VS Code Zowe Explorer Profiles Not Displaying Due To Missing Schema And Lack Of Error Messages

This article addresses a frustrating issue encountered while using the Zowe Explorer extension in Visual Studio Code (VS Code). The user experienced that Zowe profiles were not displayed in the Data Sets view when a zowe.config.json file was created in the project directory. This problem occurred because the schema was missing, and the extension did not provide a clear error message to indicate the cause. This article will delve into the problem, explore the solution, and discuss potential improvements to the Zowe Explorer extension.

The Problem: Missing Schema and No Error Indication

The core issue lies in the Zowe Explorer extension's reliance on a schema definition (zowe.schema.json) within the zowe.config.json file. This schema provides the structure and validation rules for the configuration file. When the schema is missing or incorrectly referenced, the extension may fail to parse the configuration file correctly, leading to profiles not being displayed. However, the extension, in this case, doesn't provide a visible error message, leaving the user to guess the root cause. The user spent over an hour troubleshooting this, highlighting the need for better error reporting.

Understanding the Impact of Missing Schema

When working with Zowe CLI and VS Code, the zowe.config.json file serves as a central repository for connection profiles. These profiles define the parameters needed to connect to various mainframe services, such as z/OSMF, JES, and USS. The schema ensures that these profiles are defined correctly, including required properties and their data types. Without a schema, the extension may not be able to interpret the configuration, leading to a breakdown in functionality.

The User's Experience

The user's experience vividly illustrates the frustration caused by this issue. Initially, the user successfully used Zowe Explorer with a global configuration file located in the ~/.zowe directory. However, the goal was to create a project-specific configuration file. The user's attempt to add a new team configuration file via the extension led to confusion, as it seemed to only edit the global configuration. Subsequently, the user created a zowe.config.json file manually in the project directory, but no profiles were displayed. Only after adding the "$schema": "./zowe.schema.json" line to the configuration file did the profiles appear.

This highlights a key usability issue: the lack of clear guidance on creating project-specific configuration files and the importance of the schema. The user's suggestion for the extension to offer a template with the schema included is highly relevant.

Solution: Adding the Schema Reference

The solution, as discovered by the user, is to explicitly include the schema reference in the zowe.config.json file. This is achieved by adding the following line within the JSON structure:

"$schema": "./zowe.schema.json"

This line tells the extension where to find the schema definition. In the user's case, the schema file was located in the same directory as the zowe.config.json file. However, this approach relies on the schema file being present in the project directory, which may not always be the case.

Fully Qualified Schema Location

The user also raised a crucial point about the schema location. Currently, the generated code from Zowe CLI uses a relative file name for the schema. This means that if the schema file is not in the same directory, the extension will fail to validate the configuration. A more robust approach would be to use a fully qualified file name or a URL pointing to the schema definition. This would ensure that the extension can always find the schema, regardless of the project's directory structure.

Analyzing the Code Snippet

The user provided the following code snippet, which represents the zowe.config.json file that caused the issue:

{
    
    "profiles": {
        "zosmfuser": {
            "type": "zosmf",
            "properties": {
                "certKeyFile": "/home/colinpaice/ssl/ssl2/colinpaice.key.pem",
                "certFile": "/home/colinpaice/ssl/ssl2/colinpaice.pem",
                "port": 10444,
                "host": "10.1.1.2",
                "rejectUnauthorized":    false
            }    
        },
         "colin_base": {
            "type": "base",
            "properties": {
                "host": "10.1.1.2",
                "rejectUnauthorized": false            }            
        }
    },
      "defaults": {
        "zosmf3": "zosmfuser",
        "base": "colin_base"
    },
    "autoStore": false
}

This snippet defines two profiles: zosmfuser and colin_base. The zosmfuser profile is of type zosmf and includes properties for certificate files, port, host, and rejectUnauthorized. The colin_base profile is of type base and includes properties for host and rejectUnauthorized. The defaults section specifies the default profiles for zosmf3 and base. The autoStore property is set to false.

Identifying the Problem Area

The absence of the "$schema": "./zowe.schema.json" line was the root cause of the issue. Without this line, the Zowe Explorer extension could not validate the structure and content of the configuration file, leading to the profiles not being displayed.

Recommendations for Improvement

Based on the user's experience and the analysis of the issue, several improvements can be made to the Zowe Explorer extension:

1. Implement Clear Error Messaging: The extension should provide explicit error messages when the schema is missing or invalid. This will help users quickly identify and resolve the issue.
2. Offer a Template for Project-Specific Configuration: The extension should provide a guided process for creating project-specific configuration files, including a template with the schema reference already included. This can be achieved by modifying the "add a new team configuration file" functionality to prompt the user whether they want to create a global or local (project-specific) configuration and then generate the appropriate file.
3. Use Fully Qualified Schema Location: The generated code from Zowe CLI should use a fully qualified file name or a URL for the schema location. This will ensure that the extension can always find the schema, regardless of the project's directory structure. The use of URL could be an effective solution as it makes it easy to update the schema by the maintainers of Zowe, and it makes sure that everyone is always using the latest schema.
4. Schema Existence Check: The extension should check if the schema file exists at the specified location and provide an error message if it cannot be found. This will prevent situations where the extension silently fails to load profiles due to a missing schema file.

Conclusion

The issue of Zowe profiles not being displayed in VS Code due to a missing schema highlights the importance of clear error messaging and user guidance in extensions. By implementing the recommendations outlined in this article, the Zowe Explorer extension can provide a more user-friendly experience and prevent users from spending excessive time troubleshooting configuration issues. Addressing these issues will significantly improve the usability and adoption of Zowe CLI within VS Code.

By focusing on user experience, clear error messages, and robust schema handling, the Zowe Explorer extension can become an even more valuable tool for mainframe developers. The suggestions in this article aim to make the process of setting up and managing Zowe configurations within VS Code more intuitive and efficient. This, in turn, will empower developers to seamlessly integrate mainframe workflows into their modern development environments.