Configuring an external editor

When opening a data set item outside of the IDE, Notepad is the default external editor; however, you can configure other external editors to be available. Each configured editor is displayed on the Open with menu option when you select an appropriate data set item.
If the Mainframe Explorer window is not displayed, click View > Mainframe Explorer.
  1. In the Mainframe Explorer window, log on to the mainframe.
  2. Right-click the mainframe connection, then select Configure > Environment. The Mainframe Explorer Environment dialog box appears.
  3. Click Add Command. A new entry, titled Note Pad, is created in the Open with configuration list.
  4. Edit the Description, Command and Parameters fields with information about the editor you want to make available. In the Parameters field, the parameter %s refers to the name of the file to be edited, so you should always include this parameter.
  5. Check Save Mainframe Edits? to save any changes you make when using the editor back to the mainframe.
  6. Click Save Commands, then click OK. The editor is available when you next select an appropriate data set item and use the Open with option.
Note: You can also use the following options to configure the editors:
  • Delete Command to delete the selected editor.
  • Reset All Commands to delete all additional editors from the list, leaving only the default Notepad editor.
Parent topic: Configuring Drag and Drop
Related tasks
Opening an item in an external editor
Logging on to the mainframe