The Sources section in the outline exposes your entire application codebase — programs, source files, display definitions, and more — in a unified, navigable tree. It’s your go-to area for inspecting raw artifacts, viewing context-aware documentation, and previewing UI layouts.
1) Browse the Source Tree
- Hierarchical View Browse folders and modules just as they exist in your AS/400 system
- Search & Filter Quickly locate files by name, extension, or pattern (e.g. *Service.rpgle, *.dds)
2) Code File Viewer
When you click a source file, the central pane switches to a split-tab viewer:
- Source Tab
- Syntax-highlighted code with line numbers
- Inline Search and Jump-to-Definition for rapid navigation
- Code-folding to collapse large methods or sections
- Documentation Tab
- Auto-generated technical docs for that file
- Functionality, code behavioral details, database interactions TBD: Add picture of code viewer!!
3) Display File Viewer
For IBM i display files (DDS/SEU) and other UI definitions, you’ll see:
- Source Tab
- Raw display-file code with field definitions, overlays, and commands
- Preview Tab
- Rendered mock-up of the screen layout
- Interactive Zoom & Pan to validate field positions and labels
- Documentation Tab
- Auto-generated technical docs for the display file Screen composition and interaction details
4) Toolbar & Quick Navigation
Above the file viewer, a context-sensitive toolbar offers one-click jumps to related artifacts:
- Database Objects Open the ER diagram for tables referenced in this program.
- Program Dependencies View inbound/outbound call graphs for the selected module.
- Screens Allows to quickly navigate to screens used by the program
5) Best Practices & Tips
- Start with Documentation: Flip to the Documentation tab first to grasp a file’s purpose before reading code.
- Preview Early: Use the Preview tab on display files to catch UI misalignments without compiling or deploying.
- Traverse Seamlessly: Leverage toolbar links to move from code to data models, visualizations, or chatbot queries in a single click.
- Filter Intelligently: Narrow searches by file type or module to avoid information overload in large codebases.
6) Example Workflow
- Locate
CustomerMaintenance.rpgle
via the search bar. - Read the auto-generated summary in the Documentation tab to understand its role.
- Inspect the code in the Source tab, using jump-to-definition on
UpdateCustomerStatus().
- Preview the associated display file to verify screen layout changes.
- Navigate via the toolbar to the Customer table in the Data Model viewer.
- Ask the chatbot, “What validations does
UpdateCustomerStatus()
perform?”
With the Sources section, you never lose context — every program, file, or UI definition is just a click away from documentation, diagrams, and conversational insights.