August 2025

To:           Mainframe Software Customers

From:      The Mainframe Solutions Team

Subject:   Code4z Value Expansion

On behalf of Broadcom, we appreciate your business and the opportunity to provide you with high-quality, innovative software and services.  Today, we are pleased to announce Code4z Value Expansion.

Code4z - Agility, Quality, Velocity.

	Code4z revolutionizes mainframe development, integrating VS Code extensions to boost productivity, collaboration, and seamless access to mainframe resources. This modern developer experience empowers mainframe teams to experience greater agility, improve code quality, and increase velocity.

Key features include:

• Breadth and depth of extensions for diverse roles and functions.

• Accelerated development of hybrid integrations.

• Comprehensive Z language support with integrations to Endevor® and Git.

• Enhanced quality through seamless debugging, unit testing, and abend analysis.

• Improved collaboration between mainframe and distributed teams.

Ready to transform your mainframe development? Install the Code4z Foundation to get started quickly, or install extensions individually based on your needs:

• Abend Analyzer for Mainframe*
  Provides an interface to SymDump® CICS and SymDump® Batch for viewing formatted abend reports and symbolic data.
  
  
• COBOL Control Flow*
  Visualizes the program flow for COBOL programs to aid comprehension and navigation.
  
  
• COBOL Language Support*
  Enhances COBOL programming with autocomplete, syntax highlighting, diagnostics, and mainframe copybook retrieval using Zowe Explorer.
  
  
• COBOL Language Support for IDMS
  An add-on for COBOL Language Support, providing autocomplete, syntax highlighting, and checking for IDMS™ DML COBOL, including support for IDMS™ copybooks and snippets.
  
  
• Data Editor for Mainframe*
  Enables browsing, editing, layout application, and interactive filtering of mainframe data sets, including VSAM files and PDS members.
  
  
• Database API Generator 
  Generates Zowe-conforming REST APIs for JDBC-enabled database access, allowing discovery of database objects and generation of necessary Java classes.
  
  
• Debugger for Mainframe*
  Provides a modern debugging experience for COBOL and HLASM CICS and Batch programs, interfacing with InterTest™ for CICS and InterTest™ Batch.
  
  
• Easytrieve Language Support
  Offers autocomplete, syntax highlighting, coloring, validation, hover definition, and go-to definition for Easytrieve® Report Generator files. This extension can also generate JCL for mainframe execution.
  
  
• Explorer for Endevor*
  Modernizes Endevor® interaction, providing a user-friendly way to manage elements and inventory locations, access and edit Endevor®-based source code, and navigate environments.
  
  
• HB.js for VS Code
  Enables rapid creation of REST APIs that expose core business processes from CICS systems, accelerating integration and digital transformation. Provides tools to modernize legacy COBOL assets into reusable JavaScript components and to capture application logic for building HB.js APIs that align with enterprise workflows.
  
  
• HLASM Language Support*
  Supports High-Level Assembler with code completion, error checking, highlighting, navigation, dependency retrieval from mainframe datasets and Endevor®, and conditional assembly tracing.
  
  
• JCL Check
  Provides an interface for validating JCL on z/OS for programmatic or stylistic errors and generating shareable reports.
  
  
• JCL Language Support*
  Enhances JCL programming with snippets, syntax highlighting, and coloring, integrating with Zowe Explorer for hyperlinks to PDS members and USS files.
  
  
• OPS/REXX Language Support
  Offers syntax highlighting, coloring, autocomplete, and error checking for OPS/REXX, supports AOF rules and snippets, and can run OPS/REXX programs on OPS/MVS® Event Management and Automation.
  
  
• PL/I Programming Language Support*
  Enhances PL/I programming with syntax highlighting, coloring, and diagnostic features for code, compiler options, and include files.
  
  
• REXX Language Support
  Provides syntax highlighting, coloring, autocomplete, and syntax checking for REXX code.
  
  
• Unit Test for Mainframe
  Provides an interface to execute Test4z unit tests, view code coverage, and use snippets for the Test4z COBOL API.
  
  
• Zowe Explorer*
  Supports fundamental mainframe activities and serves to integrate mainframe extensions. Capabilities include mainframe data set and USS file management as well as mainframe batch job processing.

Support Entitlement

Code4z Foundation support is provided through DevOps Suite or Brightside entitlements. Where a Code4z extension relies on a Broadcom® product running on the mainframe, support for the extension is provided with the mainframe product entitlement.

* This extension is included in the Code4z Foundation pack.

Learn More:

• Code4z Documentation

• Code4z Product Page

• Code4z Workshops

• Code4z on YouTube

Download Code4z extensions directly from the Visual Studio Code Marketplace. Follow the installation instructions for Code4z extensions including all requirements in the official Code4z documentation on Tech Docs.

For assistance with understanding new features or implementing the latest release, our implementation services partners are available. Contact your local account representative for details on how they can help.

Explore our Mainframe Education courses for various roles by visiting the Learning Paths and selecting your product. We regularly update courses based on functional impact and demand. As a result, courses from previous releases may also be relevant to the current release.

Please review our End of Service/End of Life Policy in the Broadcom Maintenance Policy Handbook.

Should you have any questions or require assistance, please contact Support.

Thank you again for your business.