Visual Studio Code

Feedback & ideas
1

I am using NaturalONE for code editing, its OK but i prefer using vs code becouse of it powerfull features, extention etc. I looked the market for relevant extension and saw the extension “IBM Z Open Editor”
Its for mainframe languages COBOL, PL/I, HLASM, REXX, and JCL languages. I dared to ask the deverlopers to add language natural.
Thier response was:

Does IBM provide a compiler for the Natural language?

I don’t believe, so why should an IBM extension support a programming language not supported by IBM?
After search, the Natural language is a solution from Software AG. Rather, it would be up to them to provide a VS Code extension supporting their programming language.

In addition, the Z Open Editor extension, a free of charge solution, seems to me to be a subset of IBM Developer for Z, a paid solution. For a language to be supported by Z Open Editor, I think it must already be supported by IBM Developer for Z.

If the Natural language is not too complex, you could already create yourself a VS Code extension using a grammar (textmate format file) to provide syntax highlighting on source files opened in VS Code.

Ideally you should have a Language Server supporting Natural programming language, but developing such a component is difficult.
Software AG offers a solution under Eclipse: NaturalOne.
If they have developed a Language Server, they could integrate it into a VS Code extension.
This would be in their interest because we see that Eclise IDEs are in decline and that VS Code is becoming more and more widespread.

link: https://github.com/IBM/zopeneditor-about/discussions/171#discussioncomment-1434113

2

If you have credentials for Empower, post your suggestion on Brainstorm to see what support you get from the Natural developer community and Software AG.

3

I am pretty new to this, I just need this installed into my pc (Windows), so I can practice on coding. You have successfully installed and thought you could show me around. I’ll look into the instructions more to see why i am getting an error.

Thanks,

4

We are starting to use NaturalONE…it’s a great enhacement form the emulation editor… but I think if SAG make a Visual Studio Code extention to work with natural/NDV should be great.

Here is this idea proposal, if you like it, pleace vote so may be we have an eclipse alternative in the future for Natural:

https://adabasnatural.ideas.aha.io/ideas/ONE-I-71

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