IBM Releases Db2 For i Extensions For VS Code

October 9, 2023 Alex Woodie

Interested in developing new ILE applications in VS Code that utilize the Db2 for i database? Then you’re in luck, because IBM recently created and released vscode-db2i, an open source database extension for Code for IBM i, the uber popular development environment that enables ILE programming in VS Code.

It is tough to overstate the popularity of Code for IBM i, which Liam Allan created and released just over two years ago. The open source plug-in provides ILE functionality for Microsoft’s VS Code, enabling programmers to write and edit RPG, COBOL, C, and CL code in the lightweight, browser-based IDE (which is also free), as opposed to the heavyweight and expensive Rational Developer for i (RDi).

To date, there have been more than 22,000 downloads of the plug-in, a very impressive figure for the cloistered IBM i ecosystem. But for all the popularity of the IDE and integration it has gained – including access to the IBM i debugger, a critical capability introduced to Code for IBM i in February – there remained other gaps, including database functionality.

That gap is being addressed with vscode-db2i, a database extension that allows developers to incorporate the Db2 for i database into their VS Code applications.

Scott Forstie, the senior technical staff member in charge of Db2 for i database development at the IBM Lab in Rochester, Minnesota, says the need for database functionality within Code for IBM i has been readily apparent.

“IBM i is known by many things, but most prominently by its role as a ‘database machine,’” Forstie tells IT Jungle. “Code for IBM i provides an open, extensible environment to develop applications intended to run on an IBM i. Just as with other application development tools, over time it has become obvious and widely requested to incorporate database features that an application developer needs into the tool. This is why the database extension for Code for IBM i was created.”

The new vscode-db2i extension gives developers using Code for IBM i access to the Db2 for i database.

Several folks had a hand in developing the vscode-db2i, which was released in July as a preview at version 0.3.2. That includes Allan, who is now an IBM employee; Jesse Gorzinski, Rochester’s business architect for open source; and several IBM software engineers.

Among the capabilities that vscode-db2i provides to developers working in VS Code is access to Db2 for i’s extensive SQL functionality, Forstie says.

“The database extension provides integrated and lightning-fast access to what developers need,” the IBM business architect for Db2 for i says. “If a developer needs to understand the layout and data within their physical or virtual data model, they can click on the Schema Browser and drill in to find what is needed. SQL is a pervasive language on IBM i, so it was also clear that developers needed to be able to build and execute SQL statements. The SQL can be building blocks for that next great application, or perhaps adjustments to important and existing data access methods used by enterprise applications.”

VS Code users who are new to SQL will be happy to know that vscode-db2i brings examples and features to assist them in building their SQL statements. “The SQL Job Manager has all the configuration controls that are necessary to meet the needs of different styles of application and environments,” Forstie says. “All these features allow the user to stay within a single tool, realizing an improved user experience.”

Db2 for i provides a large number of capabilities to the IBM i developer, and it’s not possible to support everything with the first release of an open source extension. Instead, IBM’s goal was to get users started with a smaller number of core capabilities needed for database development, Forstie says.

“Our strategy is to focus on a subset of the vast array of database features and details, identifying those topics that would further extend the vibrant experience for the IBM i application developer,” he says.

Since it was released as a preview in July, vscode-db2i has been downloaded more than 10,000 times, garnering a five-star rating.

In addition to the vscode-db2i database extension, IBM created and released CodeForIBMiServer, which provides the server-side environment necessary to enable the database extension to work. CodeForIBMiServer is released under a GPL-3.0 license, while the vscode-db2i database extension was released under an MIT license.

“The Db2 for i extension, in its current form, requires a server component,” Forstie explains. “The component provides improved performance and makes it easy for us to add advanced features.”

The database extension manages the server component installation, Forstie says. “When you connect to a system with Code for IBM i, the user is asked to confirm the CodeForIBMiServer installation or update,” he says. “The user simply has to answer ‘yes’ to it being installed on any IBM i environment connected via the Database extension.”

You can download a copy of the vscode-db2i extension from the Microsoft Visual Studio Marketplace here or you can go straight to GitHub and get it here. For more info on CodeForIBMiServer, see its GitHub page here.

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