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Import IBM i Sources

The Import IBM i Sources tool downloads source members from IBM i libraries into a Git repository, organized by library, source file, and member. Use it to seed a repository from an existing IBM i application, or to pull in additional sources later.

Prerequisites​

  • An administrator has enabled IBM i Source Import on one of the environment's repositories. See IBM i Source Import under Repositories in Environments. Only one repository per environment can be the import target.
  • Your role includes the IBM i Import permission (included in the Environment Admin role).
  • The IBM i system has its SSH daemon running. The tool connects directly over SSH from the CoderFlow server to run analysis and download sources.
  • You have valid IBM i host, user profile, and password credentials. Credentials are held in server memory for the duration of the session only—they are never persisted.
  • The user profile has authority to install the objxsrc tool the first time you connect. On first use the tool creates a library (default PLOBJX) via CRTLIB, uploads a save file to that library over SFTP, and restores the tool's programs with RSTOBJ. Subsequent sessions reuse the existing library. The profile therefore needs CRTLIB (or a pre-created library named in the advanced objx Tool Library field with *CHANGE authority) and RSTOBJ authority. If your profile can't create libraries, ask an administrator to create an empty library for the tool and grant you *CHANGE authority on it.
  • The user profile has authority to discover and read the members you want to import—*USE on the source libraries and source physical files, and *OBJOPR/*READ on the members themselves. Members the profile can't read are skipped with an error in the review step.

Launching the Tool​

From the main task launcher, open the actions menu and choose Import IBM i Sources.... The menu item appears only when the current environment has an import-enabled repository and your role grants the permission.

Workflow​

The tool walks through four steps: Connect, Libraries, Download, Review.

1. Connect​

Enter the IBM i host, user, and password. Host, user, and the advanced objx Tool Library field are remembered locally between sessions; the password is not.

2. Select Sources​

Build a list of libraries, then pick what to import from each.

Library list

  • Add Libraries — enter one or more library names (newline-separated). Each is validated against the IBM i. Invalid names are reported without closing the dialog.
  • Trashcan icon — removes a library from the list.
  • Your library list is saved on the server and restored the next time you connect to the same host.

Selecting members

Each library row starts as a simple checkbox that imports the whole library. Expanding a library fetches its source files; expanding a source file shows its members, where you can filter by name pattern and type and check individual members.

Selection is additive across filter passes: filter CUST*, check all, filter ORD*, check all → both sets end up selected. Changing the filter never clears your existing selection.

The Download Sources button enables when at least one library or member is selected. Selection counts appear in the card header (for example, 1 library + 12 members selected).

Branch

If the target repository allows branch selection, pick the branch the resulting task will run on. Otherwise the repository's configured branch is used.

Options

Open Options to configure import settings:

  • Insert member text descriptions (@MBRTEXT) (on by default) — inserts each member's IBM i text description as an @MBRTEXT: comment near the top of the imported source file, using comment syntax appropriate for the source type (for example, /* @MBRTEXT: ... */ for CL, // @MBRTEXT: ... for ILE RPG, * @MBRTEXT: ... in column 7 for DDS and fixed-format RPG). When off, any existing @MBRTEXT: comment is stripped from imported content. This comment is what lets the Sync to IBM i feature preserve the original text description when writing the file back as a source member—sync reads the first lines of each file, extracts the @MBRTEXT value, and passes it as the TEXT() parameter on the member create. Files that don't carry an @MBRTEXT comment are synced with an empty text description.
  • Source Type Mappings — the mapping from IBM i member type (RPGLE, CLLE, DSPF, etc.) to file extension. Built-in mappings are read-only; custom entries can be added for non-standard types. Custom mappings are shared with the Build Rules tool.

3. Download​

Progress streams live: enumerating members, then downloading. Downloaded members are collected on the server as files of the form {library}/{sourcefile}/{member}.{ext}, all lowercase. Use Back to Selection to abort and retry.

4. Review & Import​

A summary shows members processed, downloaded, and any errors or warnings. Expand each section for details. The download icon in the card header exports a .tar.gz archive of the raw download metadata if you need to investigate.

Click Import to create a task. The downloaded source tree is injected directly into the repository inside the task container, and an AI agent writes a summary and commit message. From there, use the standard approval flow to commit and push.

Notes on the Resulting Task​

Import tasks differ from regular tasks in three ways:

  • They are not resubmittable—the injected files are specific to this import session and can't be regenerated from a prompt.
  • The Approve dialog's Sync to IBM i section and the task page's Sync to IBM i button are hidden. The work product is files in Git, not edits to push back to IBM i.
  • Otherwise, review, approve, and push the commit through the normal task UI.