Using Zowe Explorer
Using Zowe Explorer
Review this section to familiarize yourself with Zowe Explorer and make the best use of its available options and features.
Supported operating systems, environments, and platforms
Operating systems
- MacOS 10.15 (Catalina), 11 (Big Sur), 12 (Monterey)
- Unix-like:
- Windows 10+
Integrated development environments:
- VS Code 1.53.2+
- Eclipse Che
- Red Hat CodeReady Workspaces
- Theia 1.18+
Zowe Explorer is compatible with Theia 1.18.0 or higher. However, we recommend using a Theia community release as Zowe Explorer could experience possible unexpected behaviors with the latest Theia releases.
Using Zowe Explorer in remote environments
As of Zowe Version 2.11, Zowe Explorer and the Zowe Explorer API no longer use node-keytar
, which was used to manage mainframe credentials. This change might cause some users issues when trying to interact with remote environments.
See Usage in Remote Environments to learn more about how to resolve credential errors.
Using a specific version of Zowe Explorer
Depending on their circumstances, developers might want to keep using a specific version of Zowe Explorer. To ensure that a particular version remains installed on VS Code, refer to the procedure for one of the following scenarios:
Zowe Explorer is installed
Preventing automatic version updates
By default, VS Code automatically updates extensions as new versions are released. Refer to the following steps to prevent automatic updates:
-
On the VS Code menu bar, click File, Preferences, and click Settings to display the Settings editor.
-
Select the User or Workspace tab, depending on which settings you want to update.
-
In the Settings navigation menu, click Features and click Extensions.
-
In the Auto Update dropdown menu, select None. This prevents VS Code from updating your extensions automatically.
Installing a specific previous version
-
Select the Extensions tab on the Activities Bar to display a list of installed extensions.
-
In the Side Bar, click the Gear icon next to Zowe Explorer to open a dropdown menu that lists available options.
-
Select Install Another Version… to open a dropdown menu that lists previous versions of Zowe Explorer.
-
Click the version of Zowe Explorer you want to install.
Zowe Explorer is not installed
If Zowe Explorer is not installed, you can install the current release of the extension and then revert to a previous version.
Installing a previous version of Zowe Explorer
-
Select the Extensions tab on the Activities Bar to display the Search Extensions in Marketplace field.
-
In the Side Bar, search for
Zowe Explorer
. Click the Install button on the Zowe Explorer search result item. This opens a Zowe Explorer tab in the Editor area.
- Click the Down arrow next to the Uninstall button. Select Install Another Version… to open a dropdown menu that lists previous versions of Zowe Explorer.
- Search for and click the version of Zowe Explorer you want to install.
Credentials in Zowe Explorer
When working in remote or virtualized environments — such as Eclipse Che, GitHub Codespaces, CodeReady Workspaces — administrators may find the configuration process for storing credentials securely too cumbersome. Instead, they may prefer to rely on the security tools integrated with these environments, such as file access permissions. To do so, administrators need to disable Zowe Explorer's credential management functionality.
Preventing Zowe Explorer from storing credentials
-
Open the
zowe.config.json
file in Visual Studio Code. -
Find the
autoStore
property. -
Set the
autoStore
property tofalse
.Credentials will be stored on a per profile/per panel basis until one of the following takes place:
- Data Sets/USS/Jobs tree refresh caused by an update to the
zowe.config.json
file - Zowe Explorer refresh in the Command Palette
- Reload of the Visual Studio Code window
- Closing and reopening the VS Code window
- Data Sets/USS/Jobs tree refresh caused by an update to the
Disabling Secure Credential Storage of credentials
Zowe Explorer v2
-
Navigate to Settings in VS Code.
-
In Zowe Explorer Settings, uncheck the Zowe Security: Secure Credentials Enabled checkbox.
When disabled and
autoStore
is set to True inzowe.config.json
, z/OS credentials are stored as plain text in the configuration file.
Zowe Explorer v1
-
Navigate to Settings in VS Code.
-
In Zowe Explorer Settings, leave the Zowe Security: Credential Key field blank.