Initializing user configuration

As an application developer or Zowe CLI user, you can manage your connection details efficiently and in one location.

Typically, that means the use of a team configuration file. An important convenience of team configuration is that it is easier to share connection information. Another advantage (whether you work in a team or are the sole developer in your organization) is that team configuration is optimized to leverage the broadest capabilities of Zowe CLI.

However, there might come a time when applying your own user configuration file could make sense.

The necessity of user configuration is rare, and setting up a user configuration file should not be a priority unless there is a specific need for one. For example, user configuration can be helpful when only one user needs access to a highly restricted project.

If you do want to use user configuration, it is advised that you create your zowe.config.user.json file after you have a global team configuration zowe.config.json file in place.

To learn more about how profiles and different configuration files work, see How Zowe CLI uses configurations.

Creating user profiles

Generate a user configuration file that overrides the values defined in the global zowe.config.json file:

1. If you do not already have a global team configuration file, open a command line prompt and issue the following command to generate one:

   zowe config init --global-config

   The configuration file zowe.config.json is created in the ZOWE_CLI_HOME directory.

2. Respond to subsequent prompts to create connection profiles for mainframe services.

3. Generate the global user configuration file:

   zowe config init --global-config --user-config

   The configuration file zowe.config.user.json is created in the ZOWE_CLI_HOME directory.

   When created, the user configuration file contains profiles with no properties and the defaults object is empty. Refer to the following example.

       "$schema": "./zowe.schema.json",
       "profiles": {
           "zosmf": {
               "type": "zosmf",
               "properties": {},
               "secure": []
           },
           "tso": {
               "type": "tso",
               "properties": {},
               "secure": []
           },
           "ssh": {
               "type": "ssh",
               "properties": {},
               "secure": []
           },
           "global_base": {
               "type": "base",
               "properties": {},
               "secure": []
           }
       },
       "defaults": {},
       "autoStore": true
   }
   

4. Use a text editor or IDE (such as Visual Studio Code) to add your connection details as properties in the zowe.config.user.json file to either override the same properties in zowe.config.json, or to add new connection details.