Dynamic Recording

Dynamic Recording is a feature of Z Refactoring Assistant where runtime information from z/OS® application augments the closure graph that is displayed in Z Refactoring Assistant to provide developers an outline of the execution flow captured in the data.

Prerequisite: IBM Test Accelerator for Z (TAZ) supports to create dynamic recordings that is compatible with Z Refactoring Assistant. For more information on IBM Test Accelerator for Z (TAZ), see IBM Test Accelerator for Z.

For instructions on setting up the TAZ host component and the Integration Test Builder for Z Visual Studio Code extension which is a component of TAZ, see Setting up the host component and Integration Test Builder for z/OS - IBM Documentation.

Here are the steps to create Dynamic Recording in TAZ:
  1. Once Integration Test Builder for Z is installed and configured, senior COBOL developers initiate the dynamic test engine recording creation process through the start recording command palette command in Visual Studio Code.
  2. Next, the developer specializes the application on the z/OS using an emulator and finalize the recording file by using the stop recording command palette command. Recording files are downloaded from the host z/OS to the Integration Test Builder workspace.
  3. With the dynamic test engine recording file, the senior COBOL developer hands it over to a junior z/OS developer responsible for using Z Refactoring Assistant to slice the COBOL code.

Consuming Dynamic Recording in Z Refactoring Assistant

Dynamic test engine recordings must be copied to a recordings folder in the root of the Visual Studio Code workspace, for instance /MyWorkspace/recordings, that is used with Z Refactoring Assistant. By performing a right-click on the recording file, developers gain access to a watsonx Code Assistant™ for Z menu with the following menu options.
  • Apply recording – Select the required dynamic test engine recording file, associate it with a label and send the contents of the recording to the Z Refactoring Assistant server.
  • Remove recording – Remove the contents of the selected dynamic test engine recording file from the Z Refactoring Assistant server.
  • Edit label – Change the label that is associated with the selected dynamic test engine recording file.

After each option, the graph must be reloaded to view the changes.

Z Refactoring Assistant