Features

Syntax Checking

COBOLizer eases application development by detecting any grammatical error when writing an application, visually indicating position within the code, and allowing compilation error retrieval without requiring compilation. This way, source code is improved and developers are more productive.

Project Creation Wizard

COBOLizer provides a Project Creation wizard that allows retrieving source code allocated on the mainframe easily and with guidance, creating a COBOLizer Project for Visual Studio. Developers can choose which files are needed for the project, detecting automatically the different file types that can exist in a COBOL project, along with the required deployment configuration for mainframe code integration.

Outlining

Similar to other native Visual Studio 2010 development languages, COBOLizer allows collapsing related source code blocks, such as divisions or sections, providing a cleaner code display and maintenance. With thousands of code lines in a usual COBOL file, this is an extremely useful feature to easily locate specific code areas, and which perfectly combines with the navigation bar to position the cursor before a specific procedure.

New Project

COBOLizer allows the creation of a COBOL Project from scratch, requiring no existing mainframe files. If necessary, any project can be later linked to a mainframe by providing correct deployment parameters.

Intellisense

COBOLizer will help in the development process with code suggestions while writing. Combined with the autocomplete feature that writes words without requiring to finish them, Intellisense will increase productivity because developers won’t need to remember all options and reserved words that can be used: the tool will do it for them.

Integration with TFS

COBOLizer allows integration with Team Foundation Server. This provides an easier Project Management using Development Tracking Metrics and Product Lifecycle Control. By using code control tools, team development is enhanced by easing each team member’s code integration, and keeping work logs that can be consulted anytime.

Integrated Terminal Client

COBOLizer allows integrated mainframe client access from Visual Studio 2010, simplifying mainframe operations without leaving the Visual Studio environment.

Deployment

COBOLizer allows the configuration of mainframe code deployment options in any existing COBOLizer for Visual Studio 2010 project. This way, several deployment configurations can be created depending on the existing mainframe environments, keeping local and deployed code unified and controlling possible variations
between them.

Code Editor

COBOLizer provides a COBOL code editor with all the standard advantages from Visual Studio. Some of them are: code coloring for comments, reserved words, or literals; code highlighting to locate same variable uses, or edition features like column selection and paste or word autocompleting. Code can even be linked to character limits per line or free coding.