Glossary

The terms in this glossary are defined in accordance with their meaning as used in this document describing this COBOL implementation and may not have the same meaning in others.

These definitions are also intended to be either reference material or introductory material to be reviewed prior to reading the detailed language specifications that are contained in this manual. These definitions are, in most instances, brief and do not include detailed syntactic rules, or dialect bubbles. Therefore, parts of the information may or may not be relevant based on the dialect/reserved words selected.

!

77 Level-description-entry

A data description entry that describes a noncontiguous data item with the level-number 77.

78 Level-description-entry

A data description entry that describes a condition-name with the level-number 78.

A

Abbreviated Combined Relation Condition

The combined condition that results from the omission of a common subject or a common subject and common relational operator in a consecutive sequence of relation conditions.

Abstract Class

A class which does not act as a creator of instance objects. Abstract classes implement behavior for their subclasses.

Access Mode

The manner in which records are to be operated upon within a file.

Actual Decimal Point

The physical representation, using either of the decimal point characters "." (period) or "," (comma) of the decimal point position in a data item.

Alphabet-name

A user-defined word in the SPECIAL-NAMES paragraph of the Environment Division that assigns a name to a specific character set and/or collating sequence.

Alphabetic Character

A character that belongs to the following set of letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z and the space. Also a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y and z.

Alphanumeric Character

Any letter or number in the computer's character set.

Alternate Record Key

A key, other than the prime record key, whose contents identify a record within an indexed file.

Alphanumeric Function

A function whose value is composed of a string of one or more characters from the computer's character set.

Argument

An identifier, a literal, or an arithmetic expression that specifies a value to be used in the evaluation of a function.

Arithmetic Expression

An arithmetic expression can be an identifier or a numeric elementary item, a numeric literal, such identifiers and literals separated by arithmetic operators, two arithmetic expressions separated by an arithmetic operator, or an arithmetic expression enclosed in parentheses.

Arithmetic Operator

A single character, or a fixed two-character combination, that belongs to the following set:

Character	Meaning
+	Addition
–	Subtraction
*	Multiplication
/	Division
**	Exponentiation

Ascending Key

A key upon the values of which data is ordered starting with the lowest value of key up to the highest value of key in accordance with the rules for comparison of the data items.

Assumed Decimal Point

A decimal point position which does not involve the existence of an actual character in a data item. The assumed decimal point has logical meaning but no physical representation.

At End Condition

A condition caused in one of three circumstances:

1. During the execution of a READ statement for a sequentially accessed file.

2. During the execution of a RETURN statement when no next logical record exists for the associated sort or merge file.

3. During the execution of a SEARCH statement, when the search operation terminates without satisfying the condition specified in any of the associated WHEN phrases.

B

Block

A physical unit of data that is normally composed of one or more logical records. For mass storage files, a block can contain a portion of a logical record. The size of a block has no direct relationship to the size of the file within which the block is contained or to the size of the logical record(s) that are either continued within the block or that overlap the block. The term is equivalent to physical record.

C

Call Prototype

A program with the EXTERNAL clause in the PROGRAM-ID paragraph. A call prototype is a program declaration that is not executed but is used by the compiler system to validate CALL statements in program definitions that appear in the same source file.

Called Program

A program which is the object of a CALL statement combined at run time with the calling program to produce a run unit.

Calling Program

A program which executes a CALL to another program.

Cd-name

A user-defined word that names an MCS interface area described in a communication description entry within the Communication Section of the Data Division.

Chained Program

A program which is the object of a CHAIN statement.

Chaining Program

A program which executes a CHAIN to another program.

Character

The basic indivisible unit of the language.

Character Position

A character position is the amount of physical storage required to store a single standard data format character described as USAGE IS DISPLAY.

Character Set

The complete COBOL language character set consists of all characters listed below:

Character	Meaning
0,1,...,9	Numeric digit
A,B,...,Z	Uppercase alphabetic
a,b,...,z	Lowercase alphabetic
	Space (blank)
+	Plus Sign
–	Minus Sign
*	Asterisk
/	Stroke (Virgule, Slant or Slash)
=	Equal Sign
$	Currency Sign
,	Comma
;	Semicolon
.	Period (Decimal Point, Fullstop)
"	Quotation Mark
(	Left Parenthesis
)	Right Parenthesis
>	Greater Than Symbol
<	Less Than Symbol
:	Colon
'	Apostrophe
&	Ampersand

Note: When the computer character set includes lowercase letters, they can be used in character strings and text words. Except when used in nonnumeric literals, each lowercase letter is equivalent to the corresponding uppercase letter.

Character-string

A sequence of contiguous characters which form a COBOL word, a literal, a PICTURE character-string or a comment-entry.

Class Condition

The proposition, for which a truth value can be determined, that an operand is wholly alphabetic or is wholly numeric, or alphabetic-lower, or alphabetic-upper, or contains only the characters in the set of characters specified by the CLASS clause as defined in the SPECIAL-NAMES paragraph of the Environment Division.

Class Method

A method for a class object.

Clause

A clause is an ordered set of consecutive COBOL character-strings whose purpose is to specify an attribute of an entry.

COBOL System Directing Statement

A statement, beginning with a directing verb, that causes your COBOL system to take a specific action during creation of the intermediate code.

COBOL Word

See Word.

Collating Sequence

The sequence in which the characters that are acceptable in a computer are ordered for purposes of sorting, merging and or comparing.

Column

A character position within a print line. The columns are numbered from one, by one, starting at the leftmost character position of the print line and extending to the rightmost character position of the print line.

Combined Condition

A condition that is the result of connecting two or more conditions with the "AND" or the "OR" logical operator.

Comment Entry

An entry in the Identification Division that can be any combination of characters from the computer character set. A comment entry is for documentary purposes only, may extend over more than one line and is terminated upon encountering a division, section or paragraph name

or encountering any character

in area A of a line.

Comment Line

A source program line represented by an asterisk in the indicator area of the line and any characters from the computer's character set in area A and area B of that line. The comment line serves only for documentation in a program. A special form of comment line is represented by a slash (/) in the indicator area of the line and any characters from the computer's character set in area A and area B of that line causes page ejection before printing the comment.

Common Program

A program which, despite being directly contained within another program, can be called from any program directly or indirectly contained in that other program.

Communication Description Entry

An entry in the Communication Section of the Data Division that is composed of the level indicator CD, followed by a cd-name, and then followed by a set of clauses as required. It describes the interface between the MCS and the COBOL program.

Communication Device

A mechanism (hardware or hardware/software) capable of sending data to a queue and/or receiving data from a queue. This mechanism can be a computer or a peripheral device. One or more programs containing communication description entries and residing within the same computer define one or more of these mechanisms.

Communication Section

The section of the Data Division that describes the interface areas between the MCS and the program, composed of one or more CD description entries. See Message Control Systems.

Complex Condition

A condition in which one or more logical operators act upon one or more conditions. See Negated Simple Condition, Combined Condition, Negated Combined Condition.

Computer-name

A system-name that identifies the computer upon which the source program is to be converted to object code, or the object code run.

Condition

A status of a program at execution time for which a truth value can be determined. Where the term "condition" (condition-1, condition-2, ...) appears in these language specifications in or in reference to "condition" (condition-1, condition-2, ...) of a general format, it is a conditional expression consisting of either a simple condition optionally parenthesized, or a combined condition consisting of the syntactically correct combination of simple conditions, logical operators, and parentheses for which a truth value can be determined.

Condition Name

A user-defined word assigned to a specific value, set of values, or range of values, within the complete set of values that a conditional variable can possess; or the user-defined word assigned to a status of an implementor-defined switch or device.

Condition-name Condition

The proposition, for which a truth value can be determined, that the value of a conditional variable is a member of the set of values attributed to a condition-name associated with the conditional variable.

Conditional Expression

A simple condition or a complex condition specified in an IF, PERFORM, EVALUATE or SEARCH statement. See Simple Condition and Complex Condition.

Conditional Statement

A conditional statement specifies that the truth value of a condition is to be determined, and that the subsequent action of the run-time program is dependent on this truth value.

Conditional Variable

A data item, one or more values of which has a condition-name assigned to it.

Configuration Section

A section of the Environment Division that describes overall specifications of source and run computers.

Constant-name

A user-defined word assigned as the name of a fixed value.

Contiguous Items

Items that are described by consecutive entries in the Data Division and that bear a definite hierarchic relationship to one another.

Counter

A data item used for storing numbers or number representations in a manner that permits these numbers to be increased or decreased by the value of another number, or to be changed or reset to zero or to an arbitrary positive or negative value.

CRT

An output device by which an operator can receive visual data.

Currency Symbol

The character defined by the CURRENCY SIGN clause in the SPECIAL-NAMES paragraph. If no CURRENCY SIGN clause is present in a COBOL source program, the currency symbol is identical to the currency sign. See the section The SPECIAL-NAMES Paragraph in the chapter The Nucleus.

Current Record

The record which is available in the record area associated with the file.

Cursor

The indicator on a CRT screen that marks the line and character position which the input/output control is currently referencing.

D

Data Clause

A clause that appears in a data description entry in the Data Division and provides information describing a particular attribute of a data item.

Data Description Entry

An entry in the Data Division that is composed of a level-number followed by a data-name, if required, and then followed by a set of data clauses as required.

Data Dictionary

A table built by your COBOL system and held in memory, which contains information on each user-defined name.

Data Item

A unit of data (excluding literals) defined by a COBOL program or by the rules for function evaluation.

Data-name

A user-defined word that names a data item described in a data description entry in the Data Division. When used in the general formats, "data-name" represents a word which can neither be subscripted nor indexed unless specifically permitted by the rules for that format.

Debugging Line

A debugging line is any line with "D" or "d" in the indicator area of the line for Fixed Format Source, or any line with "D" or "d" as the first character and space as the second character of the line for Free Format Source.

Debugging Section

A debugging section is a section that contains a USE FOR DEBUGGING statement.

Declaratives

A set of one or more special purpose sections written at the beginning of the Procedure Division, the first of which is preceded by the key word DECLARATIVES and the last of which is followed by the key words END DECLARATIVES. A declarative is composed of a section header, followed by a USE COBOL system-directing-sentence, followed by a set of associated paragraphs (0 or more).

Declarative-sentence

A COBOL system directing sentence consisting of a single USE statement terminated by the separator period (. ).

De-edit

The logical removal of all editing characters from a numeric edited data item in order to determine that item's unedited numeric value.

Delimited Scope Statement

Any statement that includes its explicit scope terminator.

Delimiter

A character (or sequence of contiguous characters) that identifies the end of a string of characters, and separates that string of characters from the following string of characters. A delimiter is not part of the string of characters that it delimits.

Descending Key

A key upon the values of which data is ordered starting with the highest value of key down to the lowest value of key, in accordance with the rules for comparing data items.

Destination

The symbolic identification of the receiver of a transmission from a queue.

Digit Position

A digit position is the amount of physical storage required to store a single digit. This amount varies depending on the usage of the data item describing the digit position.

Division

A set of sections or paragraphs (0 or more) that are formed and combined in accordance with a specific set of rules is called a division body. There are four divisions in a COBOL program: Identification, Environment, Data and Procedure.

Division Header

A combination of words followed by a period and a space that indicate the beginning of a division. The division headers are:

Dynamic Access

An access mode in which specific logical records can be obtained from or placed into a disk file in a non-sequential manner (see Random Access) and obtained from a file in a sequential manner (see Sequential Access) during the scope of the same OPEN statement.

E

Editing Character

A single character or a fixed two-character combination belonging to the same set:

Character	Meaning
B	Space
0	Zero
+	Plus
–	Minus
CR	Credit
DB	Debit
Z	Zero Suppress
*	Check Protect
$	Currency Sign
,	Comma
.	Period (Decimal Point)
/	Slash (Virgule, Stroke)

Elementary Item

A data item that is described as not being further logically subdivided.

End of Procedure Division

The physical position in a COBOL source program after which no further procedures appear.

End Program Header

A combination of words, followed by a separator period, that indicates the end of a COBOL source program. The end program header is:

     END PROGRAM program-name.

Entry

Any descriptive set of consecutive clauses terminated by a separator period (. ) (except for a comment entry) and written in the Identification Division, Environment Division or Data Division of a COBOL source program.

Entry-name

A user-defined word that identifies an alternative point at which to start executing a program from the default which is the first non declarative procedural statement in the source program.

Environment Clause

A clause that appears as part of an Environment Division entry.

Explicit Attribute

Any attribute which has been explicitly defined.

Extend Mode

With the EXTEND phrase specified, the state of a file after execution of an OPEN statement, and before the execution of a CLOSE statement for the file.

External Data

The data described in a program as external data items and external file connectors.

External File Connector

A file connector which is accessible to one or more object programs in the run unit.

F

Figurative Constant

A value generated by your COBOL system which is referenced through the use of certain reserved words.

File

A collection of records.

File Clause

A clause that appears as part of any of the following

Data Division entries: File Description (FD)
Sort-Merge File Description (SD)
Communication Description (CD)

File Connector

A storage area which contains information about a file and is used as the linkage between a file-name and a physical file and between a file-name and its associated record area.

File-control

The name of an Environment Division paragraph in which the data files for a given source program are declared.

File Description Entry

An entry in the File Section of the Data Division that is composed of the level indicator FD, followed by a file-name, and then followed by a set of file clauses as required.

File-name

A user-defined word that names a file described in a file description entry or a sort-merge file description entry within the File Section of the Data Division.

File Organization

The permanent logical file structure established at the time that a file is created.

File Position Indicator

A conceptual entity that is used in the selection of the next record to be accessed within a given file during certain sequences of input-output operations. This concept has no meaning for a file opened in output or extend mode. The setting of the file position indicator is affected only by the OPEN, READ and START statements.

File Section

The section of the Data Division that contains file description entries together with their associated record descriptions.

Fixed File Attributes

Information about a file which is established when a file is created and cannot subsequently be changed during the existence of the file. These attributes include the organization of the file (sequential, relative, or indexed), the prime record key, the alternate record keys, the code set, the minimum and maximum record size, the record type (fixed or variable), the collating sequence of the keys for indexed files, the maximum and minimum physical record size, the padding character, and the record delimiter.

Fixed Format Mode

The default manner in which data entry is made to numeric and numeric-edited screen fields. This mode formats and echoes the entered data and also moves the cursor in accordance with the requirements of the field's picture specification, as each keystroke is received. Characters other than " +", "–", and the decimal point character, are rejected; insertion characters in edited fields are skipped over as the cursor moves backwards and forwards; any sign indicator is modified in accordance with its normal specification; floating symbols move left and right in the field, and insertion symbols appear and disappear as digits are inserted or deleted.

Fixed Format Source

Each COBOL program source line consists of 80 characters which are divided into various fixed areas. There are restrictions on the syntax that can appear in each area. The alternative is Free Format Source.

Floating-point Data Item

A number representation in which:

1. Each number is represented by two sequences of digits, the mantissa and the exponent, and

2. Each number equals one of those sequences of digits, the mantissa, multiplied by the value obtained by raising ten to the power represented by the other sequence of digits, the exponent.

Floating-point Literal

A quantity, in floating point representation, that has a base of ten and is written as a signed fixed-point numeric literal that must have a decimal point in any character position (the mantissa), immediately followed by the letter "E", which is, in turn, immediately followed by a signed fixed-point numeric literal that does not contain a decimal point (the exponent).

Format

A specific arrangement of a set of data.

Free Format Mode

An alternative manner in which data entry can be made to numeric and numeric-edited screen fields. The default mode is fixed format mode (see above entry). This configurable mode allows data to be keyed into a PIC X field of appropriate length, and it is only when the operator leaves the field that the data is reformatted to comply with the picture specification. Once the operator moves the cursor from the field, your COBOL system disregards all characters other than digits and the sign and decimal point symbols. It then extracts, stores, or reformats the numeric value in accordance with the normal COBOL rules for a MOVE to an item with the same picture as the screen or working-storage item. The numeric value is then usually echoed to the screen.

Free Format Source

Each COBOL program source line can consist of up to 250 bytes of characters. There is no restriction on where syntax may appear on the line. The alternative is Fixed Format Source.

Function

A temporary data item whose value is determined by invoking a mechanism provided by the implementor at the time the function is referenced during the execution of a statement.

Function-identifier

A syntactically correct combination of character-strings and separators that references a function. The data item represented by a function is uniquely identified by a function-name with its arguments, if any. A function-identifier can include a reference-modifier. A function-identifier that references an alphanumeric function can be specified anywhere in the general formats that an identifier can be specified, subject to certain restrictions. A function-identifier that references an integer or numeric function can be referenced anywhere in the general formats that an arithmetic expression can be specified.

Function-name

A word that names a mechanism provided by the implementor to determine the value of a function.

G

Group Item

A named contiguous set of elementary items.

H

High Order End

The leftmost character of a string of characters.

I

I-O-control

The name of an Environment Division paragraph in which object program requirements for specific input/output techniques, rerun points, sharing of same areas by several data files, and multiple file storage on a single input/output device are specified.

I-O Mode

The state of a file after execution of an OPEN statement, with the I-O phrase specified for that file, and before the execution of a CLOSE statement for that file.

Identifier

A syntactically correct combination of character-strings and separators that names a data item. When referencing a data item which is not a function, an identifier consists of a data-name, together with its qualifiers, subscripts, and reference-modifier, as required for uniqueness of reference. When referencing a data item which is a function, a function-identifier is used. The rules for "identifier" associated with general formats can, however, specifically prohibit reference to functions, qualification, subscripting, or reference modification.

Imperative Statement

A statement that begins with an imperative verb and specifies an unconditional action to be taken. An imperative statement can consist of a sequence of imperative statements.

Implicit Attribute

Any attribute which has not been explicitly specified.

Implicit Scope Terminator

A separator period which terminates the scope of any preceding unterminated statement, or a phrase of a statement which by its occurrence indicates the end of the scope of any statement contained within the preceding phrase.

Implicit Segment

A segment created by your COBOL system to control the size of code segments.

Index

A computer storage position or register, the contents of which represent the identification of a particular element in a table.

Index Data Item

A data item in which the value associated with an index-name can be stored.

Index-name

A user-defined word that names an index associated with a specific table.

Indexed Data-name

An identifier that is composed of a data-name, followed by one or more index-names enclosed in parentheses.

Indexed File

A file with indexed organization.

Indexed Organization

The permanent logical file structure in which each record is identified by the value of one or more keys within that record.

Indicator Area

The leftmost parameter position of a COBOL source record that indicates the use of the record.

Input Field

A screen item whose description contains a TO phrase.

Input File

A file that is opened in the input mode.

Input Mode

The state of a file after execution of an OPEN statement, with the INPUT phrase specified for that file, and before the execution of a CLOSE statement for that file.

Input-Output File

A file that is opened in the I-O mode.

Input-Output Section

The section of the Environment Division that names the files and the external media used by a program and which provides information required for transmission and handling of data during execution of the run-time program.

Input Procedure

A set of statements that is executed each time a record is released to the sort file.

Instance Method

A method of an instance object (as opposed to a class method).

Integer

1. A numeric literal that does not include any digit positions to the right of the decimal point.

2. A numeric data item defined in the Data Division that does not include any digit positions to the right of the decimal point.

Where the term "integer" appears in the general formats, integer must be a numeric literal which is an integer, and must be neither signed nor zero unless explicitly allowed by the rules of that format.

Integer Function

A function whose category is numeric and whose definition provides that all digits to the right of the decimal point are zero in the returned value for any possible evaluation of the function.

Internal Data

The data described in a program excluding all external data items and external file connectors. Items described in the linkage section of a program are treated as internal data.

Internal File Connector

A file connector which is accessible only to one object program in a run unit.

Invalid Key Condition

A condition, at object time, caused when a specified value of the key associated with an indexed or relative file is determined to be invalid.

Invocation

See Method Invocation.

K

Key

A data item which identifies the location of a record, or a set of data items which serve to identify the ordering of data.

Key of Reference

The key currently being used to access records within an indexed file.

Key Word

A reserved word or function-name whose presence is required when the format in which the word appears is used in a source program.

L

Language-name

A system-name that specifies a particular programming language.

Level Indicator

Two alphabetic characters that identify a specific type of file or a position in hierarchy.

Level-number

A user-defined word which indicates the position of a data item in the hierarchical structure of a logical record or which indicates special properties of a data description entry. A level-number is expressed as a one or two digit number. Level-numbers in the range 1 through 49 indicate the position of a data item in the hierarchical structure of a logical record.

Level-numbers in the range 1 through 9 can be written either as a single digit or as a zero followed by a significant digit. Level-numbers 66, 77, 78 and 88 identify special properties of a data description entry.

Library-name

A user-defined word that names a COBOL library source file that is to be used by your COBOL system during creation of the object code.

Library-text

A sequence of character-strings and/or separators in a COBOL library.

Line Sequential File Organization

A type of sequential file containing variable length records in the format of text files produced by the host operating system.

Linkage Section

The section in the Data Division of the called program that describes data items available from the calling program. These data items can be referred to by both the calling and the called programs.

Literal

A character-string whose value is implied by the ordered set of characters comprising the string.

Literal Field

An elementary screen item whose description contains no PICTURE clause.

Logical Operator

One of the reserved words AND, OR or NOT. In the formation of a condition, both or either of AND and OR can be used as logical connections. NOT can be used for logical negation.

Logical Record

The most inclusive data item. The level-number for a record is 01.

Low Order End

The rightmost character of a string of characters.

M

MCS

See Message Control System.

Merge File

A collection of records to be merged by a MERGE statement. The merge file is created and can be used only by the merge function.

Message

Data associated with an end of message indicator or an end of group indicator. (See Message Indicators.)

Message Control System (MCS)

A communication control system that supports the processing of messages to and from terminal devices.

Message Count

The count of the number of complete messages that exist in the designated queue of messages.

Message Indicators

EGI (end of group indicator), EMI (end of message indicator), and ESI (end of segment indicator) are conceptual indications that serve to notify the MCS that a specific condition exists (end of group, end of message, end of segment).

Within the hierarchy of EGI, EMI, and ESI, an EGI is conceptually equivalent to an ESI, EMI, and EGI. An EMI is conceptually equivalent to an ESI and EMI. Thus, a segment can be terminated by an ESI, EMI, or EGI. A message can be terminated by an EMI or EGI.

Message Segment

Data that forms a logical subdivision of a message normally associated with an end of segment indicator. See Message Indicators.

Method

Procedural code that is declared in the Procedure Division of a class and is executed by an INVOKE statement specifying that method-name on an object.

Method Definition

The COBOL source unit that defines a method.

Method Invocation

The request to execute a named method on a given object. A method invocation identifies an object, a method name, and the parameters required by the method definition.

Mixed literal

A nonnumeric literal that includes DBCS characters.

Mnemonic-name

A user-defined word that is associated in the Environment Division with a specified implementor-name.

N

Native Character Set

The implementor-defined character set associated with the computer specified in the OBJECT-COMPUTER paragraph.

Native Collating Sequence

The default collating sequence associated with the computer specified in the OBJECT-COMPUTER paragraph.

Negated Combined Condition

The "NOT", logical operator immediately followed by a parenthesized combined condition.

Negated Simple Condition

The "NOT" logical operator immediately followed by a simple condition.

Next Executable Sentence

The next sentence to which control will be transferred after execution of the current statement is complete.

Next Executable Statement

The next statement to which control will be transferred after execution of the current statement is complete.

Next Record

The record which logically follows the current record of a file.

Noncontiguous Items

Elementary data items, in the Working-Storage, Local-Storage and Linkage Sections, which bear no hierarchic relationship to other data items.

Nonnumeric Item

A data item whose description permits its contents to be composed of any combination of characters taken from the computer's character set. Certain categories of non-numeric items can be formed from more restricted character sets.

Nonnumeric Literal

A character-string bounded by quotation marks. The string of characters can include any character in the computer's character set. To represent a single quotation mark character within a nonnumeric literal, two contiguous quotation marks must be used.

Numeric Character

A character that belongs to the following set of digits: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

Numeric Function

A function whose class and category are numeric but which for some possible evaluation does not satisfy the requirements of an integer function.

Numeric Item

A data item whose description restricts its contents to a value represented by characters chosen from the digits 0 through 9; if signed, the item can also contain a "+", "–" , or other representation of an operational sign.

Numeric Literal

A literal composed of one or more numeric characters that also can contain either a decimal point or an algebraic sign, or both. The decimal point must not be the rightmost character. The algebraic sign, if present, must be the leftmost character.

O

Object

A unit that comprises data and the methods that can act upon that data.

Object-Computer

The name of an Environment Division paragraph in which the computer environment, within which the run-time program is executed, is described.

Open Mode

The state of a file after execution of an OPEN statement for that file and before the execution of a CLOSE statement for that file. The particular open mode is specified in the OPEN statement as either INPUT, OUTPUT, I-O or EXTEND.

Operand

Whereas the general definition of operand is "that component which is operated upon", for the purposes of this publication, any lowercase word (or words) that appears in a statement or entry format can be considered to be an operand and, as such, is an implied reference to the data indicated by the operand.

Operational Sign

An algebraic sign, associated with a numeric data item or a numeric literal, to indicate whether its value is positive or negative.

Optional Word

A reserved word that is included in a specified format only to improve the readability of the language and whose presence is optional to the user when the format in which the word appears is used in a source program.

Output Field

A screen item whose description contains a FROM phrase.

Output File

A file that is opened in either the output mode or extend mode.

Output Mode

The state of a file after execution of an OPEN statement, with the OUTPUT or EXTEND phrase specified for that file and before the execution of a CLOSE statement for that file.

Output Procedure

A set of statements to which control is given during execution of a SORT statement after the sort function is completed, or during execution of a MERGE statement after the merge function has selected the next record in merged order.

P

Paragraph

In the Identification and Environment Divisions, a paragraph header followed by zero, one, or more entries. In the Procedure Division, a paragraph-name followed by a period and a space and optionally by one or more sentences.

Paragraph Header

A reserved word, followed by a period and a space that indicates the beginning of a paragraph in the Identification and Environment Divisions. The permissible paragraph headers are:

In the Identification Division:

PROGRAM-ID. 
AUTHOR.
INSTALLATION. 
DATE-WRITTEN. 
DATE-COMPILED. 
SECURITY. 
REMARKS.

In the Environment Division:

SOURCE-COMPUTER. 
OBJECT-COMPUTER. 
SPECIAL-NAMES. 
FILE-CONTROL. 
I-O-CONTROL.

Paragraph-name

A user-defined word that identifies and begins a paragraph in the Procedure Division.

Phrase

A phrase is an ordered set of one or more consecutive COBOL character-strings that form a portion of a COBOL procedural statement or of a COBOL clause.

Physical Record

See Block.

Pointer Item

An elementary data item to which a USAGE IS POINTER or PROCEDURE-POINTER clause applies.

Prime Record Key

A key whose contents uniquely identify a record within an indexed file.

Procedure

A paragraph or group of logically successive paragraphs, or a section or group of logically successive sections, within the Procedure Division.

Procedure-name

A user-defined word which is used to name a paragraph or section in the Procedure Division. It consists of a paragraph-name or a section-name.

Program Declaration

A source program that merely declares how the program is to be called, a call prototype. Unlike a Program Definition, it does not include any executable procedures. See Call Prototype.

Program Definition

A source program that defines how a program is to execute by procedures specified in a Procedure Division. A traditional COBOL program, as distinct from a Call Prototype.

Program-name

A user-defined word that identifies a COBOL source program.

Prompt Character

The character used to mark empty character positions in a screen item.

Pseudo-text

A sequence of character-strings and/or separators bounded by, but not including, pseudo-text delimiters.

Pseudo-text Delimiter

Two contiguous equal sign (=) characters used to delimit pseudo-text.

Punctuation Character

A character that belongs to the following set:

Character	Meaning
,	Comma
;	Semicolon
.	Period
"	Quotation Mark
(	Left Parenthesis
)	Right Parenthesis
	Space
=	Equal Sign
'	Apostrophe
:	Colon
&	Ampersand

Q

Qualified Data-name

An identifier that is composed of a data-name followed by one or more sets of either of the connectives OF and IN, followed by a data-name qualifier.

Qualifier

1. A data-name which is used in a reference together with another data name at a lower level in the same hierarchy.

2. A section-name which is used in a reference together with a paragraph-name specified in that section.

3. A library-name which is used in a reference together with a text-name associated with that library.

Queue

A logical collection of messages, processes, print jobs, and so on, awaiting transmission or processing.

Queue Name

A symbolic name that indicates to the MCS the logical path by which a message or a portion of a completed message can be accessible in a queue.

R

Random Access

An access mode in which the program-specified value of a key data item identifies the logical record that is obtained from, deleted from or placed into a relative or indexed file.

Receiving Item

A data item referenced in a TO or USING phrase in a PICTURE clause in the Screen Section.

Record

See Logical Record.

Record Area

A storage area allocated for the purpose of processing the record described in a record description entry in the File Section.

Record Description Entry

The total set of data description entries associated with a particular record.

Record Key

A key, either the prime record key or an alternate record key, whose contents identify a record within an indexed file.

Record-name

A user-defined word that names a record described in a record description entry in the Data Division.

Reference-format

A format that provides a standard method for describing COBOL source programs.

Reference Modification

A definition of a data item by specifying a leftmost character and length for the data item.

Relation

See Relational Operator.

Relation Character

A character that belongs to the following set:

Character	Meaning
>	Greater than
<	Less than
=	Equal to
>=	Greater than or equal to
<=	Less than or equal to
< >	Unequal to

Relation Condition

The proposition, for which a truth value can be determined, that the value of an arithmetic expression or data item has a specified relationship to the value of another arithmetic expression or data item. See Relational Operator.

Relational Operator

A reserved word, a relation character, a group of consecutive reserved words, or a group of consecutive reserved words and relation characters used in the construction of a relation condition. The permissible operators and their meanings are:

Relational Operator	Meaning
IS [NOT] GREATER THAN IS [NOT] >	Greater than or not greater than
IS [NOT] LESS THAN IS [NOT] <	Less than or not less than
IS [NOT] EQUAL TO IS [NOT] =	Equal to or not equal to
IS GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO IS >=	Greater than or equal to
IS LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO IS <=	Less than or equal to
IS UNEQUAL TO IS < >	Not equal to
EQUALS	Equal to
EXCEEDS	Greater than

Relative File

A file with relative organization.

Relative Key

A key whose contents identify a logical record in a relative file.

Relative Organization

The permanent logical file structure in which each record is uniquely identified by an integer value greater than zero, which specifies the record's logical ordinal position in the file.

Reserved Word

A COBOL word specified in the list of words which can be used in COBOL source programs, but which must not appear in the programs as user-defined words or system-names.

Root

A class with no superclass.

Routine-name

A user-defined word that identifies a procedure written in a language other than COBOL.

Run-time

The time at which the code produced by your COBOL system is executed.

Run-time System (RTS)

The software that interprets the code produced by your COBOL system and enables it to be executed by providing interfaces to the operating system and CRT.

Run Unit

A set of one or more programs which function, at run time, as a unit to provide problem solutions.

S

Screen Description Entry

An entry in the Screen Section of the Data Division that is composed of a level number, followed by an optional screen-name, and then by a set of screen clauses as required. This entry is very similar in structure to a data description entry, but while a data description entry declares areas in memory, a screen description entry declares areas on the screen.

Screen Item

A field on the screen to which the screen description entry assigns properties.

Screen Section

The last section in the Data Division in which the layouts of the screen areas accessed in Format 4 of the ACCEPT and Format 2 of the DISPLAY statements are defined.

Section

A set of none, one, or more paragraphs or entries, called a section body, the first of which is preceded by a section header. Each section consists of the section header and the related section body.

Section Header

A combination of words followed by a period and a space that indicates the beginning of a section in the Environment, Data and Procedure Divisions.

In the Environment and Data Divisions, a section header is composed of reserved words followed by a period and a space. The permissible section headers are:

In the Environment Division:

 Configuration Section.
 Input-Output Section.

In the Data Division:

 File Section. 
 Working-Storage Section. 
 Local-Storage Section. 
 Linkage Section. 
 Communication Section. 
 Report Section. 
 Screen Section.

In the Procedure Division, a section header is composed of a section-name, followed by the reserved word SECTION, followed by a segment-number (optional), followed by a period and a space.

Section-name

A user-defined word which names a section in the Procedure Division.

Segment-number

A user-defined word which classifies sections in the Procedure Division for purposes of segmentation. Segment-numbers can contain only the characters "0", "1", ..., " 9". A segment-number can be expressed either as a one- or two-digit number.

Sending Item

A data item referenced in a FROM or USING phrase in a PICTURE clause in the Screen Section.

Sentence

A sequence of one or more statements, the last of which is terminated by a period followed by a space.

Separate Program

A program which, together with its contained programs, is processed separately from all other programs.

Separator

A punctuation character used to delimit character-strings.

Sequential Access

An access mode in which logical records are obtained from or placed into a file in a consecutive predecessor-to-successor logical record sequence determined by the order of records in the file.

Sequential File

A file with sequential organization.

Sequential Organization

The permanent logical file structure in which a record is identified by a predecessor-successor relationship established when the record is placed into the file.

Sign Condition

The proposition, for which a truth value can be determined, that the algebraic value of a data item or an arithmetic expression is either less than, greater than, or equal to zero.

Simple Condition

Any single condition chosen from the set:

relation condition
class condition
switch-status condition
condition-name condition
sign condition
(simple-condition)

Sort File

A collection of records to be sorted by a SORT statement. The sort file is created and can be used by the sort function only.

Sort-merge File Description Entry

An entry in the File Section of the Data Division that is composed of the level indicator SD, followed by a file-name, and then followed by a set of file clauses as required.

Source

The symbolic definition of the originator of a transmission to a queue.

Source-Computer

The name of an Environment Division paragraph in which the computer environment, within which the intermediate code is created, is described.

Source Program

Although it is recognized that a source program can be represented by other forms and symbols, in this document it always refers to a syntactically correct set of COBOL statements beginning with an Identification Division and ending with the end of the Procedure Division. In contexts where there is no danger of ambiguity, the word "program" alone can be used in place of the phrase "source program".

Special Character

A character that belongs to the following set:

Character	Meaning
+	Plus Sign
–	Minus Sign
*	Asterisk
/	Slash (Virgule, Stroke)
=	Equal Sign
$	Currency Sign
,	Comma (Decimal Point)
;	Semicolon
.	Period (Decimal Point)
'	Quotation Mark
(	Left Parenthesis
)	Right Parenthesis
>	Greater Than Symbol
<	Less Than Symbol
'	Apostrophe
:	Colon
&	Ampersand

Special-character Word

A reserved word which is an arithmetic operator or a relation character.

Special-Names

The name of an Environment Division paragraph in which implementor-names are related to user-specified mnemonic-names.

Special Registers

Storage areas created by your COBOL system whose primary use is to store information produced in conjunction with the user of specified COBOL features.

Split Key

A concatenation of one or more data items within a record associated with that file-name. It can be referenced only in START and READ statements. See the Examples chapter in your Additional Topics for an example of Split Key.

Standard Data Format

The concept used in describing the characteristics of data in a COBOL Data Division under which the characteristics or properties of the data are expressed in a form oriented to the appearance of the data on a printed page of infinite length and breadth, rather than a form oriented to the manner in which the data is stored internally in the computer or on a particular external medium.

Statement

A syntactically valid combination of words and symbols written in the Procedure Division beginning with a verb.

Sub-queue

A logical hierarchical division of a queue.

Subject of Entry

An operand or reserved word that appears immediately following the level indicator or the level-number in a Data Division entry.

Subprogram

See Called Program.

Subscript

An occurrence number represented by either an integer, a data- name optionally followed by an integer with the operator + or -, or an index-name optionally followed by an integer with the operator + or -, that identifies a particular element in a table. A subscript can be the word ALL when the subscripted identifier is used as a function argument.

Subscripted Data-name

An identifier that is composed of a data-name followed by one or more subscripts enclosed in parentheses.

Switch-status Condition

The proposition, for which a truth value can be determined, that an implementor-defined switch, capable of being set to an "on" or "off" status, has been set to a specified status.

Symbol Function

The use of specified characters in the PICTURE clause to represent data types.

Syntax

The order in which elements must be put together to form a program.

System-name

A COBOL word which is used to communicate with the operating environment.

T

Table

A set of logically consecutive items of data that are defined in the Data Division by means of the OCCURS clause.

Table Element

A data item that belongs to the set of repeated items comprising a table.

Terminal

An interactive input/output device consisting of a screen display or printing device and a keyboard by which an operator can enter and receive visual data.

Text-name

A user-defined word which identifies library text.

Text-word

A character or a sequence of contiguous characters between margin A and margin R in a COBOL library, source program, or in pseudo-text which is:

1. A separator, except for: space; a pseudo text delimiter; and the opening and closing delimiters for nonnumeric literals. The right-parenthesis and left-parenthesis characters, regardless of context within the library, source program, or pseudo-text, are always considered text words.

2. A literal including, in the case of nonnumeric literals, the opening quotation mark and the closing quotation mark which bound the literal.

3. Any other sequence of contiguous COBOL characters except comment lines and the word "COPY", bounded by separators, which is neither a separator nor a literal. One or both of the bounding separators can be a pseudo-text delimiter.

Truth Value

The representation of the result of the evaluation of a condition in terms of one of two values:

true
false

Typedef-name

A user-defined word which identifies a Type Definition.

Type Definition

A programmer-defined type or USAGE that may be used to define data items of that type. A type definition is defined in a data description entry that includes the TYPEDEF clause.

U

Unary Operator

A plus (+) or a minus (-) sign, which precedes a variable or a left parenthesis in an arithmetic expression and which has the effect of multiplying the expression by +1 or -1, respectively.

Update Field

A screen item whose description contains a USING phrase.

User-defined Word

A COBOL word that must be supplied by the user to satisfy the format of a clause or statement.

V

Variable

A data item whose value can be changed by execution of the object program. A variable used in an arithmetic expression must be a numeric elementary item.

Variable-Occurrence Data Item

A variable-occurrence data item is a table element which is repeated a variable number of times. Such an item must contain an OCCURS DEPENDING ON clause in its data description entry, or be subordinate to such an item.

Verb

A word that expresses an action to be taken by your COBOL program at object time, during creation of native code, or at run time.

W

Word

A character-string of not more than 30 characters which forms a user-defined word, a system-name, a reserved word, or a function-name.

Working-Storage Section

The section of the Data Division that describes working storage data items, composed either of noncontiguous items or of working storage records, or of both.