| Data Division |
| Data Division - Screen Section | |
Function
A data description entry specifies the characteristics of a particular
item of data
or the characteristics of a programmer-defined type
of data which can then be used to specify the description of one or more
particular items of data.
A level 01 data description entry within the
Working-Storage Section or File Section determines whether the data
record and its subordinate data items have local names or global names.
A level 01 data description in the Working-Storage
Section determines the internal or external attribute of the data record
and its subordinate data items.
General Formats
Format 1
Format 2
Format 3
Format 4
Syntax Rules
-
The level-number in Format 1 can be any number from 01 through 49
or 77.
- The clauses can be written in any order with two exceptions: the
data-name-1 or FILLER clause
, if specified,
must immediately follow the level-number; the REDEFINES clause, when
used, must immediately follow the data-name-1 or FILLER clause
if either is specified; otherwise it must
immediately follow the level number.
- The P
ICTURE clause must be specified for every elementary item
in which case use of this clause is prohibited.
- The words THRU and THROUGH are equivalent.
-
The EXTERNAL clause can be specified only in data
description entries in the Working-Storage Section whose level-number is
01.
-
The
EXTERNAL clause and the REDEFINES clause must not be specified in
the same data description entry.
-
The
GLOBAL clause can be specified only in data description entries
whose level-number is 01.
-
Data-name-1 must be specified for any entry
containing the GLOBAL or EXTERNAL clause, or for record descriptions
associated with a file description entry which contains the EXTERNAL or
GLOBAL clause.
-
The TYPEDEF clause can only be specified in data
description entries whose level-number is 01.
-
The TYPEDEF clause can only be used when
data-name-1 is also specified. In other words, it cannot be used in the
same data description with either an explicit or implicit FILLER clause.
Note that if the TYPEDEF clause is specified
for a group item, subordinate data descriptions can be defined with
either an implicit or explicit FILLER clause.
- The clauses
SYNCHRONIZED, PICTURE,
JUSTIFIED, and
BLANK WHEN ZERO must not be specified except for an elementary
data item.
The SYNCHRONIZED clause can be specified for a
group item.
-
Literal-5 and integer-1 must not be
floating-point values, must not be negative values
and must not be more than 18 digits.
- If literal-5 is used as part of an expression, it must be
an integer.
-
Data-name-2 and data-name-3 can be implicitly
qualified.
-
The VALUE clause must not be specified for data
items of class index, object, or pointer.
General Rules
-
Format 3 is used for each condition-name. Each condition-name
requires a separate entry with level-number 88. Format 3 contains the
name of the condition and the value, values, or range of values
associated with the condition-name. The condition-name entries for a
particular conditional variable must immediately follow the entry
describing the item with which the condition-name is associated. A
condition-name can be associated with any data description entry which
contains a level-number except the following:
- Another condition-name.
- A level 66 item.
- A group containing items with descriptions including JUSTIFIED,
SYNCHRONIZED or USAGE (other than USAGE IS DISPLAY).
- An index
or pointer
data item (see the section The USAGE IS INDEX Clause in
this chapter).
-
A constant-name.
-
Condition-names can be associated with internal
floating-point items.
Condition-names can be associated with external
floating-point items.
-
Format 4 defines a constant-name, which is a
symbolic name representing a constant value assigned to it when the
source code is passed through your COBOL system. Your COBOL system
replaces each reference to a constant-name by its value.
-
The TYPEDEF clause allows you to declare a group
or elementary data description as a type definition, which allows
instances of that data description to be declared as data items using
data-name-1 as typedef-name-1 in the USAGE clause. The type definition
itself is not a data item with allocated storage.
-
If the TYPEDEF clause is specified at a group
level, the components of the type definition are implicitly declared for
any data item of that type and are referenced using the usual COBOL
rules of qualification for the data item.
Function
The BLANK WHEN ZERO clause permits the blanking of an item when its
value is zero.
General Format
Syntax Rules
- The BLANK WHEN ZERO clause can be used only for an elementary item
whose PICTURE is specified as numeric (with implicit or explicit USAGE
IS DISPLAY) or numeric edited. (See the section The PICTURE Clause
later in this chapter.)
- The asterisk, when used as the zero suppression symbol, and the
clause BLANK WHEN ZERO should not appear in the same entry.
This construct is, however, permitted in which
case, zero suppression overrides the BLANK WHEN ZERO clause.
General Rules
- When the BLANK WHEN ZERO clause is used, the item will contain
nothing but spaces if the value of the item is zero.
- When the BLANK WHEN ZERO clause is used for an item whose PICTURE is
numeric, the category of the item is considered to be numeric edited.
Function
The BLOCK CONTAINS clause specifies the size of a physical record.
Although it is a part of the standard COBOL
definition, this feature is explicitly excluded from the X/Open COBOL
language definitions and should not be used in a conforming X/Open COBOL
source program.
General Format
General Rules
-
This clause is documentary only.
Function
The CODE-SET clause specifies the character code set used to represent
data on the external media.
It can be specified only for files with record sequential
and line sequential
organization.
Although it is a part of the standard COBOL
definition, this feature is explicitly excluded from the X/Open COBOL
language definitions and should not be used in a conforming X/Open COBOL
source program.
General Format
Directives
- In addition to Compiler directives which provide flagging and modify
the reserved word list, the following directive may impact either the
syntax or semantics described in this section.
- CHARSET - determines what is considered the native code-set.
Syntax Rules
- When the CODE-SET clause is specified for a file, all data in that
file must be described as usage is DISPLAY and any signed numeric data
must be described with the SIGN IS SEPARATE clause.
These restrictions do not apply.
- The alphabet-name clause referenced by the CODE-SET clause must not
specify the literal phrase.
These restrictions do not apply.
-
Identifier-1 can be qualified, but must not be
subscripted.
-
Each identifier-1 must be a data item described
in the same record description for the file, and must not itself be a
record description.
-
If the optional FOR phrase is specified, the
CODE-SET clause specifies the character code to be used for the data
items named. If the FOR phrase is not specified, the CODE-SET clause
specifies the character code to be used for the whole file.
- The native character set is used for any file, or data item in a
file, to which no CODE-SET clause applies.
General Rules
-
The data in the record area is always in ASCII.
If alphabet-name has been equated in the Special-Names paragraph to
EBCDIC, then data affected by the CODE-SET clause is translated from
ASCII to EDCDIC as it is written to the file; or from EBCDIC to ASCII as
it is read from the file. If alphabet-name has been equated in the
Special-Names paragraph to STANDARD-1, STANDARD-2, NATIVE, or ASCII, no
translation is necessary.
-
For the purposes of this translation, any data
item to which a CODE-SET clause applies is treated as alphanumeric. No
account is taken of the class and category of the item as described in
its data description.
-
If identifier-1 has an OCCURS clause, the
CODE-SET clause applies to only the first occurrence of it. If
identifier-1 has a subordinate item with an OCCURS clause, the CODE-SET
clause applies to the whole of identifier-1.
Function
The DATA RECORDS clause serves only as documentation for the names of
data records with their associated file.
The DATA RECORDS clause of the file description
entry is classed as an obsolete element in the ANSI'85 standard and is
scheduled to be deleted from the next full revision of the ANSI Standard.
All dialects in this COBOL implementation fully
support this syntax. The FLAGSTD Compiler directive can be used to detect
all occurrences of this syntax.
Although part of the standard COBOL definition,
this feature is explicitly excluded from the X/Open COBOL language
definitions and should not be used in a conforming X/Open COBOL source
program.
General Format
Syntax Rules
- Data-name-1 and data-name-2 are the names of data records and should
have 01 level-number record descriptions, with the same names,
associated with them.
These data-names do not have to be associated
with any data description entry in the program.
General Rules
- The presence of more than one data-name indicates that the file
contains more than one type of data record. These records can be of
differing sizes, different formats, and so on. The order in which they
are listed is not significant.
Note: When using multiple 01 level items within an FD, if
the SELECT statement contains key definitions, the key sizes must be
contained within the minimum record length of that FD.
- Conceptually, all
data records within a file share the same area. This is in no way
altered by the presence of more than one type of data record within the
file.
Function
A data-name specifies the name of the data being described. The word
FILLER can be used to specify an elementary item of the logical record
that cannot be referred to explicitly.
General Format
Syntax Rules
- The data-name or FILLER clause
, if specified,
must be the first word following the level-number in a data
description entry.
General Rules
- The key word FILLER can be used to name an elementary item or group
in a record. Under no circumstances can a FILLER item be referred to
explicitly. However, a data item defined with the key word FILLER can be
used as a conditional variable because such use does not require
explicit reference to the FILLER item but only to the value contained
therein.
-
If this clause is omitted, the data item being
described is treated as though FILLER had been specified.
Function
The EXTERNAL clause specifies that a data item or a file connector is
external. The constituent data items and group items of an external data
record are available to every runtime
element in the run unit that
describes that record.
General Format
Syntax Rules
- The EXTERNAL clause can be specified only in file description
entries, or in record description entries in the Working-Storage
Section.
- In the same source
element, the externalized name of the subject of the entry that includes
the EXTERNAL clause must not be the same as the externalized name of any
other entry that includes the EXTERNAL clause.
- The VALUE clause must not be used in any data description entry that
includes, or is subordinate to an entry that includes, the EXTERNAL
clause. The VALUE clause can be specified for condition-name entries
associated with such data description entries.
-
Literal-1 must be a nonnumeric or a national
literal and must not be
a figurative constant.
-
The EXTERNAL clause must not be specified for a
data item of class object.
General Rules
- The data contained in the record named by the data-name clause is
external and can be accessed and processed by any
runtime element
in the run unit which describes and, optionally, redefines it subject to
the following general rules.
- Within a run unit, if two or more source
elements describe the same external data record, each record-name
of the associated record description entries must be the same and the
records must define the same number of standard data format characters.
However, a source
element which describes an external record can contain a data
description entry including the REDEFINES clause which redefines the
complete external record, and this complete redefinition need not occur
identically in other source
elements in the run unit. See the section The REDEFINES
Clause.
- Use of the EXTERNAL clause does not imply that the associated
file-name or data-name is a global name. See the section The GLOBAL
Clause later in this chapter.
- The file connector associated with this description entry is an
external file connector.
-
See your COBOL system documentation on file
handling for further information on files with the EXTERNAL attribute.
-
Literal-1 identifies the external name of an
external data item or file connector. The same external name must be
used by all source
elements that reference the same external data item or file
connector.
Function
The GLOBAL clause specifies that a data-name, a file-name, or a
report-name is a global name. A global name is available to every program
contained within the program which declares it.
General Format
Syntax Rules
- The GLOBAL clause can be specified only in data description entries
whose level-number is 01 in the File Section or the Working-Storage
Section, file description entries, or report description entries.
The GLOBAL clause can also be specified in the
Linkage Section.
- In the same Data Division, the data description entries for any two
data items for which the same data-name is specified must not include
the GLOBAL clause.
- If the SAME RECORD AREA clause is specified for several files, the
record description entries or the file description entries for these
files must not include the GLOBAL clause.
General Rules
- A data-name, file-name or report-name described using a GLOBAL clause
is a global name. All data-names subordinate to a global name are global
names. All condition-names associated with a global name are global
names.
- A statement in a program contained directly or indirectly within a
program which describes a global name can reference that name without
describing it again. See the section Scope of Names in the
chapter Concepts of the COBOL Language.
- If the GLOBAL clause is used in a data description entry which
contains the REDEFINES clause, it is only the subject of that REDEFINES
clause which possesses the global attribute.
Function
The JUSTIFIED clause specifies non-standard positioning of data within a
receiving data item.
General Format
Syntax Rules
- The JUSTIFIED clause can be specified only at the elementary item
level.
- JUST is an abbreviation for JUSTIFIED.
- The JUSTIFIED clause cannot be specified for any data item described
as numeric or for which editing is specified.
- The JUSTIFIED clause cannot be specified for an index data item (see
the section The USAGE IS INDEX Clause)
, or for a pointer data item.
-
The JUSTIFIED clause cannot be specified for
external or internal floating-point data items.
General Rules
- When a receiving data item is described with the JUSTIFIED clause and
the sending data item is larger than the receiving data item, the
leftmost characters are truncated. When the receiving data item is
described with the JUSTIFIED clause and it is larger than the sending
data item, the data is aligned at the rightmost character position in
the data item with space fill for the leftmost character positions.
The contents of the sending data item are not taken into account,
that is, trailing spaces within the sending data item are not
suppressed.
For example, if a data item PIC X(4) whose value is "A "
(that is, A followed by three spaces) is moved into a data item PIC
X(6) JUSTIFIED the result will be " A "
.
If the same data item is moved to one with PIC X(3) JUSTIFIED the
result will be " "
that is,
the leftmost character is truncated.
- When the JUSTIFIED clause is omitted, the standard rules for aligning
data within an elementary item apply. (See the section Standard
Alignment Rules in the chapter Concepts of the COBOL Language.)
Function
The LABEL RECORDS clause specifies whether
labels are present.
The LABEL RECORDS clause is classed as an obsolete
element in the ANSI'85 standard and is scheduled to be deleted from the
next full revision of the ANSI Standard.
All dialects in this COBOL implementation fully
support this syntax. The FLAGSTD Compiler directive can be used to detect
all occurrences of this syntax.
Although it is a part of the standard COBOL
definition, this feature is explicitly excluded from the X/Open COBOL
language definitions and should not be used in a conforming X/Open COBOL
source program.
General Format
Syntax Rules
- This clause should be present in every file description entry.
It is not required.
-
Data-name-1 is the name of a label record and
should have a 01 level-number record description, with the same name,
associated with it.
-
Data-name-1 must not appear in the DATA RECORDS
clause for the file.
-
Both LABEL RECORDS IS and LABEL RECORD ARE are
accepted as valid syntax.
General Rule
-
This clause is documentary only.
Function
The level-number shows the hierarchy of data within a logical record. In
addition, it is used to identify entries for working-storage items,
linkage items, condition-names
,
constant-names
and the RENAMES clause.
General Format
Syntax Rules
- A level-number is required as the first element in each data
description entry.
- Data description entries subordinate to an FD, CD, or SD entry must
have level-numbers with the values
01 through 49,
66
,78
or 88. (See the section The FILE Description earlier in this
chapter.)
- Data description entries in the Report Section and Screen Section
must have level-numbers with the values 01 through 49
, or 78
- Data description entries in the Working-Storage Section
, Local-Storage
and Linkage Section must have level-numbers with the values 01
through 49, 66, 7
7
,
78
or
88.
- A level-number can be a one or two digit number.
General Rules
- The level-number 01 identifies the first entry in each record
description.
- Special level numbers have been assigned to certain entries where
there is no real concept of level hierarchy:
- The level-number 77 is assigned to identify noncontiguous
working-storage data items and noncontiguous linkage data items. It
can be used only as described by Format 1 of the data description
skeleton earlier in this chapter.
- Level number 66 is assigned to identify RENAMES entries and can
be used only as described in Format 2 of the data description
skeleton earlier in this chapter.
- Level number 88 is assigned to entries which define
condition-names associated with a
conditional variable and can be used only as described in
Format 3 of the data description skeleton earlier in this chapter.
-
Level number 78 is assigned to entries which
define constant-names. It can be used only as described in Format 4
of the data description skeleton earlier in this chapter.
- Multiple level 01 entries subordinate to a CD, FD or SD entry
represent implicit redefinitions of the same area.
The reserved word LINAGE-COUNTER is a name for a special register
generated by the presence of a LINAGE clause in a file description entry
for a record sequential file. The implicit description is that of an
unsigned integer whose size is equal to the size of integer-1 or the data
item referenced by data-name-1 in the LINAGE clause.
Function
The LINAGE clause allows the user to specify the depth of a logical page
in terms of number of lines. The user can also specify the size of the top
and bottom margins on the logical page, and the line number, within the
page body, at which the footing area begins.
It can be specified only for files with sequential organization.
General Format
Syntax Rules
- Data-name-1, data-name-2, data-name-3 and data-name-4 must reference
elementary unsigned integer data items.
- The value of integer-1 must be greater than zero.
- The value of integer-2 must not be greater than integer-1.
- The value of integer-3 and integer-4 can be zero.
General Rules
- The LINAGE clause allows the user to specify the size of a logical
page in terms of number of lines. The logical page size is the sum of
the values referenced by each phrase except the FOOTING phrase. If the
FOOTING phrase is not specified, the values for these functions
are zero and no end-of-page condition independent of the page
overflow condition exists.
There is not necessarily any relationship between the size of the
logical page and the size of a physical page.
- The value of integer-1 or the data item referenced by data-name-1
specifies the number of lines that can be written and/or spaced on the
logical page. The value must be greater than zero. That part of the
logical page in which these lines can be written and/or spaced is called
the page body.
- The value of integer-2 or the data item referenced by data-name-2
specifies the line number within the page body at which the footing area
begins. The value must be greater than zero and not greater than the
value of integer-1 or the data item referenced by data-name-1.
The footing area comprises the area of the logical page between the
line represented by the value of integer-2 of the data item referenced
by data-name-2, and the line represented by the value of integer-1 or
the data item referenced by data-name-1, inclusive.
- The value of integer-3 or the data item referenced by data-name-3
specifies the number of lines that comprise the top margin on the
logical page. The value can be zero.
The value of integer-4 or the data item referenced by data-name-4
specifies the number of lines that comprise the bottom margin on the
logical page. The value can be zero.
- The value of integer-1, integer-3, and integer-4, if specified, will
be used at the time the file is opened by the execution of an OPEN
statement with the OUTPUT phrase, to specify the number of lines that
comprise each of the indicated sections of a logical page. The value of
integer-2, if specified, will be used at that time to define the footing
area. These values are used for all logical pages written for the file
during a given execution of the runtime
element.
- The values of the data items referenced by data-name-1, data-name-3,
and data-name-4, if specified at the time an open statement with the
OUTPUT phrase is executed for the file, will be used to specify the
number of lines that are to comprise each of the indicated sections for
the first logical page.
The value of the data item referenced by data-name-2, if specified,
will be used at the time an OPEN statement with the OUTPUT phrase is
executed for the file to define the footing area for the first logical
page.
- A LINAGE-COUNTER is generated by the presence of a LINAGE clause. The
value in the LINAGE-COUNTER at any one time represents the line number
at which the device is positioned within the current page body. The
rules governing the LINAGE-COUNTER are as follows:
- A separate LINAGE-COUNTER is supplied for each file described in
the File Section whose file description entry contains a LINAGE
clause.
- LINAGE-COUNTER can be referenced, but can not be modified, by
PROCEDURE DIVISION statements. Since more than one LINAGE-COUNTER
can exist in a source
element, the user must qualify LINAGE-COUNTER by file-name
when necessary.
- Each logical page is contiguous to the next with no additional
spacing provided.
- The values of the data items, at the time a WRITE statement with the
ADVANCING PAGE phrase is executed or page overflow condition occurs (see
the section The WRITE Statement later in this chapter), will be
used to specify the number of lines that are to comprise each of the
indicated sections for the next logical page.
- The value of the data item referenced by data-name-2, if specified,
will be used at the time a WRITE statement with the ADVANCING PAGE
phrase is executed or a page overflow condition occurs, to define the
footing area for the next logical page.
- LINAGE-COUNTER is automatically modified, according to the following
rules, during the execution of a WRITE statement to an associated file:
- When the ADVANCING PAGE phrase of the WRITE statement is
specified, the LINAGE-COUNTER is automatically reset to one.
- When the ADVANCING identifier-2 or integer phrase of the WRITE
statement is specified, the LINAGE-COUNTER is incremented by integer
or the value of the data item referenced by identifier-2.
- When the ADVANCING phrase of the WRITE statement is not
specified, the LINAGE-COUNTER is incremented by the value one. (See
the section The WRITE Statement later in this chapter.)
- The value of LINAGE-COUNTER is automatically reset to one when
the device is repositioned to the first line that can be written on
for each of the succeeding logical pages. (See the section The
WRITE Statement later in this chapter.)
- The value of LINAGE-COUNTER is automatically set to one when an OPEN
statement is executed for the associated file.
Function
The OCCURS clause eliminates the need for separate entries for repeated
data items and supplies information required for the application of
subscripts or indices.
General Formats
Format 1
Format 2
Directives
- In addition to Compiler directives which provide flagging and modify
the reserved word list, the following directives may impact either the
syntax or semantics described in this section.
-
ODOOSVS - requests OS/VS COBOL compatible processing of the
OCCURS DEPENDING ON clause.
-
ODOSLIDE - controls the processing of nested OCCURS DEPENDING
ON clauses and fixed data following an OCCURS DEPENDING ON clause.
Syntax Rules
- Where both integer-1 and integer-2 are used, integer-1 must be
greater than
or equal to
zero and integer-2 must be greater than
or equal to
integer-1.
In Format 2, if "integer-1 TO" is
omitted, the default value one is assumed.
- The data description of data-name-1 must describe an integer.
- Data-name-1, data-name-2, data-name-3, ... can be qualified.
- Data-name-2 must be either the name of the entry containing the
OCCURS clause or the name of an entry subordinate to the entry
containing the OCCURS clause.
This restriction is removed.
- Data-name-3, and so on, must be the name of an entry subordinate to
the group item which is the subject of this entry.
This restriction is removed.
- An IND
EXED BY phrase is required if the subject of this entry, or an
entry subordinate to this entry, is to be referred to by indexing,
unless it is to be indexed by an index defined
for another table (see the section Indexing in the chapter
Concepts of the COBOL Language).
The index-name identified by this clause is not defined elsewhere,
and not being data, cannot be associated with any data hierarchy.
- A data description entry that contains Format 2 of the OCCURS clause
should only be followed, within that record description, by data
description entries which are subordinate to it.
A data description entry that contains Format
2 of the OCCURS clause can be followed, within that record
description, by data description entries which are not subordinate to
it. The positions of these entries within the record will vary at run
time with the value of the data item referenced in the DEPENDING ON
clause
unless the NOODOSLIDE Compiler directive is
set. In this case, the containing record is considered as always
containing the maximum number of occurrences of the Format 2 item,
irrespective of the value of data-name-1. If the ODOSLIDE Compiler
directive is set,
when the value of data-name-1 is changed, the
position referenced by identifiers following, but not subordinate to,
the table is changed. The data these items contain can be lost.
- The OCCURS clause cannot be specified in a data description entry
that:
- has a
66 or
88 level-number
- describes an item whose size is variable. The size of an item is
variable if the data description of any subordinate item contains
Format 2 of the OCCURS clause.
An OCCURS clause can be specified for a
data description subordinate to another item with a Format 2
OCCURS clause.
-
The OCCURS clause should not be specified in a data description
entry at the 01 level or as a 77 level-number.
This restriction is removed.
- In Format 2, the data item defined by data-name-1 must not occupy a
character position within the range of the first character position
defined by the data description entry containing the OCCURS clause and
the last character position defined by the record description entry
containing that OCCURS clause.
If the ODOSLIDE Compiler directive is set,
data-name-1 must have a fixed location.
- If data-name-2 is not the subject of this entry, then:
- all of the items identified by the data-names in the KEY IS
phrase must be within the group item which is the subject of this
entry
- items identified by the data-name in the KEY IS phrase must not
contain an OCCURS clause
- there must not be any entry that contains an OCCURS clause
between the items identified by the data-names in the
KEY IS phrase and the subject of this entry.
- Index-name-1, index-name-2, ... must be unique words within the
source element.
Index-name-1, index-name-2, ... need not be
unique and can be qualified by the data-name which is the subject of
this entry.
-
The OCCURS clause can be specified for external
or internal floating-point data items.
-
The KEY clause must not be specified for a data
item of class object.
General Rules
- The OCCURS clause is used in
defining tables and other homogenous sets of repeated data items.
Whenever the OCCURS clause is used, the data-name which is the subject
of this entry must be either subscripted or indexed whenever it is
referred to in a statement other than SEARCH
, SORT
or USE FOR DEBUGGING. Further, if the subject of this entry is the
name of a group item, then all data-names belonging to the group must
be subscripted or indexed whenever they are used as operands, except
as the object of a REDEFINES clause. (See the sections Subscripting,
Indexing and Identifier in the chapter
Concepts of the COBOL Language.)
- Except for the OCCURS clause itself, all data description clauses
associated with an item whose description includes an OCCURS clause
apply to each occurrence of the item described. (See the restriction in
general rule 20 under Data Description Entries Other Than
Condition-Names
and Constant-Names.)
- Data-name-1 must have a fixed location, and must not follow an item
that contains an OCCURS DEPENDING ON clause.
- The number of occurrences of the subject entry is defined as follows:
- In Format 1, the value of integer-2 represents the exact number
of occurrences.
- In Format 2, the current value of the data item referenced by
data-name-1 represents the number of occurrences.
This format specifies that the subject of this entry has a
variable number of occurrences. The value of integer-2 represents
the maximum number of occurrences and the value of integer-1
represents the minimum number of occurrences. This does not imply
that the length of the subject of the entry is variable, but that
the number of occurrences is variable.
The value of the data item referenced by data-name-1 must fall
within the range of integer-1 through integer-2. Reducing the
value of this data item makes the contents of data items, whose
occurrence numbers now exceed the value of the data item
referenced by data-name-1, unpredictable.
-
When a group item, having subordinate to it an
entry that specifies Format 2 of the OCCURS clause, is referenced, the
part of the table area used in the operation is determined as follows:
- If the data item referenced by data-name-1 is outside the group,
only that part of the table area that is specified by the value of
the data item referenced by data-name-1 at the start of the
operation will be used.
- If the data item referenced by data-name-1 is included in the
same group and the group data item is referenced as a sending item,
only that part of the table area that is specified by the value of
the data item referenced by data-name-1 at the start of the
operation will be used in the operation. If the group is a receiving
item, the maximum length of the group will be used.
- The KEY IS phrase is used to indicate that the repeated data is
arranged in ascending or descending order according to the values
contained in data-name-2, data-name-3, and so on. The ascending or
descending order is determined according to the rules for comparison of
operands (see the sections Comparison of Numeric Operands and
Comparison of Nonnumeric Operands). The data-names are listed in
their descending order of significance.
Function
The PICTURE clause describes the general characteristics and editing
requirements of an elementary item.
General Format
Directives
- In addition to Compiler directives which provide flagging and modify
the reserved word list, the following directive may impact either the
syntax or semantics described in this section.
- INTLEVEL - determines the maximum length allowed for numeric data
items when the dialect is MF.
Syntax Rules
- A PICTURE clause can be specified only at the elementary item level.
- A character-string consists of certain allowable combinations of
characters in the COBOL character set used as symbols. The allowable
combinations determine the category of the elementary item.
- The maximum number of characters allowed in the character- string is
30.
- The PICTURE clause
must not be specified for the subject of a RENAMES clause.
- PIC is an abbreviation for PICTURE.
- The asterisk when used as the zero suppression symbol and the clause
BLANK WHEN ZERO should not appear in the same entry.
This construct is, however, permitted, in which
case zero suppression overrides the BLANK WHEN ZERO clause.
- An integer in parentheses following a character indicates that the
character is repeated the number of times shown by the integer.
General Rules
There are six categories of data that can be described with a PICTURE
clause: alphabetic, numeric, alphanumeric, alphanumeric edited, numeric
edited,
and external floating-point
. General rules within these categories are given below:
Alphabetic Data Rules
- Its PICTURE character-string can only contain the symbols "A"
and "B".
Its PICTURE character-string can contain only
the symbol "A".
- Its contents when represented in standard data format must be one or
more alphabetic characters.
Numeric Data Rules
- Its PICTURE character-string can contain only the symbols "9",
"P", "S", and "V". The number of digit
positions that can be described by the PICTURE character-string must
range from 1 to 18 inclusive.
The PICTURE character-string can contain up to
31 digit positions.
The PICTURE character-string can contain up to
38 digit positions.
- If unsigned, the data in standard data format must be a combination
of the Arabic numerals "0", "1", "2", "
3", "4", "5", "6", "7", "8",
and "9"; if signed, the item can also contain a "+",
"", or other representation of an operational sign. (See
the sectionThe SIGN Clause later in this chapter.)
Numeric Data can also be held in formats other than standard data format
(see the section The USAGE Clause later in this chapter and the
section Selection Of Character Representation And Radix in the
chapter Concepts of the COBOL Language).
Alphanumeric Data Rules
- Its PICTURE character-string is restricted to certain combinations of
the symbols " A", "X", "9", and the item
is treated as if the character-string contained all X"s. A PICTURE
character-string which contains all A"s or all 9"s does not
define an alphanumeric item.
- Its contents when represented in standard data format can consist of
any characters in the computer's character set.
Alphanumeric Edited Data Rules
- Its PICTURE character-string is restricted to certain combinations of
the following symbols: "A", "X", " 9", "B",
"0", and "/" as follows:
- The character-string must contain at least one "B" and
at least one "X" or at least one "0" (zero) and
at least one "X" or at least one "/" (slash) and
at least one "X", or:
- The character-string must contain at least one "0"
(zero) and at least one "A" or at least one "/"
(slash) and at least one "A".
- Its contents when represented in standard data format can consist of
any characters in the computer's character set.
Numeric Edited Data Rules
- Its PICTURE character-string is restricted to certain combinations of
the symbols "B", "/", "P", "V" ,
"Z", "0", "9", ",", ".",
"*", "+", "",
"CR",
"DB", and the currency symbol. The allowable
combinations are determined from the order of precedence of symbols and
the editing rules as follows:
- The number of digit positions that can be represented in the
PICTURE character-string must range from 1 to 18 inclusive.
The PICTURE character-string can contain up
to 31 digit positions.
The PICTURE character-string can contain up
to 38 digit positions.
- The character-string must contain at least one "0" , "B",
"/", "Z", "*", "+", ",",
".", "", "CR" , "DB",
or currency symbol.
- The contents of the character positions that represent a digit must
be one of the numerals.
- If all character positions in the PICTURE character-string are
represented by an insertion character, at least one of the insertion
characters must be positioned to the left of the decimal point.
External Floating-point Data Items
- The PICTURE string must have the following form:
A sign character must immediately precede both the mantissa and the
exponent.
A "+" sign indicates that a positive sign will be used in
the output to represent positive values and that a negative sign will
represent negative values.
A ""sign indicates that a blank will be used in the
output to represent positive values and that a negative sign will
represent negative values.
Each sign position occupies one byte of storage.
mantissa
The mantissa can contain the symbols:
9 . V
An actual decimal point can be represented with a period while an
assumed decimal point is represented by a V. Either an actual or an
assumed decimal point must be present in the mantissa; the decimal
point can be leading, embedded or trailing. The mantissa can contain
from 1 to 16 numeric characters.
E
Indicates the exponent.
exponent
The exponent must be a PIC "99".
- The OCCURS, REDEFINES and RENAMES clauses can be associated with
external floating-point items.
- The SIGN clause is documentary only and has no effect on the
representation of the sign.
- The SYNCHRONIZED clause is documentary only.
- The following clauses are invalid with external floating-point items:
BLANK WHEN ZERO
JUSTIFIED
VALUE
Elementary Item Size
The size of an
elementary item, where size means the number of character positions
occupied by the elementary item in standard data format, is determined by
the number of allowable symbols that represent character positions. An
integer which is enclosed in parentheses following the symbols "A",
",", "X" , "9", "P", "Z",
"*", "B", "/", "0", "+",
"", or the currency symbol indicates the number of
replications of the symbol. Note that the following symbols can appear
only once in a given PICTURE: "S" , "V", ".",
"E",
"C R", and "DB".
Symbols Used
The functions of the symbols used to describe an elementary item are
explained as follows:
A |
Each "A" in the character-string represents
a character position which can contain only a letter of the alphabet or
a space. |
B |
Each "B" in the character-string represents
a character position into which the space character will be inserted.
|
E |
Marks the start of the exponent in an external
floating-point item. The exponent occupies 1 byte of storage at run
time. |
P |
Each "P" indicates an assumed decimal
scaling position and is used to specify the location of an assumed
decimal point when the point is not within the number that appears in
the data item. The scaling position character "P" is not
counted in the size of the data item. Scaling position characters are
counted in determining the maximum number of digit positions (18) in
numeric edited items or numeric items. The scaling position character "P"
can appear only to the left or right as a continuous string of "P"s
within a PICTURE description; since the scaling position character "P"
implies an assumed decimal point (to the left of "P" s if "P"s
are leftmost PICTURE characters and to the right if "P"s are
rightmost PICTURE characters), the assumed decimal point symbol "V"
is redundant as either the leftmost or rightmost character within such a
PICTURE description.
The character "P" and the insertion character "."
(period) cannot both occur in the same PICTURE character-string. If,
in any operation involving conversion of data from one form of
internal representation to another, the data item being converted is
described with the PICTURE character "P", each digit
position described by a "P" is considered to contain the
value zero, and the size of the data item is considered to include the
digit positions so described.
In certain operations that reference a data
item whose PICTURE character-string contains the symbol "P",
the algebraic value of the data item is used rather than the actual
character representation of the data item. This algebraic value
assumes the decimal point in the prescribed location and zero in place
of the digit position specified by the symbol "P". The size
of the value is the number of digit positions represented by the
PICTURE character-string. These operations are any of the following:
- Any operation requiring a numeric sending operand.
- An elementary MOVE statement where the sending operand is numeric
and its PICTURE character-string contains the symbol "P".
- A MOVE statement where the sending operand is numeric edited and
its PICTURE character-string contains the symbol "P" and
the receiving operand is numeric or numeric edited.
- A comparison operation where both operands are numeric.
In all other operations the digit positions
specified with the symbol "P" are ignored and are not
counted in the size of the operand. |
S |
The letter "S" is used in a character-string
to indicate the presence, but neither the representation nor,
necessarily, the position of an operational sign; it must be written as
the leftmost character in the PICTURE. The "S" is not counted
in determining the size (in terms of standard data format characters) of
the elementary item unless the entry is subject to a SIGN clause which
specifies the optional SEPARATE CHARACTER phrase. (See the section The
SIGN Clause in this chapter.) |
V |
The letter "V" is used in a character-string
to indicate the location of the assumed decimal point and can only
appear once in a character-string. The "V" does not represent
a character position and therefore is not counted in the size of the
elementary item. When the assumed decimal point is to the right of the
rightmost symbol in the string the "V" is redundant. |
X |
Each "X" in the character-string is used to
represent a character position which contains any allowable character
from the computer's character set. |
Z |
Each "Z" in a character-string can only be
used to represent the leftmost numeric character positions which will be
replaced by a space character when the contents of that character
position is zero. Each "Z" is counted in the size of the item.
|
9 |
Each "9" in the character-string represents
a character position which contains a numeral and is counted in the size
of the item. |
0 |
Each "0" (zero) in the character-string
represents a character position into which the numeral zero will be
inserted. The "0" is counted in the size of the item. |
/ |
Each "/" (slash) in the character-string
represents a character position into which the slash character will be
inserted. The "/" is counted in the size of the item. |
, |
Each "," (comma) in the character-string
represents a character position into which the character ","
will be inserted. This character position is counted in the size of the
item. The insertion character "," must not be the last
character in the PICTURE character-string.
The insertion character "," can be
the last character in the PICTURE character-string. |
. |
When the character "." (period) appears in
the character-string it is an editing symbol which represents the
decimal point for alignment purposes and, in addition, represents a
character position into which the character "." will be
inserted. The character "." is counted in the size of the
item. For a given source
unit the functions of the period and comma are exchanged if the
clause DECIMAL-POINT IS COMMA is stated in the SPECIAL-NAMES paragraph.
In this exchange the rules for the period apply to the comma and the
rules for the comma apply to the period wherever they appear in a
PICTURE clause. The insertion character " ." must not be the
last character in the PICTURE character-string.
The insertion character "." can be
the last character in the PICTURE character-string. |
+, , CR, DB |
These symbols are used as editing sign control
symbols. When used, they represent the character position into which the
editing sign control symbol will be placed. The symbols are mutually
exclusive in any one character-string and each character used in the
symbol is counted in determining the size of the data item. |
* |
Each "*" (asterisk) in the character-string
represents a leading numeric character position into which an asterisk
will be placed when the contents of that position is zero. Each "*"
is counted in the size of the item. |
cs |
The currency symbol in the character-string represents
a character position into which a currency symbol is to be placed. The
currency symbol in a character-string is represented by either the
currency sign or by the single character specified in the CURRENCY SIGN
clause in the SPECIAL-NAMES paragraph. The currency symbol is counted in
the size of the item. The
CURRENCY Compiler directive also affects the currency symbol used.
|
Editing Rules
Two general methods of performing editing in the PICTURE clause are
available:
insertion or
suppression and replacement. Four types of insertion editing are
available:
- Simple insertion
- Special insertion
- Fixed insertion
- Floating insertion
Two types of suppression and replacement editing are available:
- Zero suppression and replacement with spaces
- Zero suppression and replacement with asterisks
The type of editing which can be performed upon an item is dependent
upon the category to which the item belongs. Table 8-1 specifies which
type of editing can be performed upon a given category.
Table 8-1: Editing Types For Data Categories
Category |
Type of Editing |
Alphabetic |
Simple insertion "B" only 1
|
Numeric |
None |
Alphanumeric |
None |
Alphanumeric Edited |
Simple insertion "0", "B" and "/"
|
Numeric Edited |
All 2 |
DBCS |
Simple insertion |
External floating-point |
Special insertion |
Notes:
-
In the ANSI'74 standard, PICTURE clauses
containing both "A" and "B" are treated as simple
insertion in category Alphabetic. As the ANSI'85 standard does not
support "B" in the Alphabetic category, the ANSI'85 standard
considers this PICTURE as simple insertion in the Alphanumeric Edited
category.
- Floating insertion editing and editing by zero suppression and
replacement are mutually exclusive in a PICTURE clause. Only one type of
replacement can be used with zero suppression in a PICTURE clause.
Simple Insertion Editing
The "," (comma), "B" (space), "0" (zero),
and " /" (slash) are used as the insertion characters. The
insertion characters are counted in the size of the item and represent the
position in the item into which the character will be inserted.
Special Insertion Editing
This type of editing is valid for either numeric
edited items or external floating-point items.
The "." (period) is used as the insertion character. In
addition to being an insertion character it represents the decimal point
for alignment purposes. The insertion character used for the actual
decimal point is counted in the size of the item. The use of the assumed
decimal point, represented by the symbol "V" and the actual
decimal point, represented by the insertion character, in the same PICTURE
character-string is disallowed. The result of special insertion editing is
the appearance of the insertion character in the item in the same position
as shown in the character-string.
Fixed Insertion Editing
The currency symbol and the editing sign control symbols "+" ,
"", "CR", "DB" are the insertion
characters. Only one currency symbol and only one of the editing sign
control symbols can be used in a given PICTURE character-string. When the
symbols "CR" or "DB" are used, they represent two
character positions in determining the size of the item and they must
represent the rightmost character positions that are counted in the size
of the item. The symbol "+" or "", when used,
must be either the leftmost or rightmost character position to be counted
in the size of the item. The currency symbol must be the leftmost
character.
Table 8-2 : Editing Symbols in PICTURE Character-Strings
Editing Symbol in Picture
Character-string |
Result |
Data Item Positive or Zero |
Data Item Negative |
+ |
+ |
|
|
space |
|
CR |
2 spaces |
CR |
DB |
2 spaces |
DB |
Floating Insertion Editing
The currency symbol and the editing sign control symbols "+"
and "" are the floating insertion characters and as such
are mutually exclusive in a given PICTURE character-string.
Floating insertion editing is indicated in a PICTURE character-string by
using a string of at least two of the floating insertion characters. This
string of floating insertion characters can contain any of the simple
insertion characters or have simple insertion characters immediately to
the right of this string. These simple insertion characters are part of
the floating string.
When the floating insertion character is the currency symbol, this
string of floating insertion characters can have one of the editing sign
control symbols "+", "", "CR" or "
DB" immediately to the right of this string.
The leftmost character of the floating insertion string represents the
leftmost limit of the floating symbol in the data item. The rightmost
character of the floating string represents the rightmost limit of the
floating symbols in the data item.
The second floating character from the left represents the leftmost
limit of the numeric data that can be stored in the data item. Non-zero
numeric data can replace all the characters at or to the right of this
limit.
Floating insertion editing can be represented in a PICTURE
character-string in only two ways. One way is to represent any or all of
the leading numeric character positions on the left of the decimal point
by the insertion character. The other way is to represent all of the
numeric character positions in the PICTURE character-string by the
insertion character.
If the insertion characters are only to the left of the decimal point in
the PICTURE character-string, the result is that a single floating
insertion character will be placed into the character position immediately
preceding either the decimal point or the first non-zero digit in the data
represented by the insertion symbol string, whichever is farther to the
left in the PICTURE character-string. The character positions preceding
the insertion character are replaced with spaces.
If all numeric character positions in the PICTURE character-string are
represented by the insertion character, the result depends upon the value
of the data. If the value is zero, the entire data item will contain
spaces. If the value is not zero, the result is the same as when the
insertion character is only to the left of the decimal point.
If all numeric positions in the PICTURE character
string are represented by the insertion character, at least one numeric
position must be to the left of the assumed or actual decimal point.
To avoid truncation, the minimum size of the PICTURE character-string
for the receiving data item must be the number of characters in the
sending data item, plus the number of non-floating insertion characters
being edited into the receiving data item, plus one for the floating
insertion character.
Zero Suppression Editing
The suppression of leading zeros in numeric character positions is
indicated by the use of the alphabetic character "Z" or the
character "*" (asterisk) as suppression symbols in a PICTURE
character- string. These symbols are mutually exclusive in a given PICTURE
character-string. Each suppression symbol is counted in determining the
size of the item. If "Z" is used, the replacement character will
be the space and if the asterisk is used, the replacement character will
be "*".
Zero suppression and replacement is indicated in a PICTURE
character-string by using a string of one or more of the allowable symbols
to represent leading numeric character positions which are to be replaced
when the associated character position in the data contains a zero. Any of
the simple insertion characters embedded in the string of symbols or to
the immediate right of this string are part of the string.
Zero suppression can be represented in a PICTURE character-string in
only two ways. One way is to represent any or all of the leading numeric
character positions to the left of the decimal point by suppression
symbols. The other way is to represent all of the numeric character
positions in the PICTURE character-string by suppression symbols.
If the suppression symbols appear only to the left of the decimal point,
any leading zero in the data which corresponds to a symbol in the string
is replaced by the replacement character. Suppression terminates at the
first non-zero digit in the data represented by the suppression symbol
string or at the decimal point, whichever is encountered first.
If all numeric character positions in the PICTURE character-string are
represented by suppression symbols and the value of the data is not zero,
the result is the same as if the suppression characters were only to the
left of the decimal point. If the value is zero and the suppression symbol
is "Z", the entire data item will be spaces. If the value is
zero and the suppression symbol is "*", the data item will be
all "*" except for the actual decimal point.
The symbols "+", "", "*", " Z"
and the currency symbol, when used as floating replacement characters, are
mutually exclusive within a given character-string.
Precedence Rules
Table 8-3 shows the order of precedence when using characters as symbols
in a character-string. An "X" at an intersection indicates that
the symbol(s) at the top of the column can precede, in a given
character-string, the symbol(s) at the left of the row. Arguments
appearing in braces indicate that the symbols are mutually exclusive. The
currency symbol is indicated by the symbol "cs". At least one of
the symbols "A " , "X", "Z", " 9"
or "*", or at least two of the symbols "+" , ""
or "cs" must be present in a PICTURE string.
In Table 8-3, non-floating insertion symbols "+" and ""
, floating insertion symbols "Z", "*", " +",
"", and "cs", and other symbol "P"
appear twice in the
PICTURE character precedence chart. The leftmost column and
uppermost row for each symbol represents its use to the left of the
decimal point position. The second appearance of symbol in the row and
column represents its use to the right of the decimal point position.
Table 8-3: PICTURE Character Precedence Chart
First Symbol |
Non-Floating Insertion Symbols |
Floating Insertion Symbols |
Other Symbols |
Second Symbol |
|
B |
0 |
/ |
, |
. |
+
|
+
|
CR
DB |
CS |
E |
Z
* |
Z
* |
+
|
+
|
CS |
CS |
9 |
A
X |
S |
V |
P |
P |
G |
Non-Floating Insertion Symbols |
B |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
x |
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
x |
|
x |
x |
0 |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
x |
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
x |
|
x |
|
/ |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
x |
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
x |
|
x |
|
, |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
x |
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
x |
|
x |
|
. |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
x |
|
|
x |
|
x |
|
x |
|
x |
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
+
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
x |
x |
x |
|
|
x |
x |
x |
|
CR
DB |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
|
x |
|
x |
x |
|
|
x |
x |
x |
|
|
x |
x |
x |
|
CS |
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
E |
|
|
|
x |
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
x |
|
|
|
Floating Insertion Symbols |
Z
* |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
x |
|
|
x |
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Z
* |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
x |
|
x |
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
x |
|
+
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
+
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
x |
x |
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
CS |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CS |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
x |
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
Other Symbols |
9 |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
x |
x |
x |
|
x |
|
x |
|
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
x |
|
A
X |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
x |
|
|
|
|
|
S |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
V |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
x |
|
|
x |
|
x |
|
x |
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Function
The
PROPERTY clause indicates that this data item is a property of the
object and that GET and/or SET methods are to be generated accordingly.
General Format
Syntax Rules
- The PROPERTY clause can be specified only in the working-storage
section of a factory definition or an object definition.
- The PROPERTY clause must not be specified for data items subordinate
to an OCCURS clause.
- The PROPERTY clause can be specified only for an elementary item
whose name does not require qualification for uniqueness of reference.
- The data-name for the subject of the entry must not be the same as a
property-name defined in a superclass.
Note: A property-name may be defined in a superclass either by
defining a method or a pair of methods with the PROPERTY phrase or by
describing a data description entry with the PROPERTY clause.
General Rules
- If the GET phrase is not specified, the PROPERTY clause causes a
method to be defined for the containing factory or object.
If the subject of this entry is of class index, object, or pointer,
the implicit definition of this method is as follows:
METHOD-ID. GET PROPERTY data-name.
DATA DIVISION.
LINKAGE SECTION.
01 LS-data-name data-description.
PROCEDURE DIVISION RETURNING LS-data-name.
par-name.
SET LS-data-name TO data-name
EXIT METHOD.
END METHOD.
If the subject of this entry is of category alphanumeric-edited,
national-edited, or numeric-edited, the implicit definition of this
method is as follows:
METHOD-ID. GET PROPERTY data-name.
DATA DIVISION.
LINKAGE SECTION.
01 LS-data-name data-description.
PROCEDURE DIVISION RETURNING LS-data-name.
par-name.
MOVE data-name TO LS-data-name (1:).
EXIT METHOD.
END METHOD.
Note: If the subject of the entry is edited, reference
modification of the receiving item as the whole of itself prevents the
editing rules from being reapplied to the data.
Otherwise, the implicit definition of this method is as follows:
METHOD-ID. GET PROPERTY data-name.
DATA DIVISION.
LINKAGE SECTION.
01 LS-data-name data-description.
PROCEDURE DIVISION RETURNING LS-data-name.
par-name.
MOVE data-name TO LS-data-name
EXIT METHOD.
END METHOD.
Where LS-data-name has the data description of the subject of the
entry, including its subordinate items, with the exception of:
- INDEXED BY phrases
- PROPERTY clauses
- VALUE clauses
- a REDEFINES clause in the description of the subject of the
entry.
- If the SET phrase is not specified, the PROPERTY clause causes a
method to be defined for the containing factory or object.
If the subject of this entry is of class index, object, or pointer,
the implicit definition of this method is as follows:
METHOD-ID. SET PROPERTY data-name.
DATA DIVISION.
LINKAGE SECTION.
01 LS-data-name data-description.
PROCEDURE DIVISION USING LS-data-name.
par-name.
SET data-name TO LS-data-name
EXIT METHOD.
END METHOD.
If the subject of this entry is of category alphanumeric-edited,
national-edited, or numeric-edited, the implicit definition of this
method is as follows:
METHOD-ID. SET PROPERTY data-name.
DATA DIVISION.
LINKAGE SECTION.
01 LS-data-name data-description.
PROCEDURE DIVISION USING LS-data-name.
par-name.
MOVE LS-data-name TO data-name (1:).
EXIT METHOD.
END METHOD.
Note: If the subject of the entry is edited, reference
modification of the receiving item as the whole of itself prevents the
editing rules from being reapplied to the data.
Otherwise, the implicit definition of this method is as follows:
METHOD-ID. SET PROPERTY data-name.
DATA DIVISION.
LINKAGE SECTION.
01 LS-data-name data-description.
PROCEDURE DIVISION USING LS-data-name.
par-name.
MOVE LS-data-name TO data-name
EXIT METHOD.
END METHOD.
Where LS-data-name has the data description of the subject of the
entry, including its subordinate items, with the exception of:
- INDEXED BY phrases
- PROPERTY clauses
- VALUE clauses
- a REDEFINES clause in the description of the subject of the
entry.
Function
The RECORD clause specifies either the number of
character positions in a fixed length record or the range of character
positions in a variable length record. If the number of character
positions varies, the clause specifies the minimum and maximum number of
character positions.
The concepts of
FIXED and
VARIABLE format files used throughout this section do not directly
apply to LINE SEQUENTIAL files. See your COBOL system documentation on
file handling for details on the implications of using LINE SEQUENTIAL
files in your COBOL implementation.
Although it is a part of the standard COBOL
definition, the RECORD CONTAINS clause is explicitly excluded from the
X/Open COBOL language definitions and should not be used in a conforming
X/Open COBOL source program.
General Formats
Format 1
Format 2
Format 3
Syntax Rules
Format 1
- No record description entry for the file can specify a number of
character positions different from integer-1.
Format 2
-
Record descriptions for the file must not
describe records which contain fewer character positions than specified
by integer-2, nor records which contain a greater number of character
positions than that specified by integer-3.
-
Integer-3 must be greater than integer-2.
-
Data-name-1 must describe an elementary unsigned
integer in the Working-Storage or Linkage Section.
General Rules
All Formats
- If the RECORD clause is not specified, the size of each data record
is completely defined in the record description entry.
-
If the associated file connector is an external
file connector, all file description entries in the run unit which are
associated with that file connector must specify the same values for
integer-1 or integer-2 and integer-3. If the RECORD clause is not
specified, all record description entries associated with this file
connector must be the same length.
-
Line sequential files are neither truly fixed
nor truly variable format files: the presence or absence of any
RECORDING MODE, RECORD CONTAINS or RECORD VARYING IN SIZE clause does
not, therefore, impact their performance.
Format 1
- Format 1 is used to specify fixed length records. Integer-1 specifies
the number of character positions contained in each record in the file.
Format 2
-
Format 2 is used to specify variable length
records. Integer-2 specifies the minimum number of character positions
to be contained in any record of the file. Integer-3 specifies the
maximum number of character positions in any record of the file.
-
The number of character positions associated with
a record description is determined by the sum of the number of character
positions in all elementary data items excluding redefinitions and
renamings, plus any implicit FILLER due to synchronization. If a table
is specified:
- The minimum number of table elements described in the record is
used in the summation above to determine the minimum number of
character positions associated with the record description.
- The maximum number of table elements described in the record is
used in the summation above to determine the maximum number of
character positions associated with the record description.
- If integer-2 is not specified, the minimum number of character
positions to be contained in any record of the file is equal to the
least number of character positions described for a record in that
file.
-
If integer-3 is not specified, the maximum number
of character positions to be contained in any record of the file is
equal to the greatest number of character positions described for a
record in that file.
-
If data-name-1 is specified, the number of
character positions in the record must be placed into the data item
referenced by data-name-1 before any RELEASE, REWRITE, or WRITE
statement is executed for the file.
-
If data-name-1 is specified, the execution of a
DELETE, RELEASE, REWRITE, START, or WRITE statement or the unsuccessful
execution of a READ or RETURN statement does not alter the content of
the data item referenced by data-name-1.
-
During the execution of a RELEASE, REWRITE, or
WRITE statement, the number of character positions in the record is
determined by the following conditions:
- If data-name-1 is specified, by the content of the data item
referenced by data-name-1.
- If data-name-1 is not specified and the record does not contain a
variable occurrence data item, by the number of character positions
in the record.
- If data-name-1 is not specified and the record does contain a
variable occurrence data item, by the sum of the fixed portion and
that portion of the table described by the number of occurrences at
the time of execution of the output statement.
If the number of character positions in the logical record which is
to be written is less than integer-2 or greater than integer-3, the
output statement is unsuccessful and, except during execution of a
RELEASE statement, the associated I/O status is set to a value
indicating the cause of the condition.
-
If data-name-1 is specified, after the successful
execution of a READ or RETURN statement for the file, the contents of
the data item referenced by data-name-1 will indicate the number of
character positions in the record just read.
-
If the INTO phrase is specified in the READ or
RETURN statement, the number of character positions in the current
record that participate as the sending data items in the implicit MOVE
statement is determined by the following conditions: a.
- If data-name-1 is specified, by the content of the data item
referenced by data-name-1.
- If data-name-1 is not specified, by the value that would have
been moved into the data item referenced by data-name-1 had
data-name-1 been specified.
Format 3
- When format 3 of the RECORD clause is used, integer-4 and integer-5
refer to the minimum number of characters in the smallest size data
record and the maximum number of characters in the largest size data
record respectively. However, in this case, the size of each data record
is completely defined in the record description entry.
- The size of each data record is specified in terms of the number of
character positions required to store the logical record, regardless of
the types of characters used to represent the items within the logical
record. The size of a record is determined by the sum of the number of
characters in all fixed length elementary items plus the sum of the
maximum number of characters in any variable length item subordinate to
the record. This sum can be different from the actual size of the
record. See the section Selection of Character Representation and
Radix in the chapter Concepts of the COBOL Language, and the
sections The SYNCHRONIZED Clause and The USAGE Clause in
this chapter.
Function
The RECORDING MODE clause specifies the format of the logical records in
the file.
General Formats
Format 1 (Record Sequential Files)
Format 2 (Line Sequential Files)
Format 3 (Relative and Indexed Files)
Syntax Rules
-
F and FIXED are synonyms.
-
V and VARIABLE are synonyms.
General Rules
All Formats (All Files)
- Specifying RECORDING MODE IS F causes all the records in the file to
be the same length.
Format 1 (Record Sequential Files)
-
The "U" option is documentary only.
Formats 1 and 3 (Record Sequential, Relative and Indexed
Files)
- When RECORDING MODE IS V is specified, the records in the file can be
either fixed or variable in length. Each data record includes a record
length field. These fields are not part of the record description.
Format 2
-
Line sequential files are neither truly fixed nor
truly variable format files: the presence or absence of any RECORDING
MODE, RECORD CONTAINS or RECORD VARYING IN SIZE clause does not,
therefore, impact their performance.
Function
The REDEFINES clause allows the same computer storage area to be
described by different data description entries.
General Format
Note that level-number and data-name-1
or FILLER
are shown in the above format to improve clarity. Level-number, and
data-name-1
and FILLER
are not part of the REDEFINES clause.
Syntax Rules
- The REDEFINES clause, when specified, must immediately follow
data-name-1
or FILLER,
or it can follow the PICTURE or USAGE clause.
- The level-numbers of data-name-1 and data-name-2 must be identical
but must not be 6
6,
78
or 88.
- This clause must not be used in level 01 entries in the File Section,
since multiple level 01 entries subordinate to an FD or SD indicator
represent implicit redefinitions of the same areas. (See General Rule 2
of the section The DATA RECORDS Clause in this chapter.)
This clause can be used on level 01 entries in
the File Section.
- This clause must not be used in level 01 entries in the Communication
Section since multiple level 01 entries subordinate to a CD indicator
represent implicit redefinition of the same area.
-
The data description for data-name-2 can contain
a REDEFINES clause and
data-name-2 can be subordinate to an entry which contains a
REDEFINES clause. Its data description cannot contain an OCCURS
clause. However, data-name-2 can be subordinate to an item whose data
description entry contains an OCCURS clause. In this case, the
reference to data-name-2 in the REDEFINES clause cannot be subscripted
or indexed. Neither the original definition nor the redefinition can
include an item whose size is variable as defined in the OCCURS
clause. (See the section The OCCURS Clause in this chapter.)
The data description for data-name-2 can
contain an OCCURS clause.
If the level number is 01, either or both of
the original definition and the redefinition can include an item whose
size is variable as defined in the OCCURS clause.
- No entry having a level-number numerically lower than the
level-number of data-name-2 and data-name-1 can occur between the data
description entries of data-name-2 and data-name-1.
-
An external or internal floating-point data
item can be the subject or object of a REDEFINES clause.
-
Data-name-2 must not be qualified even if it is
not unique since no ambiguity of reference exists in this case because
of the required placement of the REDEFINES clause
.
Data-name-2 may be qualified but any
qualification specified is ignored.
- The entries giving the new description of the character positions
must not contain any VALUE clauses except in condition-name entries.
-
The REDEFINES clause must not be specified for a
data item of class object.
The REDEFINES clause may be specified for a
data item of class object.
-
Data-name-2 must not be of class object.
Data-name-2 may be of class object.
General Rules
- Redefinition starts at data-name-2 and ends when a level-number less
than or equal to that of data-name-2 is encountered.
- When the level-number of data-name-1 is other than 01, it must
specify the same number of character positions that the data item
referenced by data-name-2 contains
except that the data-name-1 area can be either
smaller than the data-name-2 area
or be larger than the data-name-2 area. In this
case, extra storage is reserved to provide sufficient storage for the
number of character positions in the largest of the redefining or
redefined items.
It is important to observe that the REDEFINES clause specifies the
redefinition of a storage area, not of the data items occupying the
area.
- Multiple redefinitions of the same character positions are permitted.
The entries giving the new descriptions of the character positions must
follow the entries defining the area being redefined, without
intervening entries that define new character positions. Multiple
redefinitions of the same character positions must all use the data-name
of the entry that originally defined the area
or the data-name of any other preceding
redefinition of that entry.
- Multiple level 01 entries subordinate to any given level indicator
(FD, CD or SD) represent implicit redefinitions of the same area.
Function
The RENAMES clause permits alternative, possibly overlapping, groupings
of elementary items.
General Format
Level-number 66 and data-name-1 are shown in the above format to improve
clarity. Level-number and data-name-1 are not part of the RENAMES clause.
Syntax Rules
- Any number of RENAMES entries can be written for a logical record.
- All RENAMES entries referring to data items within a given logical
record must immediately follow the last data description entry of the
associated record description entry.
- Data-name-2 and data-name-3 must be names of elementary items or
groups of elementary items in the same logical record, and cannot be the
same data-name. A 66 level entry cannot rename another 66 level entry,
nor can it rename a 77,
78,
88, or 01 entry.
- Data-name-1 cannot be used as a qualifier, and can be qualified only
by the names of the associated level 01, FD, CD or SD entries. Neither
data-name-2 nor data-name-3 can have an OCCURS clause in its data
description entry, nor be subordinate to an item that has an OCCURS
clause in its data description entry. (See the section The OCCURS
Clause.)
- The beginning of the area described by data-name-3 must not be to the
left of the beginning of the area described by data-name-2. The end of
the area described by data-name-3 must be to the right of the end of the
area described by data-name-2. Data-name-3, therefore, cannot be
subordinate to data-name-2.
- Data-name-2 and data-name-3 can be qualified.
- The words THRU and THROUGH are equivalent.
- None of the items within the range, including data-name-2 and
data-name-3, if specified, can be an item whose size is variable as
defined in the section The OCCURS Clause in this chapter.
General Rules
- When data-name-3 is specified, data-name-1 is a group item which
includes all elementary items starting with data-name-2 (if data-name-2
is an elementary item) or the first elementary item in data-name-2 (if
data-name-2 is a group item), and concluding with data-name-3 (if
data-name-3 is an elementary item) or the last elementary item in
data-name-3 (if data-name-3 is a group item).
- When data-name-3 is not specified, all of the attributes of
data-name-2 become the data attributes for data-name-1.
-
When data-name-2 and data-name-3 are not
explicitly qualified and when no ambiguity of reference exists, implied
qualification of the 01 level item is used.
Function
The SIGN clause specifies the position and the mode of representation of
the operational sign when it is necessary to describe these properties
explicitly.
General Format
Syntax Rules
- The SIGN clause can be specified only for a numeric data description
entry whose PICTURE contains the character "S" , or a group
item containing at least one such numeric data description entry.
- The numeric data description entries to which the SIGN clause applies
must be described, implicitly or explicitly, as USAGE IS DISPLAY.
- At most one SIGN clause can apply to any given numeric data
description entry.
This rule is removed.
- If the CODE-SET clause is specified, any signed numeric data
description entries associated with that file description entry must be
described with the SIGN IS SEPARATE clause.
This restriction is not enforced. See the
section The CODE-SET Clause in this chapter.
General Rules
- The optional SIGN clause, if present, specifies the position and the
mode of representation of the operational sign for the numeric data
description entry to which it applies, or for each numeric data
description entry subordinate to the group to which it applies. The SIGN
clause applies only to numeric data description entries whose PICTURE
contains the character "S"; the "S" indicates the
presence of, but neither the representation nor, necessarily, the
position of the operational sign.
- A numeric data description entry whose PICTURE contains the character
"S", but to which no optional SIGN clause applies, has an
operational sign, but neither the representation nor, necessarily, the
position of the operational sign is specified by the character "S".
In this (default) case, General Rules 3 through 5 do not apply to such
signed numeric data items. The representation of the default operational
sign is defined in the sectionSelection Of Character Representation
And Radix in the chapter Concepts of the COBOL Language.
- If the optional SEPARATE CHARACTER phrase is not present, then:
- the operational sign will be presumed to be associated with the
leading (or, respectively, trailing) digit position of the
elementary numeric data item in a manner defined in the section Selection
Of Character Representation And Radix in the chapter Concepts
of the COBOL Language.
- the letter "S" in a PICTURE character-string is not
counted in determining the size of the item (in terms of standard
data format characters).
- If the optional SEPARATE CHARACTER phrase is present, then:
- the operational sign will be presumed to be the leading (or,
respectively, trailing) character position of the elementary numeric
data item; this character position is not a digit position.
- the letter "S" in a PICTURE character-string is counted
in determining the size of the item (in terms of standard data
format characters).
- the operational signs for positive and negative are the standard
data format characters "+" and "",
respectively.
- Every numeric data description entry whose PICTURE contains the
character "S" is a signed numeric data description entry. If a
SIGN clause applies to such an entry and conversion is necessary for
purposes of computation or comparisons, conversion takes place
automatically.
-
If a SIGN clause is specified for an item (either
an elementary numeric data description entry or a group item) which is
subordinate to a group item for which a SIGN clause is also specified,
then the SIGN clause specified in the subordinate item takes precedence.
-
The SIGN clause is treated as documentary for
external floating-point items. For internal floating-point items, the
SIGN clause is invalid and will result in a diagnostic message.
Function
The
SYNCHRONIZED clause specifies the alignment of an elementary item on
the natural boundaries of the computer memory.
Although it is a part of the standard COBOL
definition, this feature is explicitly excluded from the X/Open COBOL
language definitions and should not be used in a conforming X/Open COBOL
source program.
General Format
Directives
- In addition to Compiler directives which provide flagging and modify
the reserved word list, the following directive may impact either the
syntax or semantics described in this section.
- IBMCOMP When NOIBMCOMP is specified, the SYNCHRONIZED
clause is treated as documentary only.
Syntax Rules
- This clause should appear only with an elementary item.
The SYNCHRONIZED clause can appear with a
non-elementary item.
-
SYNC is an abbreviation for SYNCHRONIZED.
General Rules
- SYNCHRONIZED RIGHT specifies that the elementary item is to be
positioned so that it will terminate on the right character position of
the natural boundary in which the elementary item is placed.
It takes effect only if the
IBMCOMP Compiler
directive is set.
- Specification of the LEFT phrase in the SYNCHRONIZED clause will have
no effect.
- The effect of the SYNCHRONIZED clause is, by definition,
implementation-dependent.
- This clause specifies that the subject data item is to be aligned in
the computer so that no other data item occupies any of the character
positions between the leftmost and rightmost natural boundaries of the
computer memory which delimits this data item.
If the number of character positions required to store this data
item is less than the number of character positions between those
natural boundaries, the unused character positions (or portions
thereof) must not be used for any other data item. Such unused
character positions are, however, included in:
- the size of any group item(s) to which the elementary item
belongs, and:
- the character positions redefined when this data item is the
object of a REDEFINES clause.
Thus the size of an elementary item is unchanged by the SYNCHRONIZED
clause, but extra character positions are assigned by the use of the
clause.
- SYNCHRONIZED not followed by either RIGHT or LEFT specifies that the
elementary item is to be positioned between natural boundaries so that
it uses the elementary data item efficiently.
- Whenever a SYNCHRONIZED item is referenced
, the original size of the item, as shown in the PICTURE clause,
is used in determining any action that depends on size, such as
justification, truncation or overflow.
- If the data description of an item contains the SYNCHRONIZED clause
and an operational sign, the sign of the item appears in the normal
operational sign position, regardless of whether the item is
SYNCHRONIZED LEFT or SYNCHRONIZED RIGHT.
- When the SYNCHRONIZED clause is specified in a data description entry
of a data item that also contains an OCCURS clause, or in a data
description entry of a data item subordinate to a data description entry
that contains an OCCURS clause, then:
- each occurrence of the data item is SYNCHRONIZED.
- any implicit FILLER generated for other data items within that
same table is generated for each occurrence of those data items.
-
If the SYNCHRONIZED clause is specified with a
non-elementary item, then the clause applies to all the items
subordinate to that non-elementary item.
- The effect of using the SYNCHRONIZED clause is discussed in the
section Selection Of Character Representation And Radix in the
chapter Concepts of the COBOL Language.
Function
The TYPEDEF clause defines a record as a programmer-defined type
definition.
General Format
Syntax Rules
- The TYPEDEF clause can be specified only in data description entries
whose level-number is 01.
- If TYPEDEF is specified, the following clauses cannot be specified:
- EXTERNAL
- GLOBAL
- OCCURS
- REDEFINES
- SYNCHRONIZED/SYNC
- VALUE
If the TYPEDEF clause is specified for a group item, then
subordinate items can be specified with OCCURS or REDEFINES clauses.
The VALUE clause cannot be specified either in the data descriptions
specifying the TYPEDEF clause or in any subordinate item except for
condition-names (88 level entries) within the TYPEDEF structure.
- If the TYPEDEF clause is specified for a data description, then that
same data description must include a data-name, that is, it must not be
specified with either an implicit or explicit FILLER clause.
- If a TYPEDEF clause is specified in an EXTERNAL program
(call prototype
) then that TYPEDEF can be referenced in any subsequent source
line of the compilation group.
General Rules
- The purpose of using the TYPEDEF clause is to create a
programmer-defined usage or structure that can subsequently be
referenced in the USAGE clause.
- A record declared with the TYPEDEF clause does not allocate any
storage, but declares that data-name-1 can be specified in a subsequent
data description entry as typedef-name-1.
Function
The USAGE clause specifies the format of a
data item in the computer storage.
General Format
Directives
- In addition to Compiler directives which provide flagging and modify
the reserved word list, the following directives may impact either the
syntax or semantics described in this section.
- COBOL370 controls whether four or eight bytes of storage
are allocated to USAGE PROCEDURE-POINTER data items.
- COMP-5 controls the handling of the operational sign when
storing into a USAGE COMP-5 data item.
- IBMCOMP controls the storage allocated for USAGE COMP and
USAGE COMP-5 data items.
Syntax Rules
- The USAGE clause may be written in any data description entry with an
entry-number other than 66 or 88.
- If the USAGE clause is written in the data description entry for a
group item, it may also be written in the data description entry for any
subordinate elementary item or group item, but the same usage must be
specified in both entries.
- An elementary data item whose declaration contains, or an elementary
data item subordinate to a group item whose declaration contains, a
USAGE clause specifying COMPUTATIONAL
, BINARY, PACKED-DECIMAL
, COMPUTATIONAL-3
, COMPUTATIONAL-4
, or COMPUTATIONAL-5
must be declared with a PICTURE character-string that describes a
numeric item (i.e. a PICTURE character-string that contains only the
symbols "P", "S", "V", and "9").
See the section The PICTURE Clause earlier in this chapter.
An elementary data item whose declaration
contains no USAGE clause and that is subordinate to a group item whose
declaration contains a USAGE clause specifying a format from the list
may be declared with a PICTURE character-string that describes an
alphabetic, alphanumeric, alphanumeric-edited or numeric-edited data
item.
-
An elementary data item whose declaration
contains, or an elementary data item subordinate to a group item whose
declaration contains, a USAGE clause specifying COMPUTATIONAL-5
or COMPUTATIONAL-X
must be declared with a picture
character-string that describes a numeric item
or describes an alphanumeric item with a size
of between one and eight bytes inclusive. If it describes an
alphanumeric item of size 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 bytes, then this
is equivalent to specifying an integer item with 2, 4, 7, 9, 12, 14,
16 or 18 decimal digit positions respectively.
When COMPUTATIONAL-X is specified and the
PICTURE character-string describes a numeric item, then that item must
be unsigned.
- The BLANK WHEN ZERO, JUSTIFIED and SIGN clauses must not be specified
for data items whose usage is not explicitly or implicitly DISPLAY.
- The SYNCHRONIZED and VALUE clauses must not be specified for data
items whose usage is INDEX.
The SYNCHRONIZED clause can be specified for
data items whose usage is INDEX.
- COMP is an abbreviation for COMPUTATIONAL.
COMP-1 is an abbreviation for
COMPUTATIONAL-1.
COMP-2 is an abbreviation for COMPUTATIONAL-2.
COMP-3 is an abbreviation for
COMPUTATIONAL-3.
COMP-4 is an abbreviation for
COMPUTATIONAL-4.
COMP-5 is an abbreviation for
COMPUTATIONAL-5.
COMP-X is an abbreviation for COMPUTATIONAL-X.
- An index item can be referenced explicitly only in a SEARCH or SET
statement, a relation condition, the USING phrase of a Procedure
Division,
the USING statement of an ENTRY statement,
or the USING phrase of a CALL statement.
-
A pointer
or procedure-pointer
item can be referenced explicitly only in a
SET statement, a relation condition, the USING phrase of a CALL
statement, the USING phrase of a Procedure Division, the USING
statement of an ENTRY statement
or the GIVING phrase of a CALL statement.
- An elementary data item described with a USAGE IS INDEX,
USAGE IS OBJECT,
USAGE IS POINTER,
or USAGE IS PROCEDURE-POINTER
clause must not be a conditional variable.
-
Typedef-name-1 must be previously defined in the
same source file as a record with the TYPEDEF clause.
-
If USAGE typedef-name-1 is specified, the
following clauses cannot also be specified:
- BLANK
- JUSTIFIED
- PICTURE
- SIGN
- SYNCHRONIZED
- VALUE
-
It is an error to specify USAGE typedef-name-1 if
there is an explicit USAGE clause at a higher level in the same
hierarchy.
-
It is an error to specify any subordinate items
(items with a higher level number other than 78) immediately following
an item defined with USAGE typedef-name-1.
-
The USAGE OBJECT REFERENCE clause must not be
specified in the data description entry for a group item, but may be
specified on subordinate elementary data items.
-
The USAGE OBJECT REFERENCE clause must not be
specified in the File Section.
The USAGE OBJECT REFERENCE clause can be
specified in the File Section.
Note:Whether the object reference still references an active
object depends on the application logic.
-
The
ACTIVE-CLASS phrase can be specified only in a factory definition,
object definition, or method definition.
General Rules
- If the USAGE clause is written at the group level, it applies to each
elementary item in the group
except when there is a PICTURE clause and the
data item described is non-numeric
- The USAGE clause specifies the manner in which a data item is
represented in the storage of the computer. It does not affect the use
of the data item, although the specifications for some statements in the
Procedure Division may restrict the USAGE clause of the operands
referred to. The USAGE clause may affect the radix or type of character
representation of the item. See the section Selection of Character
Representation and Radix in the chapter Concepts of the COBOL
Language for more details of the format of each usage.
- The USAGE IS BINARY clause specifies that a radix of 2 is used to
represent a numeric item in the storage of the computer. This clause is
equivalent to specifying USAGE IS COMPUTATIONAL.
- The USAGE IS PACKED-DECIMAL clause specifies that a radix of 10 is
used to represent a numeric item in the storage of the computer.
Furthermore, this clause specifies that each digit position must occupy
the minimum possible configuration in computer storage.
This clause is equivalent to specifying
USAGE IS COMPUTATIONAL-3.
- The USAGE IS DISPLAY clause (whether specified explicitly or
implicitly) specifies that a standard data format is used to represent a
data item in the storage of the computer, and that the data item is
aligned on a character boundary.
-
The USAGE IS DISPLAY clause is valid for the
following types of items:
- Alphabetic
- Alphanumeric
- Alphanumeric edited
- Numeric edited
- External floating-point
- External decimal (numeric)
- If the USAGE clause is not specified for an elementary item, or for
any group to which the item belongs, the USAGE is implicitly DISPLAY.
- The USAGE IS INDEX clause specifies that a data item is an index data
item and contains a value which must correspond to an occurrence number
of a table element.
- When a MOVE statement or an input-output statement that references a
group item that contains an index,
or pointer,
or procedure-pointer
data item is executed, no conversion of the index,
or pointer
or procedure-pointer
data item takes place.
-
The USAGE IS COMPUTATIONAL-4 clause is
equivalent to specifying USAGE IS COMPUTATIONAL.
-
The USAGE IS POINTER clause identifies a data
item in which you can store the address of a data item (see the section
The SET Statement in this chapter).
-
The USAGE IS
PROCEDURE-POINTER clause specifies that a data item is a procedure
pointer data item in which you can store the address of a
procedure. (See the
SET statement in this chapter.) The procedure can be written in
any language: if COBOL, it represents the Procedure Division of a
program that is not nested and identified by either:
- the program-name of the PROGRAM-ID paragraph; or
- the entry-name of an ENTRY statement.
-
If typedef-name-1was specified as an elementary
item, then the USAGE typedef-name-1 clause specifies an elementary item
with the same attributes as the programmer-defined usage referenced by
typedef-name-1.
-
If typedef-name-1 was specified as a group item,
then the USAGE typedef-name-1 clause specifies a group item with an
identical structure. The effect is as if the data declarations
subordinate to the data description entry identified by typedef-name-1
had been specified identically, subordinate to the item declared with
the USAGE typedef-name-1 clause. Data-names of the subordinate data
items are identical to those declared within the programmer-defined
structure referenced by typedef-name-1 and can be uniquely referenced
using qualification.
-
A data item described with a USAGE
OBJECT REFERENCE clause is called an object reference. An object
reference is a data item of class object and category object-reference.
It shall contain either null or a reference to an object, subject to the
following rules:
- The amount of storage allocated for an object reference data item
is four bytes.
- If none of the optional phrases is specified, this data item is
called a universal object reference. Its content may be a reference
to any object.
- If interface-name-1 is specified, the object referenced by this
data item must conform to the interface referenced by
interface-name-1.
- If class-name-1 is specified, the object referenced by this data
item must be an object of class-name-1 or of a subclass of
class-name-1, subject to the following rules:
- If the ONLY phrase is not specified:
- If the FACTORY phrase is specified, the object referenced
by this data item must be the factory object of the
specified class or of a subclass of the specified class.
- If the FACTORY phrase is not specified, the object
referenced by this data item must be an object of the
specified class or of a subclass of the specified class.
- If the ONLY phrase is specified:
- If the FACTORY phrase is specified, the object referenced
by this data item must be the factory object of the
specified class.
- If the FACTORY phrase is not specified, the object
referenced by this data item must be an object of the
specified class.
- If ACTIVE-CLASS is specified, the object referenced by this data
item must be an object of the class of the object that was used to
invoke the method in which the object referenced is specified,
subject to the following rules:
- If the FACTORY phrase is specified, the object referenced by
this data item must be the factory object of that class.
- If the FACTORY phrase is not specified, the object referenced
by this data item must be an object of that class.
Function
The VALUE clause defines the value of constants, the initial value of
working storage items, and the values associated with a condition name.
Examples:
- An example of using the NEXT clause is provided in the Examples
chapter in your Additional Topics.
General Formats
Format 1
Format 2
Format 3
Syntax Rules
All Formats
- A signed numeric literal must have a signed numeric PICTURE
character-string associated with it.
- All numeric literals in a VALUE clause of an item must have values
which are within the range of values indicated by the PICTURE clause,
and must not have a value which would require truncation of nonzero
digits. Nonnumeric literals in a VALUE clause of an item must not exceed
the size indicated by the PICTURE clause.
- A figurative constant can be substituted in both Format 1 and Format
2 wherever a literal is specified.
Format 1
-
VALUES ARE can be used with Format 1.
-
The VALUE clause may not be used with external
floating-point data items.
The VALUE clause may be used with external
floating-point data items.
-
The VALUE clause may be used for an internal
floating-point data item, that is an item defined with USAGE COMP-1 or
USAGE COMP-2. In this case literal-1 must either be a floating-point
literal, the figurative constant ZERO, or a numeric literal representing
the value zero.
Format 2
- The words THRU and THROUGH are equivalent.
- Any number of Format 2 entries can be written for a data item.
- Format 2 must be used only in connection with a condition-name.
- In a condition-name entry, the VALUE clause is required. The VALUE
clause and the condition-name itself are the only two clauses permitted
in the entry.
- Literal-2 must be less than literal-3.
-
Format 2 may be used to define a
conditional-variable associated with an internal floating-point data
item, but not an external floating-point data item. In this case,
literal-2 and literal-3 must be floating-point literals, the figurative
constant ZERO, or numeric literals representing the value zero.
Format 2 may be used to define a
condition-variable associated with an external floating-point data
item.
-
Literal-4 must not be equal to any literal-2, and
in any literal-2 THROUGH literal-3 pair, literal-4 cannot be greater
than or equal to literal-2 and less than or equal to literal-3.
Format 3
-
All identifiers must have been defined before the
declaration of the level 78 item. If either identifier-1 or identifier-3
(LENGTH parameters) is a group item, the definition of that group must
have been completed before the level 78 declaration, by the appearance
of another data item at the same or lower level number.
General Rules
Formats 1 and 2
- The VALUE clause must not conflict with other clauses in the data
description of the item or in the data description within the hierarchy
of the item. The following rules apply:
- If the category of the item is numeric, all literals in the VALUE
clause must be numeric. If the literal defines the value of a
working storage item, the literal is aligned in the data item
according to the standard alignment rules. (See the section Standard
Alignment Rules in the chapter Concepts of the COBOL
Language.)
- If the category of the item is alphabetic, alphanumeric,
alphanumeric edited or numeric edited all literals in the VALUE
clause must be nonnumeric. The literal is aligned in the data item
as if the data item had been described as alphanumeric. (See the
section Standard Alignment Rules in the chapter Concepts
of the COBOL Language.) Editing characters in the PICTURE clause
are included in determining the size of the data item (see the
section The PICTURE Clause earlier in this chapter) but have
no effect on initialization of the data item. Therefore, the VALUE
for an edited item is presented in an edited form.
-
If the item is numeric edited, the value can
be a numeric literal or a nonnumeric literal. If the value is a
numeric literal, the value contained in the item will be the same as
if the numeric literal were moved to the numeric edited item.
- Initialization takes place independent of any BLANK WHEN ZERO or
JUSTIFIED clause that can be specified.
Data Description Entries Other than Condition-Names
and
Constant-Names
(Format 1)
- Rules governing the use of the VALUE clause differ with the
respective sections of the Data Division:
- In the File Section, the VALUE clause must be used in
condition-name entries only.
- In the Working-Storage Section and the Communication Section, the
VALUE clause must be used in condition-name entries. The VALUE
clause can also be used to specify the initial value of a data item,
in which case the clause causes the item to assume the specified
value at the time
the runtime element is placed into its initial state. If the
VALUE clause is not used in an item's description, the initial value
of that data item is undefined.
- In the Linkage Section, the VALUE clause must be used in
condition-name entries only.
-
In the File Section and the Linkage Section,
and Local-Storage Section,
the VALUE clause can be used in data item
entries, but is documentary only.
- The VALUE clause must not be stated in a data description entry that
contains a REDEFINES clause, or in an entry that is subordinate to an
entry containing a REDEFINES clause. This rule does not apply to
condition-name entries.
- If the VALUE clause is used in an entry at the group level, the
literal must be a figurative constant or a nonnumeric literal, and the
group area is initialized without consideration for the individual
elementary or group items contained within this group. The VALUE clause
cannot be stated at the subordinate levels within this group.
- The VALUE clause must not be written for a group containing items
with descriptions, including JUSTIFIED, SYNCHRONIZED, or USAGE (other
than USAGE IS DISPLAY).
-
The figurative constant
NULL can be specified in the VALUE clause only if the data item is
defined with USAGE POINTER or USAGE PROCEDURE-POINTER. This is the only
value you can specify in the VALUE clause for such an item. The effect
is to set the pointer in such a way that it is guaranteed not to point
to any data item.
-
A VALUE clause specified in a data description
entry that contains an OCCURS clause, or in an entry that is subordinate
to an OCCURS clause, causes every occurrence of the associated data item
to be assigned the specified value.
-
If a VALUE clause is specified in a data
description entry of a data item which is associated with a variable
occurrence data item, the initialization of the data item behaves as if
the value of the data item referenced by the DEPENDING ON phrase in the
OCCURS clause specified for the variable occurrence data item is set to
the maximum number of occurrences as specified by that OCCURS clause. A
data item is associated with a variable occurrence data item in any of
the following cases:
- It is a group data item which contains a variable occurrence data
item.
- It is a variable occurrence data item.
- It is a data item that is subordinate to a variable occurrence
data item.
If a VALUE clause is associated with the data item referenced by a
DEPENDING ON phrase, that value is considered to be placed in the data
item after the variable occurrence data item is initialized.
-
A data item of class
object is initialized to null. The initial value takes effect when
VALUE clauses take effect and when storage for the data item is
allocated.
-
A data item of class pointer is initialized to
null. The initial value takes effect when VALUE clauses take effect and
when storage for the data item is allocated.
Condition-Name Rules (Format 2)
- In a condition-name entry, the VALUE clause is required. The VALUE
clause and the condition-name itself are the only two clauses permitted
in the entry. The characteristics of a condition-name are implicitly
those of its
conditional variable.
- Format 2 can be used only in connection with condition-names.
Wherever the THRU phrase is used, literal-2 must be less than literal-3.
- The FALSE phrase is meaningful only if the associated condition-name
is referenced in a SET condition-name TO FALSE statement. (See the
section The SET Statement later in this chapter.)
Constant-Name Rules (Format 3)
-
Format 3 can be used only in a constant-name
entry.
-
If literal-5 is specified and not followed by an
operator, the characteristic of the constant-name is that of literal-5.
Otherwise, the characteristic of the constant-name is that of an
integer.
-
Any number of arithmetic or
logical operators can be used. The result is evaluated using
integer arithmetic in strict left to right order. No parentheses can be
used. If any intermediate result is less than zero, the final value is
undefined. A constant-name may be used in place of integer-1.
-
The logical operations AND and OR act on the
binary representation in a bit-wise manner.
-
LENGTH of identifier-1 or identifier-3 is the
size of the storage allocated for identifier-1 or identifier-3,
respectively. If the identifier is a group item, the length includes all
subordinate data items.
-
The value returned by NEXT is the offset at which
the next byte of storage occurs after the previous data declaration. If
that data declaration was of a table defined with an OCCURS clause, the
value returned by NEXT is the offset at which the next byte of storage
occurs after the first element of the table.
-
START of identifier-2 or identifier-4 is the
offset at which identifier-2 or identifier-4, respectively, begins.
-
For rules 18 and 19, the offset is defined as
follows:
- If the identifier is part of an EXTERNAL record or a LINKAGE
record, the offset is calculated from the start of the associated
01-level;
- If the identifier is defined in LOCAL-STORAGE, the offset is
calculated from the start of the LOCAL-STORAGE SECTION;
- Otherwise the offset is calculated from the start of the DATA
DIVISION.
-
Offsets are not portable across different COBOL
implementations and no reliance should be placed on particular values
outside this compilation unit.
Function
The VALUE OF clause specifies the description of an item in the label
records associated with a file.
The VALUE OF clause of the file description entry
is classed as an obsolete element in the ANSI'85 standard and is scheduled
to be deleted from the next full revision of the ANSI Standard.
All dialects in this COBOL implementation fully
support this syntax. The FLAGSTD Compiler directive can be used to detect
all occurrences of this syntax.
Although it is a part of the standard COBOL
definition, this feature is explicitly excluded from the X/Open COBOL
language definitions and should not be used in a conforming X/Open COBOL
source program.
General Formats
Format 1 (All Files)
Format 2 (All Files)
Syntax Rules
Format 1 (All Files)
- Data-name-1 should be qualified when necessary but cannot be
subscripted or indexed, nor can it be an item described with the USAGE
IS INDEX clause.
Format 2 (All Files)
-
Data-name-2 must be in the Working-Storage
Section.
-
Literal-2 must be a nonnumeric literal and cannot
be a figurative constant.
-
The VALUE OF FILE-ID clause cannot be used if
external-file-reference, data-name-1 or literal-1 has been specified in
the ASSIGN clause in the File-Control Entry (see the section The
File-Control Entry earlier in this chapter).
General Rules
Format 1 (All Files)
-
This clause is documentary only.
Format 2 (All Files)
-
The character-string specified in literal-2 or
data-name-2 is taken as the external file-name.
Copyright © 1999 MERANT International Limited. All rights reserved.
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used herein are protected by international law.
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