Table of Contents

  1. Purpose of the article
  2. What containers are and why they make sense with IRIS
     2.1 Containers and images in a nutshell
     2.2 Why containers are useful for developers
     2.3 Why IRIS works well with Docker
  3. Prerequisites
  4. Installing the InterSystems IRIS image
     4.1 Using Docker Hub
     4.2 Pulling the image
  5. Running the InterSystems IRIS image
     5.1 Starting an IRIS container
     5.2 Checking container status
     5.3 Executing code in the container terminal
     5.4 Accessing the IRIS Management Portal
     5.5 Connecting the container to VS Code
     5.6 Stopping or removing the container
     5.7 Setting a specific password with a bind mount
     5.8 Using durable %SYS volumes
      5.8.1 What gets stored with durable %SYS
      5.8.2 How to enable durable %SYS
  6. Using Docker Compose
     6.1 Docker Compose example
     6.2 Running Docker Compose
  7. Using a Dockerfile to run custom source code
     7.1 Dockerfile example
     7.2 Docker Compose example
     7.3 Understanding layers, image tagging and build vs. run time
     7.4 Source code and init script
     7.5 Building the image with Dockerfile
     7.6 Running instructions in the containerized IRIS terminal
  8. Conclusion and what’s next

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Motivation

I didn't know about ObjectScript until I started my new job. Objectscript isn't actually a young programming language. Compared to C++, Java and Python, the community isn't as active, but we're keen to make this place more vibrant, aren't we?

I've noticed that some of my colleagues are finding it tricky to get their heads around the class relationships in these huge projects. There aren't any easy-to-use modern class diagram tool for ObjectScript.

Related Work

I have tried relavant works:

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Over time, while I was working with Interoperability on the IRIS Data Platform, I developed rules for organizing a project code into packages and classes. That is what is called a Naming Convention, usually. In this topic, I want to organize and share these rules. I hope it can be helpful for somebody.

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Hey Community,

Enjoy the new video on InterSystems Developers YouTube:

A Day in the Life of a Developer - Data Platforms Roundup @ Ready 2025

https://www.youtube.com/embed/u7gcc629REM
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gj :: configExplorer is a new VS Code extension integrating with Server Manager and leveraging Structurizr to produce configuration diagrams of your servers.

Here's a short introductory video.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/WHkoZsg6P-A
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Hello everybody,

I would like to export project contents using Visual Studio Code, as well as I do with InterSystems Studio.

However, while attempting the export through the InterSystems extension I get the following error:

- There are no folders in the current workspace that code can be exported to.

These are the step to reproduce my error:

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Hi,

Just thought I'd share quite a handy hook that has helped me out when developing on Health Connect Cloud with VS Code and GitBash. When developing on Health Connect Cloud, if changes are made directly on the server such as routing rules or component deployments, they aren't automatically included in source control, therefore you must export from the server into your local files and push to your remote repo. I'm sure there are easier methods to deal with that which I'm in the process of testing, but as a quick solution I thought it would be handy have a pre-commit hook which triggers a reminder in GitBash - see below.

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Visual Studio Code releases new updates every month with new features and bug fixes, and the August 2025 release is now available.

This release features smarter AI model selection, enhanced security for sensitive edits and terminal commands, and productivity enhancements such as streamlined chat editing and customizable context with AGENTS.md.

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Recently, I replaced my old laptop with a new one and had to migrate all my data. I was looking for a guide but couldn’t find anything that explained in detail how to migrate server connections from InterSystems Studio and Visual Studio Code from one PC to another. Simply reinstalling the tools is not enough, and migrating all the connections manually seemed like a waste of time. In the end, I managed to solve the problem, and this article explains how.

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Visual Studio Code releases new updates every month with new features and bug fixes, and the July 2025 release is now available.

Enhancements include revamped tool picker and expanded tool limits for MCPs, Chat GPT-5 integration and chat checkpoints, and multi-branch Git worktrees plus coding agent session management to improve productivity.

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/v61csTb0i-0
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If you like what you see please support this in the Developer Tools 2025 contest. Voting closes at midnight EDT on Sunday 3rd.

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artisan cover

If you’ve ever watched a true artisan—whether a potter turning mud into a masterpiece or a luthier bringing raw wood to life as a marvelous guitar—you know that magic isn’t in the materials, but in care, craft, and process. I know this firsthand: my handmade electric guitar is a daily inspiration, but I’ll admit—creating something like that is a talent I don’t have.

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Thirteen years ago, I attained dual undergraduate degrees in electrical engineering and math, then promptly started full-time at InterSystems using neither. One of my most memorable and stomach-churning academic experiences was in Stats II. On an exam, I was solving a moderately difficult confidence interval problem. I was running out of time, so (being an engineer) I wrote out the definite integral on the exam paper, punched it into my graphing calculator, wrote an arrow with “calculator” over it, then wrote the result.

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Hi,
I have a code that copy a method to another class for analysis purpose.

I also want this method to appear first in the source code to easily use it in VSCode with the classmethod debug button and not search it in the numerous method of the modified class.
Is there a way to do such a thing?
I tried the placeAfter keyword but I can't find a way to make it really work as I want. Is their other ways to control the order of methods?

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The new version of InterSystems Testing Manager which I released last week brings @Timothy Leavitt's cool
Test Coverage Tool to VS Code, and is my entry for the 2025 Developer Tools contest.

Here's a teaser screenshot showing how the unit tests of the IPM project don't yet cover a feature that apparently allows an IPM repository to override its sort order.

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InterSystems is pleased to announce that version 3.0.5 of the VS Code - ObjectScript extension has been released. This release includes many bug fixes, as well as changes to the telemetry data we collect. Collecting more product usage data helps InterSystems identify and prioritize fixes and enhancements that will have the most positive impact for you, our users.

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We have classes in a Production environment that are causing us some issues - example attached.

When we export them from the production environment the XML contains a snippet like the following:

<UDLText name="T">
<Content><![CDATA[
//Property any As list Of %XML.String(XMLNAME = "any", XMLPROJECTION = "ANY") [ SqlFieldName = _any ];

]]></Content>
</UDLText>

When imported and compiled into an Ensemble instance this class works as expected.

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