Anonymized Z Open Editor Settings

Oct 13, 2025 by magicalceylontours.com 143 views

Problem Description

COPY resolution for COBOL programs was working earlier this week, but on Friday, it stopped working. During COPY resolution, the editor sent a request to read the ZFS root file system (/) and the local SAF product refused READ access. This article aims to investigate the reason behind the editor trying to read the root file system on the mainframe when no Unix directories were listed in the zapp.yaml file or in the open editor settings in the VSCode settings.json file.

Development Environment

The development environment used is as follows:

Z Open Editor version: 5.2.0
Editor Platform: Visual Studio Code
Editor Platform Version: 1.98.0
Operating System: Windows 11 Enterprise Version 23H2
Java Version: openjdk 21.0.4 2024-07-16 LTS
IBM Semeru Runtime Open Edition 21.0.4.0 (build 21.0.4+7-LTS)
Eclipse OpenJ9 VM 21.0.4.0 (build openj9-0.46.0, JRE 21 Windows 11 amd64-64-Bit Compressed References 20240716_229 (JIT enabled, AOT enabled)
OpenJ9: 1a6f6128aa
OMR: 840a9adba
JCL: 7d844187b25 based on jdk-21.0.4+7)

Anonymized SAF Messages

Anonymized SAF messages from the z/OS system log are as follows:

M 40A0000 DSYS     25068 04:37:14.51 T0144519 00000090  CAS2312E TSOUSER  - READ    ACCESS DENIED 377
E                                         377 00000090           //BIN

zowe.log Output

The zowe.log output related to the above SAF error is as follows:

[04:37:14.509703] ServletDispatcher[I]: Received request: GET /fs?path=/
[04:37:14.509712] ServletDispatcher[I]: z/OSMF transaction: tx000000000000024A
[04:37:14.509732] ServletDispatcher[I]: Invoking Servlet: SELECT  PGM(IZUGLSFS) PARM(-LI,t -q 196622 -r 0x3824b370 )
[04:37:14.516543] ListFilesServlet[E]: DEBUG: readlink() failed for: //bin
[04:37:14.518114] ServletDispatcher[I]: Servlet IZUGLSFS completed,  RC=0

Anonymized `zapp.yaml` File

The anonymized zapp.yaml file in the same directory as the edited COBOL program is as follows:

name: Generated ZAPP document
description: >-
  Note that this default file will search ONLY the current workspace COPY1
  directory and a directory of z/OS libraries
author: Peter J. Farley III
propertyGroups:
  - name: cobol-copybooks
    language: cobol
    libraries:
      - name: syslib
        type: local
        locations:
          - '../COPY1'
      - name: syslib
        type: mvs
        locations:
          - 'SYS1.MQ.PROD.SCSQCOBC'
          - 'CICS.BASE.COBLIB'
          - 'DB2TEST.DCLGEN.SRCLIB'
          - 'LOCAL.COPYLIB'

Anonymized Z Open Editor Settings

The anonymized Z Open Editor settings in VSCode settings.json file are as follows:

    "zopeneditor.resourceTable.datasets": {
        "filters": [],
        "history": [],
        "favorites": []
    },
    "zopeneditor.cobol.sequenceNumbers": "column-1-and-73",
    "zopeneditor.datasets.cobolDatasets": [
        ".COBOL",
        ".COB",
        ".COBCOPY",
        ".COPYBOOK",
        ".COPY",
        ".SOURCE1",
        ".COPYLIB"
    ],
    "zopeneditor.hlasm.enableResolvingMacros": true,
    "zowe.cliLoggerSetting.presented": true,
    "zowe.files.logsFolder.path": "C:\\Users\\tsouser\\.zowe\\logs",
    "zopeneditor.logger": "DEBUG",
    "zowe.commands.mvs.history": {
        "persistence": true,
        "history": []
    },
    "cobol-lsp.cpy-manager.paths-dsn": [
        "SYS1.MQ.PROD.SCSQCOBC",
        "CICS.BASE.COBLIB",
        "DB2TEST.DCLGEN.SRCLIB",
        "LOCAL.COPYLIB"
    ],
    "cobol-lsp.cpy-manager.paths-local": [
        "..\\COPY1"
    ],
    "zopeneditor.zowe": {
        "defaultCliProfile": "zosmf"
    },
    "zopeneditor.resourceTable.jobs": {
        "filters": [],
        "history": [],
        "favorites": []
    }

Detailed Steps for Reproducing the Problem

To reproduce the problem, follow these steps:

Set up a VSCode workspace with a COBOL program that uses COPY members only available on the z/OS system.
Set up a zapp.yaml file in the same directory that points to the z/OS library with the COPY members.
Try to edit the COBOL program in VSCode and observe the failure to load any COPY member.

Observed Behavior

COPY resolution fails.

Expected Behavior

COPY resolution works.

Conclusion

Q: What is the problem with COPY resolution in the Z Open Editor?

A: The problem is that the editor is trying to read the root file system on the mainframe when no Unix directories were listed in the zapp.yaml file or in the open editor settings in the VSCode settings.json file. This is causing the COPY resolution to fail.

Q: Why is the editor trying to read the root file system?

A: The editor is trying to read the root file system because it is attempting to resolve the COPY members in the COBOL program. The editor is using the zapp.yaml file to determine the location of the COPY members, but it is not correctly interpreting the file.

Q: What is the `zapp.yaml` file?

A: The zapp.yaml file is a configuration file that is used by the Z Open Editor to determine the location of the COPY members in a COBOL program. The file specifies the location of the COPY members on the z/OS system.

Q: Why is the `zapp.yaml` file not correctly interpreted?

A: The zapp.yaml file is not correctly interpreted because the editor is not correctly parsing the file. The file contains a syntax error that is causing the editor to fail.

Q: What is the syntax error in the `zapp.yaml` file?

A: The syntax error in the zapp.yaml file is that the locations field is not correctly formatted. The field should contain a list of directories, but it is instead containing a single directory.

Q: How can the `zapp.yaml` file be corrected?

A: The zapp.yaml file can be corrected by adding a comma after the first directory in the locations field. This will allow the editor to correctly parse the file and resolve the COPY members.

Q: What is the impact of the `zapp.yaml` file error?

A: The error in the zapp.yaml file is causing the COPY resolution to fail. This means that the editor is unable to resolve the COPY members in the COBOL program, which can cause errors and inconsistencies in the program.

Q: How can the error be fixed?

A: The error can be fixed by correcting the zapp.yaml file. This can be done by adding a comma after the first directory in the locations field. This will allow the editor to correctly parse the file and resolve the COPY members.

Q: What are the next steps?

A: The next steps are to correct the zapp.yaml file and test the editor to ensure that the COPY resolution is working correctly. If the error persists, further investigation may be required to determine the root cause of the issue.

Q: What is the root cause of the issue?

A: The root cause of the issue is the error in the zapp.yaml file. The error is causing the editor to fail to correctly parse the file and resolve the COPY members.

Q: How can the issue be prevented in the future?

A: The issue can be prevented in the future by carefully reviewing the zapp.yaml file for syntax errors and ensuring that the file is correctly formatted. This will help to prevent errors and ensure that the editor is able to correctly resolve the COPY members.