Choosing an IDE client

As the first step, you should plan and decide which IDE client you want to use to gain development support for z/OS applications.

Table 1. Features of the three IDE options
IDE client	Highlights	Features
Wazi Developer for Workspaces	With this in-browser IDE, you can code, build, test, debug, and run applications from any machine without any local environment configurations. Upon a single-click, team members can get their own workspace up and running. Wazi Developer for Workspaces supports almost all the capabilities that are available in Wazi Developer for VS Code in the OpenShift cloud environment, with some differences on user experience. Learn more about the rationale and differences. Note: Whenever applicable, you will be redirected to the documentation for Wazi Developer for VS Code for detailed instructions.	Modern editors for COBOL, PL/I, JCL, HLASM, and REXX that provide language-specific features such as syntax highlighting, outline view, declaration hovering, code completion, snippets, copybook preview, copybook navigation, and basic refactoring. Source code management (SCM) integration to enable integration with any flavor of Git, a popular and modern parallel development SCM. Intelligent build capability that enables developers to perform a user build with IBM Dependency Based Build for any flavor of Git. An integrated debugger to facilitate COBOL and PL/I debugging through IBM z/OS Debugger. Integrations that enable developers to work with z/OS resources such as MVS™ and UNIX files and JES jobs.
Wazi Developer for VS Code	VS Code is a popular desktop editor among many current and next generation developers. IBM Enterprise language support in VS Code makes enterprise programming more attractive and productive by allowing developers to use this popular editor, with the option to integrate numerous other extensions from the VS Code Marketplace.
Wazi Developer for Eclipse	You can leverage extensive z/OS application development features provided by this desktop IDE, such as incorporating Db2 programming into your COBOL and PL/I applications and adding CICS translation support to COBOL and PL/I applications.	Modern editors for COBOL, JCL, PL/I, HLASM, and REXX to provide the familiarity and features of other Eclipse-based editors. They also offer language-specific features such as syntax highlighting, and source actions. Wazi Developer for Eclipse also includes program control flow, program data flow, and data elements view for greater program understanding. SCM integration to enable integration with modern parallel development SCMs such as Git and IBM Engineering Workflow Management (EWM). Intelligent build capability to enable developers to perform a user build with IBM Dependency Based Build for any flavor of Git. An integrated debugger to facilitate debugging of PL/I, COBOL, and C/C++ applications through IBM z/OS Debugger. Integrations that enable developers to work with z/OS resources such as MVS and UNIX files and JES jobs.

Why do instructions for Wazi Developer for VS Code also apply to Wazi Developer for Workspaces?

Wazi Developer for Workspaces is built based on an open source tool platform called Eclipse Che, which makes Kubernetes development accessible for development teams. The default IDE for the Eclipse Che platform is Theia, a web-based IDE. Theia provides a compatibility API to also consume VS Code extensions. Therefore, Wazi Developer for Workspaces can support almost all the capabilities that are available in Wazi Developer for VS Code in the OpenShift cloud environment, with some differences on user experience.

Table 2. Differences between Wazi Developer for Workspaces and Wazi Developer for VS Code
	Wazi Developer for Workspaces	Wazi Developer for VS Code
Installation and configuration procedure for the IDE client	After the cloud administrator deploys the CASE bundle and installs an instance of Wazi Developer for Workspaces via the Operator on the OpenShift cluster, each user can create one workspace from Wazi Developer for Workspaces and do further configurations.	Users must complete the installation and configuration procedure on their own workstation, including downloading and installing the prerequisites and the client.
Method of launch	As an in-browser IDE, users can access the development environment provided by Wazi Developer for Workspaces from any machine without any local environment configurations.	As a desktop IDE that provides its capabilities through several VS Code extensions, users must launch the locally installed VS Code instance to use the capabilities of Wazi Developer for VS Code.
Capability differences	Refer to Limitations of using Z Open Editor with Eclipse Che and Red Hat CodeReady Workspaces.
User interface	The look and feel is similar except for some details, such as icons and layout of some panes. Users who are familiar with one of these IDEs should be able to navigate around the other IDE with relative ease.
Keyboard shortcuts	Refer to Keyboard shortcuts reference.	You can view and customize keyboard shortcuts for Wazi Developer for Workspaces by clicking File > Settings > Open Keyboard Shortcuts.
API compatibility	Theia strives for full compatibility of the VS Code APIs. As Theia and VS Code evolve, the Theia team is keeping track of the status of the VS Code API implementation in Theia here. If new issues are found, the team accepts issue reports here using the tag `vscode`.
Fix pack schedule	The schedule for fix packs of these two IDEs might differ. The instructions for using Wazi Developer for VS Code will always be updated to reflect what applies to the latest fix packs. It is possible that some fix packs are available only in Wazi Developer for VS Code. To pinpoint the fix packs updates, refer to Release notes.