Implement possibility in vscode to define ADFz Common Component for z/OS connection in zowe.config.json

> was just comparing it with iDZ eclipse setup

I'll go back to the Eclipse implementation to check how we manage multiple connections there, and I'll let you know whether we can do the same in VS Code.

My 2c is I'd prefer to keep VS Code as simple as possible to configure, but I get there are multiple valid requirements.

Can't reply directly to your sub-comment, sorry. I'll answer to your couple of questions here.

1. Will this apply also to rse type?

Yes! The reason is the proposed "adfzcc" JSON block would be read from any Zowe profile definition, as long as that profile has an "host" property, which is obviously the requirement to know where to point to, to find the ADFzCC server.

2. And can you define host on adfzcc definitions?

I was expecting this question, and I'm afraid the immediate answer is no. The logic behind this choice is that we expect the ADFzCC server to be located on the same host where Zowe is installed.

Otherwise, let's say that you have a z/OSMF profile and you browse data sets. You right-click on a history file and you select Fault Analyzer's "Open History File". If the ADFzCC configuration points to a different hostname, that history file might not actually exist on the target host.

In your case, I suppose even if the hostname/IP is different, it still points to the same underlying host as the Zowe profile, correct?

Hey! Indeed, we only support a GUI-based setup as of now.
But let me explain our perspective on ADFzCC connections vs Zowe Profiles first, so you have more context.

The idea is to be able to "attach" an ADFzCC connection to any Zowe Profile type (zosmf, cics, ssh, etc.) for the simple fact Profiles are the main driver in a Zowe Explorer-based UX. So it's always a 1 to 1 link.

The alternative approach would have been creating a new custom Zowe Profile type, where you'd have had completion assistance in zowe.config.json for a theoretical ADFzCC properties group, but I honestly don't see much value in embarking in such a complex route.

Now, I get the idea of configuring the ADFzCC server port number once under a Zowe Profile config, and we did have an undocumented way of doing it. It was (it is, because it's still there but not usable) undocumented because it's half-baked, it doesn't follow any Zowe guideline, and it is not "type-safe", so we are unsure whether it can be promoted to a stable feature.

My idea, if you're ok with testing our prototype in a future release, is to complete that half-baked solution so that you would be able to write, in zowe.config.json:

"profile-name": {
 "type": "zosmf",
 "properties": {
   "host": "hostname.dummy.com",
   "port": 443,
   "adfzcc": {
     "port": 1234
   }
 }
}

Notice the "adfzcc" section. Adding that JSON section would automatically create a connection. On the first connection usage, the VS Code user would obviously be prompted for username and password/token.

Downsides? As I wrote previously, you won't get any editor completion when typing "adfzcc" or "port" because we currently cannot enhance an existing Profile's JSON schema. I mean, there are alternatives we can explore, for example registering our own VS Code completion provider and file diagnostics to report config errors, but I would leave that to whenever we decide all of this makes sense.

The other alternative would be using a custom configuration file, but to be honest... if every product started to push their own files we'd have dozens of them.

And finally I don't see Settings as the right place for this kind of stuff, as connection linking isn't really a VS Code setting.

WDYT?