Fast & PF-urious Search for IBM i

A lightning-fast VS Code extension that brings the power of PFGREP to your IBM i source code searches. Search millions of lines across hundreds of libraries in seconds.

Stop doing this: STRPDM → Library 1 → Option 25 → Search → Close → Repeat for Library 2 → Repeat for Library 3...

Start doing this: Ctrl+Alt+F → Type pattern → Search all libraries at once → Click result → Jump to code

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Installation

Prerequisites

✅ Code for IBM i Extension: Must be installed and connected to your IBM i system ✅ PFGREP Utility: Must be installed on your IBM i system. You need to install it once

How to Install PFGREP on IBM i?

You only need to do this once per IBM i system. Connect to your IBM i terminal (SSH or QP2TERM) and run:

1. Run this command:

   /QOpenSys/pkgs/bin/wget https://github.com/SeidenGroup/pfgrep/releases/download/v0.5.1/pfgrep-0.5.1-0seiden.ibmi7.2.ppc64.rpm && /QOpenSys/pkgs/bin/yum install pfgrep-0.5.1-0seiden.ibmi7.2.ppc64.rpm

2. Verify installation:

   which pfgrep
   # Should return: /QOpenSys/pkgs/bin/pfgrep
   
   

Install Extension

1. Install "Fast & PF-urious Search" from VS Code Marketplace
2. Ensure you have an active IBM i connection via Code-for-i
3. Press Ctrl+Alt+F to start searching!

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Step 2: Open the Search Dialog

Press Ctrl+Alt+F anywhere in VS Code

The search dialog showing pattern input, library selection, and options

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Step 3: View Your Results

Results appear in the File Explorer (left sidebar) under a new section called "Fast &PF-URIOUS results":

Results appear in the Explorer sidebar with library → file → member hierarchy

Click any line → Opens that member with your cursor on that exact line! 🎯

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📊 Understanding Your Results

What You See

Each result shows:

• Library name (📚 icon) with total match count
• Source file (📄 icon) grouped under each library
• Member name with line number and code snippet
• Context lines (if enabled) appear dimmed below each match

What You Can Do

Action	How
Jump to code	Click any result line - opens member at that exact line
Export results	Click the → button at top of results section
Clear results	Click the × button to remove results
Expand/collapse	Click arrows next to library/file names to organize view

The export (→) and clear (×) buttons at the top of the results panel

• When you click the export button (→), a new editor window is opened with the search results in it.
• You can save this file anywhere for documentation or sharing with your team.

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🔍 How to Search

Basic Searches

Simple text search (case-insensitive by default):

Pattern: CUSTNO
Libraries: PRODLIB,TESTLIB
Result: Finds "custno", "CUSTNO", "CustNo", etc.

Exact phrase with spaces:

Pattern: EXEC SQL
Libraries: PROD*
Result: Auto-wrapped as "EXEC SQL" - finds the exact phrase

Case-sensitive search:

Pattern: CustNo
☑ Case Sensitive
Result: Only finds "CustNo", not "CUSTNO" or "custno"

Library Patterns

You can use wildcards and combine multiple patterns:

Pattern	What It Searches
MYLIB	Only MYLIB
PROD*	All libraries starting with PROD
MYLIB,YOURLIB	Two specific libraries (comma-separated)
MYLIB/QRPGLESRC/*	Only the QRPGLESRC source file from MYLIB

Context Lines

Show surrounding code for better understanding:

Context Lines: 2

Result:

CUSTPGM (Line 142) - DCL-S custNo ZONED(7:0);  ← Your actual match
  (Line 143) -   custName = '';                ← Context line (dimmed)
  (Line 144) -   custAddr = '';                ← Context line (dimmed)

Context lines appear dimmed so you can easily distinguish them from actual matches.

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⚙️ Search Options Explained

Normal Search (Default)

• Searches for exact text (fastest and simplest)
• Multi-word phrases automatically wrapped in quotes

Examples:

SQL                  → Finds "SQL" anywhere in the code
EXEC SQL            → Auto-wrapped as "EXEC SQL" (exact phrase)

Regex Search (Advanced)

• Full PCRE regex support for complex patterns
• More powerful but requires regex knowledge

Examples:

^DCL-               → Lines starting with DCL-
\bCUSTNO\b          → Whole word CUSTNO only (not CUSTNO1)
EXEC\s+SQL          → EXEC followed by SQL with any whitespace between EXEC and SQL
(SELECT|INSERT)     → Match either SELECT or INSERT

💡 Pro tip: Use Normal Search for most cases. It's faster and simpler. Switch to Regex only when you need advanced pattern matching.

Other Options

• Case Sensitive: Match exact case only (default: OFF = case-insensitive)
• Context Lines: Show 0-50 lines after each match (default: 0)

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🚀 Common Use Cases

1. Find Where a Field is Used

Pattern: CUSTNO
Libraries: PROD*
☐ Case Sensitive
☐ Smart-search (REGEX)

Result: All references to CUSTNO across all PROD libraries

2. Find SQL Statements

Pattern: EXEC SQL
Libraries: MYLIB,YOURLIB
☐ Case Sensitive
☐ Smart-search (REGEX)
Context Lines: 2

Result: All embedded SQL statements with 2 lines of context

3. Find Procedure Definitions (Regex)

Pattern: ^DCL-PROC
Libraries: *
☐ Case Sensitive
☑ Smart-search (REGEX)

Result: All lines starting with DCL-PROC (procedure definitions)

4. Compare Across Environments

Pattern: CUSTFILE
Libraries: PRODLIB,QALIB,DEVLIB
☐ Case Sensitive

Result: See where CUSTFILE is referenced in each environment

5. Find API Calls

Pattern: QCMDEXC
Libraries: MYLIB*
Context Lines: 3

Result: All QCMDEXC calls with surrounding code for context

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❓ Troubleshooting

"PFGREP is not installed" Error

This is the #1 most common issue! PFGREP must be installed on your IBM i system.

Solution:

1. Connect to IBM i terminal (SSH or 5250)
2. Run this command:

   wget https://github.com/SeidenGroup/pfgrep/releases/download/v0.5.1/pfgrep-0.5.1-0seiden.ibmi7.2.ppc64.rpm && yum install pfgrep-0.5.1-0seiden.ibmi7.2.ppc64.rpm

3. Verify installation works:

   which pfgrep
   # Should return: /QOpenSys/pkgs/bin/pfgrep

4. Restart VS Code
5. Try your search again

"Not connected to IBM i" Error

You must be connected via the Code for IBM i extension first.

Solution:

1. Look at the bottom status bar of VS Code
2. Click the IBM i connection icon
3. Select "Connect to IBM i system"
4. Enter your credentials
5. Wait for connection to complete
6. Try search again

"Don't have authority to that library" Error

You don't have read access to one or more libraries in your search pattern.

Solution:

• Double-check library names for typos
• Verify you have *USE authority to those libraries on IBM i
• Try searching a library you definitely can access (like your personal library)
• Ask your system administrator to grant access if needed

Results Not Appearing

Checklist:

1. ✅ Connected to IBM i? (Check status bar at bottom)
2. ✅ PFGREP installed? (Run which pfgrep on IBM i)
3. ✅ Library pattern correct? (No typos?)
4. ✅ You have authority to libraries?
5. ✅ Your pattern actually exists in those libraries?

Quick test:

Pattern: DCL-S
Libraries: [a library you know has RPG code]

If this works, your original pattern or library selection might be the issue.

Search Takes Too Long

If your search is running for a long time:

• You might be searching too many libraries with *
• Try narrowing your library pattern (e.g., PROD* instead of *)
• Check if your pattern is too generic (e.g., searching for "A" will find almost everything)

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📚 Reference

Search Limits

• Maximum matches per search: 5,000 lines
• You'll receive a warning notification if this limit is reached
• If you hit the limit, consider:
  • Narrowing your library pattern
  • Making your search pattern more specific
  • Searching fewer libraries at once

Comparison with Other Tools

Feature	Fast & PF-urious	VS Code Built-in	IBM i RDi
Speed	⚡ Ultra-fast	🐌 Slow over network	🐌 Slow
Multi-library	✅ One search	❌ One at a time	❌ Library-by-library
Modern UI	✅ VS Code integration	✅ VS Code	❌ Eclipse-based
Context lines	✅ Built-in	❌ Not available	❌ Not available
Click to jump	✅ Direct to line	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Export results	✅ Text format	❌ No	❌ No
Free	✅ Open source	✅ Built-in	❌ Licensed
Regex support	✅ Full PCRE	✅ Basic	✅ Yes

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+Alt+F	Open search dialog (works anywhere in VS Code)
Enter	Execute search (when dialog is open)
Escape	Close dialog / Cancel search

Technology Stack

• PFGREP: Fast grep implementation optimized for IBM i physical files (by Seiden Group)
• Code for IBM i: Connection layer and file access to IBM i systems
• VS Code API: UI components, tree view, and editor integration

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🤝 Contributing & Support

Found a Bug or Have a Feature Idea?

• File an issue: GitHub Issues
• Contribute code: Pull requests are welcome!
• Share feedback: Help make this extension better for the entire IBM i community

Development Setup

Want to contribute? Here's how to get started:

1. Clone the repository
2. Run npm install
3. Open in VS Code
4. Press F5 to launch Extension Development Host
5. Make your changes and test

Special Thanks

🙏 Programmers.io - For constant inspiration and motivation
🙏 Seiden Group - For porting GREP to IBM i (PFGREP utility)
🙏 Code-for-i Team - For the communication layer that makes this possible
🙏 All Contributors - For feedback and improvements that made this extension better

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📝 License

This project is licensed under the GPL v3 License - see the LICENSE file for details.

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🎯 Quick Reference Card

Need help fast? Here are the essentials:

What	How
Open search	Ctrl+Alt+F
Results location	File Explorer (left sidebar) → "FAST & PF-URIOUS Results" section
Jump to code	Click any result line
Export results	Click → button in results panel
Clear results	Click × button
Most common error	"PFGREP not installed" → Install PFGREP on IBM i (see Step 1B)

Pattern Examples:

• CUSTNO = Simple text search
• PROD* = All libraries starting with PROD
• ^DCL-PROC = Regex for lines starting with DCL-PROC (enable Smart-search checkbox)

Still confused? Re-read the "Quick Start" and "Understanding Your Results" sections above.

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Made with ❤️ for the IBM i developer community