Managing and using profiles

Use profiles and configuration files to apply specific settings when you work with the mainframe.

Profiles are saved in your configuration file to store connection information and settings for communicating with the mainframe.

There are multiple types of profiles that can be used differently in your configuration. For example, a service profile stores connection details for a particular mainframe service, and a base profile contains information that can be used by other profiles.

Profiles

default profiles

A mainframe service can have more than one profile in your configuration file. Multiple profiles for a specific service can be helpful when you want to connect to different systems or LPARs.

If you use one profile more than others for a service, it is possible to assign it as the default profile for that service.

Designate a default profile for a service by manually editing the configuration file to add the profile to the defaults section, located toward the end of the configuration file:

  "defaults": {
    "zosmf": "your_default_zosmf_profile_name",
    "tso": "your_default_tso_profile_name",
    "ssh": "your_default_ssh_profile_name",
    "base": "global_base"
  }

How Zowe Explorer uses default profiles

There are three key ways that Zowe Explorer uses a default profile:

• Loads the default profile in its service's tree view.
• In TSO profiles, used to issue commands when you have the TSO: Default Profile setting enabled.
  • To enable the setting, select the TSO: Default Profile checkbox.
• Loads API ML connection information from the default base profile unless you have a nested configuration, in which case a default base profile is not needed.

  • In nested configuration, profiles stored in the configuration file are nested to use properties from parent profiles.

  • See the following example of a configuration file with nested profiles (Lines 11-34, 48-53) that can be used for API ML authentication:

    {
        "$schema": "./zowe.schema.json",
        "profiles": {
            "lpar1": {
                "properties": {
                    "host": "example1.com",
                    "port": 7554,
                    "tokenType": "apimlAuthenticationToken"
                },
                "profiles": {
                    "zosmf": {
                        "type": "zosmf",
                        "properties": {
                            "basePath": "ibmzosmf/api/v1"
                        }
                    },
                    "tso": {
                        "type": "tso",
                        "properties": {
                            "account": "ACCT#",
                            "codePage": "1047",
                            "logonProcedure": "IZUFPROC"
                        }
                    },
                    "ssh": {
                        "type": "ssh",
                        "properties": {
                            "port": 22
                        },
                        "secure": [
                            "user", 
                            "password"
        ]
    }
                },
                "secure": [
                    "tokenValue"
                ]
            },
            "lpar2": {
                "properties": {
                    "host": "example2.com",
                    "port": 7554,
                    "rejectUnauthorized": false,
                    "tokenType": "apimlAuthenticationToken"
                },
                "profiles": {
                    "zosmf": {
                        "type": "zosmf",
                        "properties": {
                            "basePath": "ibmzosmf/api/v1"
                        }
                    }
                },
                "secure": [
                    "tokenValue"
                ]
            }
        },
        "defaults": {
            "zosmf": "lpar2.zosmf",
            "tso": "lpar1.tso",
            "ssh": "lpar1.ssh"
        },
        "autoStore": true
    }

Profile actions

Open the context menu for a profile to apply a selected action.

Managing a profile

Manage existing profiles listed in the Side Bar. Right-click the profile and select Manage Profile in the context menu to see a list of options in the Quick Pick. Choose the option desired for managing the profile.

Deleting a profile

Delete a profile displayed in the Side Bar. Right-click the profile and select Manage Profile in the context menu to see a list of options in the Quick Pick. Select Edit Profile to open the associated configuration file and manually delete the profile.

Hiding a profile

Hide a profile from the Side Bar. Right-click the profile, select the Manage Profile option in the context menu, and then click Hide Profile in the Quick Pick. If necessary, add the profile back by clicking the + icon on the DATA SETS, UNIX SYSTEM SERVICES (USS), or JOBS bar.

Configuration files

Using configurations across VS Code multi-root workspaces

You can take advantage of Visual Studio Code multi-root workspaces to work on multiple projects. Multi-root workspaces are convenient when projects do not share the same parent folder, or when you want to work on different use cases for the same project.

In scenarios like these, you can apply a project configuration to a VS Code multi-root workspace.

Using a single project configuration

To apply a specific project configuration across a multi-root workspace:

1. In VS Code, open a directory with a project configuration file to create a single-folder workspace.

2. Select the option Add Folder to Workspace... in the File menu and select a different directory.

   The selected folder displays as a root in the File Explorer and a new multi-root workspace is created.

3. Modify a data set or USS file and save the changes to the mainframe.

   Zowe Explorer uses the profile information stored in the configuration file from Step 1 to communicate with the mainframe.

Using multiple project configurations

To use a project configuration other than the one associated with the first workspace folder, you can either open multiple instances of VS Code, or create a new multi-root workspace.

Opening another instance of VS Code

1. In VS Code, create or open a multi-root workspace.

   The configuration file from the first folder applies across the workspace.

2. To use the configuration from a different folder, open a separate VS Code window to open the folder.

   The new instance of VS Code uses the configuration from that directory.

Creating a new multi-root workspace

1. In VS Code, create or open a multi-root workspace that lists the folder associated with the desired project configuration as the first root.

   The configuration file from the first folder applies across the workspace.

2. Create or open as many multi-root workspaces as necessary to apply different project configurations.