Features Added in Visual COBOL 2.2 Update 1

Visual Studio IDE

This release provides the following enhancements to COBOL support in the IDE:

Expanded Copybook View

The Expanded Copybook View functionality in the editor was added in the 2.2 release and this has been enhanced in 2.2 Update 1 so it is now possible to debug into the expanded copybooks. The functionality includes:

Stepping inline in the expanded copybook view when debugging - when stepping into or hitting a breakpoint in the copybook, the copybook automatically expands. You can disable this feature from the IDE preferences.
Showing Pinned Data tips inside the expanded copybook.
Support for QuickWatch and Add Watch inside the expanded copybook.
Executing some of the debugger commands from the context menu from the expanded copybook view - for example, Show Next Statement, Run To Cursor and Set Next Statement.

Some limitations apply.

Call Hierarchy

Visual COBOL now supports the Visual Studio Call Hierarchy window for analyzing COBOL PERFORM statements.

Find All References

The Find All References functionality now works for managed OO COBOL code.

Navigation

You can now use Alt+Shift+Up Arrow (or Down Arrow) to navigate the variables in the editor.

You can use the drop-down types and members to navigate to the different sections (Linkage section, File section etc.) in your source files.

Project Details Window

The Project Details Window now includes columns showing the COBOL dialect of the files and the SQL properties set on them.

Run-Time Configuration

You can now use the application configuration file (application.config) in native COBOL projects to specify some additional settings such as the search order for called programs, command line handling, or file handling. You can do this from the new Run-Time Configuration tab.
When an executable is built using the IDE, the application configuration file is automatically copied to the output folder and is renamed as <executable-base-name>.exe.mfgcf.

Samples

This release includes the following new samples:

Airport Demo (managed) - shows how to create a COBOL WCF REST service and then use a client application to consume it.
Airport Demo (native) - a basic lookup program that reads the information about airports from a .dat file and outputs the distance between two airports.

The Sandcastle sample has been updated and now uses Sandcastle Help File Builder v1.9.8.0.

Solution Explorer

Support is now available in Solution Explorer for the following features:

Errors and warnings filters - click the arrow next to the (Pending Changes Filter) icon in the Solution Explorer toolbar, and either click Errors Filter or Errors and Warnings Filter to show the files that result in errors or also cause warnings.
Searching in Solution Explorer - You can use the search field in Solution Explorer to search for files in your solution. Searching also finds copybooks in the copybook dependency view even if they are not part of any of the projects in the solution.

Micro Focus Heartbleed Update

This product includes OpenSSL version 1.0.2j.

Btrieve Support

Support for the Btrieve file handling system from Pervasive Software Inc. has been added into Visual COBOL.

Support is restricted to native COBOL, in a Windows environment.

COBOL Source Information

The Quick Browse option is now available as a context menu command in the editor.

Compare and Synchronization Monitor

With the release of Visual COBOL 2.2 Update 1, the Compare and Synchronization Monitor has been updated to version 2.

Version 2 is greatly improved in terms of performance, especially during initial checkout of partitioned data sets or when synchronizing a large number of members. Also, the user interface has been improved, and some of the functions available in the old version have now changed or become obsolete.

Compiler Directives

The following Compiler directives have been added in this release:

ILPARAMS: Determines the way in which you call a method that contains an array as its last receiving parameter.

INIT-BY-TYPE

Initializes Working-Storage Section data items to a default value, according to their type.

Alphabetic, alphanumeric, alphanumeric edited, and numeric edited items are initialized to spaces.
Numeric items are initialized to zero.
Pointer items are initialized to null.
Index items are initialized to the value 1.

Database Access

The following new features have been added as part of database access support:

DB2 ECM

Support added for DB2 LUW version 10.5.
Enhanced RETURN-CODE processing.

OpenESQL

Enhanced internationalization support for UNICODE, DBCS and MBCS.
Enhanced GET DIAGNOSTICS statement support.
Enhanced LOB support for CLOB, BLOB and DBCLOB data types.
ADO.NET connection editor now provides context help.
Enhanced IDE support for OPTION directives.
Now provides support for the creation of save points and rolling back to save points.

XA Switch Modules

Restriction: This feature applies only when the Enterprise Server feature is enabled.

New two-phase commit module for SQL Server based on Microsoft's XA switch. This provides support for xa_recover.
Support for DB2 LUW version 10.5.
Support for Oracle version 12.1.

Enterprise Server Integration in the IDE

You can now use the context menu for the servers in Server Explorer to enable the display of the Enterprise Server log information in the Output window.

Environment Variables

The following environment variable has been added in this release:

strictvsam: strictvsam enables strict mainframe emulation when processing VSAM files.; When set to ON and running under mainframe emulation, file status 37 is returned for an existing VSAM file when opened for OUTPUT if the file has data or previously had data written to it, or if the file is of a different format to the file on disk. When set to OFF, file status 0 is returned and a new file is created when an existing VSAM file is opened for OUTPUT. This variable is set to OFF by default.

Fileshare Recovery

Recovery of Fileshare data files has been enhanced.

Rollback recovery is a faster process that aims to fix the files from their failed state.

This process cannot be used in all scenarios, but a new user exit has also been introduced that allows you to programmatically control which files you wish to recover with this process.

Hot backups are also a new introduction, which allow you to perform a backup without having to shut down Fileshare.

Line Numbering for COBOL Programs

This release provides options for auto-inserting or removing line numbers in source files open the editor. Features include:

COBOL numbering - line numbers are inserted in the sequence area of the code (columns 1 - 6), starting by default at 000100 at the first line, incrementing by 100 by default.
Micro Focus recommends that you use COBOL numbering only if your files are in fixed or variable source format.
Standard numbering - line numbers are inserted immediately to the right of area B, in columns 73 - 80, starting by default at 00000100 at the first line, incrementing by 100 by default.
Micro Focus recommends that you use Standard numbering only if your files are in fixed format.

The Renumber and Unnumber commands available from the context menu in the editor.

Managed COBOL Syntax

This release includes the following enhancements to the managed COBOL syntax:

Specifying parameters in the method signature: You can now specify passing parameters and returning items in the method signature, instead of using a Procedure Division header. This applies to methods, indexers, iterators, constructors and delegates.
CONSTANT keyword: Use the CONSTANT keyword on a field to protect it from being altered.
Operations on string fields: You can now use the STRING, UNSTRING and INSPECT statements on fields of type string.

Rumba Integration with Visual Studio

Visual Studio now offers context menu commands for launching the Rumba mainframe display (Desktop or embedded) from Solution Explorer or from Server Explorer. The embedded Rumba display now provides keyboard mapping and color settings.

You can use the display of choice both in debugging and when running applications.

Run-time Launch Configuration Files

Use a run-time launch configuration file to ensure an application can be launched when it is deployed in a separate location to the run-time system (in the case of dynamically bound applications), or when the licensing daemon is not already running.