Working with z/OS UNIX System Services files

This section discusses working with z/OS UNIX System Services (USS) files and folders.

To add a filter

1. Right-click an HCI connection name and select Add Filter or click + next to an HCI connection name.
   If no HCI connection is displayed, follow the prompts to create one.
2. In the z/OS UNIX file filter criteria field,
   1. Enter the file path
   2. (Optional)Enter the filter name. By default, the filter name takes the file path criteria as the filter name and shows the files based on the file path. 
3. Expand the filter to view its files. The symlink file will have a different file icon in the file list. You can check the file type in the properties of the file.

To edit a filter

1. Right-click the filter name and click Edit.
2. In the Edit Filter field, edit the filter criteria and filter name as required.
3. Press Enter to save your changes.

To delete a filter

Right-click on the filter name and click Delete. A confirmation message is displayed to delete the filter.

To create a new USS file

1. Right-click on the folder or filter and click New File.
2. In the z/OS UNIX file name field enter the file name up to 1,023 characters including alphanumeric characters (A–Z, a–z, and 0–9), blanks, mathematical symbols (+ - = | ~ ( ) < > { } \), punctuation marks (? , . ! ; : ' " / [ ]), and the following special characters: &, %, $, #, @, ^, *, and _.
    An error message is displayed if the entered file name already exists or you are not authorized to create the file in that particular path.
3. Press the Enter key.
   The file is created and highlighted in the USS tee view.

To search a USS file

1. Right-click an HCI connection name.  If no HCI connection is displayed, follow the prompts to create one.
2. Click Search for USS Files and then click + New Search Criteria in the z/OS UNIX file filter criteria field. You can view and select the five most recently created search criteria.
   When you search a USS file,  a temporary node is added to the USS tree view that would disappear when you log out or restart the VS Code. If you try to search for a pattern that already exists as a filter, you will be notified about the same. You can add a filter for existing search criteria but must provide a different name as the search node already takes the default name.

To create search criteria

1. Click the search icon next to the HCI connection in the tree view.
2. In the field, enter the required search criteria. The search criteria are added under the HCI connection.
   

To edit the search criteria

1. Right-click the search criteria name and click Edit USS Search Criteria or click present beside the search criteria. 
2. . In the Edit USS Search Criteria field, edit the filter criteria.
3. Press Enter to save your changes.

To create a new USS folder

1. In the USS view, create a filter. For more information, see To add a filter.
2. Right-click on the filter and select New Folder.

3. In the z/OS UNIX folder name field enter the folder name of up to 1,024 characters, including all special characters except an apostrophe ('), and press the Enter key. 

   If a folder already exists or you do not have permission to create this folder, an error message is displayed.
   The folder is created and highlighted in the USS tree view. To create a new folder inside a folder, right-click on the folder and select New Folder.

To delete a USS file and folder

1. Right-click one or more USS files or folders that you want to delete and select Delete. 

1. When prompted, confirm the deletion.
   The file or folder is deleted.

To view USS file or folder properties

Under z/OS UNIX FILES, right-click on the file or folder and select Properties.
The properties file is displayed containing the file or folder properties.

To update permissions for USS files and folders

1. Under  z/OS UNIX FILES, right-click on the USS file or folder and select Permissions.
2. On the Permissions for folder filename/folder name page, select the required permissions for each user type (owner, group, and other) and click Apply to save your changes.

To rename the USS files and folders

1. Under z/OS UNIX FILES, right-click the USS file or folder and select Rename.
2. When prompted, enter the name of the file or folder and press the Enter key. If the renaming is successful, the renamed file or folder is highlighted in the USS tree view.
   An error message is displayed in the following scenarios:

• 
  
  • A file or folder in that path with the same name already exists.
  • The file that you have renamed is opened in the editor.
  • The Permissions window for a file that has been renamed is open in the editor that has been renamed.

To open a USS file in browse mode

1. Expand the filter to view its files. 

2. Right-click the required file and select Browse. Alternatively, you can click on the file. The file is displayed in the editor in the read-only mode.

   If the file size is more than 20 MB, you receive a message that the file is larger and might take longer to open. To open the file anyway, click Yes. Otherwise, click Cancel.

To open a USS file in edit mode

1. Expand the filter to view its files. 
2. Right-click on the required file and select Edit. If the file is opened in browse mode and you try to edit it, you are prompted to switch to edit mode.
   When the file is opened in the edit mode, is displayed next to the file name, indicating that the file is locked. If you then close the editor then the lock is released.

3. On the menu bar, click File and then click Save to save your changes. You can also press Ctrl+S to save your changes. If you have enabled the Autosave option, the changes are saved automatically.

   Important

   Workbench Explorer supports edit functionality for a file size maximum of 20 MB. 

To copy or move the USS files and directory to another USS directory

1. Expand the filter to view its files. 
2. Right-click on the required files or directory you want to copy or move and select Copy or Cut (to move).
3. Right-click the target directory and select Paste. 
   If files already exist at the destination, you will see an overwrite message.