Installing the IBM z/OS Connect development tools for Visual Studio Code extension

Install the z/OS Connect development tools for Visual Studio Code extension to generate API provider project or API requester project artifacts starting from an OpenAPI 2.0 document or an OpenAPI 3.0 document.

zosConnect-3.0 Applies to zosConnect-3.0.

Before you begin

You need an installed version of Visual Studio Code (VSC) 1.99 or later to install the z/OS Connect development tools for Visual Studio Code extension. We recommend using always the latest VSC version available.

Dependencies for the z/OS Connect development tools for Visual Studio Code that are included with the extension are:
  • Gradle for Java Visual Studio extension. For more information, see A launch icon to indicate a link opens a new tab or window. Gradle for Java.
  • Yaml Visual Studio extension. For more information, see A launch icon to indicate a link opens a new tab or window. YAML.

Install the extension

You can install the extension from the Visual Studio Marketplace or from within your Visual Studio Code instance.
To install from the Visual Studio Marketplace
  1. Go to A launch icon to indicate a link opens a new tab or window. Visual Studio | Marketplace: IBM z/OS Connect development tools.
  2. Choose the z/OS Connect development tools for Visual Studio Code extension.
  3. Click Install on the Marketplace page.
  4. In Visual Studio Code, click Install on the extension.
To install from the Visual Studio Code
  1. In your Visual Studio Code, click the Extensions icon.
  2. Choose the z/OS Connect development tools for Visual Studio Code extension.
  3. Select the extension that you need, then click Install.

Open the extension

To open z/OS Connect development tools for Visual Studio Code:

  1. Click the Extensions icon.
  2. Find the z/OS Connect development tools for Visual Studio Code extension in the Installed extensions.

With the z/OS Connect development tools for Visual Studio Code extension open in Visual Studio Code, go to the Details view. Within the Details view, you can see the Installation details such as the extension identifier, ibm.ibm-zosconnect, the version of the extension you have installed, the date the extension was last updated, the source and the size of the extension package.

Secure your setup

Your Visual Studio Code environment
Apply all Visual Studio Code updates to help ensure that you have the latest security and bug fixes. For more information, see the A launch icon to indicate a link opens a new tab or window. Microsoft Documentation.
Telemetry data
z/OS Connect development tools for Visual Studio Code does not collect any telemetry data. In general, z/OS Connect development tools for Visual Studio Code doesn't send any data that it processes to a third party, IBM® included.

Use the Settings view

To access the Settings view, click the Settings icon in the title banner of the extension view and select Settings. The Settings view describes the following:
  1. Zcon: Flatten Output zcon.flattenOutput. This specifies whether to remove the directory hierarchy from the generated copybooks.
  2. Zcon: Gradle Arguments zcon.gradleArguments. This specifies extra arguments to be passed into the gradle process. For example, --info or --debug.
  3. Zcon: Plug in Repositories zcon.pluginRepositories. This is a list of private maven repositories to use to download plug-ins and dependence. To update the list, click Edit in settings.json and update the settings.json file.
  4. Zcon: Provider Version zcon.providerVersion. This is the version of the API provider Gradle plug-in used by the extension. This can be modified if you have a different version to that bundled with the extension. For more information about supported versions of the Gradle plug-in, see zosConnect-3.0 artifact compatibility.
  5. Zcon: Requester Version zcon.requesterVersion. This is the version of the API requester Gradle plug-in that is used by the extension. This can be modified if you have a different version to that bundled with the extension. For more information about supported versions of the Gradle plug-in, see zosConnect-3.0 artifact compatibility.
Figure 1. z/OS Connect development tools for Visual Studio Code Settings view
Screen capture of the z/OS Connect development tools for Visual Studio Code showing the Settings View

Use the Output view to see activity details

You can use the Output view of Visual Studio Code to see details about what the extension is doing and logging, and check for any errors.

To open the Output view:

  1. In Visual Studio Code, click View, then click Output.
  2. In the Output view, use the drop down menu to select IBM z/OS Connect Development Tools to view the output.

Disable or uninstall the extension

If necessary, you can disable the extension and keep it installed, or you can uninstall it completely.

To disable or uninstall the extension:

  1. In Visual Studio Code, click the Extensions icon to open the panel.
  2. Click the IBM z/OS Connect Development Tools extension.
  3. Click Disable or Uninstall.