VS Code extensions are soon to be added to the ADFz offering as well.

Other release highlights for 5.0.0 are

• Localization and globalization of Z Open Editor and Zowe Explorer to French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish. See Switch the display language.

• Improved support for editing programs with double-byte characters including fixes for incorrectly reported syntax errors when such characters are used in a line of code. See Specifying an EBCDIC file encoding to use with the language servers.

• Support to perform user builds with IBM DBB 3.0.0 zBuilder. See Advanced problems view, Building z/OS applications with the zBuilder.

• JCL include file support plus many enhancements and fixes for the latest language server. See Setting property groups

• New RSE API Plugin for Zowe CLI commands and many fixes.

Breaking changes:

• Java 17: Built the language server with Java 17, which now is the minimum Java version required for Z Open Editor. The editor does not work with Java 11 anymore. We recommend IBM's Semeru Runtime or JDK. Distributions from Oracle and OpenJDK also works.

• VS Code v1.91 or newer: As part of the upgrade to Java 17, you can use newer versions of language server APIs provided by the Eclipse LSP4J project and Microsoft. As a result, the required version for VS Code for the extension to v1.91 or newer is also increased.

• Zowe v3: Zowe Explorer 3.0.0 or newer is now required. Z Open Editor v5 now downloads and installs Zowe Explorer v3. Zowe Explorer v2 does not work anymore. For IBM RSE API Plugin for Zowe CLI the requirement is now Zowe CLI v8.

New features and fixes:

• Localization: Z Open Editor and Zowe Explorer are now available for the VS Code display languages French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish. This also includes syntax error messages provided by the COBOL, PL/I, JCL and REXX language servers. Download the respective language pack and switch.

• Added user settings to enable or disable folding range support for JCL and COBOL.

For the September 2024 release, reached a major milestone for completing the z/OS® Resource Table and summarizing all the new capabilities in a new Blog post. In particular, completed the Search capabilities for the table by adding content search for PDS members as well as UNIX System Services files.

The second advanced feature that got significant enhancements is the preprocessor support, which is extended to also work with PL/I programs. The samples repository provides preprocessor examples in Java™ and REXX for both target languages as well.

On the free features side, added a new experimental content menu action to expand a COBOL program embedding all the nested copybooks and substituting REPLACING values. The feature is not yet complete to cover conditional compilation, but looking forward to your feedback.

Finally, added new commands and options to the RSE API Plugin for Zowe™ CLI, such as copying content between LPARs, new encoding conversion options, as well as performance tweaks.

August 2024 release of Z Open Editor and RSE API Plugin focuses on incremental refinements and fixes. Added many improvements to Advanced Capabilities such as the following:

• z/OS® Resources Tables, which now features content search and new filter options.

• The Preprocessor support, which now adds support for z/OSMF, a Cancel button, as well as many fixes and small refinements.

• As another highlight, HLASM editor is extended to support code completion for local macros, which shows you all the macros parameters that enables you to use the tab key to navigate from parameter to parameter to fill in the values. For operations, the code completion mechanism is now utilized for syntax errors. See Code completion

For the free content, the language support issues for PL/I, HLASM, as well as the all new JCL language server is fixed. For COBOL, added a first implementation of a long requested feature: code folding. Improvements made to the RSE API Plugin for Zowe CLI by adding a new command for UNIX System Services and finally providing an installation option for air gap that is to install the plugin without access to the public internet.

IBM Z® Open Editor 4.3.0 is now available, adds support for another language: Job Control Language (JCL). The new language server is a first increment that provides most frequently requested features such as an Outline view, real-time syntax checking, and code completion. Planning to add more capabilities in the future and look forward to your feedback.

In addition to this free new language feature, also adding to the advanced capabilities for the IDzEE or ADFz audience by completing the preprocessor story with remote preprocessor execution. Run a custom preprocessor on z/OS®, perhaps implemented in REXX, using a TSO command that reads a program file in a data set to produce a processed output file to be used by the COBOL language server to edit the program with the preprocessor statements.

Improved the language support addressing changes for the latest PL/I v6.1 January 2024 compiler refresh, fixed bugs reported by the community, and added minor enhancements, such as an improved support to edit strings with double-byte characters to avoid truncation issues

Released Z Open Editor and RSE API CLI plugin 4.2.0 with two more additions to the Advanced Features set:

1. Added a brand new capability for HLASM developers to work with macro files showing hovers, document links, go to definition, and code completion for macros provided in local files.

2. Updated the z/OS® Resource table with UNIX System Services support to provide you with the same capabilities to browse, filter, sort, open, download, upload, create, and copy your unix folders and files with the same user experience that was added in the 4.0.0 release for MVS and JES.

In addition to the usual bug fixes and refinements, also added COBOL User Defined Functions support to Z Open Editor as well as enhancements and fixes for the watsonx® Code Assistant for Z integration.

After the major v4.0.0 update that focused on adding advanced features to Z Open Editor, released v4.1.0 with key updates for the watsonx® Code Assistant for Z integration and the RSE API Plugin for Zowe™ CLI.

Added a graphical end-to-end walkthrough on how to get started and set up the Code Assistant's Transform features in Z Open Editor. Also, added new ways to navigate from the generated Java™ code back to the COBOL sources using a VS Code CodeLens. Plus, fixed various bugs and issued reported by the watsonx users.

For the Zowe CLI plugin, added powerful new commands to perform content search on the UNIX System Services files. The CLI also introduces new command to a special RSE API to store key-value pairs. RSE provides this mini key-value database feature that any system programmer or developer can use for their own purposes. You can store configuration information for private use in personal automation scripts or provide data to shared scripts across your team.

Released a major update to Z Open Editor. In addition to featuring support for all the latest COBOL, PL/I, CICS, and HLASM languages refresh releases for z/OS® 3.1, many RSE API enhancements, IBM Z® Open Editor v4.0.0 is now the first release to introduce a set of all-new enterprise-level advanced capabilities. While the core Z Open Editor continues to provide full language support for COBOL, PL/I, REXX, and HLASM for free, the release adds capabilities for enterprise-level development use cases that go beyond program editing. They cover capabilities that you typically find only in the commercial editing solutions such as IBM® Developer for z/OS® Enterprise Edition (IDzEE). With the release, started to add these capabilities to Z Open Editor under the same licensing terms as IDzEE and a 60-day evaluation license. IDzEE customers can unlock the features by using RSE API or separately distributed activation kits. For more information, see the IBM Developer for z/OS Documentation.

To emphasize, none of the other features that you were using in previous releases are impacted by the update. Previous features are still available for free and is still maintained and enhanced as always. We are also still fully committed to support z/OSMF and RSE API for the free as well as advanced capabilities.

Only the following three new features require a license. The goal is to provide more and more advanced features such as these to Z Open Editor in the future:

1. Local preprocessor support for COBOL: run a preprocessor on your local workstation driven by a new ZAPP profile type and then continue to edit with full syntax checks (except for the preprocessor statements) and automatically rerun the preprocessor at save. Compare the preprocessor-generated code with your code side-by-side. Support to run the preprocessor on z/OS® is to be added in a future release.

2. z/OS Resources table: an all-new feature rich view that extends Zowe Explorer with a sortable table. Gain insights into your jobs and data sets by listing, filtering, and sorting on many available properties.

3. Advanced Dependency Based user build error reporting: User build logs are now automatically downloaded, parsed, and presented in the editor's Problems view with descriptions and error codes. Navigate to errors in your code with a mouse, click on the Problems view to review and fix your issue and then rerun your build.

See the Advanced Capabilities section in the documents for a complete overview of these new capabilities.

As this is a major version release, upgraded some of the dependencies that require newer versions of VS Code (1.81.0), Zowe CLI (7.21.3), and Zowe Explorer (2.14.1).

Also check out the completely redesigned IBM Z® Open Debug v4.0.0 VS Code extension. It is now using Zowe CLI profiles as well and provides an all-new Zowe Explorer inspired Debugger Profile view for a seamless integration of the IBM® z/OS® Debugger into the Z Open Editor or Zowe Explorer-based user experience.