Modernizing Legacy Development at Scale – Introducing OL Code

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For decades, development on mainframe and IBM i systems required specialized terminals, manual build scripts, cryptic debugging methods, and limited collaboration. As enterprises modernize systems, migrate workloads, and expose legacy business logic to new platforms, the need for a modern development experience around COBOL and RPG has never been greater.

OL Code was built precisely for this reality.

It is not “just another editor” for COBOL or RPG.
It is a developer workspace, migration accelerator, and visibility tool—engineered for integrators, migration teams, modernization architects, and IT departments.

Why OL Code?

As organizations reimagine their core applications, three needs repeatedly surface:

Full visibility into the legacy estate
Programs, copybooks, models, DB references, screen flows

Structured development capabilities without depending on the terminal
Editing, compiling, testing, running transactions

A migration-aware, integration-friendly approach
Generating APIs, refactoring screen programs, shifting logic into modern workflows

OL Code was designed as the workbench where these needs converge.

From Legacy Code to Modern Workflows—Professionally

Full Mainframe/AS400 Workspace View

OL Code provides structured navigation of:

– Programs
– Copybooks
– Includes and dependencies
– Variables and declarations
– Linkage sections
– Screen maps
– DB2 files, tables, and SQL usage

All visualized in a modern tree view, eliminating guesswork typically involved when tracing cross-file references.

Dataset Browser & Real-Time Search

Through seamless connectivity, teams can browse remote datasets:

– PDS / PDSE libraries and members (z/OS)
– Source libraries / file systems (IBM i)
– Historical versions (where supported)

Powerful search capabilities allow locating:

– Variables
– SQL queries
– Called programs
– Global fields
– Copybook usage patterns

This enables real dependency understanding within seconds—not days.

Deep Analysis Layer, Powered by Hub Planner

OL Code integrates with OpenLegacy Hub Planner to reveal insights such as:

– Which program calls which program
– What domains specific modules belong to
– SQL access patterns
– Variable usage and structure inheritance
– Resource relationships (files, tables, screens, APIs)

For integrators and migration teams, this means:

– Impact analysis before modification
– Controlled domain isolation
– Clear modernization segmentation

A True Modern IDE for COBOL & RPG

Smart syntax view
Coloring, folding, auto-alignment

Code walkthrough
Hover over fields to reveal type, origin, dependency relationships

Variable and structure tracing
Jump to definitions across project boundaries.

Inline hints and recommendations

Compiling at the Click of a Button

OL Code enables:

Compile COBOL program with one click

Automatically sends:
– Generation JCL (z/OS)
– CRTBNDRPG / CRTSQLRPG / CRTPGM command (IBM i)
– Bind/link steps

Prebuilt templates for:
– COBOL batch
– CICS program
– RPG service programs

Compile Log Viewer
Errors highlighted, missing references, bind failures

AI-Assisted Compilation & Troubleshooting

AI can:
– Analyze compile errors
– Suggest corrections
– Apply fixes

One-Click Testing — via OL Hub

Execute programs remotely, validate response, replay test cases.

Create APIs Directly from COBOL & RPG Code

Outputs:
– REST API structure
– Mapping to fields
– Code stubs
– Reverse API bridge

Screen Programs → RPC Programs

AI-driven transformation using:
– Structure inference
– Screen state flattening
– Request/response model creation

Who Benefits Most?

– Integration partners implementing cloud migration
– Enterprises migrating gradually
– Developers modernizing codebases
– Migration factories

Where OL Code Fits

Assessment
→ browsing, impact analysis
Segmentation
→ dependency understanding
Refactoring
→ AI assisted code cleanup
API enablement
→ generation & testing
Migration
→ reverse API and coexistence
Centralized Web Application Benefits
OL Code runs as a modern web application, eliminating dependency on local machine installations.
It can be installed centrally and accessed through standard browsers, giving users consistent access from anywhere.
Typical deployment options include container‑based environments, standard enterprise runtime servers, and distributed runtime nodes close to mainframe and IBM i systems.
This approach greatly simplifies IT operations and accelerates onboarding efforts.
Teams can maintain a single system upgrade path, eliminating mismatched versions and reducing conflict resolution overhead.
Security, access control and workspace configuration are managed centrally, ensuring governance and operational traceability.
Centralized Web Application Benefits
OL Code runs as a modern web application, eliminating dependency on local machine installations.
It can be installed centrally and accessed through standard browsers, giving users consistent access from anywhere.
Typical deployment options include container‑based environments, standard enterprise runtime servers, and distributed runtime nodes close to mainframe and IBM i systems.
This approach greatly simplifies IT operations and accelerates onboarding efforts.
Teams can maintain a single system upgrade path, eliminating mismatched versions and reducing conflict resolution overhead.
Security, access control and workspace configuration are managed centrally, ensuring governance and operational traceability.
Bottom Line

OL Code delivers
– Modern editing
– Compile automation
– Integrated testing
– Migration workflows

It is the modernization cockpit for mainframe and IBM i.