IBM IMS® Explorer for VS Code

Prerequisites

System Requirements

Ensure your system meets the following prerequisites before you install the IMS Explorer for VS Code extension:

SoftwareRequirement
Visual Studio CodeVersion 1.102.3 or later
Java (JDK or JRE)Version 21 or later, 64-bit
Git (optional)Any current version, for source control features

Required Software

  1. Visual Studio Code
  • IMS Explorer for VS Code requires Visual Studio Code 1.102.3 or later.

Install Visual Studio Code

If you do not have Visual Studio Code installed, complete the following steps.

  1. Go to https://code.visualstudio.com/downloadopen in new window.
  2. Download the installer for your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux).
  3. Run the installer and follow the prompts. On Windows, you can accept the default options.
  4. Start Visual Studio Code to confirm that it opens.

Check your Visual Studio Code version

You can check which version of VS Code is installed in either of the following ways.

  • From the VS Code menu:

    • On Windows and Linux, click Help > About.
    • On macOS, click Code > About Visual Studio Code.

    The dialog shows the version, for example Version: 1.102.3.

  • From a terminal:

    1. Open a terminal.

      • On Windows, open Command Prompt or PowerShell.
      • On macOS, open the Terminal app.
      • On Linux, open your terminal application.

    2. Run the following command:

      code --version

      The first line of the output is the VS Code version, for example:

      1.102.3
<commit hash>
x64

If the version is earlier than 1.102.3, update VS Code. Click Help > Check for Updates (on macOS, Code > Check for Updates), or download the latest installer from the VS Code website.

If you see command not found: code on macOS, the code command is not on your PATH. In VS Code, open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P), run Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH, and then open a new terminal window and run the command again.

  1. Java SDK/JRE 21 (64‑bit) or later

Newer Java versions may work, but Java 21 is the tested and recommended version.

Step 1: Check whether Java is already installed

  1. Open a terminal (Command Prompt or PowerShell on Windows, Terminal on macOS or Linux).

  2. Run the following command:

    java -version

  3. Compare the output with the following results:

    What you seeWhat it meansWhat to do
    A version of 21 or higher, for example openjdk version "21.0.4"A supported version is installed.Go to Step 3.
    A version lower than 21, for example "1.8.0_351", "11.0.x", or "17.0.x"Java is installed but is too old (a version mismatch).Install Java 21 as described in Step 2. Your older version can stay installed.
    'java' is not recognized as an internal or external command (Windows), or java: command not found (macOS and Linux)Java is not installed, or is not on your PATH.Install Java 21 as described in Step 2.

Step 2: Install Java 21

  1. Choose one of the supported runtimes listed above. If you are unsure which to pick, use Temurin 21 from Adoptium. It is free and works on all platforms.
  2. On the download page, select the following options:
    • Version: 21 (LTS)
    • Operating system: your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux)
    • Architecture: x64 for most Windows and Intel-based computers, or aarch64 for Apple silicon Macs (M1, M2, and later). Both are 64-bit.
    • Package type: JDK (a JRE also works). Choose the installer format, such as .msi for Windows or .pkg for macOS.
  3. Download and run the installer, and accept the default options. If the installer offers options to set the JAVA_HOME variable or add to PATH, select them.
  4. Close all terminal windows and Visual Studio Code, and then reopen them. Terminals and VS Code read environment variables only when they start, so this step is required for the new installation to be detected.

Step 3: Check that the installation is 64-bit and can be found

  1. In a new terminal window, run java -version again.

  2. Confirm that both of the following are true in the output:

    • The version is 21 or higher.

    • The text 64-Bit Server VM is shown. For example:

      openjdk version "21.0.4" 2024-07-16 LTS
OpenJDK Runtime Environment Temurin-21.0.4+7 (build 21.0.4+7-LTS)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM Temurin-21.0.4+7 (build 21.0.4+7-LTS, mixed mode, sharing)

  3. Optional: Check whether the JAVA_HOME environment variable is set, and where it points.

    • On Windows Command Prompt: echo %JAVA_HOME%
    • On Windows PowerShell: $env:JAVA_HOME
    • On macOS or Linux: echo $JAVA_HOME

    If the variable is set, it must point to a Java 21 or later installation. An empty result is acceptable if java -version already reports a supported version.

  4. On macOS, you can list all installed Java versions and their paths by running:

    /usr/libexec/java_home -V

If you have more than one version of Java installed

The extension uses the first Java installation that it finds that is version 21 or later and 64-bit. If java -version reports an older version because another installation appears first on your PATH, do one of the following:

  • Set the ims.explorer.connection.property.javaHome extension setting to the path of your Java 21 installation, for example C:\Program Files\Eclipse Adoptium\jdk-21.0.4.7-hotspot on Windows or /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/temurin-21.jdk/Contents/Home on macOS. See Configuring the extension and Configuring Java for the full search order.
  • Set the JAVA_HOME environment variable to the path of your Java 21 installation, and then restart VS Code.

If the extension reports IMS Explorer failed to start after installation, see Known issues and limitations.

  1. (Optional) Git for source control features

IMS Requirements

IMS Explorer for VS Code works with IMS version 15 or later. The following components and features must be active to experience the full capabilities of IMS Explorer for VS Code.