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Document:	PDP-11 COBOL V03 Language Reference 197704
Order Number:	AA-1749D-TC
Revision:	0
Pages:	305
Original Filename:	AA-1749D-TC_PDP-11_COBOL_V03_Language_Reference_197704.pdf

OCR Text

PDP-11
COBOL Language
Reference Manual
Order No. AA-17490-TC

April 1977

This document is intended primarily for reference use. It
describes how to use the PDP-11 COBOL compiler, its file
structure, data formats, 1/0 devices, and some of its
language features.

PDP-11
COBOL Language
Reference Manual
Order No. AA-17490-TC

SUPERSESSION/UPDATE INFORMATION:

This document supersedes the document of the
same name, Order No. DEC-11-LCOBA-C-D,
published January 1976.

OPERATING SYSTEM AND VERSION:

RSTS/E V06B
RSX/11M V03
IAS V02

SOFTWARE VERSION:

PDP-11 COBOL V03

To order additional copies of this document, contact the Software Distribution Center,
Digital Equipment Corporation, Maynard, Massachusetts 01754

digital equipment corporation · maynard, massachusetts

First Printing: November 1973
Revised:
July 1974
January 1976
March 1977
The information in this document is subject to change without notice
and should not be construed as a commitment by Dig~tal Equipment
Corporation. Digital Equipment Corporation assumes no responsibility
for any errors that may appear in this document.
The software described in this document is furnished under a license
and may be used or copied .only in accordance with the terms of such
license.
Digital Equipment Corporation assumes no responsibility for the use
or reliability of its software on equipment that is not supplied by
DIGITAL.

<£) 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977 by Digital Equipment Corporation

The postage prepaid READER'S COMMENTS form on the last page of this
document requests the user's critical evaluation to assist us in preparing future documentation.
The following are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation:

DIGITAL
DEC
PDP
DECUS
UNIBUS
COMPUTER LABS
COMTEX
DDT
DECCOMM

DECsystem-10
DECtape
DIBOL
EDUSYSTEM
FLIP CHIP
FOCAL
INDAC
LAB-8
DECsystem-20

9/77-14

MASS BUS
OMNIBUS
OS/8
PHA

RSTS
RSX
TYPESET-8
TYPESET-10
TYPESET-11

CONTENTS

Page
PREFACE

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

CHAPTER

OVERALL LANGUAGE ELEMENTS AND TERMINOLOGY

1-1

1.1
1.1.1
1.1.2
1.1. 3
1.2
1. 2 .1
1. 2. 2
1.2. 3
1.2.3.1
1.2.3.2
1. 2. 4
1.2.4.1
1.2.4.2
1.2. 5
1.2. 6
1. 2. 7
1. 3
1. 3 .1
1. 3. 2
1. 3. 3
1.4
1.4.1
1.4.1.l
1.4.1.2
1.4.1.3
1.4.1.4
1.4.1.5
1.4.1.6
1.4.1.7
1.4.1.8
1.4.1.9
1. 4. 2
1.5
1. 5 .1
1. 5. 2
1. 5. 3
1. 5. 4
1. 5. 5

NOTATIONS USED IN FORMATS AND RULES
General Format
Syntax Rules
General Rules
LANGUAGE ELEMENTS
COBOL Character Set
Character-Strings
COBOL Words
User-Defined Words
Reserved Words
Literals
Numeric Literal
Alphanumeric Literals
Separators
Format Punctuation
Use of Certain Special Characters in Formats
META LANGUAGE ELEMENTS
Underline
Brackets and Braces
The Ellipsis
COBOL SOURCE REFERENCE FORMAT
Conventional Reference Format
Sequence Numbers
Continuation/Conunent Indicator Area
Area A
Area B
Identification Field
Continuation of Lines
Blank Lines
Comment Lines
Short Lines and Tab Characters
Terminal Reference Format
LANGUAGE ORGANIZATION
Division Header
Section Header
Paragraph, Paragraph Header, Paragraph-name
Data Division Entries
Declaratives

1-1
1-2
1-3
1-3
1-3
1-3
1-3
1-4
1-4
1-4
1-7
1-7
1-8
1-8
1-9
1-10
1-10
1-10
1-10
1-11
1-11
1-12
1-14

IDENTIFICATION DIVISION

2-1

2.1

GENERAL DESCRIPTION
ORGANIZATION
THE PROGRAM-ID PARAGRAPH
THE DATE-COMPILED PARAGRAPH

2-1
2-1
2...:3
2-4

2.2
2.3
:l. 4

iii

1-14
1-14
1-14
1-14
1-15
1-15
1-15
1-16
1-17
1-17

1-18
1-18
1-19
1-20
1-20

CONTENTS

(CONT~)

Page
CHAPTER

CHAPTER

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION

3-1

3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.4.1
3.4.2
3.4.3
3.5
3.5.1
3.5.2
3.6
3.6.1
3.7

GENERAL DESCRIPTION
ORGANIZATION
STRUCTURE
CONFIGURATION SECTION
The SOURCE-COMPUTER Paragraph
The OBJECT-COMPUTER Paragraph
The SPECIAL-NAMES Paragraph
INPUT-OUTPUT SECTION
File Organizations
Access Modes
THE FILE-CONTROL PARAGRAPH
The File-Control Entry
THE I-0-CONTROL PARAGRAPH

3-1
3-1
3-2
3-3
3-3
3-4
3-5
3-8
3-8
3-9
3-10
3-10
3-18

DATA DIVISION

4-1

4.1
4 .1.1
4.1. 2
4.2
4.2.1
4.2.2
4.3
4.3.1
4.3.2
4.3.3
4.4
4.5
4.6
4.7
4.8
4.9
4.10
4.11
4.12
4.13
4.13.1
4.13.2
4.13.3
4.13.4
4.13.5
4.13.6
4.13. 7
4.13.8
4.13.9
4.13.10
4 .13 .11

OVERALL APPROACH
Data Division Organization
Data Division Structure
FILE SECTION
File-Description-Entry
Record-Description-Entry
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION
Noncontiguous Working-Storage
Working-Storage Records
Initial Values
LINKAGE SECTION
THE FILE DESCRIPTION - COMPLETE ENTRY SKELETON
THE BLOCK CONTAINS CLAUSE
THE CODE-SET CLAUSE
THE DATA RECORDS CLAUSE
THE LABEL RECORDS CLAUSE
THE LINAGE CLAUSE
THE RECORD CONTAINS CLAUSE
THE VALUE OF CLAUSE
DATA DESCRIPTION CONCEPT
Logical Record and File Concept
Physical Aspects of a File
Conceptual Characteristics of a File
Record Concepts
Concept of Levels
Level-Numbers
Concept of Classes of Data
Selection of Numeric Character Representation
Algebraic Signs
Standard Alignment Rules
Item Alignment for Increased Object-Code
Efficiency
THE DATA DESCRIPTION - COMPLETE ENTRY SKELETON
THE BLANK WHEN ZERO CLAUSE
THE DATA-NAME OR FILLER CLAUSE
THE JUSTIFIED CLAUSE
LEVEL-NUMBER
THE OCCURS CLAUSE
THE PICTURE CLAUSE

4-1
4-1
4-2
4-2
4-2
4-2
4-3
4-3
4-3
4-3
4-3
4-5
4-6
4-8
4-9
4-10
4-11
4-14
4-16
4-17
4-17
4-17
4-17
4-18
4-18
4-18
4-19
4-20
4-20
4-20

4.14
4.15
4.16
4.17
4.18
4.19
4.20

4-21
4-22
4-25
4-26
4-27
4-28
4-29
4-32

CONTENTS (CONT.)

Page

CHAPTER

4.21
4.22
4.23
4.24
4.25
4.26

THE REDEFINES CLAUSE
THE RENAMES CLAUSE
THE SIGN CLAUSE
THE SYNCHRONIZED CLAUSE
THE USAGE CLAUSE
THE VALUE CLAUSE

4-42
4-44
4-46
4-48
4-50
4-52

PROCEDURE DIVISION

5-1

GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Declaratives
Procedures
Execution
THE PROCEDURE DIVISION HEADER
PROCEDURE DIVISION BODY
STATEMENTS AND SENTENCES
Conditional Statement
Conditional Sentence
Compiler Directing Statement
Compiler Directing Sentence
Imperative Statement
Imperative Sentence
Specific Statement Formats
Uniqueness of Reference
Qualification
Subscripting
Indexing
Internal Formats of Subscripts, Index-names
and Index-data-items
5.4.8.5
Identifier
5.4.8.6
Condition-Name
Explicit and Implicit Specifications
5.4.9
5.4.9.l
Explicit and Implicit Procedure Division
References
5.4.9.2
Explicit and Implicit Transfers of Control
Explicit and Implicit Attributes
5.4.9.3
5.5
ARITHMETIC EXPRESSIONS
Arithmetic Operators
5.5.1
Formation and Evaluation Rules
5.5.2
, CONDITIONAL EXPRESSIONS
5.6
Simple Conditions
5.6.1
Relation Condition
5.6.2
Comparison of Numeric Operands
5.6.3
Comparison of Alphanumeric Operands
5.6.4
Comparisons Involving Index-Names and/or
5.6.5
Index Data Items
Class Condition
5.6.6
Condition-Name Condition (Conditional
5.6.7
Variable)
Switch-Status Condition
5.6.8
Sign Condition
5.6.9
Complex Conditions
5.6.10
Negated Simple Conditions
5.6.11
Combined and Negated Combined Conditions
5.6.12
Abbreviated Combined Relation Conditions
5.6.13
Condition Evaluation Rules
5.6.14
5.7
COMMON PHRASES AND GENERAL RULES FOR STATEMENT
FORMATS

5.1

5 .1.1
5.1.2
5 .1. 3
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.4.1
5.4.2
5.4.3
5.4.4
5.4.5
5.4.6
5.4.7
5.4.8
5.4.8.l
5.4.8.2
5.4.8.3
5.4.8.4

5-1
5-1
5-1
5-2
5-2
5-3
5-4
5-4
5-4
5-5
5-5
5-5
5-6

5-7
5-8
5-8
5-9
5-10
5-11
5-11
5-12
5-12

5-13
5-13
5-14
5-14
5-14

5-15
5-16
5-16
5-17
5-18
5-18
5-19
5-20

5-20
5-2.1
5-21
5-21
5-22
5-22
5-24
5-25
5-26

CONTENTS (CONT. )

Page

CHAPTER

5.7.1
5.7.2
5.7.3
5.7.4
5.7.5
5.7.6
5.7.7
5.8
5.9
5.10
5.11
5.12
5.13
5.14
5.15
5.16
5.17
5.18
5.19
5.20
5.21
5.22
5.23
5.24
5.25
5.26
5.27
5.28
5.29
5.30
5.31
5.32
5.33
5.34
5.35
5.36
5.37
5.38
5.39
5.40
5.41
5.42
5.43
5.44

The ROUNDED Phrase
The SIZE ERROR Phrase
The CORRESPONDING Phrase
The Arithmetic Statements
Multiple Results in Arithmetic Statements
Overlapping Operands
Incompatibie Data
THE ACCEPT STATEMENT
THE ADD STATEMENT
THE ALTER STATEMENT
THE CALL STATEMENT
THE CLOSE STATEMENT (SEQUENTIAL)
THE CLOSE STATEMENT (INDEXED & RELATIVE)
THE COMPUTE STATEMENT
THE DELETE STATEMENT (INDEXED & RELATIVE)
THE DISPLAY STATEMENT
THE DIVIDE STATEMENT
THE EXIT STATEMENT
THE GO TO STATEMENT
THE IF STATEMENT
THE INSPECT STATEMENT
THE MOVE STATEMENT
THE MULTIPLY STATEMENT
THE OPEN STATEMENT (SEQUENTIAL)
THE OPEN STATEMENT (INDEXED & RELATIVE)
THE PERFORM STATEMENT
THE READ STATEMENT (SEQUENTIAL)
THE READ STATEMENT (RELATIVE)
THE READ STATEMENT (INDEXED)
THE REWRITE STATEMENT (SEQUENTIAL)
THE REWRITE STATEMENT (RELATIVE)
THE REWRITE STATEMENT (INDEXED)
THE SEARCH STATEMENT
THE SET STATEMENT
THE START STATEMENT (RELATIVE)
THE START STATEMENT (INDEXED)
THE STOP STATEMENT
THE STRING STATEMENT
THE SUBTRACT STATEMENT
THE UNSTRING STATEMENT
THE USE STATEMENT
THE WRITE STATEMENT (SEQUENTIAL)
THE WRITE STATEMENT (RELATIVE)
THE WRITE STATEMENT (INDEXED)

5-26
5-26
5-27
5-27
5-28
5-29
5-29
5-30
5-32
5-34
5-35
5-37
5-42
5-44
5-45
5-47
5-49
5-52
5-53
5-54
5-56
5-63
5-67
5-69
5-73
5-76
5-85
5-88
5-92
5-96
5-98
5-100
5-103
5-108
5-110
5-112
5-114
5-115
5-118
5-12-0
5-124
5-125
5-129
5-132

SEGMENTATION

6-1

6.1
6.1.1
6.2
6.2.1
6.2.2

ORGANIZATION
Non-Overlayable vs. Overlayable Segments
USING THE SEGMENTATION FACILITY
The SEGMENT-LIMIT Clause
Segment Numbers

6-1
6-1
6-2
6-2
6-2

THE LIBRARY MODULE

7-1

7.1
7.2

FUNCTION
THE COPY STATEMENT

7-1
7-1

CONTENTS (CONT.)

Page
APPENDIX A

RESERVED WORDS

A-1

GLOSSARY

Glossary-!
Index-1

INDEX

FIGURES
FIGURE

1-1

COBOL Programming Form

1-13

TABLES
TABLE

3-1
3-2
5-1
5-2
5-3

5-4
5-5

Access Modes and File Organizations
Possible Combinations of Status Keys 1 and 2
Combination of Symbols in Arithmetic
Expression
Combinations of Conditions, Logical Operators,
and Parentheses
Relationship of Categories of Files and the
Formats of the CLOSE Statement
Permissible Statements
Permissible Statements

vii

3-9
3-15
5-16

5-23
5-38
5-70
5-74

PREFACE

This manual describes the COBOL language as it has been implemented in
the PDP-11.
The goal of PDP-11 COBOL'S implementors was a strict
adherence to the 1974 ANSI standard.
Furthermore, the organization
and textual material in this manual is based on the American National
Standard COBOL, X3.23-1974 document. PDP-11 extensions to the ANSI
standard are shaded.
Chapter 1 contains the overall language considerations;
the reader
should be familiar with its contents before using the remaining
chapters. Chapters 2 through 5 detail the four major divisions of a
COBOL program. Chapter 6 covers the Segmentation module, and Chapter
7 discusses the Library module, which provides a capability for
specifying source text that is to be copied from
a
library file.
Appendixes A and B contain the COBOL reserved word list and charts of
the ASCII character set.
This manual is a reference manual intended primarily as an accurate
presentation of the rules governing the syntax and semantics of all
language elements implemented in PDP-11 COBOL. It assumes that the
reader has a knowledge of the COBOL language; it is not a tutorial
guide for beginning COBOL programmers. Those wishing to learn the
COBOL language are referred to the following books:
Farina, Mario V., COBOL
Hall, Inc., 1968.

Simplified,

New

McCameron, Fritz A., COBOL Logic and
Edition, Homewood, Illinois, Richard D.

Jersey,

Prentice

Programming, Third
Irwin, Inc., 1974.

McCracken, Daniel D. and Garbassi, Umberto, A Guide to
COBOL Programming, Second Edition, New York, John Wiley and
Sons, Inc., 1970.
McCracken, Daniel D., A Simplified Guide to Structured COBOL
Programming, New York, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1976.
The COBOL programmer is referred to the PDP-11 COBOL User's Guide and
the SORT-11 User's Guide, the companion manuals to this language
reference manual.
They contain additional information
on
the
compiler, the runtime system, a complete list of the PDP-11 COBOL
compiler error messages and the utility programs
(SORT, COBRG, and
REFORMAT).

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

COBOL is an industry language.
It is not the property of any company
or
group
of
companies, or of any organization or group of
organizations.
No warranty, expressed or implied, is made by any contributor or by
the CODASYL Programming Language Committee as to the accuracy and
functioning of the programming system and language.
Moreover, no
responsibility is assumed by any contributor or by the committee in
connection therewith.
The authors and copyright holders of the copyrighted material used
herein are:
FLOW-MATIC
(trademark of Sperry Rand Corporation),
programming for the Univac (R)
I and II, Data Automation Systems
copyrighted 1958, 1959, by Sperry Rand Corporation;
IBM Commercial
Translator Form No. F28-8013, copyrighted 1959 by IBM;
FACT, DSI
27A5260-2760, copyrighted 1960 by Minneapolis-Honeywell.
They have specifically authorized the use of this material,
in whole
or in part, in the COBOL specifications. Such authorization extends
to the reproduction and use of COBOL specifications in programming
manuals or similar publications.

CHAPTER 1
OVERALL LANGUAGE ELEMENTS AND TERMINOLOGY

1.1

NOTATIONS USED IN FORMATS AND RULES

This chapter contains general information about the special terms,
language elements, and general formats required for an ANSI standard
COBOL source program.
It describes the documentation strategy used to
present the language elements to you and also provides you with a
description of the meta language elements which describe the COBOL
language.
Actual
source language statements are discussed in
subsequent chapters.
The COBOL language consists of the following elements:

• Divisions
• Sections
• Paragraphs
• Sentences
• Clauses
• Statements
• Entries
• Words
• Characters
These elements combine to form the framework for a COBOL source
program.
PDP-11 COBOL provides four divisions; the Identification
Division, the Environment Division, the Data Division, and the
Procedure Division.
Each division can consist of zero or more
sections containing zero or more paragraphs.
Each paragraph can
contain one or more sentences, clauses, statements, or entries. Each
of these are composed of words made up
from
characters
or
character-strings.

1-1

OVERALL LANGUAGE ELEMENTS AND TERMINOLOGY
The meta language elements, those elements which appear in text but
are not actually coded into COBOL source statements, serve only to
describe the language in terms of allowable use.
These elements,
completely described in Section 1.3, are as follows:
•

Underlined Words

•

Brackets and Braces

•

Ellipsis

The COBOL language elements (divisions, sections,
are presented according to the following outline:

1.1.1

paragraphs,

Each COBOL division begins a separate chapter.

Each section, clause or statement constituting a
begins on a new page and constitutes a new section.

Each section, clause,
subsections as follows:

statement

Name (section, clause, or statement}

Description or function

General Format

Syntax Rules

General Rules

Example (if required}

etc.}

division

described

General Format

A general format depicts the specific arrangement of the elements of a
clause, statement, paragraph, etc. These elements are described in
Section 1.5, Language Organization.
Throughout this document, a
format is shown adjacent to information defining a language element.
When more than one specific arrangement is permitted, the general
format is separated into numbered formats. You must write clauses in
the sequence given in the general formats. Optional clauses, if you
use them, must also appear in the sequence shown. In certain cases
(stated explicitly in the rules associated with a given format}
the
clauses may appear in sequences other than that shown. Application
requirements or restrictions are shown as rules.

1-2

OVERALL LANGUAGE ELEMENTS AND TERMINOLOGY
1.1.2

Syntax Rules

Syntax rules define the order in which words or elements are arranged
to form larger elements such as sentences, clauses, or statements.
Syntax rules also impose restrictions qn individual words or elements.
These rules define how you must write the statements; that is, the
order in whic~ each element may appear~ and what each represents.

1.1.3

General Rules

General rules define the meaning of an element or the relationship of
meanings of a set of elements.
They define the semantics of the
statement and its effect on execution or compilation.

1.2

LANGUAGE ELEMENTS

The elements which make up a statement, clause, sentence, etc.
consist of the COBOL character set, character-strings, COBOL words,
reserved words, user-defined words,
separators/punctuation,
and
literals.

1.2.1

COBOL Character Set

The basic and indivisible unit of the COBOL language is the character.
The individual characters of the language are concatenated to form
separators and character-strings. The set of characters used to form
COBOL character-strings and separators includes the letters A through
Z, the digits 0 through 9, and the special characters +, -, *, /,
**,
>, <, and
(Separators are discussed in Section 1.2.5, Separators.)
NOTE
Special characters are always
when they appear in formats.

1.2.2

required

Character-Strings

A character-string is a character or a
characters
that
form
a
COBOL
word,
character-string, a comment-entry, etc.

1-3

sequence of
a literal,

contiguous
a PICTURE

OVERALL LANGUAGE ELEMENTS AND TERMINOLOGY
1.2.3

COBOL Words

A COBOL word is a character-string of not more than 30 ASCII
characters.
There are two classes of words: user-defined words and
reserved-words. Within a given source program,
these classes are
mutually exclusive; moreover a COBOL word may belong to one and only
one of these classes.

1.2.3.1 User-Defined Words - A user-defined word is a COBOL word that
you must supply to satisfy the format of a clause or statement. You
must select each character of a user-defined word from the letters A
through Z, the digits 0 through 9, and the hyphen (-).
NOTE
Do not use the hyphen as the first or
last character of a user-defined word.
There are 12 types of user-defined words:
1.

condition-name

data-name

file-name

index-name

level-number

mnemonic-name

paragraph-name

program-name

record-name

10.

section-name

11.

segment-number

12.

text-name

Each of these user-defined word types is
which appears at the end of this manual.

described

the

glossary

1.2.3.2 Reserved Words - A reserved word is a COBOL word that is one
of a specific list that may be used in COBOL source prog~~ms but only

1-4

OVERALL LANGUAGE ELEMENTS AND TERMINOLOGY
as specified in the general formats. You can not use a reserved
as a user-defined word;
the two are mutually exclusive.
Appendix A for a complete list of COBOL reserved words).

word
(See

There are six types of reserved words:
1.

Key words
A key word is required when the format in which the word
appears is used in a source program. Within each format, key
words are upper case and underlined. Consider the following
example.
COMPUTE identifier-! [ROUNDED]

[, identifier-2 [ROUNDED]] •••

=arithmetic-expression [;ON SIZE ERROR imperative-statement]
In this case, the words COMPUTE, ROUNDED, SIZE, and ERROR are
key words.
2.

Optional Words
Within each format, upper case words that are not underlined
are called optional words. You may use or omit these words
indiscriminately. The presence or absence of an optional
word does not alter the semantics of the COBOL program in
which it appears. Consider the previous example;
the word
ON in this case, is an optional word.

Connectives
There are three types of connectives:
a.

Qualifier connectives that associate a data-name, a
condition-name, or a text-name with its qualifiers: OF,
IN.
(See Section 5.4.8.1, Qualification.)

Series connectives that link two or more consecutive
operands, (separator comma) or (separator semicolon).

Logical connectives that are used in the formation of the
following conditions:
AND, OR, AND NOT, OR NOT.

Special Registers
The PDP-11 COBOL compiler provides a reserved word that names
and refers to a special register. This word, LINAGE-COUNTER,
refers to a compiler generated storage area.
It is used to
store information produced in conjunction with the use of a
specific COBOL feature.
LINAGE-COUNTER is described in
Section 4.9, The LINAGE Clause.

1-5

OVERALL LANGUAGE ELEMENTS AND TERMINOLOGY
5.

Figurative Constants
Certain reserved words, Figurative Constants,
name and refer to specific constant values.

are

used

Figurative constant values are generated by the compiler and
referenced through the use of the reserved words given below.
These words must not be bounded by quotation marks when used
as figurative constants.
The singular and plural forms of
figurative constants are equivalent and
may
be
used
interchangeably.
The figurative constant values and the reserved words used to
reference them are as follows:
ZERO
ZEROS
ZEROES

Represents the value 'O', or one or more of the
character 'O', depending on context.

SPACE
SPACES

Represents one or more of the character space
from the computer's character set.

HIGH-VALUE
HIGH-VALUES

Represents one or more of the character that
has
the highest
ordinal position in the
computer's collating sequence (octal 177).

LOW-VALUE
LOW-VALUES

Represents one or more of the character that
has
the
lowest
ordinal position in the
computer's collating sequence (octal 000).

QUOTE
QUOTES

Represents one or more of the character

ALL literal

Represents one or more repetitions of the
string of characters comprising the literal.
The literal must be either an alphanumeric
literal or a figurative constant other than ALL
literal.
When a figurative constant is used,
the word ALL is redundant and is used for
readability only.

111 I

When a figurative constant represents a string of one or more
characters, the length of the string ~s determined by the
compiler from context according to the following rules:
1.

When a figurative constant is associated with another
data item, for example, when the figurative constant
is moved to or compared with another data item, the
string of characters specified by the figurative
constant is repeated character by character
(or
truncated in the case of ALL literal) on the right
until the size of the resultant string is equal to the
size in characters of the associated data item. This
is done prior to and independent of the application of
any JUSTIFIED clause that may be associated with the
data item.

1-6

OVERALL LANGUAGE ELEMENTS AND TERMINOLOGY
2.

When a figurative constant is not associated with
another data item, for example, when the figurative
constant appears in a DISPLAY,
STRING, UNSTRING or
STOP statement, the length of the string is one
character.

A figurative constant may be used wherever a literal

appears
in q format, except that whenever the literal is restricted
to numeric characters, the only figurative constant permitted
is ZERO (ZEROS, ZEROES).,

Each reserved word that is used to reference a figurative
constant value is a distinct character-string with the
exception of the construction ALL literal, which is composed
of two distinct character-strings.
6.

Special-Character Words
The arithmetic operators +,
, *, /,
characters <,>, and = are reserved words.

1.2.4

and

relation

Literals

A literal is a character-string whose value is determined by the
ordered set of characters of which it is composed.
You can also use a
figurative constant as a literal. There are two types of literals,
numeric, and alphanumeric.

1.2.4.1 Numeric Literal - A numeric literal is a character-string of
from 1 to 20 characters selected from the digits 0 through 9, the plus
sign, the minus sign, and/or the decimal point.
The rules for
the
formation of numeric literals are as follows:
1.

A literal must contain at least 1 digit and no more
digits.

than

A literal must not contain more than one sign character.
If
a sign is used, it must appear as the leftmost character of
the literal.
If the literal is unsigned, it is positive.

A literal must not contain more than one decimal point.
The
decimal point is treated as an assumed decimal point, and may
appear anywhere within the literal except as the rightmost
character.
If the literal contains no decimal point, the
literal is an integer.
The word, integer, appearing in a general format,
represents
a non-zero, positive, numeric literal with no decimal point.
If a literal conforms to the rules for
the formation of
numeric literals, but is enclosed in quotation marks, it is
an alphanumeric literal and is treated as such by the
compiler.

1-7

OVERALL LANGUAGE ELEMENTS AND TERMINOLOGY
4.

The value of a numeric literal is the algebraic quantity
represented by the characters in the numeric literal. Every
numeric literal is category numeric.
(See Section 4.20, The
PICTURE Clause.) The size of a numeric literal is equal to
the number of digits specified by the user, including leading
zeros, if any.

1.2.4.2 Alphanumeric Literals - An
alphanumeric
literal
is
a
character-string representing from 1 to 132 characters, delimited on
both ends by quotation marks and consisting of any allowable character
in the computer's character set.
An opening quotation mark must be
immediately preceded by a space or left parenthesis. A closing
quotation mark must be inunediately followed by one of the separators
(space, comma, semicolon, or right parenthesis) or by the terminator,
period.
To represent a single quotation mark character within an alphanumeric
literal, two contiguous quotation marks must be used. The value of an
alphanumeric literal in the object program is the string of characters
itself, except that:
1.

The delimiting quotation marks are excluded, and

Each embedded pair of contiguous quotation marks represents a
single quotation mark character.

All other punctuation characters are part of the value of the
alphanumeric
literal
rather
than separators; all alphanumeric
literals are category alphanumeric.
(See Section 4.20, The PICTURE
Clause.)

1.2.5

Separators

A separator is a string of one or more
rules for forming separators are:
1.

punctuation

characters.

The

Space
a.

Anywhere a space is used as a separator,
space may be used.

A space may immediately precede all separators except the
closing quotation mark.
Here the space is considered
part of an alphanumeric literal, not a separator.
NOTE
The only exception to the above rules is
described in Section 1.4, COBOL Source
Reference Formats.

1-8

than

one

OVERALL LANGUAGE ELEMENTS AND TERMINOLOGY
'c.

A space may immediately follow any separator except the
open quotation mark.
In this case, a following space is
considered part of an alphanumeric literal,
not
a
separator.

Comma and Semicolon
The punctuation characters, the comma and semicolon,
are
separators only when immediately followed by a space.
You
may insert these separators only where explicitly permitted
by the general formats,
by format punctuation rules, by
statement and sentence structure definitions, or by reference
format rules.

Right Parenthesis and Left Parenthesis
Left parenthesis and right parenthesis are separators only
when used in balanced pairs to delimit subscripts or indices.

Quotation Marks
Quotation marks may only be used in balanced pairs to delimit
alphanumeric literals.
(The rules which govern the format
and use of alphanumeric literals are detailed in Section
1.2.4.2, Alphanumeric Literals.)

Horizontal Tab
The horizontal tab character is governed by the same rules
that govern the space character.
It is normally used to
vertically align statements or clauses on successive lines of
the source program listing. The compiler, upon encountering
a tab character, generates .one or more space characters
consistent with the tab character position in the source
line.
(See Sections 1.4.1, Conventional Reference Format;
and 1.4.2, Terminal Reference Format.)

1.2.6

Format Punctuation

The punctuation characters, the comma, semicolon, and period, appear
in some formats.
Where shown, the comma and semicolon are optional
and interchangeable. You can specify a comma where a semicolon is
specified or vice versa. The period, however, is mandatory.
You must
supply a period wherever one is shown. You also must specify a period
to terminate a paragraph.
(See Section 1.5.3, Paragraph, Paragraph
Header, and Paragraph-name.)

1-9

OVERALL LANGUAGE ELEMENTS AND TERMINOLOGY
1.2.7

Use of Certain Special Characters in Formats

The characters +, -, *, /, **, >, <, and
although not underlined, are required.

1.3

when appearing in formats,

META LANGUAGE ELEMENTS

Meta language elements appear in formats but are not coded into source
language statements. They serve only to describe the allowable use of
the language elements being described.

1.3.1

Underline

The underline is used to denote reserved key words (upper case words).
Key words
(upper case underlined words) are required when you use a
function of which they are a part. The absence of an underline in an
upper case word denotes that the word is optional. You may use or
omit the wprd at your discretion.
NOTE
Upper case words, whether underlined
not, must be spelled correctly.

1.3.2

Brackets and Braces

it denotes
When brackets, [],enclose a portion of a general format,
that an optional portion that may be included or omitted as needed.
Braces, {}, enclosing a portion of a general format denote that you
must select one of the options within the braces. Consider the
following example:

[MEMORY SIZE

integer

WORDS
CHARACTERS
{ MODULES

The brackets indicate that the entire clause is optional.
The braces
indicate that if the clause is used, a choice~of one of the words
vertically stacked within the braces must be specified.
Wherever a choice is required,
stacked either within brackets
example.

~J{SYNCHRONIZED}
~SYNC

the possibilities are vertically
or braces. Consider the following

(_LEFTll

bRIGH~J

1-10

OVERALL LANGUAGE ELEMENTS AND TERMINOLOGY
The outside brackets indicate that the entire clause is optional. The
braces indicate that if the clause is used, a choice of a word
vertically stacked within the braces must be made.
The insia~
brackets indicate that you may optionally select a vertically stacked
word within.
NOTE
Possibilities vertically stacked between
brackets indicate that you have the
option
of
overriding
a
default
condition.
The default condition is
described in the general rules for th~
clause.

1.3.3

The Ellipsis

The ellipsis ( ••• ) indicates that you may repeat the item preceding
it.
The preceding item is usually enclosed either by brackets or
braces to remove any ambiguity as to which item may be repeated.
Consider the following example.
[SAME [RECORD] AREA FOR file-name-l{file-name-2} ••• ] •.•
The ellipsis following the outside brackets indicates that the entire
clause,
if used, may be repeated. The ellipsis within the outside
brackets and following the item which is enclosed in braces indicates
that the item may also be repeated within the clause.

1.4

COBOL SOURCE REFERENCE FORMAT

PDP-11 COBOL provides you with two formats for coding your source
programs, conventional and terminal. Both formats are described in
terms of character positions in a iine on an input medium.
NOTE
The rules for spacing given in this
discussion of reference formats take
precedence over all other rules for
spacing.
The conventional format is based on the traditional COBOL format as
applied to an 80-column punched card.
The terminal format is a
DEC-specified format and allows a source line to be shortened by using
horizontal tabs .and carriage returns. The terminal format is very
convenient for use with a context editor and an on-line computer
terminal.

1-11

OVERALL LANGUAGE ELEMENTS AND TERMINOLOGY
NOTE
The PDP-11 COBOL compiler assumes the
terminal
format
as a default when
compiling, but is capable of compiling
either format.
(See the PDP-11 COBOL
User's Guide for operational details.)
A reformatting program (REFORMAT)
is provided to reformat terminal
format programs into conventional rormat for ease in transporting
source programs to other COBOL compilers.
(The REFORMAT program is
described in the PDP-11 COBOL User's Guide.)

1.4.1

Conventional Reference Format

The conventional reference format is based on the traditional COBOL
format as it applies to an 80-column punched card. If you choose this
forma~, it is more than likely that you will code your source
program
on a standard COBOL coding form.
For this· reason, Figure 1-1 (COBOL
Programming Form) is provided as a basis for this discussion.

1-12

COBOL PROGRAMMING FORM
PAGE

OF._ _ _ __

PROGRAMMER _ _ _ _ _~---------------------PROGRAM NAME---------------~----------PAGE
1

SERIAL

START DIVISION, SECTION, PARAGRAPH OR FILE DESCRIPTION HERE
!-START OPERAND OR CONTINUATION LINE HERE

(.)

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72

t;j
~

t1
t1

t--

t"'

C'l

C'l
tZl
tZl

.....

tZl
3:
tZl

.....

1-3

>
z
~

1-3
tZl

~
H
z

0
t"'

0
C'l
~

Figure 1-1 COBOL Programming Form

OVERALL LANGUAGE ELEMENTS AND TERMINOLOGY
1.4.1.1 Sequence Numbers - Character positions 1 through 6 of the
standard format are reserved for source line sequence numbers. This
sequence number field serves only to assist you in locating and
editing source lines within a source file or listing. Sequence
numbers are ignored by the compiler.

1.4.1.2 Continuation/Comment Indicator Area - Character position 7
gives you the ability ~o direct the compiler to process the source
line consistent with the character content of this column.
The
options available to you are listed below:
Results

Option
blank ( )

Default - The source line is treated normally.

hyphen (-)

Continuation line - The compiler will process this
line as a continuation of the previous source
line.
(See Section 1.4.1.6.)

asterisk (*)

Comment line - The compiler will transfer the
contents of this line, as is,
to the source
listing. No syntax checking is performed on this
line.
(See Section 1.4.1.8.)

slash (/)

Comment line - The compiler treats the line as if
it were a comment line except that it advances the
source listing to the top of the next page before
printing the contents of the line.

1.4.1.3 Area A - Character positions 8 through 11 constitute Area A
of the conventional format. This area is reserved for the beginning
of division headings (Section 1.5.1), section-names
(Section 1.5.2),
paragraph-names (Section 1.5.3), level-indicators (Section 1.5.4), and
certain level numbers (Section 1.5.4).

1.4.1.4 Area B - Character positions 12 through 72 constitute Area B
of the conventional format. This area is reserved for all other COBOL
text.

80
1.4.1.5 Identification Field - Character position 73 through
constitute the identification field, which is for documentation
purposes only and has no effect on compilation.

1-14

OVERALL LANGUAGE ELEMENTS AND TERMINOLOGY
1.4.1.6 Continuation of Lines - Any sentence or entry that requires
more than one line must be continued in Area B of the next line.
When you break a word or numeric literal from one line to the next,
you
must place a hyphen
(-)
in character position 7 of the
continuation line. The first non-blank character that you enter in
Area B will become the next character of the word or numeric literal
being continued.
When you break an alphanumeric literal from one line to the next, you
must place a hyphen in character position 7 of the continuation line.
You must also precede the first character of the continuation literal
with a quotation mark. The literal may begin anywhere within area B
of the continuation line. Consider the following example•
001010 01 CONTINUATION-NUMERIC.
001020
02 NUMERIC-LITERAL
PIC 9(18) VALUE IS 12345678912345
0010306789.
001040 01 CONTINUATION-ALPHANUMERIC.
001050
02 ALPHANUMERIC-LITERAL
PIC X(26) VALUE IS "ABCDEFGHIJKLM
001060"NOPQRSTUVWXYZ".
001070 PROCEDURE DIVISION.
001080 CONTINUATION-SENTENCE.
001090
IF NUMERIC-LITERAL NOT EQUAL TO ALPHANUMERIC-LITERAL
001100
GO TO END-PROGRAM
001110
ELSE GO TO CONTINUATION-SENTENCE.
001120 END-PROGRAM.
001130
STOP RUN.
Source lines 001010 through 001030 show how a numeric literal can be
continued to another line, and source lines 001040 through 001060 show
how an alphanumeric literal can be continued to another line.
Finally, source lines 001090 through 001110 show how a sentence can be
continued to successive lines.

1.4.1.7 Blank Lines - A blank line is blank from character position 7
through 72 and cannot immediately precede a continuation line.
Otherwise, a blank line can appear anywhere in the source program.

1.4.1.8 Comment Lines - A comment line is any line with an asterisk
(*)
in character position 7.
A comment line can not precede the
Identification Division.
Otherwise, a Comment line may
appear
anywhere in a source program.
A comment line may be composed of any of the characters from the full
COBOL character set. Comments can begin in Area A or B of the source
line. Each comment line will be reproduced on the source listing, but
they serve as documentation only.
Successive comment lines are
allowed, but each must contain an asterisk in character position 7.

1-15

OVERALL LANGUAGE ELEMENTS AND TERMINOLOGY
NOTE
If a slash character (/) is used instead
of an asterisk (*), the results are the
same except that the source listing is
advanced to the top of the next page
before the comment entry is printed.

1.4.1.9 Short Lines and Tab Characters - Conventional format source
lines may be shortened if a medium other than punched cards is used.
This is accomplished by terminating the line by a carriage return,
inserting tab characters within the line to replace space characters,
or a combination of both.
When the compiler recognizes a carriage return character, it treats it
as a redefinition of character position 72. When a tab character is
encountered, the compiler generates the required number of space
characters consistent with the tab character position on the line.
Tab stops are set within the compiler at character positions 7, 8, 12,
20, 28,-36, 44, 52, 60, 68, and 73. Consider the following example.
NOTE
~

carriage return character

tab character

Shortened conventional source line
000130 01

C§)

FILE-A.

000140

000150

~ C§)

03 DESCRIPTION-A C§)

PIC x ( 20) •

000160

~ ~

03 DESCRIPTION-B

C§)

PIC X(20).

000170

~ ~

03 DESCRIPTION-C

PIC x ( 20) •

DATA-FIELD-A.

Source line as interpreted by the compiler
000130 01
000140
000150
000160
000170

FILE-A.
02 DATA-FIELD-A.
03 DESCRIPTION-A
03 DESCRIPTION-B
03 DESCRIPTION-C

1-16

PIC X(20).
PICX(20).
PIC X(20).

OVERALL LANGUAGE ELEMENTS AND TERMINOLOGY
1.4.2

Terminal Reference Format

Terminal reference format is the PDP-11 COBOL default format.
It
makes your life easier by providing a format that is easy to use with
a computer terminal.
Terminal format is shorter and less space
consuming than its conventional counterpart. The sequence number and
identification fields are eliminated, and the indicator field is
combined within Area A.
Tab characters can be used to position source entries within a line,
and a line ends at the first occurrence of a carriage return
character.
The terminal reference format for a
follows:

source

Character Position

Contents

1 through 4

Area A

5 through 65

Area B

line

represented

NOTE
Continuation line (-),comment line (*),
and skip to top of page (/) indicator
characters, when used, must be placed in
character position 1.
For the terminal format, Area A and Area B contain the same kinds of
source entries as their conventional format counterparts.
(See
Sections 1.4.1.3 and 1.4.1.4.)
Like the conventional format, tab characters, when encountered by the
compiler, will generate a commensurate number of spaces consistent
with the tab character position on the line. Tab stops are set to
character positions 5, 13, 21, 29, 37, 45, 53, 61, and 66.

1.5

LANGUAGE ORGANIZATION

A COBOL program 'is organized by division, divisions are organized by
sections, sections are organized by paragraphs, and paragraphs by
sentences, statements, clauses, entries, etc.
Each
of
these
divisions, sections, and paragraphs are composed of headers followed
by source text. The following sections describe these headers
and
what source text comprises each.

1-17

OVERALL LANGUAGE ELEMENTS AND TERMINOLOGY
1.5.1

Division Header

A division header is a combination of words followed by a period that
indicates the beginning of a division. The division headers for a
PDP-11 COBOL program ~n their order of appearance are:
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
DATA DIVISION.
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
A division header must start in Area A. After the division header, no
text may appear before the following section header, paragraph header,
or paragraph-name.
The only exception is that the
key
word
DECLARATIVES followed by a period may appear after the Procedure
Division header.

1.5.2

Section Header

A section header is a combination of words followed by a period 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 the word SECTION
followed by a period. In the Procedure Division, a section header is
composed of a user-defined word followed by the word SECTION followed
by a period. The permissible section headers are:
In the Environment Division
CONFIGURATION SECTION.
INPUT-OUTPUT SECTION.
In the Data Division
FILE SECTION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
LINKAGE SECTION.
In the Procedure Division
user-name SECTION
The section header must start in Area A. After the section header, no
text
may
appear
before
the
following
paragraph header or
paragraph-name. The only exception is the USE sentence in the
Procedure Division.

1-18

OVERALL LANGUAGE ELEMENTS AND TERMINOLOGY
A section consists of paragraphs in the Environment
Divisions, and data entries in the Data Division.

1.5.3

and

Procedure

Paragraph, Paragraph Header, Paragraph-name

A paragraph in the Procedure Division consists of a paragraph-name
followed by a period and zero, one, or more entries.
In the
Identification and Environment Divisions, a paragraph consists of a
paragraph header followed by zero, one, or more entries.
A paragraph header consists of a reserved word followed by a period.
A paragraph header indicates the beginning of a paragraph. The
permissible paragraph headers are:
In the Identification Division
PROGRAM-ID.
AUTHOR.
INSTALLATION.
DATE-WRITTEN.
DATE-COMPILED.
SECURITY.
In the Environment Division
SOURCE-COMPUTER.
OBJECT-COMPUTER.
SPECIAL-NAMES.
FILE-CONTROL.
I-0-CONTROL.
A paragraph-name is a user-defined word followed by a period.
identifies and begins a paragraph in the Procedure Division.

A paragraph header or paragraph name starts in Area A of the first
source line following a division or section. The first sentence of a
paragraph begins either on the same line as the paragraph header or
paragraph-name or in Area B of the next non-blank line that is not a
comment line. Successive sentences or entries begin either on the
same line as the previous sentence or entry or in Area B of the next
non-blank line that is not a comment line.
Sentences that are too
long to fit on one line may be continued on successive lines.
(See
Section 1.4.1.6.)

1-19

OVERALL LANGUAGE ELEMENTS AND TERMINOLOGY
1.5.4

Data Division Entries

Each Data Division entry begins with a level indicator or
a
level-number,
followed by a space,
followed by the name of a data
item, followed by a sequence of independent descriptive clauses. Each
clause, except the last clause of an entry, may be terminated by the
separator semicolon or the separator space. The last clause is always
terminated by a period followed by a space.
There are two types of Data Division entries: those which begin
a level indicator and those which begin with a level-number.

with

The only level indicator is FD.
In those Data Division entries that begin with a level indicator, the
level indicator begins in Area A followed by a space and followed in
area B with its associated data-name and appropriate descriptive
information.
Those Data Division entries that begin with level-numbers
data description entries.

are

called

A level-number has a value taken from the set of values 1 through 49,
66, 77, and 88. Level-numbers in the range 1 through 9 may be written
either as a single digit or as a zero followed by a significant digit.
At least one space must separate a level-number from the word
following the level-number.
In those data description entries that begin with a level-number 01,
66, or 77, the level-number begins in Area A followed by a space and
followed in area B by its associated record-name and appropriate
descriptive information.
Successive data description entries may have the same format as the
first or may be indented according to level-number. The entries in
the output listing are indented only if the input is indented.
Indentation does not affect the magnitude of a level-number.
When level-numbers are to be indented, each new level-number may begin
any number of spaces to the right of margin A. The extent of
indentation to the right is determined only by the width of Area B.

1.5.5

Declaratives

The key words DECLARATIVES and END DECLARATIVES, that precede and
follow,
respectively, the declaratives portion of the Procedure
Division must appear on a line by themselves. Each must begin in Area
A and be followed by a period and a space.

1-20

IDENTIFICATION DIVISION

CHAPTER 2
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION

2.1

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The Identification Division must be included in every COBOL source
program.
It identifies the source program and the resultant output
listing. In addition, you may include the date .the program was
written and such other information as desired under the paragraphs in
the general format shown below.

2.2

ORGANIZATION

Fixed paragraph names identify the type of information contained in
the paragraph. You must specify the name of the program in the first
paragraph, which is the PROGRAM-ID paragraph.
The other paragraphs
are optional;
if included, they must be presented in the order shown
by the general format below.

Structure
The following is the general format of the paragraphs in the
Identification Division, as well as a definition of the order of
presentation of the source program. Sections 2.3 and 2.4 define
the
PROGRAM-ID
paragraph and the DATE-COMPILED paragraph.
Although the other paragraphs are not defined, each general
format is formed in the same manner.

General Format
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID.
[AUTHOR.

program-name.

[comment-entry] ..• ]

[INSTALLATION.

[comment-entry] ••• ]

2-1

IDENTIFICATION DIVISION
[DATE-WRITTEN.

[comment-entry] .•• ]

[DATE-COMPILED.

[comment-entry] •.• ]

[SECURITY.

[comment-entry] ••• ]

Syntax Rules
The Identification Div~sion must begin with the reserved
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION followed by a period and a space.

words

General Rules
The comment-entry may be any combination of the characters from
the full character set. The continuation of the comment-entry by
using the hyphen in the continuation indicator area is not
permitted; however, the comment-entry may be contained on one or
more lines.

2-2

IDENTIFICATION DIVISION

PROGRAM-ID
2.3

THE PROGRAM-ID PARAGRAPH

Function
The PROGRAM-ID paragraph identifies the program.

General Format
PROGRAM-ID.

program-name.

Syntax Rules
The program-name must contain from one to nine characters from
the set A through Z and 0 through 9. The hyphen is not allowed.
Only the first six characters are meaningful.

General Rules
1.

The PROGRAM-ID paragraph must contain program name
be present in every program.

A program-name is a user-defined word that identifies a. COBOL
program. Program-names may not exceed nine characters in
length (six characters under RSTS/E)
and may not contain a
hyphen. The program-name identifies the object program entry
point.

2-3

and

must

IDENTIFICATION DIVISION

DATE-COMPILED
2.4

THE DATE-COMPILED PARAGRAPH

Function
The DATE-COMPILED paragraph provides the compilation date in
Identification Division source program listing.

the

General Format
DATE-COMPILED.

[comment-entry]

•••

Syntax Rules
The comment-entry may be any combination of characters from the
full character set. Continuation of 'the comment-entry by using
the hyphen in the continuation indicator area is not permitted;
however, the comment-entry may be contained on one or more lines.

General Rules
1.

The paragraph-name, DATE-COMPILED, causes the current date to
be inserted during program compilation. If a DATE-COMPILED
paragraph is present, it is replaced during compilation with
a paragraph of the form:
DATE-COMPILED. comment-entry.
current-date

All listings produced during
compilation
contain
compilation date in the header line of each page.

Example
DATE-COMPILED paragraph before compilation
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. BAGINS.
AUTHOR. BILBO BAGINS.
DATE-COMPILED. TODAY.
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
SOURCE-COMPUTER. PDP-11.

2-4

the

IDENTIFICATION DIVISION
DATE-COMPILED paragraph after compilation.
00001
00002
00003
00004
00005
00006
00007
00008

IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. BAGINS.
AUTHOR. BILBO BAGINS.
DATE-COMPILED. TODAY.
27-0CT-76 •
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
CONFIGURATION SECTION.
SOURCE-COMPUTER. PDP-11.

2-5

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION

CHAPTER 3
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION

3.1

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The Environment Division specifies a standard method of expressing
those aspects of a COBOL program that are dependent upon the physical
characteristics of a specific computer. The division allows you to
specify the configuration of the compiling computer and object
computer.
You can also specify information about
input-output
control, special hardware characteristics, and control techniques.
NOTE
The
Environment
Division
must
be
included in every COBOL source program.

3.2

ORGANIZATION

Two sections make up the Environment
Section and the Input-Output Section.

Division:

the

Configuration

The Configuration Section describes the source computer and object
computer
characteristics.
This section is divided into three
paragraphs:
the SOURCE-COMPUTER paragraph, which describes
the
computer configuration on which the source program is compiled;
the
OBJECT-COMPUTER paragraph, which describes the computer configuration
on which the object program produced by the compiler is to be run;
and the SPECIAL-NAMES paragraph, which relates the specific compiler
features available to the mnemonic-names used in the source program.
The Input-Output Section describes the information heeded to control
transmission and handling of data between external media and the
object program. This section is divided into two paragraphs:
the
FILE-CONTROL paragraph, which names and associates the files with
external media; and the I-0-CONTROL paragraph, which defines special
control techniques to be used in the object program.

3-1

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
3.3

STRUCTURE

The general format of the sections and paragraphs in the Environment
Division, in the in order of presentation in the source program,
follows:
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
[CONFIGURATION SECTION.
[SOURCE-COMPUTER.

source-computer-entry]

[OBJECT-COMPUTER.

object-computer-entry]

[SPECIAL-NAMES.

special-narnes-entryO

[INPUT-OUTPUT SECTION.
FILE-CONTROL.

{file-control-entry} ••.

[I-0-CONTROL.

input-output-control-entry]

3-2

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION

CONFIGURATION-SECTION
SOURCE-COMPUTER
3.4

3.4.1

CONFIGURATION SECTION

The SOURCE-COMPUTER Paragraph

Function
The SOURCE-COMPUTER paragraph identifies the
the program is to be compiled.

General Format
SOURCE-COMPUTER.

PDP-11.

General Rules
This paragraph is for documentation only.

3-3

computer

which

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION

OBJECT-COMPUTER
3.4.2

The OBJECT-COMPUTER Paragraph

Function
The OBJECT-COMPUTER paragraph identifies the
the program is to be executed.

computer

which

General Format
OBJECT-COMPUTER.

PDP-11

[ · MEMORY SIZE integer

WORDS
{ CHARACTERS
MODULES

[, PROGRAM COLLATING SEQUENCE IS alphabet-name]
[,SEGMENT-LIMIT IS segment-number].

Syntax Rule
Segment-number must be
through 49.

integer

ranging

value

from

General Rules
1.

The MEMORY SIZE clause is for documentation purposes only.

The PROGRAM COLLATING SEQUENCE clause is for documentation
purposes only. The native collating sequence is ASCII.

Use the SEGMENT-LIMIT clause to specify a number from which
the
compiler can determine which program segments are
overlayable or non-overlayable.
(Program segmentation is
described in Chapter 6.)

Program segments which have a segment number equal to or
greater than the segment limit are overlayable segments.

Program segments which have a segment number less
the segment limit are non-overlayable segments.

When the SEGMENT-LIMIT clause
segments are non-overlayable.

3-4

omitted,

all

than

program

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION

SPECIAL-NAMES
3.4.3

The SPECIAL-NAMES Paragraph

Function
The SPECIAL-NAMES paragraph relates PDP-11 COBOL features to
user-specified mnemonic-names and alphabet-names (specified in
the object-computer paragraph) to character sets and/or collating
sequences.

General Format
[SPECIAL-NAMES.

[l
[SW~TCH

CARD-READER
PAPER-TAPE-READER
CONSOLE"
LINE-PRINTER
PAPER-TAPE-PUNCH

mnemonic namel ••

integer-I

ON STATUS IS condition-name-I

[,OFF STATUS IS condition-name-2]}]

{ OFF STATUS IS condition-name-2 [,ON STATUS IS condition-name-I]

[Alphabet-name

rTIVE

STANDARD-I

[CURRENCY SIGN IS literaI-2]
[DECIMAL-POINT IS COMMA].

Syntax Rules
1.

The
SPECIAL-NAMES
paragraph
is
required
only
if
mnemonic-names,
condition-names,
alphabet-names,
the
DECIMAL-POINT clause, or the CURRENCY SIGN clause are used.

Integer-I represents any integer from 1 to 16.

3-5

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION

General Rules
1.

The names CARD-READER, PAPER-TAPE-READER, and CONSOLE refer
to input devices.
The assigned mnemonic-names may be used
with the ACCEPT verb in the Procedure Division to transfer
data from the device.

The names CONSOLE, LINE-PRINTER, and PAPER-TAPE-PUNCH refer
to output devices. The assigned mnemonic names may be used
with the DISPLAY verb in the Procedure Division to transfer
data to the device.

The name SWITCH refers to a logical switch to which a value
can
be
assigned
by
the operator at run-time.
The
condition-name specified for the ON or OFF STATUS of a
switch, can be used in a conditional expression.
(See
Section 5.6.8, Switch Status Condition.)

A condition-name is assigned to a specific value, set of
values, or range of values within a complete set of values
that a data item may assume. The data item itself is called
a conditional variable.
Condition-names may be defined in the Data Division or in the
SPECIAL-NAMES paragraph in the Environment Division where a
condition-name must be assigned to the ON STATUS or OFF
STATUS of switches that may be set at program execution time.
A condition-name is used only
in
conditions
as
an
abbreviation for the relation condition; such use causes the
associated conditional variable to be tested for equality
with
any
one
of
the set of values to which that
condition-name is assigned.

The alphabet-name clause provides a means for relating a name
to a specified character code set and/or collating sequence.
When alphabet-name is referenced in the PROGRAM COLLATING
SEQUENCE
clause,
the alphabet-name clause specifies a
collating sequence. When alphabet-name is referenced in a
CODE-SET clause in a file description entry (see Section
4.12, The CODE-SET Clause),
the
alphabet-name
clause
specifies a character code set.
a.

If the STANDARD-I phrase is specified, the character code
set or collating sequence identified is that defined in
American
National
Standard
Code
for
Information
Interchange, X3.4-1968.

Since the native character code set of the PDP-11 is
equivalent to the ASCII code, specification of the NATIVE
phrase is equivalent to specification of the STANDARD-1
phrase.

3-6

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
6.

The literal that appears in the CURRENCY SIGN IS literal
clause is used in the PICTURE clause to represent the
currency symbol.
The literal is limited to a
single
character and must not be one of the following characters:
a.

Digits 0 through 9

Alphabetic characters A,B,C,D,L,P,R,S,V,X,Z or the space

Special characters

*, +, -,

,, ., ;,

(, ) , ", /or

If this clause is not present, only the currency sign ($)
used in the PICTURE clause.
7.

The DECIMAL-POINT IS COMMA clause means that the function of
comma and period is exchanged in the PICTURE character-string
and in numeric literals.

3-7

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
3.5

INPUT-OUTPUT SECTION

The Input-output section provides you with
the ability to access
records
of data stored on an external media in various file
organizations. The file organizations supported by PDP-11 COBOL and
the access methods available for processing them are introduced below.
You are advised to refer to the PDP-11 ·COBOL User's Guide for a
complete and in-depth discussion on file organizations and accessing
methods.

3.5.1

File Organizations

PDP-11 COBOL provides you

wit~

three file organizations:

• Sequential
• Relative
• Indexed
Sequential files are organized such that records are positioned one
behind the other. Each record (except the last) has another record
following it. The location of any particular record is fixed in
relationship to the records preceding and succeeding it. Sequential
files can be processed only in a serial fashion. That is, to access a
record in the middle of the file, all the records immediately
preceding it must be processed.
Relative files, which can only be created on disk storage devices,
consist of successively numbered records. Each record is assigned a
record number relative to its position in the file. Therefore, the
first record in a file occupies the first position and receives a
relative record number of 1, the second record occupies the second
position and receives a relative record number of 2, and so on. An
individual record within a relative file can be directly accessed by
specifying its relative record number. Also, like sequential files,
records can be addressed in a serial fashion.
Indexed files, like relative files, can be created only on disk
devices.
Indexed files are organized such that records are arranged
according to a hierarchy of indexes according to a key(s) within each
record.
Indexed files have a more complex structure than sequential or
relative
files.
However,
instead
of being accessed by the
specification of a relative record number, indexed files are accessed
by the contents of a specified data field(s) (also called keys) within
each record. Indexed files can also be accessed in a serial fashion.

3-8

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
3.5.2

Access Modes

File organization determines the access modes that can be used to
retrieve and store records within the file.
Its organization is fixed
when the file is created and it cannot be altered.
An access mode,
however,
is fixed at the time a program opens a particular file.
Therefore, the access' mode used to process records within a file can
differ for each program that opens the file.
PDP-11 COBOL supports three access modes:
• Sequential
• Random
• Dynamic
Sequential access is the process of accessing records from a file in a
serial fashion.
The first record must be accessed before the second
can become available, the second before the third, and so on.
Random access is the process of accessing records individually by
specification of a random record number or a data key.

Dynamic access
access at will.

allows

you

the

to choose between sequential or relative

Only certain combinations of file organizations and access
permitted. Table 3-1 lists these allowed combinations.

mode

are

Table 3-1
Access Modes and File Organizations
Access Mode
Sequential

Random

Dynamic

Sequential

Yes

Relative

Yes

Indexed

Yes

File Organization

The relationship between the access modes and the supported
organizations~ is crescr ibed ·in the PDP-·11 COBOL User's Guide.

3-9

file

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION

FILE-CONTROL
3.6

THE FILE-CONTROL PARAGRAPH

Function
The FILE-CONTROL paragraph
names
each
file
specification of other file-related information.

and

allows

specify

other

General Format
FILE-CONTROL.

3.6.1

~he

{file-control-entry}

File-Control Entry

Function
The file-control entry names
file-related information.

General Formats
Format 1
SELECT

[OPTIONAL]
ASSIGN TO

[

file-name

literal-1

RESERVE integer-I

{::s} J

GORGANIZATION IS SEQUENTIAL]
GACCESS MODE IS SEQUENTIAL]
G FILE STATUS IS data-name-4]

3-10

file

and

may

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
Format 2
SELECT file-name
ASSIGN TO literal-I
AREA

RESERVE integer-1

{

AREAS

ORGANIZATION IS RELATIVE
ACCESS MODE IS ~ { :~::TI}AL

[;

IS data-name-1J
RELiATIVE KEY IS data-name-I

DYNAMIC

FILE STATUS IS data-name-4]

Format 3
SELECT file-name
ASSIGN TO literal-I

[

;

RESERVE integer-I {AREA

AREAS~

ORGANIZATION IS INDEXED
ACCESS MODE IS

{

~:~g~:TIAL }]
DYNAMIC

RECORD KEY IS data-name-2
[:

ALTERNATE RECORD KEY IS data-name-3

[;

FILE STATUS IS data-name-4]

(!vrTH DUPLICATES]

J...

Syntax Rules
All Formats
1.

The SELECT clause must be specified first in the file control
entry.
The clauses that follow the SELECT clause may appear
in any order.

3-11

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
2.

Each file described in the Data Division must be named once
and only once as file-name in the FILE-CONTROL paragraph.
Each file specified in the file control entry must have a
file description entry in the Data Division.

Sequential access is assumed if the ACCESS MODE IS clause
not specified.

Literal-! must be an alphanumeric literal.

Data-name-4 must be defined in the Working-Storage Section of
the Data Division as a 2-character alphanumeric data item.

Data-name-1, data-name-2, data-name-3, and data-name-4 may be
qualified.

Format 1

Sequential organization is assumed if
SEQUENTIAL clause is not specified.

The OPTIONAL phrase may be specified only for
input files.
Its specification is required for input files that are not
always present each time the object program is executed.

the

ORGANIZATION

Format 2

If a relative file is to be referenced by a START statement,
the RELATIVE KEY phrase must be specified for that file.

10.

Data-name-! must not be defined in a record description entry
associated with file-name.

11.

The data item referenced by data-name-1 must be defined as an
unsigned integer.

Format 3
12.

The data items referenced by data-name-2 and data-name-3 must
each be defined as alphanumeric data items within a record
description entry associated with that file-name.

13.

Neither data-name-2
variable-sized item.

14.

Data-name-3 cannot reference an item whose leftmost character
position corresponds to the leftmost character position of an
item referenced by data-name-2 or by any other data-name-3
associated with this file.

nor

3-12

data-name-3

can

describe

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
General Rules

All Formats
1.

The ASSIGN clause specifies the association of the file
referenced by file-name to a storage medium. Literal-I must
be a file sp~cification in command-string format.
(See
Section 4.11, The VALUE OF Clause).

The ORGANIZATION clause specifies the logical organization of
data on a file. The file organization is established at the
time a file is created.
Once established,
the
file
organization cannot be changed.

If the FILE STATUS clause is specified, a value is placed
into the specified 2-character data item (data-name-4) during
the execution of a CLOSE, DELETE~ OPEN, READ, REWRITE, START,
or WRITE statement, before any applicable USE procedure is
executed. This value indicates to the COBOL program the
status of any input-output operation.
The leftmost character position of the FILE STATUS data item
is_ known as Status Key 1. It is set to one of the following
values upon completion of an input-output operation:
0 = Successful Completion
1

At End

Invalid Key

Permanent Error

DEC Defined

The rightmost character position of the FILE STATUS data item
is known as Status Key 2.
It is used to further describe the
results of the input-output operation. This character will
contain one of the following values:

= No Further Information
1 = Sequence Error
0

Duplicate Key

= No Record Found

Boundary Violation

Allocation Failure

Buffer Failure

3-13

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
7 = No File Found
8

Close Error

Close Reel Error
NOTES
1.

The possible combinations of Status Keys 1
2 are shown in Table 3-2.

See Appendix C for a complete listing of the
possible File Status Keys and a description of
each.

See also the Chapters on COBOL-supported
types in the PDP-11 COBOL User's Guide.

3-14

and

file

Table 3-2
Possible Combinations of Status Keys 1 and 2
Status Key 2
Status
Key 1

No Further Sequence
Information Error
(0)

Successful
Completion

(1)

Duplicate
Key

No Record
Found

(2)

(3)

Boundary Allocation
Violation Failure
(4)

(5)

Buffer No File
Failure Found
( 6)

( 7)

CLOSE
Error

CLOSE
.REEL
Error

(8)

( 9)

X(***)

( 0)
l:?l

At
End

~
~

( 1)

I
I-'

Invalid
Key

X(***)

X(**)

( 2}

Permanent
Error
(3)
DEC
Defined
(9)

x (*)
x (! )

x (! ! )

X(!!!)

Valid for sequentially organized files only.

locked by another task
.. Record
No sequential READ previous to a REWRITE or DELETE operation
...
I I

(/)

** Valid for indexed and relatively organized files only.
Valid for indexed organized files only.
*** File
locked by another task
I I I

X(*)

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
Format 1
4.

With this format the RESERVE clause allows you to specify the
number of input-output areas allocated for sequential files.
The number of input-output areas allocated is equal to the
value of integer-I. However, integer-I cannot b~ less than 1
or greater than 2.
If the RESERVE clause is not specified, a
value of 1 is assumed.

Sequential files are accessed by predecessor/successor record
relationships
established
by
the
execution of WRITE
statements when the file is created or extended.

Format 2
6.

With this format, the RESERVE clause allows you to specify
the number of input-output areas allocated for relative
files. The number of input-output areas allocated is equal
to the value of integer-!. However, integer-! cannot be less
than 1 or greater than 2.
If the RESERVE clause is not
specified, a value of 1 is assumed.

When the access mode is sequential, records in the file are
accessed in the sequence dictated by the file organization.
This sequence follows the order of ascending relative record
numbers of existing records in the file.

If the access mode is random, the value of the
data item indicates the record to be accessed.

When the access mode ·is dynamic, records in the file
accessed sequentially and/or randomly.

10.

All records stored in a relative file are uniquely identified
by relative record numbers. The relative record number of a
given record specifies the logical ordinal position of the
record in the file.
The first logical record has a relative
record number of one (1), and subsequent logical records have
relative record numbers of 2, 3, 4, ••••

11.

The data item specified by data-name-1 is used to communicate
a relative record number between the user and the Record
Management Services.

RELATIVE
may

KEY
be

Format 3
12.

With this format, the RESERVE clause allows you to specify
the number of input-output areas allocated for indexed files.
The number of input-output areas allocated is equal to the
value of integer-!. However, integer-I must be greater than
or equal to 2. If the RESERVE clause is omitted, a value of
2 is assumed.·

3-16

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
13.

When the access mode is sequential, records in the file are
accessed in the sequence dictated by the file organization.
For indexed files,
this sequence follows the order of
ascending record key values within a given key of reference.

14.

If the access mode is random, the value of the
data item indicates the record to be accessed.

15.

When the access mode is dynamic, records in the file
accessed sequentially and/or randomly.

16.

The RECORD KEY clause specifies the prime record key for the
file.
The values of the prime record key must be unique
among file records.
It provides an access path to records in
an indexed file.

17.

An ALTERNATE RECORD KEY clause specifies an alternate record
key for the file.
It provides an alternate access path to
records in an indexed file.

18.

The data descriptions of data-name-2 and data-name-3 as well
as their relative locations within a record must be the same
as those used when the file was created.
Alternate key
specification sequencing must be the same as those used when
the file was created.

19.

The DUPLICATES phrase specifies that the value of
associated alternate record key may be duplicated within
of the file records.
If the DUPLICATES phrase is
specified, the value of the associated alternate record
must not be duplicated in any of the records file.

3-17

record
may

key
be

the
any
not
key

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION

1-0-CONTROL
3.7

THE I-0-CONTROL PARAGRAPH

Function
The I-0-CONTROL paragraph specifies the memory area to be shared by
different files and the location of sequential files on a multiple
file reel.

General Format
I-0-CONTROL.
[RECORD]

AREA FOR f ile-name-1

MULTIPLE FILE TAPE CONTAINS f ile-name-3
[, f ile-name-4

[!osITION integer-2]

. .. J

, {f ile-name-2}

[?osITION integer-~

J...J

[, APPLY PRINT-CONTROL ON file-name-5 [ ,file-name-6] •. ·] .•.

Syntax Rules
1.

The I-0-CONTROL paragraph is optional.

The two forms of the SAME clause
(SAME AREA, SAME
AREA) are considered separately in the following:
More than one SAME clause
however:

may

RECORD

included

program,

A file-name must not appear in more than
clause.

one

A.file-name must not appear in more than one SAME
AREA clause.

If one or more file-names of a SAME AREA clause appear in
a SAME RECORD AREA clause, all of the file-names in that
SAME AREA clause must appear in the SAME RECORD AREA
clause.
However, additional file-names not appearing in
that SAME AREA clause may also appear in that SAME RECORD
AREA clause.

SAME

The files referenced in the SAME AREA or SAME RECORD
clause need not have the same organization or access.

3-18

AREA
RECORD

AREA

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
General Rules
1.

The SAME AREA clause specifies that two or more files are to
use the same memory area during processing. The area being
shared includes all buffer areas assigned to the files
specified;
therefore, it is not valid to have more than one
of the files open at the same time.

The SAME RECORD AREA clause specifies that two or more files
are to use the same memory area for processing the current
logical record.
All the files may be open at the same time.
A logical
record in the SAME RECORD AREA is considered as a
logical record of each opened output file whose file-name
appears
in this SAME RECORD AREA clause and of the most
recently read input file whose file-name appears in this SAME
RECORD AREA clause.
This is equivalent to an implicit
redefinition of the area, i.e., records are aligned on the
leftmost character position.

The rule that only one of the files mentioned in a SAME AREA
clause can be open at any given time takes precedence over
the rule that all files mentioned in a SAME RECORD AREA
clause can be open at any given time.

The MULTIPLE FILE clause is for documentation purposes only.
It is used when more than one file shares the same physical
reel of tape.
Regardless of the number of files on a single
reel, only those files that are used in the object program
need be specified.
If all file-names have been listed in
consecutive order, the POSITION clause need not be given.
If
any file in the sequence is not listed, the position relative
to the beginning of the tape must be given. Not more than
one file on the same tape reel may be open at one time.

Default techniques are used when the APPLY clause
present;
hence, the clause is never required.

not

A sequential file may be written with WRITE statements that
use the ADVANCING clause to control line spacing.
The APPLY
PRINT-CONTROL clause may be specified for a printable file
if the FD entry does not specify a LINAGE clause.
The APPLY
PRINT-CONTROL clause supplies a default LINAGE clause.
If
neither PRINT-CONTROL nor LINAGE is specified for the file, a
WRITE
statement
with the ADVANCING option will cause
formatting information to be included in the user-record.

3-19

DATA DIVISION

CHAPTER 4

DATA DIVISION

4.1

OVERALL APPROACH

The Data Division describes the data that the object program is to
accept as input, to manipulate, to create, or to produce as output.
Data to be processed falls into three categories:

4.1.1

That which is contained in files and enters or leaves the
internal memory of the computer from a specified area or
areas.

That which is developed
internally
intermediate or working storage, or
format for output reporting purposes.

Constants which are defined by the user.

and
placed
into
placed into specific

Data Division Organization

The Data Division, which is one of the required divisions in a
program,
is subdivided into three sections; the File Section, the
Working-Storage Section, and the Linkage Section.
The File Section defines the structure of data files.
Each file is
defined
by
a file description entry and one or more record
descriptions. Record descriptions are written immediately following
the file description entry.
The Working-Storage Section describes records and noncontiguous data
items that are not part of external data files but are developed and
processed internally. It also describes data items whose values are
assigned in the source program.
The Linkage Section appears only in the called program and describes
data items that are to be referred to by the calling program and the
called program. Its structure is the same as the Working-Storage
Section.

4-1

DATA DIVISION
4.1.2

Data Division Structure

The following information gives the general format of the sections in
the Data Division and defines the order of their presentation in the
source program.
DATA DIVISION.
[FILE SECTION.
[file-description-entry

[record-description-entry] ... ] ..

[woRKING-STORAGE SECTION.
77-level-description-entry]

[ record-description-entry

~INKAGE SECTION.
77-level-description-entry]

[ record-description-entry

4.2

FILE SECTION

The File Section contains descriptions of files required by the object
program.

4.2.1

File-Description-Entry

In a COBOL program the file-description-entry
(FD)
represents the
highest level of organization in the File Section. The File Section
header is followed by a file-description-entry consisting of a level
indicator (FD), a file-name, and a series of independent clauses. The
FD clauses specify the size of the logical and physical records, the
presence or absence of label record, the value of DEC-defined label
items, and the names of the data records that make~up the file.
The
entry itself is terminated by a period.

4.2.2

Record-Description-Entry

A record description-entry is a set of data description entries that
describe the characteristics of a particular record.
Each data
description entry consists of a level-number followed by a data-name
if required, followed by a series of independent clauses as required.
A record description has a hierarchical structure;
therefore,
the
clauses used with an entry may vary considerably, depending upon
whether or not it is followed by subordinate entries.

4-2

DATA DIVISION
4.3

WORKING-STORAGE SECTION

The Working-Storage Section is composed of the section header,
followed by data description entries for noncontiguous data items
and/or record description entries. Each Working-Storage Section data
name must be unique.

4.3.1

Noncontiguous Working-Storage

Items and constants in Working-Storage that bear no hierarchical
relationship to one another need not be grouped into records, provided
they do not need more subdividing. Instead, they are classified and
defined as noncontiguous elementary items. Each of these items is
defined in a separate data description entry.

4.3.2

Working-Storage Records

Data elements and constants in Working-Storage that bear a definite
hierarchical relationship to one another must be grouped into records
according to the rules for formation of record descriptions.
All
clauses used in record descriptions in the File Section can be used in
record descriptions in the Working-Storage Section.

4.3.3

Initial Values

The initial value of any item in the Working-Storage Section, except
an index data item,
is specified by using the VALUE clause (see
Section 4.11) with the data item. The initial value of any index data
item is unpredictable.

4.4

LINKAGE SECTION

The Linkage Section in a program is meaningful if and only if the
object program is to function under the control of a CALL statement
(see Section 5.11), and the USING phrase in the PROCEDURE DIVISION
header is not empty (see Section 5.2).
The Linkage Section is used for describing data that is available
through the calling program but is to be referred to in both the
calling and the called program. No space is allocated in the program
for data items defined in the Linkage Section of that program.
Procedure Division references to these data items
are
resolved at
object time by equating the reference in the called program to the
location used in the calling program.
In the case of index-names, no
such correspondence is established. Index-names in the called and
calling program always refer to separate indices.

4-3

DATA DIVISION

Data items defined in the Linkage Section of the called program may be
referenced within the Procedure Division of the called program if and
only if they are:
1.

Operands of
header.

the

USING

phrase

the

Procedure

Division

Subordinate to operands of the USING phrase of the
Division header.

Procedure

Defined with a REDEFINES or RENAMES clause, the object of
which is an operand of the USING phrase of the Procedure
Division header.

Items subordinate to any of the items defined in paragraph
above.

Condition-names and index-names associated
that meet any of the above conditions.

with

data

items

The structure of the Linkage Section is the same as that previously
described for the Working-Storage Section, beginning with a section
header, followed by Record Description entri'es.

4-4

DATA DIVISION

FD
4.5

THE FILE DESCRIPTION - COMPLETE ENTRY SKELETON

Function
The file description furnishes information about the physical
structure, identification, and record names pert~ining to a given
file.

General Format
FD file-name
BLOCK CONTAINS

(integer-1

TO) integer-2

[; RECORD CONTAINS

[integer-3

TO] integer-4

[

LABEL lRECORD IS

}

RECORDS ARE
[

[

VALUE OF !Q. IS

DATA

j STANDARD
loMITTED

~data-name-1 }]
lliteral-1

data-name-3

: : : : S I:RE }

; LINAGE IS

jdata-name-sl
{integer-5

[

' LINES AT TOP
[

[• data-name-4]

LINES

••

' WITH FOOTING AT

.J
ldata-name- 6 ~]
J

[

linteger-6

l~ata-name-J }n' [LINES AT BOTTOM

i::::::::-8 lJJ

{integer-7

[; CODE-SET IS alphabet-name]

Syntax Rules
1.

The level indicator FD identifies the beginning
description and must precede the file-name.

The clauses that follow the name of the file are optional
many cases, and their order of appearance is immaterial.

One or more record description entries must follow
description entry.

4-5

the

file
in
file

DATA DIVISION

BLOCK CONTAINS
4.6

THE BLOCK CONTAINS CLAUSE

Function
The BLOCK CONTAINS clause specifies the mapping of a logical
record into physical blocks recorded on the storage media.

General Format
BLOCK CONTAINS

[integer-I TO]

integer-2

RECORDS
{

}

CHARACTERS

Syntax Rules
1.

The reserved word RECORD does not appear in this clause;
therefore,
if integer-2 has the value 1, the clause must be
written as BLOCK CONTAINS 1 RECORDS.

General Rules
1.

Integer-I, if present, is ignored.

The size of the block may be stated in terms of RECORDS,
a.

If the file is assigned to magnetic tape and the records
are fixed in size
(see the RECORD CONTAINS clause,
Section 4.10}, each block except the last block will
contain integer-2 records.
Integer-1,
if present, is
ignored.

If the file is assigned to magnetic tape and the records
are variable in size
(see The RECORD CONTAINS clause,
Section 4.10), the value of integer-2 is used
to
calculate a buffer size by multiplying the largest record
size, plus four bytes, by integer-2.
The input-output
system then blocks or unblocks as many variable sized
records from this buffer as will fit.

For a sequential file assigned to a disk device,
values of integer-1,
if present, and integer-2
ignored. There are no unused bytes on any block and
records may span block boundaries.

4-6

the
are
the

DATA DIVISION
d.

The size of the block may be stated in terms of characters,
a.

If the file has relative or indexed organization and it
is assigned to a directory device, the value of integer-2
is used to calculate the size of the block.
This size
may or may not be equal to the record size times
integer-2 because of overhead bytes.
(See the PDP-11
COBOL User's Guide.)

If the file is assigned to a magnetic tape, the
the block is the maximum of either,
(1).

Integer-2 bytes

(2).

The size of the largest record (add
bytes for variable length records)

four

size

overhead

If the file has sequential organization and is assigned
to a disk device, the clause is ignored and the records
are packed together on each physical block. There are no
unused bytes on any block and the records may span block
boundaries.

If the file has relative or indexed organization,
the
size of the block is integer-2 bytes.
Integer-2 must be
at least as large as the largest record, plus any
overhead bytes, and should be a multiple of 512 bytes.
(See the PDP-11 COBOL User's Guide.)

When the clause is not present, the
calculated in the following manner:

size

the

block

If the file is assigned to magnetic tape, the size of the
block is the size of the largest record plus any overhead
bytes.

If the file has sequential organization and is assigned
to a disk device, the records are packed together on each
physical block. There are no unused bytes on any block,
and the records may span block boundaries.

If the file has relative or indexed organization,
the
least number of physical blocks that can contain one
record, plus any overhead bytes is the block size.

4-7

DATA DIVISION

CODE-SET
4.7

THE CODE-SET CLAUSE

Function
The CODE-SET claus~ specifies the character
represent data on the external media.

code

set

used

General Format
CODE-SET IS alphabet-name

Syntax Rules
1.

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.

The CODE-SET clause may only be
organization is sequential.

specified

for

files

whose

General Rules
1.

If the CODE-SET clause is specified, alphabet-name specifies
the character code convention used to represent data on the
external media.
It also specifies the
algorithm
for
converting the character codes on the external media from/to
the native character codes.
This code conversion occurs
during the execution of an input or output operation.
{See
Section 3.4.3, The SPECIAL-NAMES Paragraph.)

If the CODE-SET clause is not specified the native character
code set is assumed for data on the external media.

4-8

DATA DIVISION

DATA RECORDS
4.8

THE DATA RECORDS CLAUSE

Function
The DATA RECORDS clause serves only as documentation
names of data records with their associated file.

for

the

General Format
DATA

RECORD IS }
{ RECORDS ARE

data-name-1

[, data-name-2] •••

Syntax Rules
1.

Data-name-I and data-name-2 are the names of data records and
must have 01 level-number record descriptions, with the same
names, associated with them.

General Rules
1.

This clause is documentary only and is never required.
The
names of the reco~ds are not checked against the names
appearing in the following 01 record descriptions.

Conceptrially, 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.

4-9

DATA DIVISION

LABEL RECORDS
4.9

THE LABEL RECORDS CLAUSE

Function
The LABEL RECORDS clause specifies whether labels are present.

General Format
LABEL

RECORD IS
} { STANDARD }
{ RECORDS ARE
OMITTED

Syntax Rules
This clause is required in every file description entry.

General Rules
1.

OMITTED specifies that no explicit labels exist for the file
or the device to which the file is assigned. OMITTED may be
specified only for files that are assigned to non-directory
devices.

STANDARD specifies that labels exist for the file or the
device to which the file is assigned and that the labels
conform to the file system label specifications.

STANDARD is required for
devices.

all

4-10

files

assigned

CATEGORY

Alphabetic

Numeric

Elementary

Numeric Edited
Alphanumeric

Alphanumeric Edited
Alphanumeric
Alphabetic
Numeric

Non-Elementary

Alphanumeric

(Group)

Numeric Edited
Alphanumeric Edited
Alphanumeric

4-19

DATA DIVISION
4.13.8

Selection of Numeric Character Representation

The value of a ~umeric item may be represented in either binary or
decimal form.
The form of representation may be selected with the
USAGE clause of the data-description entry; the binary form (with an
assumed decimal position)
is the COMPUTATIONAL or COMP item (see
Section 4.25, The USAGE Clause), and the decimal form (ASCII 8-bit) is
the DISPLAY item (see Section 4.25, The USAGE Clause).
(DISPLAY,
DISPLAY-6, and DISPLAY-7 are all synonymous and may
be
used
interchangeably.)

4.13.9

Algebraic Signs

Algebraic signs fall into two categories:
operational signs, which
are associated with signed numeric data items to indicate their
algebraic properties; and editing signs, which appear on edited
reports to identify the sign of the item.
The SIGN clause permits the programmer to state explicitly the
location of the operational sign. The clause is optional; if it is
not used, operational signs will be represented by a default.
(See
Section 4.23, The SIGN Clause.)
Editing signs are inserted into a data item by using the sign
symbols of the PICTURE clause.

4.13.10

control

Standard Alignment Rules

The standard rules for positioning data within an elementary
depend on the category of the receiving item. These rules are:
1.

item

If the receiving data item is described as numeric:
a.

The data is aligned by decimal point and is moved to the
rece1v1ng
character
positions
with zero fill or
truncation on either end as required.

When an assumed decimal point is
not
explicitly
specified, the data item is treated as if it had an
assumed decimal
point
immediately
following
its
rightmost character and is aligned as in paragraph l.a
above.

If the receiving data item is a numeric edited data item, the
data moved to the edited data item is aligned by decimal
point with zero fill or truncation at either end as required
within the rece1v1ng character positions of the data item,
except where editing requirements cause replacement of the
leading zeros.

If the receiving data item is alphanumeric
(other than a
numeric
edited,
data
item),
alphanumeric
edited or
alphabetic, the sending data is moved to the rece1v1ng
character positions and aligned at the leftmost character
position in the data item with space fill or truncation to
the right, as required.
If the JUSTIFIED clause is specified for the receiving item,
these standard rules are modified as described in the
JUSTIFIED Clause.
(See Section 4.17, The JUSTIFIED Clause.)
4-20

DATA DIVISION
4.13.1~

Item Alignment for Increased Object-Code Efficiency

All COMPUTATIONAL items are automatically SYNCHRONIZED RIGHT and word
aligned as follows:
if the item is specified as being les$ than 5
characters long, it will be in 1 machine word; if it is from 5 to 9
characters long, it will be in 2 words; from 10 to 14 characters will
be in 3 words, and from 15 to 18 characters will be in 4 words.
The
SYNCHRONIZED clause (see Section 4.24, The SYNCHRONIZED Clause)
may be used to control word alignment of
DISPLAY
data
if
desired.
All INDEX data items are automatically SYNCHRONIZED RIGHT
one machine word.

4-21

and

occupy

DATA DIVISION

DATA DESCRIPTION SKELETON
4.14

THE DATA DESCRIPTION - COMPLETE ENTRY SKELETON

Function
A data description entry
particular item of data.

specifies

the

characteristics

General Format
Format 1
level-number
[;

data-name-1}
{

FILLER

REDEFINES data-narne-2]

~ {PICTURE}

L PIC

t
t

[USAGE IS]

~::TIONAL

DISPLAY-6
DISPLAY-7

[SIGN IS]

LEADING

SYNC

JUSTIFIED }
{ JUST

}
[SEPARATE

{ TRAILING

SYNCHRONIZED }'-LEFT
{

IS character-string]

CHARACTER~

LRIGHTJ

RIGHT

[;

BLANK WHEN ZERO]

[;

VALUE IS literal]
integer-1 TO integer-2 TIMES DEPENDING ON data-narne-3}

E {
OCCURS

integer-2 TIMES

[

ASCENDING }
{ DESCENDING

KEY IS data-narne-4

[INDEXED BY index-name-1

[ data-narne-5] •• ·]

[ index-name-2]

4-22

•••]

DATA DIVISION
Format 2
66 data-name-I; RENAMES data-name-2
THROUGH}
[{

THRO

data-name-3

J·

Format 3
}
88 condition-name; { VALUE IS
VALUES ARE

[

literal-3

l i teral-l

'{j THROUGH}
~ THRO

literal-j

THROUGH}
[{

THRU

literal-j} ..

Syntax Rules
1.

The level-number in Format 1 may be any number from 01-49
77.

The clauses may be written in any order with two exceptions:
the data-name-I or FILLER clause must immediately follow the
level-number;
the REDEFINES clause,
when
used,
must
immediately follow the data-name-1 clause.

The PICTURE clause must be specified for every elementary
item except an index data item, in which case use of this
clause is prohibited.

The words THRO and THROUGH are equivalent.

General Rules
1.

A data-name is a user-defined word that names a data item.
When used in the general formats, data-name represents a word
which can neither be subscripted
nor
indexed
unless
specifically
permitted
by
the rules of that format.
Data-names need not begin with an alphabetic character;
the
alphabetic characters may be positioned anywhere within the
data-name.
Qualification is permitted;
therefore,
all
data-names need not be unique.

The SYNCHRONIZED, PICTURE, JUSTIFIED, and BLANK WHEN ZERO
clauses must not be specified except for an elementary data
item.

4-23

DATA DIVISION
3.

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 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:
a.

Another condition-name

A group containing items
JUSTIFIED, SYNCHRONIZED
DISPLAY)

An index data item

A level 66 item.

4-24

with descriptions, including
or USAGE (other than USAGE is

DATA DIVISION

BLANK WHEN ZERO
4.15

THE BLANK WHEN ZERO CLAUSE

Function
The BLANK WHEN ZERO clause permits the blanking of an
its value is zero.

item

when

General Format
BLANK WHEN ZERO

Syntax Rules
The BLANK WHEN ZERO cla~se can be used only for an elementary
item whose PICTURE is specified as numeric edited or numeric.
(See Section 4.20, The PICTURE Clause.)

General Rules
1.

When the BLANK WHEN ZERO clause is used as a rece1v1ng field
for a numeric value, the items will contain nothing but
spaces if the value being stored is O.

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.

4-25

DATA DIVISION

DAT A-NAME/FILLER
4.16

THE DATA-NAME QR FILLER CLAUSE

Function
A data-name specifies the name of the data being described.
The
word FILLER specifies an elementary item of the logical record
that is not to be referenced explicitly.

General Format
data-name}
{ FILLER

Syntax Rules
1.

In the File, Working-Storage and Linkage Sections,
a
data-name or the key word FILLER must be the first word
following the level-number in each data descriotion entry.

General Rules
1.

The key word FILLER may be used to name an elementary item in
a record.
Under no circumstances can a FILLER item be
referred to explicitly. However, the key word FILLER may be
used as a conditional variable because such use does not
require explicit references to tq~ FILLER item, but to its
value.
(See
General Rule 3 in Section 4.14 for an
explanation of the condition variable.)

4-26

DATA DIVISION

JUSTIFIED
4.17

THE JUSTIFIED CLAUSE

Function
The JUSTIFIED clause specifies non-standard positioning
within a receiving data item.

data

General Format
JUSTIFIED}
{ JUST

RIGHT

Syntax Rules
1.

The JUSTIFIED clause can be specified only at the
item level.

elementary

-JUST is an abbreviation for JUSTIFIED.

The JUSTIFIED clause cannot be specified for any data
described as numeric or for which editing is specified.

item

General Rules
1.

When a rece1v1ng 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
rece1v1ng data item is described with the JUSTIFIED clause
and it is larger than the ~ending data item, the data is
aligned at the rightmost character position in the data item
with space fill for the leftmost character positions.

When the JUSTIFIED clause is omitted, the standard rules for
aligning data within an elementary item apply.
(See Section
4.13.10, Standard Alignment Rules.)

4-27

DATA DIVISION

LEVEL-NUMBER
4.18

LEVEL-NUMBER

Function
The level-number shows the hierarchy of data within a logical
record.
It is also used to identify entries for non-contiguous
w·orking storage items, condition-names, and the RENAMES clause.
General Format
level-number
Syntax Rules
1.

A level-number is required as the first element in each
description entry.

data

Data description entries subordinate to an FD entry must have
level-numbers with the values 01-49, 66, or 88.

Data description entries in the Working-Storage Section
and
LINKAGE SECTION must have level numbers with the values 01-49,
66, 77, or 88.

General Rules
1.

The level-number 01 identifies the first entry in each record
description.

Special level-numbers have been assigned to
where there is no real concept of level:

certain

entries

Level-number 77 is assigned to identify noncontiguous
working storage data items or noncontiguous data items
and can be used only as described by Format 1 of the data
description skeleton.
(See Section 4.14,
The Data
Description - Complete Entry Skeleton.)

Level-number 66 is assigned to entries that define
RENAMES items and can be used only in Format 2 of the
data description skeleton.
(See Section 4.14, the Data
Description-Complete Entry Skeleton.)

Level-number 88 is assigned to entries that define
condition-names associated with a conditional variable
and can be used only in Format 3 of the data description
skeleton.
(See
Section
4.14,
The
Data
Description - Complete Entry Skeleton.)

Multiple level 01 entries subordinate to an FD
level
indicator represent implicit redefinitions of the same area.

4-28

DATA DIVISION

OCCURS
4.19

THE OCCURS CLAUSE

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 Format
Format 1
OCCURS integer-2 TIMES

n{ ASCENDING } -KEY IS data-name-2 [ ,data-name-3] •• ·] •••
~ DESCENDING

[INDEXED BY index-name-! [, index-name-2]

•••

Format 2
OCCURS integer-I TO integer-2 TIMES DEPENDING ON data-name-1

lJ{ ASCENDING } KEY IS data-name-2 [, data-name-3] •• ·] •••
~ DESCENDING

[INDEXED BY index-name-I [,index-name-2] ••• ]

Syntax Rules
1.

Where both integer-! and integer-2 are used, the value of
integer-! must be less than the value of integer~2. Integer-!
must be greater than or equal to 1.

The data description of data-name-1 must describe a
integer.

Data-name-1, data-name-2, data-name-3, •••

Data-name-2 must either be the name of the entry containing
the OCCURS clause or the name of an entry subordinate to the
entry containing the OCCURS clause.

Data-narne-3, etc., must be the name of an entry subordinate
to the group item that is the subject of this entry.

4-29

positive

may be qualified.

DATA DIVISION
6.

An INDEXED BY phrase is required if the subject of this entry
or an entry subordinate to this entry is to be referred to by
indexing. The index-name identified by this claus~ is not
defined elsewhere, because its allocation and format are
dependent on the hardware and, not being data, cannot be
associated with any data hierarchy.

A data description entry that contains Format 2 of the OCCURS
clause may only be followed, within that record description,
by data description entries which are subordinate to it.

The OCCURS clause cannot be specified in a
entry that:

data

description

Has a 01, 77, or an 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.

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.

10.

If data-name-2 is not the subject of this entry, then:

11.

All the items identified by the data-names in the KEY IS
phrase must be within the group item that is the subject
of this entry.

Items identified by the data-name in the
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, •.•
the program.

KEY

must be unique words

phrase

within

General Rules
1.

The OCCURS clause is used in defining tables and other
homogeneous sets of repeated data items. Whenever the OCCURS
clause is used, the data-name that is the subject of this
entry must either be subscripted or indexed whenever it is
referred to in a statement other than SEARCH.
Further,
if
the subject of this entry is the name of a group item, then
all data-names subordinate to the group entry must be
subscripted or indexed whenever they are used as operands,
except as the object of a REDEFINES clause.

4-30

DATA DIVISION
2.

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.

The number of occurrences of the subject entry is defined
follows:
a.

In Format 1, the value of integer-2 represents the
number of occurrences.

In Format 2, the current
by data-name-1
referenced
occurrences.

exact

value of the data
item
represents the number of

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-I 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 integer-I through integer-2. Reducing
the value of the data item referenced by data-name-I makes
the contents of data items, whose occurrence numbers now
exceed the value of the data item referenced by data-name-1,
unpredictable.
4.

When a group item having subordinate to it an entry that
specifies Format 2 of the OCCURS clause is referenced, only
that part of the table area that is specified by the value of
data-name-1 will be used in the operation.

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, etc.
The
ascending or descending order is determined according to the
rules for comparison of operands
(see
Section
5.6.3,
Comparison of Numeric Operands, and Section 5.6.4, Comparison
of Alphanumeric Operands.) The data-names are listed in their
descending order of significance.

4-31

DATA DIVISION

PICTURE
4.20

THE PICTURE CLAUSE

Function
The PICTURE clause describes the general
editing requirements of an elementary item.

characteristics

and

General Format
IS character-string

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
character-string is 30.

The PICTURE clause must be specified
item
except an index data item,
prohibited.

PIC is an abbreviation for PICTURE.

The asterisk when used as the zero suppression symbol, and
the BLANK WHEN ZERO clause may not appear in the same entry.

characters

allowed

the

for every· elementary
where the clause is

General Rules
1.

There are five categories of data that can be described with
a
PICTURE
clause:
alphabetic, numeric, alphanumeric,
alphanumeric edited, and numeric edited.

To define an item as alphabetic:

4-32

DATA DIVISION

Its PICTURE character-string
symbols A and B, and

Its contents when represented in standard data format
must be any combination of the 26 letters of the
alphabet and the space from the COBOL character set.

only

contain

the

To define an item as numeric:
a.

Its PICTURE character-string can only contain
the
symbols 9, P, S and v. The number of digit positions
that can be describeo by the PICTURE character-string
must range from 1 to 18 inclusive.

If unsigned, its contents when represented in standard
data fo.rmat must be a combination of the numerals 0
through 9;
if signed, the item may also contain a +, -,
or other representation of an operational sign (See
Section 4.23, The SIGN Clause.)

To define an item as

alphanumeric~

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
are allowable characters in the full character set.

To define an item as alphanumeric edited:
a.

Its PICTURE character-string is restricted to certain
combinations of the following symbols: A, X, 9, B, 0,
and /. The character string must contain at least one
of the following combinations

x
0 and x
I and x

0 and A

I and A

1.
2.

b.
6.

can

B and

When represented in standard data format, the contents
are allowable characters in the full character set.

To define an item as numeric edited:
a.

Its PICTURE character-string is restricted to certain
combinations of the following symbols B, /, P, v, z, O,
9, ,, ., *, +, -, CR, DB, and the currency symbol.
The
allowable combinations are determined from the order of
precedence of symbols and the editing rules.

4-33

DATA DIVISION

The number of digit positions
that
can
be
represented in the PICTURE character-string must
range from 1 to 18 inclusive.

The character-string must contain at least one O,
B, /, Z, *, +, ,, ., -, CR, DB, or currency symbol.

The contents of the character positions of those symbols
that are allowed to represent a digit in standard data
format must be one of the numerals.

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 enclosed in parentheses following the symbols A,
,,
X, 9, P, Z, *, B, /,
O,
+, -, or the currency symbol
indicates the number of consecutive occurrences of the
symbol. Note that the following symbols may appear only once
in a given PICTURE: S, V, ., CR, and DB.

The functions of the symbols used to describe
item are explained as follows:

elementary

Each A in the character-string represents a character
position that can contain only a letter of the alphabet
or a space.

Each B in the character-string represents a character
position into which the space character will be inserted.

Each P indicates an assumed decimal scaling position. It
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 Ps within a PICTURE description; because the
scaling position character P implies an assumed decimal
point
(to the left of Ps if Ps are leftmost PICTURE
characters and to the right if Ps are tightmost 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 ins:ertion character •
(decimal point) 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 0, and the size of the data item is considered
to include the digit positions so described.

4-34

DATA DIVISION
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 that
specifies the optional SEPARATE CHARACTER phrase.
(See
Section 4.23, The SIGN Clause.)

The V is used in a character-string to indicate the
location of the assumed decimal point.
It may appear
only 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.

Each X in the character-string is used to represent a
character position that contains any allowable character
from the full character set.

Each Z in a character-string may be used only to
represent
the
leftmost
leading
numeric character
positions that will be replaced by a space character when
the content of that character position is O. Each z is
counted in the size of the item.

Each 9 in the character-string represents a character
position that contains a numeral and is counted in the
size of the item.

Each 0 (zero)
in the character-string represents a
character position into which the numeral 0 will be
inserted. The 0 is counted in the size of the item.

Each I (stroke)
in the character-string represents a
character position into which the stroke character will
be inserted. The / is counted in the size of the item.
Ea~h ,
(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.

When the character
(period)
appears
in
the
character-string it is an editing symbol that 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 program,
the functions of the period and comma are exchanged if
the DECIMAL-POINT IS COMMA clause is stated in the
SPECIAL-NAMES paragraph.
In this exchange, the rules for

4-35

DATA DIVISION
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.

+, -, 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 * will
be placed when the content of that position is O. Each *
is counted in the size of the item.

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.

Editing Rules
1.

There are two general methods of performing editing in the
PICTURE clause, either by insertion or by suppression and
replacement. There are four types of insertion editing
available. They are:
a.

Simple insertion

Special insertion

Fixed insertion

Floating insertion

There are two types of suppression and replacement editing:

Zero suppression and replacement with spaces

Zero suppression and replacement with asterisks

The type of editing that may be performed upon an item is
dependent upon the category to which the item belongs. The
following table specifies which type of editing may be
performed upon a given category:

4-36

DATA DIVISION
CATEGORY

TYPE OF EDITING

Alphabetic

-Simple insertion B only

Numeric

None

Alphanumeric

None

Alphanumeric Edited

Simple insertion 0, B and I

Numeric Edited

All, subject to rules
below.

rule

Floating insertion editing and editing by zero suppression
and replacement are mutually exclusive in a PICTURE clause.
Only one type of replacement may be used
with
zero
suppression in a PICTURE clause.

Simple Insertion Editing.
The
(comma), B (space), 0
(zero), and/ (stroke) 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. The •
(period) is used as the
insertion character.
In addition to being an insertion
character it also 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, and 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
symbols + 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
position to be counted in the size of the item except that it
can be preceded by either a + or a - symbol. Fixed insertion
editing results in the insertion character occupying the same
character position in the edited item as it occupied in the
PICTURE
character-string.
Editing sign control symbols
produce the following results, depending upon the value of
the data item:

4-37

DATA DIVISION

RESULT
EDITING SYMBOL IN
PICTURE CHARACTER-STRING

DATA ITEM
POSITIVE OR ZERO

DATA ITEM
NEGATIVE

space

2 spaces

Floating Insertion Editing. The currency symbol and editing
sign control symbols + or
are the floating insertion
characters. As such they 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 may contain any of the fixed insertion
symbols or have fixed insertion characters immediately to the
right of this string. These simple insertion characters are
part of the floating string.
The leftmost character of the floating insertion
represents the leftmost limit of the floating symbol
data item. The rightmost character of the floating
represents the rightmost limit of the floating symbols
data item.

string
in the
string
in the

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 may replace all the
characters at or to the right of this limit.
In a PICTURE character-string, there are only two ways of
representing floating insertion editing.
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.

4-38

DATA DIVISION
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 0 the entire data item will contain spaces.
If the value
is not O, the result is the same as when the insertion
character is only to the left of the 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 i~to
the receiving data item, plus one for the floating
insertion
character.
8.

Zero Suppression Editing. The suppression of leading Os 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 that 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.
In a PICTURE character-string, there are only two ways of
representing zero suppression. 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 0 in the data that 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 0 the result is the same as if
the suppression characters were not specified.
If the value
is 0 the entire data item will be spaces if the suppression
symbol is z or all *, (except for the actual decimal point)
if the suppression symbol is *

4-39

DATA DIVISION
9.

The symbols +, -, *, Z, and the currency symbol, when used as
floating
replacement characters, are mutually exclusive
within a given character-string.

Precedence Rules
The following chart 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 may 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
the symbols +, - or cs must be present in a PICTURE string.

Non-floating insertion symbols + and
, floating insertion
symbols Z, *, +, -, and cs, and other symbol P appear twice in
the following PICTURE character precedence chart.
The leftmost
column and uppermost row for each symbol represent its use to the
left of the decimal point position. The second appearance of the
symbol in the chart represents its use to the right of the
decimal point position.

4-40

DATA DIVISION
PICTURE Character Precedence Chart

Floating
Insertion Symbols

Non-Floating
Insertion Symbols

First
Symbol

Other Symbols

. (~ (:_) VcRi
cs (;) (~ (+"
t' cs cs 9 (~ s
~D~

.st

c: +J
0 M
z~
c:

(~)
(~) x

(CR\ x
DB)

Second
Symbol

UJ
M

~ti)

0
M

it .....0
H

M
0

c:) x x x

(~ x

t (!) x x x x

-~ti)

.µ

"'
0
0 .....
.µ
fl.. M

(IJ
U)

(!) x

(~) x

ti}

M
0

x
x

ti)

M
Cl>

.s:::
0

4-41

DATA DIVISION

REDEFINES
4.21

THE REDEFINES CLAUSE

Function
The REDEFINES clause allows the same computer storage area to
described by different data description entries.

General Format
level-number data-name-1;

REDEFINES data-name-2
NOTE

Level-number,
data-name-1,
and
the
semicolon are shown in the above format
to improve clarity.
Level-number and
data-name-1
are
not
part
of the
REDEFINES clause.

Syntax Rules
1.

The REDEFINES clause, when specified, must immediately follow
data-name-1.

The level-numbers of data-name-1 and data-name-2 must be
identical, but must not be 66 or 88.
(Level 77 items may be
redefined.)

This clause must not be used in level 01 entries in the
Section.

The data description entry for data-name-2 cannot contain a
REDEFINES clause. However, data-name-2 may be subordinate to
an item whose data description entry contains a REDEFINES
clause.
The data description entry for data-name-2 cannot
contain an OCCURS clause.
However, data-name-2 may 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 may not 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 Section 4.19, The OCCURS Clause.)

No entry having a level-number numerically lower than the
level-number of data-name-2 and data-name-1 may occur between
the data description entries of data-name-2 and data-name-1.

4-42

File

DATA DIVISION

General Rules
1.

Redefinition starts at the area allocated to 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.
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.

The entries giving the new description
positions must not contain any VALUE
condition-name entries.

Multiple level 01 entries subordinate to an FD
level
indicator represent implicit redefinitions of the same area.

4-43

of the character
clauses, except in

DATA DIVISION

RENAMES
4.22

THE RENAMES CLAUSE

Function
The RENAMES clause permits alternative,
groupings of elementary items.

possibly

overlapping,

General Format

data-narne-1;

RENAMES data-narne-2 [{::::UGH}

data-name-~.

NOTE
Level-number 66, data-name-1 and the
semicolon are shown in the above format
to improve clarity.
Level-number and
data-name-1 are not part of the RENAMES
clause.

Syntax Rules
1.

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, 88, or 01
level entry.

Data-name-1 cannot be used as a qualifier, and can only be
qualified by the names of the associated level 01 or FD
entries. Neither data-name-2 nor data-name-3 may 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.

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.

4-44

DATA DIVISION
5.

Data-name-2 and data-name-3 may be qualified.

The words THRO 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 OCCURS clause {see Section 4.19}.

General Rules
1.

One or more RENAMES entries can
record.

When data-name-3 is specified, data-name-1 is a group item
that 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, data-name-2 can be either
a group or an elementary item; when data-name-2 is a group
item, data-name-1 is treated as a group item, and when
data-name-2 is an elementary item, data-name-1 is treated as
an elementary item.

4-45

written

for

logical

DATA DIVISION

SIGN
4.23

THE SIGN CLAUSE

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
[s..l.GN IS]

LEADING }
[SEPARATE CHARACTER]
{ TRAILING

Syntax Rules
1.

The SIGN clause may 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 as USAGE IS DISPLAY.

At most one SIGN clause may apply to any given
description entry.

numeric

data

General Rules
1.

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. The character s does not specify
the representation nor, necessarily, the position of the
operational sign.
In this (default) case, the sign is a part
of the right-most (trailing) digit (much like an overpunch)
within the item.

4-46

DATA DIVISION
3.

If the optional SEPARATE CHARACTER
then:

phrase

not

present,

The operational sign is associated with the leading
(or
trailing)
digit position of the elementary numeric data
item.

The letter S in the PICTURE character-string is not
counted
in determining the size of the item (in terms of
standard data format characters).

The digit position containing the operational sign holds
a character whose value represents both a numeric digit
and the algebraic sign of the item.
The allowable
characters are shown in the following chart for all
combinations of the numeric digits, and the positive and
negative sign values.

POSITIVE

DIGIT VALUES
3
4
5
6
c
D
E
F

7
G

8
H

9
I

SIGN
NEGATIVE
4.

{
}

If the optional SEPARATE CHARACTER phrase is present, then:
a.

The operational sign is the leading
(or
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 compar1sons,
conversion takes place automatically.

4-47

DATA DIVISION

SYNCHRONIZE
4.24

THE SYNCHRONIZED CLAUSE

Function
The SYNCHRONIZED clause specifies the alignment of an elementary
item on the PDP-11 memory word.
(See Section 4.13.11, Item
Alignment for Increased Object-Code Efficiency.)

General Format
SYNCHRONIZED}
{ SYNC

LEFT }
{ RIGHT

Syntax Rules
1.

This clause may appear only with an elementary item.

SYNC is an abbreviation for SYNCHRONIZED.

General Rules
1.

This clause specifies that the subject data item is to be
aligned on PDP-11 words such that no other data item occupies
any of the words delimiting this data item. If the number of
character positions required to store this data item is odd,
the unused character is not used for any other data item.
Such unused character posltions, however, are included in:
a.

The size of any group item(s)
item belongs.

which

the

elementary

The character positions redefined when this data item
the object of a REDEFINES clause.

SYNCHRONIZED not followed by either RIGHT or LEFT specifies
that the elementary item is to be synchronized left.

SYNCHRONIZED LEFT specifies that the elementary item is to be
positioned such that it will begin at the even byte address
of the PDP-11 word.

SYNCHRONIZED RIGHT specifies that the elementary item is to
be positioned such that it will terminate on the odd byte
address of the PDP-11 word.

4-48

DATA DIVISION.

Whenever a SYNCHRONIZED item is referenced in the source
program, the original s-ize 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 for an item within
the scope of an OCCURS clause, each occurrence of the item is
SYNCHRONIZED.
If the size of a group item that contains an
OCCURS clause is odd, and one or more items within the group
are SYNCHRONIZED, a fill byte will be added to the group
following the last item, causing the group size to become
even and ensuring that each occurrence of an item in the
group will map into PDP-11 words in the same manner as the
first occurrence of that item.
(See Section 4.19, The OCCURS
Clause.)

All COMP items and all INDEX items are
automatically
synchronized and occupy an integral number of words; for
further information (see Section 4.25, The USAGE Clause).

All record descriptions in both the File Section
and
Working-Storage Section and all non-contiguous data items in
the Working-Storage Section are automatically SYNCHRONIZED.

4-49

DATA DIVISION

USAGE
4.25

THE USAGE CLAUSE

Function
The USAGE clause specifies the format
computer storage.

data

item

the

General Format
COMPUTATIONAL}

[USAGE IS]

~LAY

DISPLAY-6
{ DISPLAY-7
INDEX

Syntax Rules
1.

The PICTURE character-string of a COMPUTATIONAL item can
contain only 9s, the operational sign character S, the
implied decimal point character V, one or more Ps.
(See
Section 4.20, The PICTURE Clause.)

COMP is an abbreviation for COMPUTATIONAL.

DISPLAY, DISPLAY-6 and DISPLAY-7 are all equivalent.

An index data item can be referenced explicitly only in a
SEARCH or SET statement, a relation condition, the USING
phrase of a Procedure Division header, or the USING phrase of
a CALL statement.

The SYNCHRONIZED, JUSTIFIED, PICTURE, SIGN, VALUE and BLANK
WHEN ZERO clauses cannot be used to describe group or
elementary items described with the USAGE JS INDEX clause.

General Rules
1.

The USAGE clause can be written at any level.
If the USAGE
clause is written at a group level, it applies to each
elementary item in the group.
The USAGE clause of an
elementary item cannot contradict the USAGE clause of a group
to which the item belongs.

This clause specifies the manner in which a data item is
represented in the storage of the PDP-11. 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.

A COMPUTATIONAL item is capable of representing a value to be
used in computations and must be numeric. If a group item is
described as COMPUTATIONAL, the elementary items in the group
are
COMPUTATIONAL.
The
group
item
itself
is not
COMPUTATIONAL (cannot be used in computations).
4-50

DATA DIVISION

An elementary item described with the USAGE IS INDEX clause
is called an index data item and contains a value which must
correspond to an occurrence number of a table element.
The
elementary item cannot be a conditional variable.
If a group
item is described with the USAGE IS INDEX clause, the
elementary items in the group are all index data items. The
group itself is not an index data item and cannot be used in
the SEARCH or SET statement or in a relation condition.

An index data item can be part of a group that is referred to
in a MOVE or input-output statement, in which ca$e no
conversion will take place.

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.

A COMPUTATIONAL item is a binary value with an assumed
decimal point that is automatically SYNCHRONIZED and stored
in memory as follows:
if the item is specified as being less
than five characters long (PIC S9 to PIC S9(4)), it will be
in one computer word;
if it is specified as being from five
to nine characters long (PIC 89(5)) to PIC S9(9)), it will be
in two words; from 10 to 14 will be in three words, and from
15 to 18 will be in four words.
The representation of the binary value in one to four PDP-11
words is independent of the presence of V or one or more Ps
in its PICTURE character-string.
The binary value of a
COMPUTATIONAL item represents the exact decimal quantity
whose description is given by the PICTURE character-string as
if it contained no V or P characters. However, the decimal
point indicated by these characters is remembered and used to
properly
adjust
the binary value before using it in
arithmetic operations. Thus, the binary value represents the
decimal value as though it were an integer, and decimal
accuracy is achieved, although the representation is binary.

A DISPLAY item is a string of bytes stored in PDP-11 memory
as two bytes per word.
The item may begin in the even
address byte or the odd address byte subject to the implicit
or
explicit
synchronization.
(See Section 4.24, The
SYNCHRONIZED Clause.)

Index data items are stored as one word COMP items

with

PIC

9 ( 4) •

Their value is always positive.
Index data items are implicitly SYNCHRONIZED, thus, when they
are described within record descriptions, they may cause
automatic fill bytes to be supplied.

4-51

DATA DIVISION

VALUE
4.26

THE VALUE CLAUSE

Function
The VALUE clause defines the initial value of Working-Storage
items and the values associated with a condition-name.

General Format
Format 1
VALUE IS literal
Format 2

{

VALUE IS } literal-I [{THROUGH}
VALUES ARE
THRU

[

Literal-3

[{::UGH}

literal-21

Literal-4]

Syntax Rules
1.

The words THRU and THROUGH are equivalent.

A signed numeric literal must have associated ·with
signed numeric PICTURE character-string.

All numeric literals in a VALUE clause of an item must have a
value that is within the range of values indicated by the
PICTURE clause and must not have a value which would require
truncation of nonzero digits.
Alphanumeric literals in a
VALUE clause of an item must not exceed the size indicated by
the PICTURE clause.

General Rules
1.

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:

4-52

DATA DIVISION

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
Section
4.13.10,
Standard
Alignment Rules.}

If the category of the item is alphabetic, alphanumeric,
alphanumeric edited or numeric edited, all literals in
the VALUE clause must be alphanumeric literals.
The
literal is aligned in the data item as if the data item
had been described as alphanumeric.
(See paragraph
4.13.10,
The
Standard
Alignment
Rules.}
Editing
characters in the PICTURE clause are
included
in
determioing the size of the data item {see Section 4.20,
The PICTURE Clause) but have no effect on initialization
of the data item.

Initialization takes place independent of any BLANK
ZERO or JUSTIFIED clause that may be specified.

A figurative constant may be substituted
Format 2 wherever a literal is specified.

Format

WHEN
1

and

Condition-name Rules
1.

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.
{See Section 1.2.3.1 User-Defined Words.) Wherever the THRU
phrase is used, literal-I must be less than literal-2,
literal-3 less than literal-4, etc.

Data Description Entries Other Than Condition-Names
1.

Rules governing the use of the VALUE clause differ
respective sections of the Data Division:

with

the

In the File Section and the Linkage Section, the
clause may be used only in condition-name entries.

In the Working-Storage Section, the VALUE clause must be
used in condition-name entries.
The VALUE clause may
also be used to specify the initial value of any other
data item except an index data item, in which case the
clause causes the item to assume the specified value at
the start of the object program. If the VALUE clause is
not used in an item description, the initial value is
undefined.

4-53

VALUE

DATA DIVISION
2.

The VALUE clause must not be stated in a data description
entry that contains an OCCURS clause or in an entry that is
subordinate to an entry containing an OCCURS clause.
This
rule does not apply to condition-name entries.
(See Section
4.19, The OCCURS Clause.)

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 alphanumeric
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).

4-54

PROCEDURE DIVISION

CHAPTER 5
PROCEDURE DIVISION

5.1

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The Procedure Division must be included in every COBOL source program.
It specifies the processing to be performed on the files and data
described in the Environment and Data Divisions.
This division
contains declaratives and procedures.

5.1.1

Declaratives

Declarative sections must be grouped at the beginning of the Procedure
Division preceded by the word DECLARATIVES and followed by the key
words END DECLARATIVES. Declarative sections detail the procedures to
be followed whenever an I-0 error occurs on a particular file.
(See
Section 5.41, the USE statement.)

5.1.2

Procedures

Within the Procedure Division a procedure is composed of either a
paragraph, a group of successive paragraphs, a section, or a group of
successive sections. If one paragraph is in a section, then all
paragraphs must be in sections. A procedure-name is a word used to
refer to a paragraph or section in the source program. It consists of
a paragraph-name or a section-name.
The end of the Procedure Division and the physical end of the program
is that physical position in a COBOL source program after which no
further text appears.
A section consists of a section header followed by zero or more
successive paragraphs.
A section ends immediately before the next
section or at the end of the Procedure Division.
In the declaratives
portion of the Procedure Division, the section ends at the key words
END DECLARATIVES.
A paragraph consists of a paragraph-name followed by a period and a
space and by zero or more successive sentences. A paragraph ends

5-1

PROCEDURE DIVISION
immediately before the next paragraph-name or section-name or at the
end of the Procedure Division.
In the declaratives portion of the
Procedure Division, a paragraph ends at
the
key
words
END
DECLARATIVES.
A sentence consists of one or more statements and is terminated
period followed by a space.

A statement is a syntactically valid combination of words and
beginning with a COBOL verb.

symbols

An identifier is the word or words necessary to make unique reference
to a data item.
(See Section 5.4.8, Uniqueness of Reference.)

5 .1. 3

Execution

Execution begins with the first statement of the Procedure Division,
excluding declaratives. S·tatements are then executed in the order in
which they are presented for compilation, except where the rules
indicate some other order.

5.2

THE PROCEDURE DIVISION HEADER

The Procedure Division is
following header:

identified

and

PROCEDURE DIVISION [ll.S..I.N.G [data-name-1]

must

begin

with

[,data-name-2]

••• ] •

the

The USING phrase is present if, and only if, the object program is to
function under the control of a CALL statement. A COBOL program which
is to function under the control of a CALL statement, but which has no
arguments passed to it, is specified by a USING phrase that contains
no data-names (an empty USING phrase).
Each of the operands in the USING phrase of the Procedu~e Division
header must be defined as a data item in the Linkage Section of the
program in which this header occurs, and it must have a 01 or 77
level-number.
Within a called program, Linkage Section data items are processed
according to their data descriptions given in the called program.
When the USING phrase is present, the object program operates as if
data-name-I, of the Procedure Division header in the called program
and data-n~me-1 in the USING phrase of the CALL statement in the
calling program refer to a single set of data that is equally
available to both the called and calling programs. Their descriptions,
however, need not be the same. In like manner, there is an equivalent
relationship between data-name-2,
••• ,
in the USING pnrase of the
called program and data-name-2, ••• , in the USING phrase of the CALL
statement in the calling program. A data-name must not appear more

5-2

PROCEDURE DIVISION
than once in the USING phrase in the Procedure Division header of the
called program; however, a given data-name may appear more than once
in the USING phrase of a CALL statement.
Data items defined in the Linkage Section of the called program may be
referenced within the Procedure Division of the called program if and
only if they are:

5.3

Operands of
header.

the

USING

phrase

the

Procedure

Division

Subordinate to operands of the USING phrase of the
Division header.

Procedure

Defined witfi a REDEFINES or RENAMES clause, the object of
which is an operand of the USING phrase of the Procedure
Division header.

Items subordinate to any of the items defined in paragraph
above.

Condition-names and index-names associated
that meet any of the above conditions.

with

data

one

items

PROCEDURE DIVISION BODY

The body of the Procedure
following formats:

Division

must

conform

the

Format 1
[DECLARATIVES.
{section-name SECTION
[paragraph-name.

[segment-number].

[sentence] ••• 1 ••• } •••

END DECLARATIVES.]
{section-name SECTION [segment-number].
[paragraph-name.

[sentence] ••• ] ••• } •••

Format 2
{paragraph-name.

[sentence] ••• } •••

5-3

declarative-sentence

PROCEDURE DIVISION
5.4

STATEMENTS AND SENTENCES

There are three types of statements: conditional statements, compiler
directing statements, and imperative statements.
There are three types of sentences: conditional
directing sentences, and imperative sentences.

5.4.1

sentences,

compiler

Conditional Statement

A conditional statement specifies that the truth value of a condition
is to be determined and that the subsequent action of the object
program is dependent on this truth value.
A conditional statement is one of the following:

5.4.2

An IF statement or a SEARCH statement.

A READ statement that specifies the AT
phrase.

A WRITE statement
END-OF-PAGE phrase.

KEY

A REWRITE or DELETE statement that specifies the INVALID
phrase.

KEY

An arithmetic statement (ADD, COMPUTE, DIVIDE,
SUBTRACT) that specifies the SIZE ERROR phrase.

A STRING or UNSTRING statement that specifies the ON OVERFLOW
phrase.

that

specifies

END
the

INVALID

KEY

MULTIPLY,

Conditional Sentence

A conditional sentence is a conditional statement, optionally preceded
by an imperative statement, terminated by a period, and followed by a
space.

5-4

PROCEDURE DIVISION
5.4.3

Compiler Directing Statement

A compiler directing statement consists of a compiler directing verb
and its operands. The compiler directing verbs are COPY, and USE (see
Sections 7 and 5.41 respectively).
A compiler directing statement
causes the compiler to take a specific action during compilation.

5.4.4

Compiler Directing Sentence

A compiler directing sentence is a single compiler directing statement
terminated by a period followed by a space.

5.4.5

Imperative Statement

An imperative statement indicates a specific unconditional action to
be taken by the object program.
An imperative statement is any
statement that is neither a conditional statement nor a compiler
directing statement.
An imperative statement may consist of a
sequence of imperative statements, each possibly separated from the
next by a separator. The imperative verbs are:
ACCEPT
ADD(l)
ALTER
CALL
CLOSE
COMPUTE{l)
DELETE (2)
DISPLAY
DIVIDE (1)
EXIT

(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)

Without
Without
Without
Without

SET

INSPECT

START(2)
STOP
STRING(4)

MOVE
MULTIPLY (1)
OPEN
PERFORM
READ (3)

SUBTRACT (1)
UNSTRING(4)
WRITE (2)

REWRITE (2)
the optional SIZE ERROR phrase.
the optional INVALID KEY phrase
the optional AT END phrase or INVALID KEY phrase.
the optional ON OVERFLOW phrase.

When imperative-statement appears in the general format of statements,
it refers to that sequence of consecutive imperative statements that
must be ended by a period, an ELSE phrase associated with a previous
IF statement, or a WHEN phrase associated with the previous SEARCH
statement.

5-5

PROCEDURE DIVISION
5.4.6

Imperative Sentence

An imperative sentence is an imperative
period, and followed by a space.

statement

terminated

Categories of Statements
Category

Verbs

Arithmetic

ADD
COMPUTE
DIVIDE
INSPECT (TALLYING)
MULTIPLY
SUBTRACT

Compiler Directing

(

COPY
USE

Conditional

ADD (SIZE ERROR)
COMPUTE (SIZE ERROR)
DELETE (INVALID KEY)
DIVIDE (SIZE ERROR)
IF
MULTIPLY (SIZE ERROR
READ (END or INVALID KEY)
REWRITE (INVALID KEY)
SEARCH
START (INVALID KEY)
STRING (OVERFLOW)
SUBTRACT (SIZE ERROR)
UNSTRING (OVERFLOW)
WRITE (INVALID KEY or END-OF-PAGE)

Data Movement

ACCEPT (DATE, DAY, or TIME)
INSPECT (REPLACING)
MOVE
STRING
UN STRING

{
Ending

STOP

5-6

PROCEDURE DIVISION

Input-Output

ACCEPT
CLOSE
DELETE
DISPLAY
OPEN
READ
REWRITE
START
STOP {literal)
WRITE

Procedure Branching

ALTER
CALL
EXIT
GO TO
PERFORM

{

Table Handling

SEARCH
SET

IF is used as a verb in the COBOL language although it is not
in the English language.

5.4.7

verb

Specific Statement Formats

The specific statement formats, and a detailed discussion of the
restrictions and limitations associated with each, appear in alphabetic
sequence beginning at Section 5.8.

5-7

PROCEDURE DIVISION
5.4.8

Uniqueness of Reference

Uniqueness of reference in a COBOL program is accomplished by using
qualifiers,
subscripts,
indexes,
unique
identifiers,
and
condition-names.

5.4.8.1

Qualification

Every user-specified name that defines an element in a COBOL source
program must be unique, either because no other name has the identical
spelling and hyphenation or because the name exists within a hierarchy
of names such that references to the name can be made unique by
mentioning one or more of the higher levels of the hierarchy.
The
higher levels are called qualifiers, and the process that specifies
uniqueness is called qualification.
Enough qualificatibn must be
mentioned to make the name unique; however, it may not be necessary
to mention all levels of the hierarchy. Within the Data Division, all
data-names used for qualification must be associated with a level
indicator or a level-number. Therefore, two identical data-names must
not appear as entries subordinate to a group item unless they are
capable of being made unique through qualification. In the Procedure
Division two identical paragraph-names must not appear in the same
section.
In the hierarchy of qualification, names associated with a level
indicator are the most significant, followed by those names associated
with level-number 01, then names associated with level-number 02
through 49.
A section-name is the highest (and the only) qualifier
available for a paragraph-name. Thus, the most significant name in
the hierarchy must be unique and cannot be qualified. Subscripted or
indexed
data-names
and
conditional
variables,
as
well
as
procedure-names and data-names, may be made unique by qualification.
The name of a conditional variable can be used as a qualifier for any
of its condition-names. Regardless of the available qualification, no
name can be both a data-name and procedure-name.
Qualification is performed by following a data-name, a condition-name,
a paragraph-name, or a text-name by one or more phrases composed of a
qualifier preceded by IN or OF.
IN and OF are logically equivalent.
The general formats for qualification are:
Format 1

{

data-name-1
}
condition-name

IJ{oINF}

data-name-2]

Format 2
paragraph-name

~ : : } section-name]

5-8

PROCEDURE DIVISION
The rules for qualification are as follows:
1.

Each qualifier must be of a successively higher level
within the same hierarchy as the name it qualifies.

The same name must not appear at two levels in a hierarchy.

If a data-name or a condition-name is assigned to more than
one
data item in a source program,
the data-name or
condition-name must be qualified each time it is referred to
in the Procedure, Environment, and Data Divisions (except in
the REDEFINES clause, in which qualification must not ~be
used).

A paragraph-name must not be duplicated within a section.
When a paragraph-name is qualified by a section-name, the
word SECTION must not appear. A paragraph-name need not be
qualified when referred to from within the same section.

A data-name cannot be subscripted when it is being used as
qualifier.

A name can be qualified even though it does not need
qualifications;
if there is more than one combination of
qualifiers that ensures uniqueness, then any such set can be
used.
The complete set of qualifiers for a data-name must
not be the same as any partial set of qualifiers for
another
data-name.
Qualified
data-names
may
have up to 48
qualifiers.

5.4.8.2

and

Subscripting

Subscripts can be used only when reference is made to an individual
element within a list or table of like elements that have not been
assigned individual data-names.
(See Section 4.19, The OCCURS Clause
in the Data Division.)
The subscript can be represented either by a numeric literal that is
an integer or by a data-name.
The data-name must be a numeric
elementary item.that represents an integer.
When the subscript is
represented by a data-name,
the data-name may be qualified but not
subscripted.
The subscript may be signed and, if signed, it must be positive.
The
lowest possible subscript value is 1. This value points to the first
element of the table. The next sequential elements of the table are
pointed to by subscripts whose values are 2, 3, •••
The highest
permissible subscript value, in any particular case,
is the maximum
number of occurrences of the item as specified in the OCCURS clause.
The subscript or set of subscripts that identify the table element are
delimited by the balanced pair of separators, left parenthesis and
right parenthesis, following the table element data-name.
The table

5-9

PROCEDURE DIVISION
element data-name appended with a subscript is called a subscripted
data-name or an identifier. When more than one subscript is required,
they
are written in the order of successively less inclusive
dimensions of the data organization.
The format is:
data-name
}
{ condition-name

5.4.8.3

(subscript-I

[, subscript-2

[, subscript-3]])

Indexing

References can be made to individual elements within a table of like
elements by specifying indexing for
that reference. An index is
assigned to that level of the table by using the INDEXED BY phrase in
the definition of a table. A name given in the INDEXED BY phrase is
known as an index-name and is used to refer to the assigned
index.
The value of an index corresponds to the -Occurrence number of an
element in the associated table. An index-name must be initialized
before it is used as a table reference. An index-name can be given an
initial value by either a SET, a SEARCH ALL, or a Format 4 PERFORM
statement.
Direct indexing is specified by using an index-name in the form of a
subscript.
Relative indexing is specified when the index-name is
followed by the operator + or -, followed by an unsigned integer
numeric literal, all delimited by the balanced pair of separators left
parenthesis and right parenthesis,
following the table
element
data-name.
The occurrence number resulting from relative indexing is
determined by incrementing
{where the operator + is used)
or
decrementing
(where the operator
is used)
by the value of the
literal, the occurrence number represented by the value of the index.
When more than one index-name is required, they are written in the
order of successively less inclusive dimensions
of
the
data
organization.
At the time of execution of a statement that refers to an indexed
table element, the value contained in the index-name associated with
the table element must neither correspond to a value less than one (1)
nor to a value greater than the highest permissible occurrence number
of an element of the associated table.
This restriction also applies
to the value resultant from relative indexing.
The general format for indexing is:
data-name
} {index-name-1
{ condition-name
( literal-1
,jindex-name-2
[

li teral-3

[J±} 1itera1-2J}

[ {!'} li teral-4

J ~ ~ j index-name-3
j Ll literal-5

5-10

[J±} literal-6]

PROCEDURE DIVISION
5. 4. 8. 4 ·Internal
Index-data-items

Formats

Subscripts,

Index-names

and

Subscripts are stored as either COMP or DISPLAY numeric
integers with a size that may vary from 1 to 18 digits. They
may contain an operational sign, although at the time of
their use as a subscript the value must be positive.

Index-names are stored as 2 part items consisting of a binary
occurrence number and a binary index value. Both values are
always positive.

Index data items are stored as 1 word COMP items consisting
of a binary occurrence number with PIC 9(4). Their value is
always positive.
Index data items are implicitly SYNCHRONIZED;
thus, when
they are described within record descriptions they may cause
automatic fill bytes to be supplied.

5.4.8.5

Identifier

An identifier is a term used to indicate that a data-name,
if not
unique in a program, must be followed by a syntactically correct
combination of qualifiers, subscripts, or indices necessary to ensure
uniqueness.
The general formats for identifiers follow:
Format 1
data-name-1 [{ : : } data-name-2

~subscript-I

[, subscript-2

[, subscript-31Jl]

Format 2
{ {index-name-1
data-name-1

[{ : : } data-name-2] ..•

index-name-2
[

{

literal-3

[

l i teral-1

~ literal-4]l~ {index-name-3 - [l±}li teral-6] nl )l

5-11

li teral-5

JJJj

PROCEDURE DIVISION
Restrictions on qualification, subscripting and indexing follow:
1.

A data-name must not itself be subscripted nor indexed when
that data-name is being used as an index, subscript or
qualifier.

Indexing is
permitted.

An index name may be modified only by the SET, SEARCH, and
PERFORM statements.
Data items described by the USAGE IS
INDEX clause permit storage of the values associated with
index-names as data in a form called index data items.

Literal-I, literal-3, literal-5 in the above format must be
positive numeric integers.
Literal-2, literal-4, literal-6
must be unsigned numeric integers.

5.4.8.6

not

permitted

where

subscripting

not

Condition-Name

Each condition-name must be unique or be
qualification and/or indexing or subscripting.

made

unique

through

If qualification is used to make a condition-name unique, the
associated conditional variable may be used as the first qualifier.
If qualification is used, the hierarchy of names associated with the
conditional variable or the conditional variable itself must be used
to make the condition-name unique.
If references to a conditional variable
require
indexing
or
subscripting,
then references to any of its condition-names also
require the same combination of indexing or subscripting.
The format and restrictions on the combined use of qualification,
subscripting, and indexing of condition-names are exactly that of
'identifier' except that data-name-1 is replaced by condition-name-!.
In the general formats, 'condition-name' refers to
qualified, indexed or subscripted, as necessary.

5.4.9

condition-name

Explicit and Implicit Specifications

There are three types of explicit
occur in COBOL source programs:

and

implicit

specifications

Explicit and implicit Procedure Division references

Explicit and implicit transfers of control

Explicit and implicit attributes

5-12

that

PROCEDURE DIVISION
5.4.9.1

Explicit and Implicit Procedure Division References

A COBOL source program can reference data items either explicitly or
implicitly in Procedure Division statements. An explicit reference
occurs when the name of the referenced item is written in a Procedure
Division statement or when the name of the referenced item is copied
into the Procedure Division by the processing of a COPY statement. An
implicit reference occurs when the item is referenced by a Procedure
Division statement without the name of the referenced item being
written in the source statement. Such an implicit reference occurs
if, and only if, the data item contributes to the execution of the
statement.

5.4.9.2

Explicit and Implicit Transfers of Control

In a COBOL program, each statement is executed in the sequence in
which it was written in the source program unless an explicit transfer
of control overrides this sequence.
The transfer of control from
statement to statement occurs without writing an explicit Procedure
Division statement and, therefore, is an implicit transfer of control.
COBOL provides both explicit and implicit
implicit control transfer mechanism.

means

altering

the

In addition to the implicit transfer of control between consecutive
statements, implicit transfer of control also occurs when the normal
flow is altered without the execution of a procedure branching
statement.
COBOL provides the following types of implicit control
flow alterations that override the statement-to-statement transfers of
control:
1.

If a paragraph is being executed under control of another
COBOL statement (for example, PERFORM, USE) and the paragraph
is the last paragraph in the range of the controlling
statement,
then an implied transfer of control occurs
following the last statement in the paragraph to the control
mechanism of the last executed controlling statement.

When an.y COBOL statement is executed that results in the
execution of a declarative section, an implicit transfer of
control to the declarative section occurs. Note that another
implicit transfer of control occurs after execution of the
declarative section, as described in 1. above.

An explicit transfer of control consists of an alteration of the
implicit control transfer mechanism by the execution of a procedure
branching or conditional statement.
(See Section 5.4 Statements and
Sentences.) An explicit transfer of control can be caused only by the
execution of a procedure branching or conditional statement.
The
execution of the procedure branching statement ALTER does not in
itself constitute an explicit transfer of control, but affects the
explicit transfer of control that occurs when the associated GO TO
statement is executed. The procedure branching statement EXIT PROGRAM
causes an explicit transfer of control when the statement is executed
in a called program.

5-13

PROCEDURE DIVISION
In this document, the term 'next executable statement
is used to
refer to the next COBOL statement to which control is transferred
according to the rules above and the rules associated with each
language element in the Procedure Division.

5.4.9.3

Explicit and Implicit Attributes

Attributes may be implicitly or explicitly specified.
Any attribute
which has been explicitly specified is called an explicit attribute~
If an attribute has not been specified explicitly, then the attribute
takes on the default specification. Such an attribute is known as an
implicit attribute.
For example, the usage of a data item need not be specified, in
case data item usage is DISPLAY.

5.5

which

ARITHMETIC EXPRESSIONS

An arithmetic expression can be an identifier of 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. Any arithmetic expression may be preceded by a unary
operator.
The
permissible
combinations of variables, num~ric
literals, arithmetic operator and parentheses are given in Table 5-1,
Combination of Symbols in Arithmetic Expressions, Section 5.5.2.
Those identifiers and literals appearing in an arithmetic expression
must represent either numeric elementary items or numeric literals on
which arithmetic may be performed.

5.5.1

Arithmetic Operators

An arithmetic operator is a single character or
combination.

fixed

2-character

There are five binary arithmetic operators and two unary arithmetic
operators that may be used in arithmetic expressions. They are
represented by specific characters that must be preceded by and
followed by a space.

5-14

PROCEDURE DIVISION
Binary Arithmetic
Operators

Meaning

Addition
Subtraction
Multiplication
Division
Exponentiation

**
Unary Arithmetic
Operators

Meaning

The effect of multiplication
by numeric literal +l
The effect of multiplication
by numeric literal -1.

5.5.2

Formation and Evaluation Rules
1.

Parentheses may be used in arithmetic expressions to specify
the order in which elements are to be evaluated. Expressions
within parentheses are evaluated first, and within nested
parentheses, evaluation ?roceeds from the least inclusive set
to the most inclusive set. When parentheses are not used or
parenthesized
expressions
are
at
the same level of
inclusiveness, the following hierarchical order of execution
is implied:
1st 2nd 3rd 4th -

Unary plus and minus
Exponentiation
Multiplication and division
Addition and subtraction

Parentheses are used either to eliminate ambiguities in logic
where consecutive operations of the same hierarchical level
appear or to modify the normal hierarchical sequence of
execution in expressions where it is necessary to have some
deviation from the normal precedence. When the sequence of
execution is not specified by parentheses, the order of
execution of consecutive operations of the same hierarchical
level is from left to right.

The ways in which operators, variables, and parentheses may
be combined in an arithmetic expression are summarized in
Table 5-1, where:

5-15

PROCEDURE DIVISION
a.

The letter P indicates a permissible pair of symbols.

The character - indicates an invalid pair.

The term variable indicates an identifier or literal.
Table 5-1
Combination of Symbols in Arithmetic Expression
SECOND SYMBOL

FIRST
SYMBOL

Variable

* I ** - +

Unary + or -

{

)

Variable

* I ** + -

{

)

Unary + or

5.6

An arithmetic expression may only begin with an
open
parenthesis, a plus sign, a minus sign, or a variable and may
only end with a close parenthesis or a variable. There must
be
a one-to-one correspondence between left and right
parentheses of an arithmetic expression such that each left
parenthesis is to the left of its corresponding right
parenthesis.

Arithmetic expressions allow the user to combine arithmetic
operations without restrictions on composite of operands
and/or receiving data items.

CONDITIONAL EXPRESSIONS

Conditional expressions identify conditions that are tested to enable
the object program to select between alternate paths of control
depending upon the truth value of the condition.
Conditional
expressions are specified in the IF, SEARCH, and PERFORM statements.
There are two categories of conditions associated with conditional
expressions:
simple conditions and complex conditions.

5.6.1

Simple Conditions

The simple conditions are the relation, class,
condition-name,
switch-status, and sign conditions. A simple condition has a truth
value of true or false.

5-16

PROCEDURE DIVISION
5.6.2

Relation Condition

A relation condition causes a comparison of two operands, each of
which may be the data item referenced by an identifier or a literal or
the value resulting from an arithmetic expression.
A relation
condition has a truth value of true if the relation exists between the
operands. Comparison of two numeric operands is permitted regardless
of the format's specified in their respective USAGE clauses. However,
for all other comparisons the operands must have the same usage.
If
either of the operands is a group item, the non-numeric comparison
rules apply.
The general format of a relation condition is as follows:

identifier-I
literal-1
{arithmetic-expression-!}

!
IS
IS
IS
IS
IS
is

[NQ.T] GREATER THAN}
[NQ.T] LESS THAN
[filn'] EQUAL TO

[NOT] >
[NOT] <
[NOT] =

jiaentifier-2
literal-2
tarithmetic-expression-2

NOTE
NOTE: The required relational characters
>, <, and = are not underlined to avoid
confusion with other symbols such as
greater-than-or-equal-to.
The
first
operand
(identifier-I,
literal-I,
or
arithmetic-expression-I)
is called the subject of the condition;
the
second operand (identifier-2, literal-2, or arithmetic-expression-2)
is called the object of the condition. The subject and the object may
not both be literals.
The relational operator specifies the type of comparison to be made in
a relation condition. A space must precede and follow each reserved
word comprising the relational operator. When used, NOT and the next
key word or relation character are one relational operator that
defines the comparison to be executed for truth value:
e.g., NOT
EQUAL is a
truth test for an unequal comparison; NOT GREATER is a
truth test for an equal or less comparison.
The meaning of the
relational operators is as follows:
Meaning

Relational Operator

Greater than or not greater than

IS [NOT] GREATER THAN
IS [NOT] >

Less than or not less than

IS [NOT] LESS THAN
IS [NOT] <

Equal to or not equal to

IS [NOT] EQUAL TO
IS [NOT]

5-17

PROCEDURE DIVISION

NOTE
The required relational characters >, <,
and
are not underlined to avoid
confusion with other symbols such as
greater-than-or-equal-to.

5.6.3

Comparison of Numeric Operands

For operands whose class is numeric (see Section 4.13.7, Concepts of
Classes of Data), a comparison is made with respect to the algebraic
value
of
the
operands.
The
length
of
the
literal
or
arithmetic-expression operands,
in terms of number of digits, is not
significant. Zero is considered a unique value regardless of the
sign.
Comparison of these operands is permitted regardless of the manner in
which their usage is described.
Unsigned numeric operands are
considered positive for purposes of comparison.

5.6.4

Comparison of Alphanumeric Operands

For nonnumeric operands, or one numeric and one nonnumeric operand, a
comparison is made with respect to a specified collating sequence of
characters (See Section 3.4.2, The OBJECT-COMPUTER paragraph). If one
of the operands is specified as numeric, it must be an integer data
item or an integer literal:
1.

If the nonnumeric operand is an elementary data item or a
nonnumeric literal, the numeric operand is treated as though
it were moved to an elementary alphanumeric data item of the
same size as the numeric data item (in terms of standard data
format characters), and the contents of this alphanumeric
data item were then compared to the nonnumeric operand.
(See
Section 5.22, The MOVE Statement and Section 4.20, The
PICTURE Clause.)

If the nonnumeric operand is a group item, the numeric
operand is treated as though it were moved to a group item of
the same size as the numeric data item (in terms of standard
data format characters), and the contents of this group item
were then compared to the nonnumeric operand.
(See Section
5.22, The MOVE Statement and Section 4.20, The PICTURE
Clause.}

A non-integer numeric
nonnumeric operand.

operand

5-18

cannot

compared

PROCEDURE DIVISION
The size of an operand is the total number of standard data format
characters in the operand.
Numeric and nonnumeric operands may be
compared only when their usage is the same.
There are two cases to consider:
of unequal size.
1.

operands of equal size and

operands

Operands of equal size.
If the operands are of equal size, comparison effectively
proceeds by comparing characters in corresponding character
positions starting from the high order end and continuing
until either a pair of unequal characters is encountered or
the low order end of the operand is reached, whichever comes
first.
The operands are determined to be equal if all pairs
of characters compare equally through the last pair, when the
low order end is reached.
The first encountered pair of unequal characters is compared
to
determine their relative position in the collating
sequence. The operand that contains the character that is
positioned higher in the collating sequence is considered to
be the greater operand.

Operands of unequal size.
If the operands are of unequal size, comparison proceeds as
though the shorter operand were extended on the right by
sufficient spaces to make the operands of equal size.

Comparisons Involving Index-Names and/or Index Data Items

5.6.5

Relation tests may be made between:
1.

Two index-names.
The result is the same as
corresponding occurrence numbers were compared.

An index-name and a data item (including an index data item)
or literal.
The occurrence number that corresponds to the
value of the index-name is compared to the data item or
literal.

An index data item and an index data item.
are compared.

Index data items may not be compared with literals
data items that are not index data items.

5-19

the

The actual values
or

other

PROCEDURE DIVISION
5.6.6

Class Condition

The class condition determines whether the operand is numeric or
alphabetic.
Numeric, consists entirely of the characters O through 9,
with or without the operational sign. Alphabetic consists entirely of
the characters A through z and space. The general format for the
class condition is as follows:
identifier IS [NOT]l NUMERIC
}
ALPHABETIC

The usage of the operand being tested must be described as display.
When used, NOT and the next key word specify one class condition that
defines the class test to be executed for truth value, that is, NOT
NUMERIC is a truth test for determining that an operand is nonnumeric.
The NUMERIC test cannot be used with an item whose data description
describes the item as alphabetic or as a group item composed of
elementary items whose data description indicates the presence of
operational sign(s). If the data description of the item being tested
does not indicate the presence ·Of an operational sign, the item being
tested is determined to be numeric only if the contents are numeric
and an operational sign is not present.
If the data description of
the item does indicate the presence of an operational sign, the item
being tested is determined to be numeric only if the contents are
numeric and a valid operational sign is present. Valid operational
signs for data items described with the SIGN IS SEPARATE clause are
the standard data format, characters, + and -.
(See Section 4.23, The
SIGN Clause, for the format of valid operational signs when the SIGN
IS SEPARATE clause is not present).
The ALPHABETIC test cannot be used with an item whose data description
describes the item as numeric. The item being tested is determined to
be alphabetic only if the contents consist of any combination of the
alphabetic characters A through z and the space.

5.6.7

Condition-Name Condition (Conditional Variable)

In a condition-name condition, a conditional vari~ble is tested to
determine whether or not its value is equal to one of the values
associated with a condition-name.
The general format for
the
condition-name condition is as follows:
condition-name
If the condition-name is associated with a range or ranges of values,
then the conditional variable is tested to determine whether or not
its value falls in this range, including the end values.
The rules for comparing a conditional variable with a condition-name
value are the same as those specified for relation conditions.

5-20

PROCEDURE DIVISION
The result of the test is true if one of the values corresponding to
the condition-name equals the value of its associated conditional
variable.

5.6.8

Switch-Status Condition

A switch-status condition determines the ON or OFF status of a
numbered switch. The switch number and the ON or OFF value associated
with the condition must be named in the SPECIAL-NAMES paragraph of the
Environment Division.
The general format for the switch-status
condition is as follows:
condition-name
The result of the test is true if the switch is set to
position corresponding to the condition-name.

5.6.9

the

specified

Sign Condition

The sign condition determines whether or not the algebraic value of an
arithmetic expression is less than, greater than, or equal to o. The
general format for a sign condition is as follows:
arithmetic-expression

POSITIVE}
IS [NOT] NEGATIVE
{ z..E.EQ

When used, NOT and the next key word specify one sign condition that
defines the algebraic test to be executed for truth value, that is,
NOT ZERO is a truth test for a nonzero (positive or negative) value.
An operand is positive if its value is greater than 0, negative if its
value is less than 0, and 0 if its value is equal to O.

5.6.10

Complex Conditions

A complex condition is formed by combining simple conditions combined
conditions and/or complex conditions with logical connectors (logical
operators AND and OR)
or negating these conditions with logical
negation
(the logical operator NOT). The truth value of a complex
condition, whether parenthesized or not, is that truth value which
results from the interaction of all the stated logical operators on
the individual truth values of simple conditions, or the intermediate
truth values of conditions logically connected or logically negated.

5-21

PROCEDURE DIVISION
The logical operators and their meanings are:
Logical Operator

Meaning

AND

Logical conjunction;
the truth value is
true if both of the conjoined conditions
are true;
false if one or both of the
conjoined conditions is false.

Logical inclusive OR;
the truth value
is true
if one or both of the included
conditions is true;
false
if
both
included conditions are false.

NOT

Logical negation or reversal of truth
value;
the truth value is true if the
condition is false;
false
if
the
condition is true.

The logical operators must be preceded by a
space.

5.6.11

~pace

and

followed

Negated Simple Conditions

A simple condition (Section 5.6.l) is negated through the use of the
logical operator NOT.
The negated simple condition affects the
opposite truth value for a simple condition. Thus, the truth value of
a negated simple condition is true if, and only if, the truth value of
the simple condition is false;
the truth value of a negated simple
condition is false
if,
and only if, the truth value of the simple
condition is true.
The inclusion in parentheses of a negated simple
condition does not change the truth value.
The general format for a negated simple condition is:
NOT simple-condition

5.6.12

Combined and Negated Combined Conditions

A combined condition results from connecting conditions with one of
The general format of a combined
the logical operators AND or OR.
condition is:

condition{{::D} condition}

5-22

PROCEDURE DIVISION
where.condition may be one of the following.
1.

A simple condition

A negated simple condition

A combined condition

A negated combined condition, that is, the NOT logical
operator followed by a combined condition enclosed within
parentheses

Combinations of the above, specified according to the rules
summarized in Table 5-2, Combinations of Conditions, Logical
Operators, and Parentheses.

Although parentheses need never be used when either AND or OR (but not
both)
is used exclusively in a combined condition, parentheses may be
used to effect a final truth value when a mixture of AND, OR and
NOT is used.
(See Table 5-2, Combinations of Conditions, Logical
Operators, and Parentheses, and Section 5.14 Condition Evaluation
Rules.
Table 5-2 indicates the ways in which conditions and logical operators
may be combined and parenthesized.
There must be a one-to-one
correspondence between left and right parentheses such that each left
parenthesis is to the left of its corresponding right parenthesis.
Table 5-2
Combinations of Conditions, Logical Operators, and Parentheses
Location in
conditional
expression·

In a left-to-right sequence of elements:

First

Last

Element, when not
first, may be
immediately preceded by only:

simple-condition

Yes

OR, NOT, AND,

OR or AND

simple-condition,

NOT

Yes

OR, AND,

(

Yes

OR, NOT, AND,

)

Yes

simple-condition,

Given the following element

5-23

(
)

Element when not
last, may be
immediately followed by only:
OR, AND,

)

simple-condition,
NOT, (
simple-condition,

(

simple-condition,
NOT, (

(

)

OR, AND,

)

(

PROCEDURE DIVISION
Thus, the element pair OR NOT is permissible while the pair NOT OR is
not
permissible;
NOT
( is permissible while NOT NOT is not
permissible.

5.6.13

Abbreviated Combined Relation Conditions

When simple or negated simple relation conditions are combined with
logical connectives in a consecutive sequence such that a succeeding
relation condition contains a subject or subject and relational
operator that are common with the preceding relation condition, and no
parentheses are used within such a consecutive sequence, any relation
condition except the first may be abbreviated by the omission of one
of the following:
1.

The subject of the relation condition, or

The subject
condition.

and

relational

operator

the

relation

The format for an abbreviated combined relation condition is:

relation-condition {

t:D}

[NOT]

[relational-opera tor]

object

Within a sequence of relation conditions both of the above forms of
abbreviation may_ be used. The effect of using such abbreviations is
as if the last preceding stated subject were inserted in place of the
omitted subject, and the last stated relational operator were inserted
in place of the omitted relational operator.
The result of such
implied
insertion
must
comply with the rules of Table 5-2,
Combinations of Conditions, Logical Operators, and Parentheses.
This
insertion of an omitted subject and/or relational operator terminates
once a complete simple condition is encountered within a complex
condition.
The interpretation applied to the use of the word
abbreviated combined relation condition is as follows:

NOT

If the word immediately following NOT is GREATER or >, LESS
or <, or EQUAL or = then the NOT participates as part of the
relational operator; otherwise,

The NOT is interpreted as a logical operator and,
therefore,
the implied insertion of subject or relational operator
results in a negated relation condition.

Some examples of abbreviated combined and negated
conditions and expanded equivalents follow.

5-24

combined

relation

PROCEDURE DIVISION
Abbreviated Combined
Relation Condition
a

Expanded Equivalent

> b AND NOT < c OR d

((a

> b) AND (a NOT < c)) OR (a NOT < d)

a NOT EQUAL b OR c

(a NOT EQUAL b) OR (a NOT EQUAL c)

NOT a = b OR c

(NOT (a = b)) OR (a = c)

NOT (a GREATER b OR
NOT (a NOT

5.6.14

< c)

NOT ( (a GREATER b) OR (a

< c))

NOT ((((a NOT > b) AND (a NOT
(NOT (a NOT > d) ) ) )

> b AND c AND NOT d)

> c)} AND

Condition Evaluation Rules

Parentheses may be used to specify the order in which individual
conditions of complex conditions are to be evaluated when it is
necessary to depart from
the
implied
evaluation
precedence.
Conditions within parentheses are evaluated first, and, within nested
parentheses, evaluation proceeds from the least inclusive condition to
the most inclusive condition.
When parentheses are not used or
parenthesized conditions are at the same level of inclusiveness, the
following hierarchical order of logical evaluation is implied until
the final truth value is determined:
1.

Values are established for arithmetic expressions.
Formation and Evaluation Rules, Section 5.5.2.)

Truth values for simple conditions
following order:
a.

Relation (following
relation condition)

Class

Condition-name

SwLtch-status

Sign

the

are

expansion

established
of

any

{See
in

the

abbreviated

Truth values for negated simple conditions are established.

Truth values for combined conditions are established
logical operators, followed by OR logical operators}.

Truth values for negated combined conditions are established.

When the sequence of evaluation is not completely specified
by parentheses, the order of evaluation of consecutive
operations of the same hierarchical level is from left to
right.

5-25

(AND

PROCEDURE DIVISION
5.7

COMMON PHRASES AND GENERAL RULES FOR STATEMENT FORMATS

In the statement descriptions that
frequently:
the ROUNDED phrase,
CORRESPONDING phrase.

follow, several
the SIZE ERROR

In the discussion below, a resultant-identifier is
associated with a result of an arithmetic operation.

5.7.1

phrases appear
phrase, and the
that

identifier

The ROUNDED Phrase

If, after decimal point alignment, the number of places in the
fraction of the result of an arithmetic operation is greater than the
number
of
places
provided
for
the
fraction
of
the
resultant-identifier, truncation is relative to the size provided for
the resultant-identifier. When rounding is requested, the absolute
value of the resultant-identifier is increased by 1 whenever the most
significant digit of the excess is greater than or equal to 5.
When the low-order integer positions in a resultant-identifier are
represented by the character P in the PICTURE clause for that
resultant-identifier, rounding or truncation occurs relative to the
rightmost integer position for which storage is allocated.

5.7.2

The SIZE ERROR Phrase

If, after decimal point alignment, the absolute value of a result
exceeds the largest value that can be contained in the associated
resultant-identifier, a size error condition exists.
Division by O
always causes a size error condition.
The size error condition
applies only to the final results of an arithmetic operation and does
not apply to intermediate results, except in the MULTIPLY and DIVIDE
statements. Then the size error condition applies to the intermediate
results as well.
If the ROUNDED phrase is specified, rounding takes
place before checking for size error.
When such a size error
condition occurs, the subsequent action depends on whether or not the
SIZE ERROR phrase is specified.
1.

If the SIZE ERROR phrase is not specified and a size error
condition occurs, the value of those resultant-identifier(s}
affected is undefined. Values of resultant-identifier(s) for
which no size error condition occurs are unaffected by size
errors that occur for other resultant-identifier{s) during
execution of this operation.

If the SIZE ERROR phrase is specified and a size error
condition
occurs,
then
the
value
of
the
resultant-identifier(s) affected oy the size errors is not
altered. Values of resultant-identifier(s) for which no size
error condition occurs are unaffected by size errors that
occur for other resultant-identifier(s) during execution of

5-26

PROCEDURE DIVISION
this operation. After completion of the execution of this
operation, the imperative statement in the SIZE ERROR phrase
is executed.
For the ADD statement with the CORRESPONDING phrase and the
SUBTRACT statement with the CORRESPONDING phrase, if any of
the individual operations produces a size error condition,
the imperative statement in the SIZE ERROR phrase is not
executed until all
of
the
individual
additions
or
subtractions are completed.

5.7.3

The CORRESPONDING Phrase

For the purpose of this discussion, d1 and d2 must each be identifiers
that refer to group items. A pair of data items, one from d1 and one
from d 2 correspond if the following conditions exist:
1.

A data item in d and a data item in d are not designated by
the key word FILLER and have the same data-name and the same
qualifiers up to, but not including, d and d •

In the case of a MOVE statement with the CORRESPONDING
phrase, at least one of the data items is an elementary data
item;
in the case of the
ADD
statement
with
the
CORRESPONDING phrase or the SUBTRACT statement with the
CORRESPONDING phrase, both of the data items are elementary
numeric data items.

The description of d1 and d2 must not contain
66, 77, or 88 or the USAGE IS INDEX clause.

A data item that is subordinate to di or d2 and contains a
REDEFINES, RENAMES, OCCURS, or USAGE IS INDEX clause is
ignored, as well as those data items subordinate to the data
item that contains the REDEFINES, OCCURS, or USAGE IS INDEX
clause. However, di and d2 may have REDEFINES or OCCURS
clauses or be subordinate to data items with REDEFINES or
OCCURS clauses.
(See Section 4.19, The OCCURS Clause.)

5.7.4

level-number

The Arithmetic Statements

The arithmetic statements are the ADD, COMPUTE, DIVIDE, MULTIPLY,
SUBTRACT statements. They have several common features.

and

The data descriptions of the operands need not be the same;
any necessary conversion and decimal point alignment is
supplied throughout the calculation.

5-27

PROCEDURE DIVISION
2.

5.7.5

The maximum size of each operand is 18 decimal digits.
The
composite of operands, which is a hypothetical data item
resulting from the superimposition of specified operands 1n a
statement aligned on their decimal points, must not contain
more than 18 decimal digits.

Multiple Results in Arithmetic Statements

The ADD, COMPUTE, DIVIDE, MULTIPLY, and SUBTRACT statements may have
multiple results.
Such statements behave as though they had been
written in the following way:
1.

A statement that performs all arithmetic necessary to arrive
at the result to be stored in the receiving items, and stores
that result in a temporary storage location.

A sequence of statements transferring or combining the value
of this temporary location with a single result. These
statements are considered to be written in
the
same
left-to-right sequence in which the multiple results are
listed.
The result of the statement
ADD a, b, c TO c, d

(c), e

is equivalent to
ADD a, b, c GIVING temp
ADD temp TO c
ADD temp TO d ( c)
ADD temp TO e
where temp is an intermediate result item defined as follows:
The number of integer places in temp is the maximum of the
integer places of all the operands in the statement. The
number of decimal places is the maximum of all the operands
in the statement.
If the. sum of the number of integer places
and decimal places is greater than 18, then the number of
integer places will be reduced until the sum is equal to 18.
Therefore, high-order truncation could..
occur
in
some
receiving operands, depending on the resulting value of the
arithmetic statement.

5-28

PROCEDURE DIVISION
5.7.6

Overlapping Operands

When a sending and a receiving item in an arithmetic statement or
INSPECT, MOVE, SET, STRING, or UNSTRING statement share a part of
their storage areas, the result of the execution of such a statement
is undefined. The compiler does not detect overlapping or potentially
overlapping op~rands.

5.7.7

Incompatible Data

Except for the class condition {see Section 5.6.6, Class Condition),
when the contents of a data item are referenced in the Procedure
Division and the contents of that data item are not compatible with
the class specified for that data item by its PICTURE clause, then the
result of such a reference is undefined.

5-29

PROCEDURE DIVISION

ACCEPT
5.8

THE ACCEPT STATEMENT

Function
The ACCEPT statement causes low volume data to be made
to the specified data item.

available

General Format
Format 1
ACCEPT identifier [FROM mnemonic-name]
Format 2
ACCEPT identifier FROM

g~~E
lf TIME

Syntax Rules
1.

The mnemonic-name in Format 1 must be specified in the
SPECIAL-NAMES paragraph of the Environment Division and must
be associated with a hardware device.

General Rules
Format 1
1.

The ACCEPT statement causes the transfer of data from the
hardware device. This data replaces the contents of the data
item named by the identifier.

The ACCEPT statement causes the information requested to be
transferred to the data item specified by the identifier,
with no editing or conversion.

Format 2
3.

The ACCEPT statement causes the information requested to be
transferred to the data item specified by the identifier
according to the rules of the MOVE statement. DATE, DAY, and
TIME are conceptual data items and, therefore, are not
described in the COBOL program. Their usage is DISPLAY.

DATE is composed of the data elements year of century, month
of year, and day 0£ month. The sequence of the data element
codes shall be from high order to low order (left to right),
that is, year of century, month of year, and day of month.
Therefore, July 4, 1976 would be expressed as 760704.
DATE,
when accessed by a COBOL program, behaves as if it had been
described in the COBOL program as an unsigned elementary
numeric integer data item six digits in length.

5-30

PROCEDURE DIVISION
5.

DAY is composed of the data elements year of century and day
of year.
The sequence of the data element codes shall be
from high order to low order (left to right). That is, year
of century, day of year. Therefore, July 4, 1976 would be
expressed as 76186. DAY, when accessed by a COBOL program,
behaves as if it had been described in a COBOL program as an
unsigned elementary numeric integer data item five digits in
length.

TIME is composed of the data elements hours, minutes, seconds
and hundredths of a second. TIME is based on elapsed time
after midnight on a 24-hour clock basis;
thus, 2:41 p.m.
would be expressed as 14410000. TIME, when accessed by a
COBOL program behaves as if it had been described in a COBOL
program as an unsigned elementary numeric integer data item
eight digits in length.
The minimum value of TIME is
00000000; the maximum value of TIME is 23595999.

5-31

PROCEDURE DIVISION

ADD
5.9

THE ADD STATEMENT

Function
The ADD statement causes two or more numeric operands to be added
together and the result to be stored.
General Format
Format 1
ADD

identifier-1}

identif ier-2]

.•. TO identifier-3 [ROUNDED]

, literal-2

literal-I

[, identifier-4 [ROUNDED]]
[;ON SIZE ERROR imperative-statement]
Format 2
ADD lidentifier-ll,

ridentifier-21

[' identifier-31 ...

j , literal-3 J
GIVING identifier-4 [ROUNDED] G identifier-5 [ROUNDED]]
literal-I

[; ON SIZE ERROR

Lliteral-2

imperative-statement]

Format 3

ADD

CORRESPONDING}
{ CORR

identif ier-1 TO identif ier-2 [ROUNDED]

[; ON SIZE ERROR imperative-statement]
Syntax Rules
1.

In Formats 1 and 2, each identifier must refer to an
elementary
numeric
item,
except
that
in
Format 2
identifier-4, following the word GIVING, must refer to either
an elementary numeric item or an elementary numeric edited
item. In Format 3, each identifier must refer to a group
item.

Each literal must be a numeric literal.

The composite of operands must not contain more than
digits (see Section 5.7.4, The Arithmetic Statements).

5-32

PROCEDURE DIVISION
a.

In Format 1, the composite of operands is determined
using all of the operands in a given statement.

In Format 2, the composite of operands is determined by
using all of the operands in a given statement excluding
the data items that follow the word GIVING.

c. ·In Format 3 the composite of operands is determined
separately for each pair of corresponding data items.
4.

CORR is an abbreviation for CORRESPONDING.

General Rules
1.

See Section 5.7.1, The ROUNDED Phrase;
Section 5.7.2, The
SIZE ERROR Phrase; Section 5.7.3, The CORRESPONDING Phrase;
Section 5.7.4, The Arithmetic Statements;
Section 5.7.6,
Overlapping Operands; and Section 5.7.5, Multiple Results in
Arithmetic Statements.

If Format 1 is used, the values of the operands preceding the
word TO are added together, then the sum is added to the
current value of identifier-3, and the result is stored into
identifier-3.
This process is repeated for each operand
following the word TO.

If Format 2 is used, the values of the operands preceding the
word GIVING are added together, then the sum is stored as the
new value of each identifier-4, ,identifier-5, ••• ,.

If Format 3 is used, data items in identifier-! are added
and stored in corresponding data items in identifier-2.

The compiler ensures that enough places are carried
no significant digits are lost during execution.

5-33

to
that

PROCEDURE DIVISION

ALTER
5.10

THE ALTER STATEMENT

Function
The ALTER
statement.

statement

modifies

the

destination

General Format
ALTER procedure-name-1 TO [PROCEED TO] procedure-name-2
[, procedure-name-3 TO [PROCEED TO] procedure-name-4]
Syntax Rules
1.

Each procedure-name-1, procedure-name-3, ••• , is the name of a
paragraph that contains a single sentence consisting of a GO
TO statement without the DEPENDING phrase.

Each procedure-narne-2, procedure-name-4, ••• , is the name
a paragraph or section in the Procedure Division.

General Rules
Execution of the ALTER statement modifies the GO TO statement in
the paragraph named with procedure-name-1, procedure-name-3 so
that subsequent executions of the modified GO TO statements cause
transfer of control to procedure-na~e-2, procedure-name-4, ••• ,
respectively.

5-34

PROCEDURE DIVISION

CALL
5.11

THE CALL STATEMENT

Function
The CALL statement causes control to be transferred
object program to another within the run unit.

from

one

General Format
CALL literal-l[USING data-name-l[,data-name-2] ••• ]
Syntax Rules
1.

Literal-1 must be a nonnumeric literal, consisting of the
characters. 0-9 and A-Z, and must be six or less characters in
length.
Literal-I is the entry point in
the
called
subprogram.
For COBOL subprograms, literal-1 is the first
six characters of the called programs PROGRAM-ID.

The USING phrase is included in the CALL statement only if
there is a non-empty USING phrase in the Procedure Division
header of the called program. The number of operands in each
USING phrase must be identical.

Each of the operands in the USING phrase must have been
defined as a data item in the File Section, Working-Storage
Section, or Linkage Section. Data-name-1, data-name-2,
••• ,
may be qualified and/or subscripted.

General Rules

The program whose name is specified by the value of literal-I
is the called program;
the program in which the CALL
statement appears is the calling program.

The execution of a CALL statement causes control to
the called program.

A called program is in its initial state the first time it is
called within a run unit.

pass

On all other entries into the called program, the state of
the program remains unchanged from its state when last
exited. This includes all data fields, the status and
positioning of all files, and all alterable switch settings.
4.

Called programs may contain CALL statements.
However, a
called program must not contain a CALL statement that
directly or indirectly calls the calling program.

The order of appearance of the data-names in the USING phrase
of the CALL statement and the USING phrase in the PROCEDURE
DIVISION header is critical. Corresponding data-names refer
to a single set of data that is available to the called and
calling program. The correspondence is positional, not by

5-35

PROCEDURE DIVISION

name.
In the case of index-names, no such correspondence is
established.
Index-names in the called and calling program
always refer to separate indices.
6.

The CALL statement may appear anywhere within the PROCEDURE
DIVISION of a program.
The implemention will provide all
controls necessary to insure that the proper logic flow is
maintained when segmentation of user code causes overlaying.

5-36

PROCEDURE DIVISION

CLOSE
5.12

THE CLOSE STATEMENT (SEQUENTIAL)

Function
The CLOSE statement termina~es the processing of reels/units and
files
with
optional rewind and/or lock or removal where
applicable.
General Format

IWITH till REwrnol

REEL}
{ UNIT

l_FOR REMOVAL

CLOSE f ile-name-1
WITH

, f ile-name-2

NO REWIND}
{ LOCK

REEL}
lwITH NO REWINOl~
UNIT
l!OR REMOVAL
J
WITH

...

{NO REWIND}
LOCK

Syntax Rules
1.

The REEL UNIT phrase must be used only for sequential files.

The files referenced in the CLOSE statement need not all have
the same organization or access.

General Rules
Except where otherwise stated in the general rules below,
the
terms REEL and UNIT are synonymous and completely interchangeable
in the CLOSE statement. Treatment of sequential mass storage
files is logically equivalent to the treatment of a file on tape
or analogous sequential media.
1.

A CLOSE statement may be executed for a file
file is open.

only

when

the

For the purpose of showing the effect of various types of
CLOSE statements as applied to various storage media, all
files are divided into the following categories:
a.

Non-reel/unit. A file whose input or output medium is
such that the concept of rewind and reels/units have no
meaning.

Sequential single-reel/unit. A sequential file
entirely contained on one reel/unit.

that

Sequential multi-reel unit. A sequential
contained on more than one reel/unit.

that

5-37

file

PROCEDURE DIVISION
3.

The results of executing each type of CLOSE for each category
of
file are summarized in Table 5-3, Relationship of
Categories of Files and the Formats of the CLOSE Statement.
Table 5-3
Relationship of Categories of Files and the Formats
of the CLOSE Statement
File Category

CLOSE
Statement
Format

Non-Reel/Unit

Sequential
SingleReel/Unit

Sequential
MultiReel/Unit

C,G

C,G,A

CLOSE WITH LOCK

C,E

C,G,E

C,G,E,A

CLOSE WITH NO REWIND

C,B

C,B,A

CLOSE REEL/UNIT

F,G

CLOSE REEL/UNIT
FOR REMOVAL

F,D,G

CLOSE REEL/UNIT
WITH NO REWIND

F,B

The definitions of the symbols in the table are given below.
Where the definition depends on whether the file is an input,
output, or input-output file,
alternate definitions are
given; otherwise, a definition applies to input, output, and
input-output files.
A

Previous Reels/Units Unaffected
Input Files and Input-Output Files:
All reels/units in the file prior to the
current
reel/unit
are
processed according to the standard
reel/unit swap procedure, except
those
reels/units
controlled by a prior CLOSE REEL/UNIT statement. If the
current reel/unit is not the last in the file,
the
reels/units in the file following the current one are not
processed.
Output Files:
All reels/units in the file prior to the
current
reel/unit
are
processed according to the standard
reel/unit swap procedure, except
those
reels/units
controlled by a prior CLOSE REEL/UNIT statement.

5-38

PROCEDURE DIVISION
B

No Rewind of Current Reel
The current reel/unit is left in its current position.

Close File
Input Files and Input-Output Files:
If the file is positioned at its end and -label records
are specified for the file, the label~ are processed
according to the Record Management Services.
Closing
operations specified by the Record Management Services
are executed. If the file is positioned at its end and
label records are not specified for the file, label
processing does not take place but
other
closing
operation~
specified by the Record Management Services
are executed. If the file is positioned other than at
its end, the closing operations specified by the Record
Management Services are executed, but there is no ending
label processing.
Output Files:
If label records are specified for the file, the labels
are processed according to the standard label convention.
Closing operations specified by the Record Management
Services
are
executed.
If label records are not
specified for the file, label processing does not take
place but other closing operations specified by the
Record Management Services are executed.

Reel/Unit Removal
A Record Management Services defined
technique
is
supplied to ensure that the current reel or unit is
rewound when applicable, and that the operating system is
notified that the reel or unit is logically removed from
this run unit; however, the reel or unit may be accessed
again, in its proper order of reels or units within the
file if a CLOSE statement without the REEL or UNIT phrase
is subsequently executed for this file followed by the
execution of an OPEN statement for the file.

5-39

PROCEDURE DIVISION
E

File Lock
A technique is supplied to ensure that this file cannot
be opened again during this execution of this run unit.

Close Reel/Unit
I

Input Files:
The following operations take place:
(1)

A reel/unit swap.

(2)

The standard beginning reel/unit label procedure is
executed.

The next executed READ statement for
that file makes
available the next data record on the new reel/unit.
Output Files and Input-Output Files:
The following operations take place:

(1)

(For output files only)
The
standard
reel/unit label procedure is executed.

(2)

A reel/unit swap.

(3)

The standard beginning reel/unit label procedure is
executed.

ending

For input-output files, the next executed READ statement
that references that file makes the next logical data
record on the next mass storage unit available.
For
output files,
the next executed WRITE statement that
references that file directs the next logical data record
to the next reel/unit of the file.
G

Rewind
The current reel or analogous device is positioned at its
physical beginning.

Illegal
This is an illegal combination of a CLOSE option and a
file
category.
The
object
program execution is
terminated.

If the file is in the open mode when a STOP RUN statement is
executed or when the object program execution is prematurely
terminated, the file will be closed automatically.

5-40

PROCEDURE DIVISION
5.

If the OPTIONAL phrase has been specified for the file in the
FILE-CONTROL paragraph of the Environment Division and the
file is not present, the standard end-of-file processing is
not performed for that file.
If a CLOSE statement without the REEL or UNIT phrase has been
for a file, no other statement can be executed that
references that file, either explicitly or implicitly, unless
an intervening OPEN statement for that file is executed.

execu~ed

The WITH NO REWIND and FOR REMOVAL phrases will have no
effect at object time if they do not apply to the stora~e
media on which the file resides.

Following the successful execution of a CLOSE statement
without the REEL or UNIT phrase, the record area associated
with a file-name is no longer available.

If an error occurs during the execution of a CLOSE statement
issued without the UNIT or REEL phrase specified, the CLOSE
will not occur. The value 98 is placed in the FILE STATUS
data item (if one was specified) associated with the file.

10.

If an error occurs during the execution of a CLOSE statement
issued with the UNIT or REEL phrase specified, the CLOSE will
not occur. The value 99 is placed in the FILE STATUS data
item (if one was specified) associated with the file.

5-41

PROCEDURE DIVISION

CLOSE
5.13

THE CLOSE STATEMENT (INDEXED & RELATIVE)

Function
The CLOSE statement
optional lock.

terminates

the

processing

[!.rTH LOCfil

[· f ile-name-2

files

with

(!irTH LOCfil

J ...

General Format

CLOSE f ile-name-1
Syntax Rules

The files referenced in the CLOSE statement need not all have the
same organization or access.
General Rules
1.

A CLOSE statement may only be executed for a file in an
mode.

open

The results of executing each type of CLOSE for a relative or
indexed file are summarized below.
Close File
a.

Input Files and
Mode) :

Input-Output

Files

(Sequential

Access

If the file is positioned at its end, the labels are
processed according to the standard label convention.
Closing operations specified by the Record Management
Services are executed.
If the file is positioned other
than at its end, the closing operations specified by the
Record Management Services are executed, but there is no
ending label processing.
b.

Input Files and Input-Output Files
(Random or Dynamic
Access
Mode);
Output
Files
(Random, Dynamic, or
Sequential Access Mode):
Labels are processed according to the standard label
convention.
Closing operations specified by the Record
Management Services are executed.

File Lock
A technique is supplied to ensure that this file cannot
be opened again during this execution of the program.
3.

If a file is in the open mode when a STOP RUN statement is
executed or when the object program execution is prematurely
terminated, the file will be closed automatically.

5-42

PROCEDURE DIVISION
4.

If a CLOSE statement has been executed for a file,
no other
statement can be executed that references that file, either
explicitly or implicitly, unless
an
intervening
OPEN
statement for that file is executed.

Following the successful execution of a CLOSE statement,
the
record area associated with file-name is no longer available.

If an error occurs during the execution of a CLOSE statement,
the CLOSE will not occur. The value 98 is placed in the FILE
STATUS data item (if one was specified) associated with the
file.

5-43

PROCEDURE DIVISION

COMPUTE
5.14

THE COMPUTE STATEMENT

Function
The COMPUTE statement assigns to one or more data items the value
of an arithmetic expression.
General Format
COMPUTE
=

identifier-I

[ROUNDED]

arithmetic-expression

[

identif ier-2

[ROUNDED]]

[; ON SIZE ERROR imperative-statement]

Syntax Rules
1.

Identifiers that appear only to the left of = must refer to
either an elementary numeric item or an elementary numeric
edited item.

General Rules
1.

See Section 5.7.1, The ROUNDED Phrase;
Section 5.7.2, The
SIZE ERROR Phrase; Section 5.7.4, The Arithmetic Statement;
Section 5.7.6 Overlaying Operands;
and 5.7.5, Multiple
Results in Arithmetic Statements.

An arithmetic expression, consisting of a single identifier
or literal, provides a method of setting the values of
identifier-I, identifier-2, etc., equal to the value of the
single identifier or literal.
(See Section 5.5, Arithmetic
Expressions.)

If more than one identifier is specified for the result of
the operation, that is preceding =, the value of the
arithmetic expression is computed, and then this value is
stored
as
the
new
value
of each of identifier-I,
identifier-2, etc., in turn.

The COMPUTE statement allows the user to ~ombine arithmetic
operations without the restrictions on ~omposite of operands
and/or receiving data items imposed by the
arithmetic
statements ADD, SUBTRACT, MULTIPLY, and DIVIDE.

5-44

PROCEDURE DIVISION

DELETE
5.15

THE DELETE STATEMENT (INDEXED & RELATIVE)

Function
The DELETE statement logically removes a record from a file on
directory device.

General Format
DELETE file-name RECORD

[; INVALID KEY imperative-statement]

Syntax Rules
1.

The INVALID KEY phrase must not be specified for a DELETE
statement that references a file which is in sequential
access mode.

The INVALID KEY phrase must be specified for a DELETE
statement that references a file that is not in sequential
access mode and for which an applicable USE procedure is not
specified.

General Rules
1.

The associated file must be open in the I-0 mode at the
of the execution of this statement.

For files in the sequential
access
mode,
the
last
input-output statement executed for file-name prio~ to the
execution of the DELETE statement must
have
been
a
successfully executed READ statement. The record that was
accessed by that READ statement is logically removed from the
file.
If the last input-output statement executed for the
associated file was not a successfully
executed
READ
statement, the DELETE statement is not attempted, and the
value of "93" is placed in the File Status data item, if any,
associated with the file, to indicate an unsuccessful DELETE
operation.

When the INVALID KEY condition
taken in the following order:

recognized,

actions

time

are

if
A value is placed into the FILE STATUS data item,
specified for this file, to indicate an INVALID KEY
condition.

If the INVALID KEY phrase is specified in the statement
causing the condition, control is transferred to the
INVALID KEY imperative statement.
Any USE procedure
specified for this file is not executed.

If the INVALID KEY phrase is not specified, but a USE
procedure is specified, either explicitly or implicitly,
for this file, that procedure is executed.

5-45

PROCEDURE DIVISION
When the INVALID KEY condition occurs, execution of the
input-output statement that recognized the condition is
unsuccessful and the file is not affected.
4.

For a relative file in random or dynamic access mode, that
record identified by the contents of the RELATIVE KEY data
item associated with file-name is logically removed from the
file.
An INVALID KEY condition may arise; the action taken
is as follows:
a.

If the record specified by the contents of the RELATIVE
KEY data item does not exist, the value 23 is placed in
the FILE STATUS data item, if any, associated with the
file to indicate an unsuccessful DELETE operation.

If the contents of the RELATIVE KEY data item does not
lie within the range of the key values corresponding to
the allocated space for this file, a boundary violation
exists.
The value 24 is placed in the FILE STATUS data
item, if any, associated with the file to indicate an
unsuccessful DELETE operation.

For an indexed file accessed in random or dynamic mode,
the
record identified by the contents of the prime record key
data item is logically removed from the file.
If the
specified record does not exist, a value of 23 (Invalid Key
Condition) is placed in the FILE STATUS data item associated
with file-name.

After the successful execution of a DELETE statement, the
identified record has been logically removed from the file
and can no longer be accessed.

The execution of a DELETE statement does not affect
contents of the record area associated with file-name.

The current record pointer is not affected by
of a DELETE statement.

A DELETE statement will fail if it is executed on a record
that is being simu1taneously accessed by another task. The
value 92 is placed in the FILE STATUS data item if one was
specified for the file.

10.

If an unexplained error occurs during the execution of a
DELETE statement, the execution will fail.' A value of 30 is
placed in the FILE STATUS data item if one was specified for
the file.

5-46

the

execution

PROCEDURE DIVISION

DISPLAY
5.16

THE DISPLAY STATEMENT

Function
The DISPLAY statement causes low volume data to be transferred to
an appropriate hardware device.
General Format
DISPLAY

f identif ier-1 l [ identifier-21 ..•
{1iteral-l
f ,literal-2 j

@PON mnemoll ic-name] [wITH NO ADVANCIN~
Syntax Rules
1.

The mnemonic-name is associated with a hardware device in the
SPECIAL-NAMES paragraph in the Environment Division.

Each literal may be any figurative constant except ALL.

If the literal is numeric, it must be an unsigned integer.

General Rules
1.

The DISPLAY statement causes the contents of each operand to
be transferred to the hardware device in the order listed,
with no editing or conversion.

If a figurative constant is specified as one of the operands,
only a single occurrence of the figurative constant is
displayed.

When a DISPLAY statement contains more than one operand, the
size of the sending item is the sum of the sizes associated
with the operands, and the values of the operands are
transferred in the sequence in which the operands are
encountered.

When the WITH NO ADVANCING phrase is not specified, a line
feed character and a carriage return character are appended
to the sending item. If the sending item exceeds the size of
a line on the hardware device, the excess characters may
appear on following line(s) or may be lost, depending on the
device driver routine. Vertical and horizontal formatting
characters may be placed in the sending item.

5-47

PROCEDURE DIVISION
5.

When the WITH NO ADVANCING phrase is specified, the line-feed
and carriagereturncharacters are not appended to the sending
item. If thedevice handler allows it, the device will remain
positioned on the same line and on the character position
following the last character displayed. This is especially
useful when typing prompting messages on the console.

If the UPON phrase is not used, the data is
user's standard display device.

5-48

written

the

PROCEDURE DIVISION

DIVIDE
5.17

THE DIVIDE STATEMENT

Function
The DIVIDE statement divides one numeric data item
and sets the values of data items equal to the
remainder.

into others
quotient and

General Format
Format 1
DIVIDE

identifier-I}
{literal-I

[ROUNDED]

INTO identif ier-2

[, identifier-3 [ROUNDED]]
ON SIZE ERROR imperative-statement]
Format 2
DIVIDE

identif ier-1}
{ literal-I

INTO

identifier-2}
{ literal-2

GIVING identif ier-3 [ROUNDED]

[, identifier-4 [ROUNDED]]
ON SIZE ERROR imperative-statement]
Format 3
DIVIDE

identifier-I}

{ literal-I

identifier-2}
{ literal-2

GIVING identif ier-3

[ROUNDED]

[, identifier-4 [ROUNDED]]
ON SIZE ERROR imperative-statement]
Format 4
DIVIDE

identif ier-11

f literal-I

INTO

identifier-2}
{

GIVING identifier-3 [ROUNDED]

literal-2

REMAINDER identifier-4 [;

5-49

ON SIZE ERROR imperative-statement]

PROCEDURE DIVISION
Format 5
DIVIDE

identifier-ll
{literal-1

identifier-2}

GIVING identif ier-3 [ROUNDED]

{ literal-2

REMAINDER identif ier-4 [

;ON SIZE ERROR imperative-statement]

Syntax Rules
1.

Each identifier must refer to an elementary numeric item,
except that any identifier associated with the GIVING or
REMAINDER phrase must refer to either an elementary numeric
item or an elementary numeric edited item.

Each literal must be a numeric literal.

The composite of operands, which is the hypothetical data
item resulting from the superimposition of all receiving data
items (except the REMAINDER data item) of a given statement
aligned on their decimal points, must not contain more than
18 digits.

General Rules
1.

See Section 5.7.1, The ROUNDED Phrase;
Section 5.7.2, The
SIZE ERROR Phrase; Section 5.7.4, The Arithmetic Statements;
and Section 5.7.6, Overlapping Operands; and Section 5.7.5,
Multiple Results in Arithmetic Statements; for a description
of these functions.
See also, general rules 5 through 7
below for a discussion of the ROUNDED phrase and the SIZE
ERROR phrase as they pertain to Formats 4 and 5.

When Format 1 is used, the value of identifier-! or literal-!
is divided into the value of identif ier-2. The value of the
dividend (identifier-2) is replaced by this quotient;
the
same applies for identifier-! or literal-! and identifier-3,
etc.

When Format 2 is used, the value of identifier-! or literal-!
is divided into identifier-2 or literal-2 and the result is
stored in identifier-3, identifier-4, etc.

When Format 3 is used, the value of identifier-! or literal-1
is divided by the value of identifier-2 or literal-2 and the
result is stored in identifier-3, identifier-4, etc.

Formats 4 and 5 are used when a remainder from the division
operation is desired, normally identifier-4. The remainder
in COBOL is defined as the result of subtracting the product
of the quotient (identifier-3) and the divisor from the
dividend. If identifier-3 is defined as a numeric edited
item, the quotient used to calculate the remainder is an
intermediate field that contains the unedited quotient.
If
ROUNDED is used, the quotient used to calculate the remainder

5-50

PROCEDURE DIVISION
·is an intermediate field that contains the quotient
DIVIDE statement, truncated rather than rounded.

the

In Formats 4 and 5, the accuracy of the REMAINDER data item
(identifier-4) is defined by the calculation described above.
Appropriate decimal alignment and truncation
(not rounding)
will be performed for the content of the data item referenced
by identifier-4, as needed.

When the ON SIZE ERROR phrase is used in Formats 4 and 5, the
following rules pertain:
a.

If the size error occurs on the quotient,
no remainder
calculation is meaningful.
Therefore, the contents of
the data items referenced by both identif ier-3 and
identifi~r-4 will remain unchanged.

If the size error occurs on the remainder,
the contents
of the data item referenced by identif ier-4 remain
unchanged. However, as with other instances of multiple
results of arithmetic statements, the user will have to
do his own analysis to recognize which situation has
actually occurred.

5-51

PROCEDURE DIVISION

EXIT
5.18

THE EXIT STATEMENT

Function
The EXIT statement provides a common end point for a series
procedures, or marks the logical end of a called program.

General Format
PROGRAM
Syntax Rules
1.

The EXIT statement without the PROGRAM phrase must appear
only in a sentence by itself and comprise the only sentence
in the paragraph.

If an EXIT PROGRAM statement appears in a consecutive
sequence of imperative statements within a sentence, it must
appear as the last statement in that sequence.

General Rules
1.

An EXIT statement without the optional word PROGRAM serves
only to enable you to assign a procedure-name to a given
point in a program. Such an EXIT statement has no other
effect on the compilation or execution of the program.

An execution of an EXIT PROGRAM statement in a called program
causes control to be passed to the calling program. If the
EXIT PROGRAM statement is executed in a program that is not
under the control of a calling program, the EXIT PROGRAM
statement causes execution of the program to continue with
the next executable statement.

5-52

PROCEDURE DIVISION

GO TO
5.19

THE GO TO STATEMENT

Function
The GO TO statement causes control to be transferred
part of the Procedure Division to another.

from

one

General Format
Format 1
GO TO [procedure-name-1]
Format 2
GO TO procedure-name-1 [, procedure-name-2] •.• , procedure-name-n
DEPENDING ON identifier
Syntax Rules
1.

Identifier is the name of a numeric elementary item described
without any positions to the right of the assumed decimal
point.

When a paragraph is referenced by an ALTER statement, that
paragraph can consist only of a paragraph header followed by
a Format 1 GO TO statement.

A Format 1 GO TO statement without procedure-name-I can
appear in a single statement paragraph.

If a GO TO statement represented by Format 1 appears in a
consecutive
sequence of imperative statements within a
sentence, it must appear as the last statement in that
sequence.

only

General Rules
1.

When a GO TO statement represented by Format 1 is executed,
control is transferred to procedure-name-1 or to another
procedure-name if the GO TO statement has been modified by an
ALTER statement.

If procedure-name-1 is not specified in Format 1, an ALTER
statement referring to this GO TO statement must be executed
prior to the execution of this GO TO statement.

When a GO TO statement represented by Format 2 is executed,
control is transferred to procedure-name-I, procedure-name-2,
etc., depending on whether the value of the identifier is 1,
2,
••• , n.
If the value of the identifier is anything other
than the positive or unsigned integers 1, 2, ••• , n, then no
transfer occurs and control passes to the next statement in
the normal sequence for execution.

5-53

PROCEDURE DIVISION

IF
5.20

THE IF STATEMENT

Function
The IF statement causes a condition (see Section 5.6, Conditional
Expressi~ns)
to be evaluated. The subsequent flow of control of
the object program depends on whether the value of the condition
is true or false.
General Format
IF condition; } statement-!

}J; ELSE statement-2 }

lNEXT SENTENCE l; ELSE NEXT SENTENCE

Syntax Rules
1.

Statement-I and statement-2 represent either an imperative
statement or a conditional statement, and either may be
followed by a conditional statement.

The ELSE NEXT SENTENCE phrase may be omitted
if
immediately precedes the terminal period of the sentence.

General Rules
1.

When an IF statement is executed, the following transfers
control occur:

If the condition is true, statement-! is executed if
specified. If statement-I contains a procedure branching
or
conditional
statement,
control
is
explicitly
transferred
in
accordance with the rules of that
statement. (See Section 5.4.6, Imperative Sentences.) If
statement-1 does not contain a procedure branching
or
conditional statement, the ELSE phrase, if specified, is
ignored and control passes to the
next
executable
sentence.

If the condition is true and the NEXT SENTENCE phrase is
specified instead of statement-1, the ELSE phrase, if
specified, is ignored and control passes to the next
executable sentence.

If the condition is false, statement-I or its surrogate
NEXT SENTENCE is ignored, and statement-2, if specified,
is executed.
If statement-2 contains
a
procedure
branching statement or conditional statement, control is
explicitly transferred in accordance with the rules of
that
statement.
(See
Section
5.4.6, Imperative
Sentences.)
If statement-2 does not contain a procedure
branching or conditional statement, control passes to the
next executable sentence. If the ELSE statement-2 phrase
is not specified, statement-! is ignored and control
passes to the next executable sentence.

5-54

PROCEDURE DIVISION

If the condition is false, and the ELSE NEXT SENTENCE
phrase
is
specified,
statement-!
is ignored,
if
specified, and control passes to the next execµtable
sentence.

Statement-! and/or statement-2 may contain an IF statement.
In this case the IF statement is said to be nested.
IF statements within IF statements may be considered as
paired IF and ELSE combinations, proceeding from left to
right. Thus, any ELSE encountered is considered to apply to
the immediately preceding IF that has not been already paired
with an ELSE.

5-55

PROCEDURE DIVISION

INSPECT
5.21

THE INSPECT STATEMENT

Function
The INSPECT statement provides the ability to count
(Format 1),
replace
(Format 2), or count and replace (Format 3) occurrences

of single characters or groups of characters in a data item.
General Format
Fo:r111at l
~

identifier-1

TALLYING

J:::}

identifier-3JR
, identifier-2
{

FOR·{· {C:OING)

{

1iteral-1

INITU\I,

identifier-4}\ll
{

li teral-2

CHARACTERS

!JI

}

FORMAT 2
~

identifier-1 REPLACING

rCHARACTERS !!!

[{{:::i

{

tifier-6)[~) INITIAL

iden.
literal-4

identifier-5)
{{

!!!

literal-3

( identifier-7~..LJ
literal-5

~~) IHITIAL

{identifier-6}
literal-4
~~

( i~entifier-7Y~··}···
flJ
l1 teral-5

FORMAT 3
~

identifier-1 TALLYING

identifier-2

FOR { , rc::Dnm}

{

c::::::~:r-1rcBEFORE)
-']~AFTER

CHARACTERS

INITIAL

{i~entifier-4y~.
DJ

·} ...

literal-2

REPLACING
CHARACTERS BY

{{::IN~ {·

identifier-6}
{

literal-4

cidentifier-51.
literal-3
)

fj{BEFORF:}
~ ~
ll

identifier-7y
INITIAL

{

literal-5

{identifier-6} fi(BF.FORF.} INITIAL
literal-4

!:!!!!.

5-56

{i~entifier-7JRQr
literal-5

• • }· •.

PROCEDURE DIVISION
Syntax Rules
All Formats
1.

Identifier-I must reference either a group item or any
category of elementary item described (either implicitly or
explicitly) as USAGE IS DISPLAY.

Identifier-3 ••. identifier-n
must
reference
elementary
alphab0tic,
alphanumeric,
or
described (either implicitly or explicitly)
DISPLAY.

Each literal must be nonnumeric and
constant except ALL.

Literal-!, literal-2, literal-3, literal-4, and literal-5,
and the data items referenced by identifier-3, identifier-4,
identifier-5,
identifier-6, and identif ier-7 may be any
length except as specifically restricted by syntax and
general rules.

may

either
an
numeric
item
as USAGE IS
any

figurative

Formats 1 and 3 only
5.

Identifier-2 must reference an elementary numeric data item.

If either literal-! or literal-2 is a figurative constant,
the figurative constant refers to an implicit 1 character
data item.

Formats 2 and 3 only
7.

The size of the data referenced by literal-4 or ident~fier-6
must be equal to the size of the data referenced by literal-3
or identifier-5. When a figurative constant is used as
literal-4,
the size of the figurative constant is equal to
the size of literal-3 or the size of the data item referenced
by identifier-5.

When the CHARACTERS phrase is used, literal-4, literal-5, or
the size of the data item referenced by identifier-6,
identifier-7 must be one character in length.

When a figurative constant is used as litetal-3, the data
referenced by literal-4 or identifier-6 must be one character
in length.

General Rules
All Formats
1.

Inspection
(which includes the
comparison
cyclS,, the
establishment of boundaries for the BEFORE or AFTER phrase,
and the mechanism for tallying and/or replacing)
begins at
the leftmost character position of the data item referenced

5-57

PROCEDURE DIVISION
by identifier-I, regardless of its class, and proceeds from
left
to right to the rightmost character position as
described in general rules 4 through 6.
2.

For use in the INSPECT statement, the contents of the data
item referenced by identifier-I, identifier-3, identifier-4,
identifier-5, identifier-6 or identifier-7 will be treated as
follows:
a.

If any of the identifiers {identifier-I,
identifier-3,
identifier-4,
identifier-5,
identifier-6,
or
identifier-7) is described as alphanumeric, the INSPECT
statement treats the contents of each identifier as a
character-string.

If any of the identifiers
(identifier-!, identifier-3,
identifier-4,
identifier-5,
identifier-6,
or
identifier-7) is described as alphanumeric edited, numeric
edited, or unsigned numeric, the data item is inspected
as though it had been redefined as alphanumeric
{see
general rule 2a)
and the INSPECT statement had
been
written to reference the redefined data item.

If any of the identifiers
(identifier-!,
identifier-3,
identifier-4,
identifier-5,
identifier-6,
or
identifier-7) is described as signed numeric, the data
item is inspected as though it had been moved to an
unsigned numeric data item of the same length and then
the rules in general rule 2b had been applied.
{See
Section 5.16, The MOVE Statement).

In general rules 4 through 11 all references to literal-!,
literal-2, literal-3, literal-4, and literal-5 apply equally
to the contents of the data item referenced by identifier-3,
identifier-4, identifier-5, identifier-6, and identifier-7,
respectively.

During inspection of the contents of the data item· referenced
by
identif ier-1,
each
properly matched occurrence of
literal-! is tallied (Formats 1 and 3) and/or each properly
matched occurrence of literal-3 is replaced by literal-4
(Formats 2 and 3} •

The comparison operation to determine the occurrences of
literal-I to be tallied and/or occurrences of literal-3 to be
replaced occurs as follows:
a.

The operands of the TALLYING and REPLACING phrases are
considered in the order they are specified in the INSPECT
statement from left to right.
The first literal-!,
literal-3 is compared to an equal number of contiguous
characters, starting with the leftmost character position
in the data item referenced by identifier-I. Literal-I,
literal-3 and that portion of the contents of the data
item referenced by identifier-! match if, and only if,
they are equal, character for character.

5-58

PROCEDURE DIVISION

If no match occurs in the comparison of the first
literal-!,
literal-3, the comparison is repeated with
each successive literal-!, literal-3,
if any, until
either a match is found or there is no next successive
literal-!, literal-3. When there is no next successive
literal-!, literal-3, the character position in the data
item referenced by identifier-! immediately to the right
of the leftmost character position considered in the last
comparison cycle is considered as the leftmost character
position, and the comparison cycle begins again with the
first literal-I, literal-3.

Whenever a match occurs, tallying and/or replacing takes
place as described in general rules 8 through 10. The
character position in the data item referenced
by
identifier-I immediately to the right of the rightmost
character position that participated in the match is now
considered to be the leftmost character position of the
data item referenced by identifier-I, and the comparison
cycle starts again with the first literal-I, literal-3.

The comparison operation continues until the rightmost
character
position of the data item referenced by
identif ier-1 has participated in a match or has been
considered as the leftmost character position. When this
occurs, inspection is terminated.

If the CHARACTERS phrase is specified, an
implied
!-character operand participates in the cycle described
in paragraphs Sa through Sd above, except that no
comparison to the contents of the data item referenced by
identifier-! takes place.
This implied character is
considered always to match the leftmost character of the
contents of the data item referenced by identifier-!
participating in the current comparison cycle.

The comparison operation defined in general rule
affected by the BEFORE and AFTER phrases as follows:

If the BEFORE or AFTER phrase is
not
specified,
literal-!, literal-3, or the imp~ied operand of the
CHARACTERS phrase
participates
in
the
comparison
operation as described in general rule 5.

If the BEFORE phrase is specified,
the
associated
literal-!, literal-3 or the implied operand of the
CHARACTERS phrase participates only in those comparison
cycles that involve that portion of the contents of the
data item referenced by identifier-I from its leftmost
character position up to, but not including, the first
occurrence of literal-2, literal-5 within the contents of
the data item referenced by identifier-I. The position
of this first occurrence is determined before the first
cycle of the comparison operation described in general
rule 5 is begun.
If, on any comparison cycle, literal-I,

5-59

PROCEDURE DIVISION
literal-3 or the implied operand of the CHARACTERS phrase
is not eligible to participate, it is considered not to
match the contents of the data item referenced by
identifier-I.
If there is no occurrence of literal-2,
literal-5 within the contents of the data item referenced
by identifier-!, its associated literal-!, literal-3, or
the impiied operand of the CHARACTERS phrase participates
in the comparison operation as though the BEFORE phrase
had not been specified.
c.

If the AFTER phrase is specified,
the
associated
literal-!, literal-3 or the implied operand of the
CHARACTERS phrase may
participate
only
in
those
comparison cycles which involve that portion of the
contents of the data item referenced by identifier-I.
The
comparison
begins from the character position
immediately to the right of the rightmost character
position of the first occurrence of literal-2, literal-5
within the contents of the data item referenced by
identifier-! and the rightmost character position of the
data item referenced by identifier-!.
The position of
this first occurrence is determined before the first
cycle of the comparison operation described in general
rule 5 is begun.
If, on any comparison cycle, literal-!,
literal-3 or the implied operand of the CHARACTERS phrase
is not eligible to participate, it is considered not to
match the contents of the data item referenced by
identifier-I.
If there is no occurrence of literal-2,
literal-5 within the contents of the data item referenced
by identifier-!, its associated literal-!, literal-3, or
the implied operand of the CHARACTERS phrase is never
eligible to participate in the comparison operation.
0

Format 1
7.

The contents of the data item referenced by identifier-2 are
not initialized by the execution of the INSPECT statement.

The rules for tallying are as follows:
a.

If the ALL phrase is specified, the contents of the data
item referenced by identifier-2 is incremented by one (1)
for each occurrence of literal-I matched within the
contents of the data item referenced by identifier-!.

If the LEADING phrase is specified, the contents of the
data item referenced by identifier-2 is incremented by
one (1)
for each contiguous occurrence of literal-!
matched within the contents of the data item referenced
by identifier-!, provided that
the
leftmost
such
occurrence is at the point where comparison began in the
first comparison cycle in which literal-! was eligible to
participate.

5-60

PROCEDURE DIVISION
c.

If the CHARACTERS phrase is specified, the contents of
the data item referenced by identif ier-2 is incremented
by one (1) for each character matched, in the sense of
general rule Se, within the contents of the data item
referenced by identifier-I.

Format 2

The required words ALL, LEADING, and
that apply to each succeeding BY
adjective appears.

10.

The rules for replacement are as follows:

FIRST are adjectives
phrase until the next

When the CHARACTERS phrase is specified, each character
matched, in the sense of general rule Se, in the contents
of the data item referenced by identifier-I is replaced
by literal-4.

When the adjective ALL is specified, each occurrence of
literal-3 matched in the contents of the data item
referenced by identifier-I is replaced by literal-4.

When the adjective LEADING is specified, each contiguous
occurrence of literal-3 matched in the contents of the
data item referenced by identif ier-1 is replaced by
literal-4, provided that the leftmost occurrence is at
the point where comparison began in the first comparison
cycle in which literal-I was eligible to participate.

When the adjective FIRST is specified, the leftmost
occurrence of literal-3 matched within the contents of
the data item referenced by identifier-I is replaced by
literal-4.

Format 3
11.

A Format 3 INSPECT statement is interpreted and executed as
though two successive INSPECT statements specifying the same
identifier-I had been written, with one statement being a
Format 1 statement with TALLYING phrases identical to those
specified in the Format 3 statement, and the other statement
being a Format 2 statement with REPLACING phrases identical
to those specified in the Format 3 statement.
The general
rules given for matching and counting apply to the Format 1
statement, and the general rules given for matching and
replacing apply to the Format 2 statement.

Examples
Following are five examples of the INSPECT statement:
INSPECT word TALLYING count FOR LEADING "L"
count-1 FOR L~ADING "A" BEFORE INITIAL "L".

S-61

BEFORE

INITIAL

"A"

PROCEDURE DIVISION
LARGE, count = 1, count-1 = 0.
ANALYST, count = 0, count-1 = 1.

Where word
Where word

INSPECT word TALLYING count FOR ALL "L", REPLACING LEADING "A" BY
"E" AFTER INITIAL "L".
CALLAR, count
SALAMI, count
LATTER, count

Where word
Where word
Where word

2, word
CALLAR.
1, word = SALEMI.
1, word = LETTER.

INSPECT word REPLACING ALL "A" BY "G" BEFORE INITIAL "X".
ARXAX, word = GRXAX.
HANDAX, word = HGNDGX.

Where word
Where word

INSPECT word TALLYING count
REPLACING ALL "A" BY "B".
Where word
Where word
Where word

FOR

CHARACTERS

AFTER

INITIAL

"J"

ADJECTIVE, count = 6, word = BDJECTIVE.

= JACK, count = 3, word = JBCK.
= JUJMAB, count = 5, word = JUJMBB.

INSPECT word REPLACING.CHARACTERS BY "B" BEFORE INITIAL "A".
WORD BEFORE:
WORD AFTER:

1 2
X Z A B C D
B B B B B A B C D

INSPECT word REPLACING ALL "X" BY "Y", "B" BY "Z",
AFTER INITIAL "R".
Where word = RXXBQWY, word = RYYZQQY.
Where word = YZACDWBR, word = YZACDWBR.
Where word
RAWRXEB, word = RAQRYEZ.

5-62

"W"

"Q",

PROCEDURE DIVISION

MOVE
5.22

THE MOVE STATEMENT

Function
The MOVE statement transfers data, in accordance with
of editing, to one or more data areas.

the

rules

General Format
Format 1
identif ier-1
MOVE

~~ { literal

l TO identifier-2 [,identifier-3] •••
j

Format 2
MOVE

CORRESPONDING
{ CORR

identifier-1 TO identif ier-2

Syntax Rules
1.

Identif ier-1 and literal represent
the
sending
area;
••• , represent the receiving
identifier-2, identifier-3,
area.

CORR is an abbreviation for CORRESPONDING.

When the CORRESPONDING phrase is used, both identifiers
be group items.

must

An index data item cannot appear as
statement.

MOVE

operand

General Rules
1.

If the CORRESPONDING phrase is used, selected items within
identifier-I are moved to selected items within identifier-2,
according to the rules given in
Section
5.7.3,
The
CORRESPONDING Phrase.
The results are the same as if the
user had referred to each pair of corresponding identifiers
in separate MOVE statements.

The data designated by the literal or identifier-I is moved
first to identifier-2, then to identifier-3, •••
The
rules referring to identifier-2 also apply to the other
receiving areas.
Any subscripting or indexing associated
with identifier-2, ••• , is evaluated immediately before the
data is moved to the respective data item.
Any subscripting or indexing associated with identifier-I is
evaluated only once, immediately before data is moved to the
first of the receiving operands.
Consider the following
statement.
MOVE a (b) TO b, c (b)

5-63

PROCEDURE DIVISION
The result of this statement is equivalent to:
MOVE a (b) TO temp
MOVE temp TO b
MOVE temp TO c (b)
where temp is an intermediate result
compiler.
3.

item

provided

the

Any MOVE in which the sending and rece1v1ng items are both
elementary items is an elementary move. Every elementary
item belongs to one of the following categories:
numeric,
alphabetic,
alphanumeric,
numeric
edited,
alphanumeric
edited.
These categories are described in the PICTURE
clause.
Numeric literals belong to the numeric category and
nonnumeric literals belong to the alphanumeric category. The
figurative constant ZERO belongs to the numeric category.
The figurative constant SPACE belongs to the alphabetic
category.
All other figurative constants belong to the
alphanumeric category.
The following rules apply to an elementary move between these
categories:

The figurative constant SPACE,
a
numeric
edited,
alphanumeric edited or alphabetic data item must not be
moved to a numeric or numeric edited data item.

A numeric literal,
the figurative constant ZERO, a
numeric data item or a numeric edited data item must not
be moved to an alphabetic data item.

A non-integer numeric literal or
data item must not be moved
alphanumeric edited data item.

All other elementary moves are legal and are performed
according to the rules given in general rule 4.

a non-integer numeric
to an alphanumeric or

Any necessary conversion of data from one form of internal
representation to another takes place during legal elementary
moves, as well as any editing specified for the receiving
data item:
a.

When an alphanumeric edited or alphanumeric item is a
receiving item, alignment and any necessary space filling
takes place as defined under Standard Alignment Rules,
Section 4.13.10.
If the size of the sending item is
greater than the size of the receiving item,
the excess
characters are truncated on the right after the receiving
item is filled.
If the sending item is described as
being signed numeric,
the operational sign will not be
moved;
if the operational sign occupied a separate
character position
(see Section 4.23, the SIGN Clause),
that character will not be moved and the size of the

5-64

PROCEDURE DIVISION
sending item is considered to be one less than its actual
size (in terms of standard data format characters).

When a numeric or numeric edited item is the receiving
item, alignment by decimal point and any necessary
zero-filling takes place as defined under the Standard
Alignment Rules, Section 4.13.10, except where zeros are
'replaced because of editing requirements.
1.

When a signed numeric item is the receiving item, the
sign of the sending item is placed in the receiving
item.
(See Section
4.23,
The
SIGN
Clause.)
Conversion of the representation of the sign takes
place as necessary.
If the sending it~m is unsigned,
a positive sign is generated for the receiving item.

When an unsigned numeric item is the receiving item,
the absolute value of the sending item is moved and
no operational sign is generated for
the receiving
item.

When a data item described as alphanumeric is the
sending item, data is moved as if the sending item
were described as an unsigned numeric integer.

When a rece1v1ng field is described as alphabetic,
justification and any necessary space-filling takes place
as defined under the Standard Alignment Rules, Section
4.13.10.- If the size of the sending item is greater than
the size of the receiving item, the excess characters are
truncated on the right after the receiving item is
filled.

Any move that is not an elementary move is treated exactly as
if it were an alphanumeric to alphanumeric elementary move,
except that there is no conversion of data from one form of
internal representation to another.
In such a move, the
receiving area will be filled without consideration for the
individual elementary or group items contained within either
the sending or receiving area.

The f9llowing chart summarizes the legality of the various
types of MOVE statements.
The reference to general rules
(for example /2a)indicates the rule
(above)
that prohibits
the move or the behavior of a legal move.

5-65

PROCEDURE DIVISION

CATEGORY OF RECEIVING DATA ITEM
CATEGORY OF
SENDING
DATA ITEM
ALPHABETIC
ALPHANUMERIC
ALPHANUMERIC EDITED
NUMERIC INTEGER
NUMERIC NON-INTEGER
NUMERIC EDITED

ALPHABETIC

ALPHANUMERIC EDITED
ALPHANUMERIC

NUMERIC INTEGER
NUMERIC NON-INTEGER
NUMERIC EDITED

Yes/4c
Yes/4c
Yes/4c
No/3b
No/3b
No/3b

Yes/4a
Yes/4a
Yes/4a
Yes/4a
No/3c
Yes/4a

No/3a
Yes/4b
No/3a
Yes/4b
Yes/4b
No/3a

5-66

PROCEDURE DIVISION

MULTIPLY
5.23

THE MULTIPLY STATEMENT

Function
The MULTIPLY statement causes numeric data items to be multiplied
and sets the values of data items equal to the results.
General Format
Format 1

MULTIPLYlidentifier-ll

BY identifier-2 [ROUNDED]

{literal-I
[, identifier-3 [ROUNDED]]
[;

ON SIZE ERROR imperative-statement]

Format 2

MULTIPLY}identifier-l
tliteral-1

2
} identifier- 1GIVING identifier-3 [ROUNDED]
{ literal-2

[,identifier-4 [ROUNDED]]
[;

ON SIZE ERROR imperative-statement]

Syntax Rules
1.

Each identifier must refer to a numeric elementary item,
except that in Format 2 the identifier following the word
GIVING must refer to either an elementary numeric item or an
elementary numeric edited item.

Each literal must be a numeric literal.

The composite of operands, which is that hypothetical data
item resulting from the superimposition of all receiving data
items of a given statement aligned on their decimal points,
must not contain more than eighteen (18) digits.

5-67

PROCEDURE DIVISION
General Rules
1.

See Section 5.7.1, The ROUNDED Phrase;
Section 5.7.2, The
SIZE ERROR Phrase; Section 5.7.4, The Arithmetic Statements;
Section 5.7.6, Overlapping Operands;
and Section 5.7.5,
Multiple Re$ults in Arithmetic Statements.

When Format 1 is used, the value of identifier-I or literal-I
is multiplied by the value of identifier-2. The value of the
multiplier (identifier-2) is replaced by this product;
the
same applies for identifier-I or literal-I and identifier-3,
etc.

When Format 2 is used, the value of identifier-I or literal-I
is multiplied by the value of identifier-2 or literal-2 and
the result is stored in identifier-3, identifier-4, etc.

5-68

PROCEDURE DIVISION

OPEN
5.24

THE OPEN STATEMENT (SEQUENTIAL}

Function
The OPEN statement initiates the processing of files.
It also
performs checking and/or label writing and other input-output
operations.
General Format
INPUT f ile-name-l[vnTH NO

REWIN~ ~ f ile-name-2 ~ITH NO REwrnq]J. ••

OUTPUT f ile-name-3 [wI'rH NO REWINDJt f ile-name-4 [wITH NO
I-0 file-name-5

REWINI~} •••.•

[, file-name-6]

EXTEND file-name-7

[, f ile-name-8]

Syntax Rules
1.

The NO REWIND phrase can be used only with sequential files.

The I-0 phrase can
devices.

The EXTEND phrase can be used only for sequential files.

The EXTEND phrase must not be specified for files on multiple
file reels.

The files referenced in the OPEN statement need not all
the same organization or access.

used

only

for

files

directory

have

General Rules
1.

The successful execution of an OPEN statement determines the
availability of the file and results in the file being in an
open mode.

The successful execution of an OPEN statement
associated record area available to the program.

Prior to the successful execution of an OPEN statement for a
given file, no statement can be executed that refers to that
file, either explicitly or implicitly.

An OPEN statement must be successfully executed prior to the
execution of any of the permissible input-output statements.
In Table 5-4, Permissible Statements, X at an intersection
indicates
that
the
specified statement, used in the
sequential access mode, may be used with the sequential file
organization and open mode given at the top of the column.

5-69

makes

the

PROCEDURE DIVISION
Table 5-4
Permissible Statements
Open Mode
Statement

Input

READ

Output

Input-Output

Extend

x
x

WRITE

x
x

REWRITE
5.

A file may be opened with the INPUT, OUTPUT, EXTEND and I-0
phrases in the same program.
Following the initial execution
of an OPEN statement for a file,
each subsequent OPEN
statement execution for
that same file must be preceded by
the execution of a CLOSE statement, without the REEL, UNIT,
or LOCK phrase, for that file.

Execution of the OPEN statement does not
the first data record.

If label records are specified for the
labels are processed as follows:

obtain
file,

the

release
beginning

When the INPUT phrase is specified, the execution of the
OPEN statement causes the labels to be checked in
accordance
with
the
Record
Management
Services
conventions for input label checking.

When the OUTPUT phrase is specified, the execution of the
OPEN statement causes the labels to be written in
accordance
with
the
Record
Management
Services
conventions for output label writing.
The behavior of the OPEN statement when label records are
specified but not present, or when label records are not
specified but are present, is undefined.

The file description entry for
file-name-1,
file-name-2,
file-name-5, file-narne-6, file-narne-7, or file-name-8 must be
equivalent to that used when this file was created.

If an input file is designated with the OPTIONAL clause in
its
SELECT
statement,
the
object program causes an
interrogation for the presence or absence of this file.
If
the file
is not present, the first READ statement for this
file causes the AT END condition to occur.
(See section
5.27, The READ Statement.)

5-70

PROCEDURE DIVISION

10.

The NO REWIND phrase can be used only with sequential
reel/unit files.

11.

The WITH NO REWIND phrase will be ignored if it does
apply to the storage media on which the file resides.

not

12.

If the storage medium for the
following rules apply:

the

file

permits

single

rewinding,

When neither the EXTEND nor the NO REWIND phrase is
specified, execution of the OPEN statement causes the
file to be positioned at its beginning.

When the NO REWIND phrase is specified, execution of the
OPEN
statement
does
not
cause
the file to be
repositioned;
the file must be already positioned at its
beginning prior to execution of the OPEN statement.

13.

For files being opened with the INPUT or I-0 phrase, the OPEN
statement sets the current record pointer to the first record
currently existing within the file.
If no records exist in
the file, the current record pointer is set so that the next
executed READ statement for the file will result in an AT END
condition.

14.

When the EXTEND phrase is specified,
the OPEN statement
positions the file
immediately following the last logical
record of that file.
Subsequent WRITE statements referencing
that file will add records to the file as though the file had
been opened with the OUTPUT phrase.

15.

When the EXTEND phrase is specified and the LABEL RECORDS
clause indicates label records are present, the execution of
the OPEN statement includes the following steps:

16.

The beginning file labels are processed only in the
of a single reel/unit file.

The beginning reel/unit labels on the last existing
reel/unit are processed as though the file was being
opened with the INPUT phrase.

The existing ending file labels are processed as though
the file is being opened with the INPUT phrase. These
labels are then deleted.

Processing then proceeds as though
opened with the OUTPUT phrase.

the

file

had

case

been

The I-0 phrase permits the opening of a directory file for
both input and output operations.
Because this phrase
implies the existence of the file, it cannot be used if the
directory file is being initially created.

5-71

PROCEDURE DIVISION
17.

When the I-0 phrase is specified and the LABEL RECORDS clause
indicates label records are present, the execution of the
OPEN statement includes the following steps:
a.

The labels are checked in accordance with the
conventions for input-output label checking.

specified

The new labels are written in accordance with
standard conventions for input-output label writing.

the

18.

Upon successful execution of an OPEN statement with the
OUTPUT phrase specified, a file is created. At that time the
associated file contains no data records.

19.

The execution of an EXTEND statement will fail for any of the
following reasons:
NOTE
The value in parentheses, following each of the
following statements, is the value that is placed in
the FILE STATUS data item, if one was specified for
the file.
a.

An OPEN statement issued to a file that is already opened
for exclusive access by another task.
(91)

An OPEN statement issued
available file space.
(95)

An OPEN statement to a file that shares buffer space with
an already opened file.
(96)

An OPEN statement issued to a file that cannot
on its associated I/O device.
(97)

5-72

device

that

has

found

PROCEDURE DIVISION

OPEN
5.25

THE OPEN STATEMENT (INDEXED & RELATIVE)

Function
The OPEN statement initiates the processing of files.
It also
performs checking and/or writing of labels and other input-output
operations.
General Format
INPUT f ile-name-1
OUTPUT f ile-name-3
I-0 f ile-name-5

[, f ile-name-2]
[, f ile-name-4]
[, f ile-name-6J

... l
...

Syntax Rules
1.

The files referenced in the OPEN statement need not all
the same organization or access.

have

General Rules
1.

The successful execution of an OPEN statement determines the
availability of the file and results in the file being in an
open mode.

The successful execution of the OPEN statement
associated record area available to the program.

Prior to the successful execution of an OPEN statement for a
given file, no statement can be executed that references that
file, either explicitly or implicitly.

An OPEN statement must be successfully executed prior to the
execution of any of the permissible input-output statements.
In Table 5-5, Permissible Statements, X at an intersection
indicates that the specified statement used in the access
mode given for that row may be used with indexed or relative
file organizations and the open mode given at the top of the
column.

5-73

makes

the

PROCEDURE DIVISION
Table 5-5
Permissible Statments
Open Mode
File Access
Mode
Sequential

Random

Dynamic

Statement

Input

READ
WRITE
REWRITE
START
DELETE

READ
READ NEXT
WRITE
REWRITE
START
DELETE

x
x

Output

Input-Output

x
x
x

x
x
x
x
x
x

A file may be opened with the INPUT, OUTPUT, and I-0 phrases
in the same program. Following the initial execution of an
OPEN statement for a file,
each subsequent OPEN statement
execution for
that same file must be preceded by the
execution of a CLOSE statement, without the LOCK phrase,
for
that file.

Execution of the OPEN statement does not
the first data record.

obtain

The labels at the beginning of
follows:

are

the

file

release

processed

When the INPUT phrase is specified, the execution of the
OPEN statement causes the labels to be checked in
accordance with Record Management Services conventions
for input label checking.

When the OUTPUT phrase is specified, the execution of the
OPEN statement causes the labels to be written in
accordance with Record Management Services conventions
for output label writing.
The behavior of the OPEN
statement when label records are specified but not
present is undefined.

5-74

PROCEDURE DIVISION
8.

The file description entry for file-name-1,
file-name-2,
file-name-5, or file-name-6 must be equivalent to that used
when this file was created.

For files being opened with the INPUT or I-0 phrase, the OPEN
statement sets the current record pointer to the first record
currently existing within the file.
For indexed files,
the
prime record key is established as the key of reference and
is used to determine the first record to be accessed. If no
records exist in the file, the next executed sequentially
accessed READ statement for the file will result in an AT END
condition.

10.

The I-0 phrase permits the opening of a file for both input
and output operations.
Because this phrase implies the
existence of the file, it cannot be used if the file is being
initially created.

When the I-0 phrase is specified, the execution
statement includes the following steps:

the

The labels are checked in accordance with the
conventions for input-output label checking.

The new labels are written in accordance with
standard conventions for input-output label writing.

OPEN

standard
the

12.

Upon successful execution of an OPEN statement with the
OUTPUT phrase specified, a file is created. At that time the
associated file contains no data records.

13.

The execution of an OPEN statement will fail for any
following reasons:

the

NOTE
The value in parentheses, following each of the
following statements, is the value that is placed in
the FILE STATUS data item, if one was specified for
the file.
a.

An OPEN statement issued to a file that is already opened
for exclusive access by another task.
(91)

An OPEN statement issued
available file space.
(95)

An OPEN statement to a file that shares buffer space with
an already opened file.
(96)

An OPEN statement issued to a file that cannot
on its associated I/O device.
(97)

5-75

device

that

has

found

PROCEDURE DIVISION

PERFORM
5.26

THE PERFORM STATEMENT

Function
The PERFORM statement is used to transfer control explicitly to
one or more procedures and to return control implicitly whenever
execution of the specified procedure is complete.
General Format
Format 1
PERFORM procedure-name-!

THROUGH}

procedure-name-j

[ THRO

Format 2
THROUGH}

PERFORM procedure-name-I

procedure-name-j

[ THRO

jidentifier-11
)
TIMES
(integer
Format 3

THROUGH}

PERFORM procedure-name-1

procedure-name-j UNTIL condition-C

THRO

Format 4

PERFORM

procedure-name-lijTHROUGH~
~THRO

VARYING

identifier-2}
{ index-name-I

procedure-name-J

{identifier-3}
index-name-2
literal-!

FROM

identifier-4}

AFTER

{

identifier-5}
{

FROM

index-name-3
identif ier-7}

~FTER

{ literal-4
identifier-8}
{

UNTIL condition-I

literal-2

index-name-5

{identifier-6}
index-name-4
literal-J
UNTIL condition-2
{ identif ier-9}
FROM index-name-6
literal-5

identifier-IO}
{

literal-6
5-76

UNTIL condition-3

PROCEDURE DIVISION
Syntax Rules
1.

Each identifier represents a
numeric
elementary
item
described in the Data Division.
In Format 2, identifier-!
must be described as a numeric integer.

Each literal represents a numeric literal.

The words THRU and THROUGH are equivalent.

If an index-name is specified in the VARYING or AFTER phrase,
then:

The identifier in the associated FBOM and BY phrases must
be an integer data item.

The literal in the
positive integer.

The literal in the
non-zero integer.

associated
associated

FROM

phrase

must

phrase

must

If an index-name is specified in the FROM phrase, then:
a.

The identifier in the associated VARYING or AFTER
must be an integer data item.

The identifier in the associated BY
integer data item.

phrase

must

The literal in
integer.

the

phrase

must

associated

phrase

Literal in the BY phrase must not be 0.

Condition-!, condition-2, condition-3 may be any
expression
as
described
in
Section 5.6,
Express i ems.

Where procedure-name-!
and
procedure-name-2
are
both
specified and either
is the name of a procedure in the
declarative section of the program, then both must be
procedure-names in the same declarative section.

conditional
Conditional

General Rules
1.

The data items referenced by identifier-4, identifier-?,
identifier-IO must not have a zero value.

If an index-name is specified in the VARYING or AFTER phrase,
and an identifier is specified in the associated FROM phrase,
then the data item referenced by the identifier must have a
positive value.

5-77

and

PROCEDURE DIVISION
3.

When the PERFORM statement
is
executed,
control
is
transferred to the first statement of the procedure named
procedure-name-I (except as indicated in general rules 6b,
6c, and 6d). This transfer of control occurs only once for
each execution of a PERFORM statement. Where a transfer of
control to the named procedure does take place, and implicit
transfer of control to the next
executable
statement
following the PERFORM statement is established as follows:
a.

If
procedure-name-I
is
a
paragraph-name
and
procedure-name-2 is not specified, then the return is
after the last statement of procedure-name-!.

If
procedure-name-I
is
a
section-name
and
procedure-name-2 is not specified, then the return is
after the last statement of the last paragraph in
procedure-name-I.

specified
If procedure-name-2
is
and
it
is
a
paragraph-name,
then the return is after the last
statement of the paragraph.

If procedure-name-2
is
specified
and
it
is
a
section-name, then the return is after the last statement
of the last paragraph in the section.

There is no necessary relationship between procedure-name-!
and procedure-name-2 except that a consecutive sequence of
operations is to be executed beginning at the procedure named
procedure-name-!
and ending with the execution of the
procedure named procedure-name-2.
In particular, GO TO and
PERFORM statements may occur between procedure-name-I and the
end of procedure-name-2. If there are two or more logical
paths to the return point, then procedure-name-2 may be the
name of a paragraph consisting of the EXIT statement to where
all of these paths must lead.

If control passes to these procedures via other than a
PERFORM
statement, control will pass through the last
statement of the procedure to the next executable statement
as if no PERFORM statement mentioned these procedures.

The PERFORM statements operate as follows with rule
applying to all formats:

above

Format 1 is the basic PERFORM statement.
A procedure
referenced by this type of PERFORM statement is executed
once and then control passes to the next executable
statement following the PERFORM statement.

Format 2 is the PERFORM ••• TIMES.
The procedures are
performed the number of times sp~cified by integer-! or
by the initial value of the data item referenced by
identifier-! for that execution.
If, at the time of
execution of a PERFORM statement, the value of the data

5-78

PROCEDURE DIVISION
item referenced by identif ier-1 is equal to 0 or is
negative, control passes to the next executable statement
following the PERFORM statement. Following the execution
of the procedures the specified number of times, control
is transferred to the next executable statement following
the PERFORM statement.
During execution of the PERFORM statement, references to
identifier-!
cannot alter the number of times the
procedures are to be executed from that which was
indicated by the initial value of identifier-I.
c.

Format 3 is
the
PERFORM •.• UNTIL.
The
specified
procedures are performed until the condition specified by
the UNTIL phrase is true. When the condition is true,
control is transferred to the next executable statement
after the PERFORM statement. If the condition is true
when the PERFORM statement is entered, no transfer to
procedure-name-I takes place, and control is passed to
the next executable statement following the PERFORM
statement.

Format 4 is the PERFORM •.• VARYING. This variation of the
PERFORM
statement
is
used to augment the values
referenced by one or more identifiers or index-names in
an orderly fashion during the execution of a PERFORM
statement. In the followin_g discussion, every reference
to identifier as the object of the VARYING, AFTER and
FROM {current value} phrases also refers to index-names.
When index-name appears in a VARYING and/or AFTER phrase,
it is initialized and
subsequently
augmented
{as
described below}
according to the rules of the SET
statement. When index-name appears in the FROM phrase,
identifier, when it appears in an associated VARYING of
AFTER phrase, it is initialized according to the rules of
the SET statement; subsequent augmentation is described
below.
In format 4, when one identifier is varied, identifier-2
is set to the value of literal-I or the current value of
identifier-3 at the point of initial execution of the
PERFORM statement;
then, if the condition of the UNTIL
phrase
is
false,
the
sequence
of
procedures,
procedure-name-I through procedure-name-2, is executed
once. The value of identifier-2 is augmented by the
specified increment or decrement value
{the value of
identifier-4 or literal-2} and condition-1 is evaluated
again. The cycle continues until this condition is true.
At which point, control is transferred to the next
executable statement following the PERFORM statement. If
condition-1 is true at the beginning of execution of the
PERFORM statement, control is transferred to the next
executable statement following the PERFORM statement.

5-79

PROCEDURE DIVISION

ENTRANCE

Set identifier-2 equal to
current FROM value

Condition-1

,____
T_ru_e_ _ _ _ _ Exit

False
Execute procedure-name-1
TH RU procedure-name-2

Augment identifier-2 with
current BY value

Flowchart for the VARYING Phrase of a
Having One Condition

PERFORM

Statement

In Format 4,
when
two
identifiers
are
varied,
identif ier-2 and identif ier-5 are set to the current
value of identifier-3 and identifier-6,
respectively.
After the identifiers have been set, condition-! is
evaluated; if true, control is transferred to the next
executable
statement;
if
false,
condition-2
is
evaluated. If condition-2 is false,
procedure-name-!
through
procedure-name-2
are
executed
once, then
identifier-5 is augmented by identifier-7 or literal-4
and condition-2 is evaluated again.
This cycle of
evaluation and
augmentation
continues
until
this
condition
is
true.
When
condition-2
is
true,
identifier-5 is set to the value of literal-3 or the
current value of identifier-6, identifier-2 is augmented
by identifier-4 and condition-! is reevaluated.
The
PERFORM statement is completed if condition-! is true;
if not, the cycles continue until condition-! is true.
During the execution of the procedur~s associated with
the PERFORM statement, any change to the VARYING variable
(identifier-2 and
index-name-1),
the
BY
variable

5-80

PROCEDURE DIVISION
{identifier-4), the AFTER variable
{identifier-5 and
index-name-3), or the FROM variable
{identifier-3 and
index-name-2)
will be taken into consideration and will
affect the operation of the PERFORM statement.

ENTRANCE
Set identifier-2 and identifier-5
to current FROM values

Condition-1

True
i----------Exit

False
Condition-2

True

False
Execute procedure-name-1
THRU procedure-name-2

Set identifier-5 to its
current FROM value

Augment identifier-5 with
current BY value

Augment identifier-2 with
current BY value

Flowchart for the VARYING Phrase of a
Having Two Conditions

PERFORM

Statement

At the termination of the PERFORM statement, identifier-5
contains the current value of identif ier-6.
Identif ier-2
has a value that exceeds the last used setting by an
increment or decrement value, unless condition-1 was true
when the
PERFORM
statement
was
entered.
Then,
identifier-2 contains the current value of identifier-3.
When two identifiers are
through a complete cycle
identifier-2 is varied.

varied,
identif ier-5
goes
{FROM, BY, UNTIL) each time

For three identifiers, the mechanism is the same as for
two identifiers except that identif ier-8 goes through a
complete cycle each time that identif ier-5 is augmented
by identifier-7 or literal-4, which in turn goes through
a complete cycle each time identifier-2 is varied.

5-81

PROCEDURE DIVISION

ENTRANCE

Set identifier-2~
identifier-5, identifier-a
to current FROM values

Condition-1

True

Exit

False
Condition-2

True

False
Condition-3

True

False

Execute
procedure-name-1
THRU procedure-name-2

Set identifier-a
to its current
FROM value

Set identifier-5
to its current
FROM value

Augment identifier-8
with current BY value

Augment identifier-5
with current BY value

Augment identifier-2
with current BY value

Flowchart for the VARYING Phrase of a
Having Three Conditions.

5-82

PERFORM

Statement

PROCEDURE DIVISION
After the completion of a Format 4 PERFORM statement,
identif ier-5 and identif ier-8 contain the current value
of
identifier-6
and
identifier-9,
respectively.
Identifier-2 has a value that exceeds its last used
setting by one increment or decrement value, unless
condition-I
is true when the PERFORM statement is
entered, in which case identifier-2 contains the current
value of identifier-3.

If a sequence of statements referred to by a PERFORM
statement includes another PERFORM statement, the sequence of
procedures associated with the included PERFORM must itself
either be totally included in, or totally excluded from, the
logical sequence referred to by the first PERFORM. Thus, an
active PERFORM statement, whose execution point begins within
the range of another active PERFORM statement, must not allow
control to pass to the exit of the other active PERFORM
statement; furthermore, two or more such active PERFORM
statements may not have a common exit. See the illustrations
below.
x

PERFORM a THRU m

a
d

PERFORM a THRU m

a
PERFORM f THRU j

PERFORM f THRU j

PERFORM a THRU m

m ______....____

f-----~

j _ _ _ _ _ __,

d
8.

PERFORM f THRU j

A PERFORM statement that appears in a section that is not in
an independent segment can have within its range, in addition
to any declarative sections whose execution is caused within
that range, only one of the following:
a.

Sections and/or paragraphs wholly
more non-independent segments.

5-83

contained

one

PROCEDURE DIVISION

b.
9.

Sections and/or paragraphs wholly contained in
independent segment.

single

A PERFORM statement that appears in an independent segment
can have within its range, in addition to any declarative
sections whose execution is caused within that range, only
one of the following:
a.

Sections and/or paragraphs wholly
more non-independent segments.

Sections and/or paragraphs wholly contained in
independent segment as that PERFORM statement.

5-84

contained

one
the

or
same

PROCEDURE DIVISION

THE READ STATEMENT (SEQUENTIAL)

Function
The READ statement makes available the next logical record from a
file.
General Format
READ file-name RECORD Q:NTO identifie~

END imperative-statemen~

Syntax Rules
1.

The INTO phrase must not be used when the input file contains
logical records of various sizes as indicated by their record
descriptions. The storage area associated with identifier
and the record area associated with file-name must not be
allocated to the same storage area.

The AT END phrase must be specified if
procedure is specified for file-name.

applicable

USE

The associated file must be open in the INPUT or I-0 mode
the time this statement is executed.

The record to be made available
determined as follows:

General Rules

the

READ

statement

If the current record pointer was positioned by the
execution of the OPEN statement, the record pointed to by
the current record pointer is made available.

If the current record pointer was positioned by the
execution of a previous READ statement, the current
record pointer is updated to point to the next existing
record
in the file and then that record is made
available.

The execution of the READ statement causes the value of the
FILE STATUS data item, if any, associated with file-name to
be updated.

Regardless of the method used to overlap access time with
processing time, the concept of the READ statement is
unchanged because a record is available to the object program
prior to the execution of any statement following the READ
statement.

When the logical records of a file are described with more
than one record description, these records automatically
share the same storage area;
this is equivalent to an
implicit redefinition of the area. The contents of any data
items that lie beyond the range of the current data record

5-85

PROCEDURE DIVISION
are undefined at the completion of the execution of the READ
statement.
6.

If the INTO phrase is specified, the record being read is
moved
from the record area to the area specified by
identifier according to the rules specified for the MOVE
statement without the CORRESPONDING phrase. The implied MOVE
does not occur if the execution of the READ statement was
unsuccessful.
Any subscripting or indexing associated with
identifier is evaluated after the record has been read and
immediately before it is moved to the data item.

When the INTO phrase is used, the record being read is
available in both the input record area and the data area
associated with identifier.

If, at the time of execution of a READ statement, the
position
of
current record pointer for that file is
undefined, the execution of
that
READ
statement
is
unsuccessful.
The FILE STATUS data item, if any, associated
with the file is set to one of the values detailed in General
Rules 11 and 14.

If the end of a reel or unit is recognized during execution
of a READ statement and the logical end of the file has not
been reached, the following operations are executed:
a.

The standard ending reel/unit label procedure.

A reel/unit swap.

The standard beginning reel/unit label procedure.

The first data
available.

record

the

new

reel/unit

made

10.

If a file described with the OPTIONAL clause is not present
at the time the file is opened, then at the time of execution
of the first READ statement for the file,
the AT END
condition occurs and the execution of the READ statement is
unsuccessful. The standard end-of-file procedures are not
performed.
Execution of the program then proceeds as
specified in General Rule 11 a, b, and c.

11.

If, at the time of the execution of a READ statement, no next
logical record exists in the file,
the AT END condition
occurs and the execution of the READ statement is considered
unsuccessful.
When the AT END condition is recognized,
actions are taken in the specified order:
a.

the

following

The value 10 is placed into the FILE STATUS data item, if
any, associated with this file to indicate an AT END
condition.

5-86

PROCEDURE DIVISION
b.

If the AT END phrase is specified in the statement
causing the condition, control is transferred to the AT
END imperative-statement. Any USE procedure specified
for this file is not executed.

If the AT END phrase is not specified, then a USE
procedure
must
be specified, either explicitly or
That USE procedure
is
imp! ic i tly, for this file.
executed.

When the AT
input-output
unsuccessful.

execution
of
the
END condition occurs,
statement
that
caused
the condition is

12.

Following the unsuccessful execution of any READ statement,
the contents of the associated record area and the position
of the current record pointer are undefined.

13.

When the AT END condition has been recognized, a READ
statement for that file must not be executed without first
executing a successful CLOSE statement followed by the
execution of a successful OPEN statement for that file.

14.

A Format 1 or Format 2 READ statement that fails for an
undetermined reason will cause the value 30 to be placed in
the FILE STATUS data item if one was specified for the file.

5-87

PROCEDURE DIVISION

THE READ STATEMENT (RELATIVE)

Function
For sequential access, the READ statement makes available the
next logical record from a file on a directory device.
For
random access, the READ statement makes available a specified
record from a file on a directory device.
For dynamic access,
two forms of the READ statement are available, allowing the next
logical
record or a specified logical record to be made
available.
General Format
Format 1
READ file-name[NEX~ RECORD Q:NTO identif ierJ [_;AT END imperative-statement]

Format 2
~ file-name RECORoQNTO identifier] (}INVALID KEY imperative-statementJ

Syntax Rules
1.

Format 1 must be used for
mode.

Format 1 with the NEXT phrase specified must be used for
files in dynamic access mode when records are to be retrieved
sequentially.

Format 2 is used for files in random access mode or for files
in dynamic access mode when records are to be retrieved
randomly.

The INVALID KEY phrase or the AT END phrase must be specified
if no applicable USE procedure is specified for file-name.

all

5-88

files

sequential

access

PROCEDURE DIVISION
General Rules
1.

The associated files must be open in the INPUT or I-0 mode at
the time this statement is executed.

The record to be made available by a Format 1 READ statement
is determined by updating the current record pointer to point
to the next existing record in the file.

Regardless of the method used to overlap access time with
processing time, the concept of the READ statement is
unchanged because a record is available to the object progr-am
prior to the execution of any statement following the READ
statement.

When the INTO phrase is used, the record being read is
available in both the input record area and the data area
associated with identifier.

If, at the time of execution of a Format 1 READ statement,
the position of current record pointer for that file is
undefined, the execution of
that
READ
statement
is
unsuccessful.
The FILE STATUS data item, if any, associated
with the file is set to one of the values described in
Genera~ Rules 13,14, and 15.

If, at the time of the execution of a Format 1 READ
statement, no next logical record exists in the file, the AT
END condition occurs and the execution of the READ statement
is considered unsuccessful.
When the AT END condition is recognized,
actions are taken in the specified order:
a.

the

following

The value 10 is placed into the FILE STATUS data item, if
specified for this file, to indicate an AT END condition.

5-89

PROCEDURE DIVISION
b.

If the AT END phrase is specified in the statement
causing the condition, control is transferred to the AT
END imperative-statement. Any USE procedure specified
for this file is not executed.

If the AT END phrase is not specified, then a USE
procedure
must
be specified, either explicitly or
That USE procedure
is
implicitly, for this file.
executed.

When the AT
input-output
unsuccessful.

END condition occurs,
execution
of
the
statement
that
caused
the condition is

Following the unsuccessful execution of any READ statement,
the contents of the associated record area and the position
of the current record pointer are undefined.

10.

When the AT END condition has been recognized, a Format 1
READ statement for that file must not be executed without
first executing one of the following:
a.

A successful CLOSE statement followed by the execution of
a successful OPEN statement for that file.

A successful START statement for that file.

A successful Format 2 READ statement for that file.

11.

For a file for which dynamic access mode is specified, a
Format 1 READ statement with the NEXT phrase specified causes
the next logical record to be retrieved from the file
(as
described in General Rule 2).

12.

If the RELATIVE KEY clause is specified, the execution of a
Format 1 READ statement updates the contents of the RELATIVE
KEY data item such that it contains the relative record
number of the record made available.

13.

The execution of a Format 2 READ statement sets the current
record pointer to, and makes available, the record whose
relative record number is contained in the data item named in
the RELATIVE KEY clause for the file.
An INVALID KEY
condition may arise; the READ is considered unsuccessful and
the following action is taken:
a.

If the record specified by the contents of the RELATIVE
KEY data item does not exist, the value 23 is placed in
the FILE STATUS data item, if any, associated with this
file to indicate an unsuccessful READ operation.

If the contents of the RELATIVE KEY data item do not lie
within the range of the key values corresponding to the
allocated space for this file, a boundary violation
exists.
The value 24 is placed in the FILE STATUS data
item, if any, associated with the file to indicate an
unsuccessful READ operation.

5-90

PROCEDURE DIVISION
c.

If the INVALID KEY phrase is not specified, but a USE
procedure is specified, either explicitly or implicitly,
for this file, that procedure is executed.

When the INVALID KEY condition occurs, execution of the
input-output statement that recognized the condition is
unsuccessful and the file is not affected.
14.

A Format 1 or Format 2 READ statement issued to a file that
is being simultaneously accessed by another task will fail.
The value 92 is placed into the FILE STATUS data item if one
was specified for the file.

15.

A Format 1 or Format 2 READ statement that fails for an
undetermined reason will cause the value 30 to be placed in
the FILE STATUS data item if one was specified for the file.

5-91

PROCEDURE DIVISION

THE READ STATEMENT (INDEXED)

Function
For sequential access, the READ statement makes available the
next logical record from a file. For random access, the READ
statement makes available a specified record from a mass storage
file.
For dynamic access both sequential and random access can
be used to obtain the next logical record in a file.
General Format
Format 1
READ file-name [NEXT] RECORD [INTO identifier]
[;

AT END imperative-statement]

Format 2
READ file-name RECORD [INTO identifier]
[;

KEY IS data-name]

[;

INVALID KEY imperative-statement]

Syntax Rules
1.

The INTO phrase must not be used when the input file contains
logical records of various sizes, which are indicated by
their record descriptions. The storage area associated with
identifier and the storage area that is the record area
associated with file-name must not be the same storage area.

Data-name must be the name of a data
record key associated with file-name.

Data-name may be qualified.

Use Format 1 for all files in sequential access mode.

Use Format 1 with the NEXT phrase specified for
dynamic
access mode when records are to be
sequentially.

Use Format 2 for files in random access mode or for files in
dynamic
access mode when records are to be retrieved
randomly.

The INVALID KEY phrase or the AT END phrase must be specified
if no applicable USE procedure is specified for file-name.

5-92

item

specified

files in
retrieved

PROCEDURE DIVISION
General Rules
1.

The associated file must be open in the INPUT or I-0 mode
the time this statement is executed.

The record to be made available by a Format 1 READ
is determined as follows:

statement

The record pointed to by the current record pointer is
made available, provided that the current record pointer
has been positioned by the START or OPEN statement and
the record is still accessible through the path ind~ca~ed
by the current record pointer:
if the record 1s no
longer accessible, which may have been caused by the
deletion of the record or a change in an alternate record
key,
the current record pointer is updated to point to
the next existing record within the established key of
reference. Then, that record is then made available.

If the current record pointer has been positioned by the
execution of a previous READ statement, the current
record pointer is updated to point to the next existing
record
in the ·file within the established key of
reference.
Then that record is made available.

Regardless of the method used to overlap access time with
processing time,
the concept of the READ statement is
unchanged in that a record is available to the object program
prior to the execution of any statement following the READ
statement.

When the logical records of a file are described with more
than one record description, these records automatically
share the same storage area:
this is equivalent to an
implicit redefinition of the area. The contents of any data
items that lie beyond the range of the current data record
are undefined at the completion of the execution of the READ
statement.

When the INTO phrase is used,
the record being read is
available in both the input record area and the data area
associated with identifier.

If, at the time of execution of a Format 1 READ statement,
the position of current record pointer for that file is
statement
is
undefined, the execution of
that
READ

5-93

PROCEDURE DIVISION
unsuccessful.
The FILE STATUS data item, if any, associated
with the file is set to one of the values described in
General Rules 15, 16, or 17.
8.

If, at the time of the execution of a Format 1 READ
statement, no next logical record exists in the file, the AT
END condition occurs, and the execution of the READ statement
is considered unsuccessful.
When the AT END condition is recognized,
actions are taken in the specified order:

the

following

A value is placed into the FILE STATUS data item,
if
specified for this file, to indicate an AT END condition.

If the AT END phrase is specified in the statement
causing the condition, control is transferred to the AT
END imperative statement. Any USE procedure specified
for this file is not executed.

If the AT END phrase is not specified, then a USE
must
be specified, either explicitly or
procedure
procedure
is
implicitly,
for this file, .and that
executed.

When the AT
input-output
unsuccessful.

END condition occurs,
execution
of
the
the ·condition is
statement
that
caused

Following the unsuccessful execution of any READ statement,
the contents of the associated record area and the position
of the current record pointer are undefined.
For indexed
files the key or reference is also undefined.

10.

When the AT END condition has been recognized,
a Format 1
READ statement for that file must not be executed without
first executing one of the following:
a.

A successful CLOSE statement followed by the execution of
a successful OPEN statement for that file.

A successful START statement for that file.

A successful Format 2 READ statement for that file.

11.

For a file for which dynamic access mode is specified, a
Format 1 READ statement with the NEXT phrase specified causes
the next logical record to be retrieved from that file as
described in general rule 2.

12.

For an indexed file being sequentially accessed,
records
having the same duplicate value in an alternate record key
that is the key of reference are made available in the same
order in which they are released by execution of WRITE
statements or by execution of REWRITE statements that create
such duplicate values.

5-94

PROCEDURE DIVISION
13.

If the KEY phrase is specified in a Format 2 READ ·statement
for an indexed file, data-name is established as the key of
reference for this retrieval.
If the dynamic access mode is
specified, this key of reference is also used for retrievals
by any subsequent executions of Format 1 READ statements for
the file until a different key of reference is established
for it.

14.

If the KEY phrase is not specified in a Format 2 READ
statement, the prime record key is established as the key of
reference for this retrieval. If the dynamic access mode is
specified, this key of reference is also used for retrievals
by any subsequent executions of Format 1 READ statements for
the file until a different key is established for the file.

15.

Execution of a Format 2 READ statement causes the value of
the key of reference to be compared with the value contained
in the corresponding data item of the stored records in the
file.
When the first record having an equal value is found,
the current record pointer is positioned to this record,
making it available for processing. If no record containing
the key value is found, an INVALID KEY condition exists.
When the INVALID KEY condition
taken in the following order:

recognized,

actions

are

The value 23 is placed into the FILE STATUS data item (if
specified for this file)
to indicate an INVALID KEY
condition.

If the INVALID KEY phrase is not specified, but a USE
procedure is specified for this file, either explicitly
or implicitly, that procedure is executed.

When the INVALID KEY condition occurs, execution of the
input-output statement that recognized the condition is
unsuccessful and the file is not affected.
16.

A Format 1 or Format 2 READ statement issued to a record that
is being simultaneously accessed by another task will fail.
The value 92 is placed into the FILE STATUS data item, if one
was specified for the file.

17.

A Format 1 or Format 2 READ statement that fails for an
undetermined reason will cause a value of 30 to be placed in
the FILE STATUS data item if one was specified for the file.

5-95

PROCEDURE DIVISION

REWRITE
5.30

THE REWRITE STATEMENT (SEQUENTIAL)

Function
The REWRITE statement logically replaces a record existing
file on a directory device.

General Format
REWRITE record-name(!'ROM identif ie~
Syntax Rules

Record-name and identifier must not refer
allocated to the same storage area;
qualified.

Record-name is the name of a
S-ection of the Data Division.

logical

to data that is
record-name may be

record

the

File

General Rules
1.

The file associated with record-name must be a file on a
directory device and must be open in the I-0 mode at the time
of execution of this statement.

The last input-output statement executed for the associated
file prior to the execution of the REWRITE statement must
have been a successfully executed READ statement. The record
that
was accessed by the READ statement is logically
replaced.
If the last input-output statement executed for
the associated file was not a successfully executed READ
statement, the REWRITE statement is not attempted, and the
value 93 is placed in the FILE STATUS data item, if any,
associated with the file to indicate an unsuccessful REWRITE
operation. The data in the record area is unaffected.

The number of character positions in the record referenced by
record-name
must be equal to the number of character
positions in the record being replaced.

The logical record released by a successful execution of the
REWRITE statement is no longer available in the record area
unless the associated file is named in a SAME RECORD AREA
clause,
in which case the logical record is available to the
program as a record of other files appearing in the same SAME
RECORD AREA clause as the associated I-0 file as well as to
the file associated with record-name.

The execution of a REWRITE statement with the FROM phrase
equivalent to the execution of:
MOVE identifier TO record-name

5-96

PROCEDURE DIVISION
followed by the execution of the same REWRITE statement
without the FROM phrase.
The contents of the record area
prior to the execution of the implicit MOVE statement have no
effect on the execution of the REWRITE statement.
6.

The current record pointer is not affected by
of a·REWRITE statement.

A REWRITE statement that is unsuccessful for any reason will
cause a 30 to be stored in the FILE STATUS data item, if one
was specified for the file.

5-97

the

execution

PROCEDURE DIVISION

REWRITE
5.31

THE REWRITE STATEMENT (RELATIVE)

Function
The REWRITE statement logically replaces a record existing
file on a directory device.

General Format
REWRI·rE: record-n?rne (!ROM identifieiJ~ INVALID KEY imperative-statemen~

Syntax Rules
1.

Record-name and identifier must not refer to
allocated to the same storage area.

data

that

are

Record-name is the name of a
Section of the Data Division;

The INVALID KEY phrase must not be specified for a REWRITE
statement that references a file in sequential access mode.

The INVALID KEY phrase must be specified in the REWRITE
statement for files in the random or dynamic access mode for
which an applicable USE procedure is not specified.

logical record in the File
record-name may be qualified.

General Rules
1.

The file associated with record-name must be open in the
mode at the time of execution of this statement.

For files in the sequential
access
mode,
the
last
input-output statement executed for the associated file prior
to the execution of the REWRITE statement must have been a
successfully executed READ statement. The record that was
accessed by the READ statement is logically replaced.
If the
last input-output statement executed for the associated file
was not a successfully executed READ statement, the REWRITE
statement is not attempted and the value "93" is placed in
the FILE STATUS data item, if any, associated with the file
to indicate an unsuccessful REWRITE statement. The data in
the current record area is unaffected.

The number of character positions in the record referenced by
record-name
must be equal to the number of character
positions in the record being replaced.

The logical record released by a successful execution of the
REWRITE statement is no longer available in the record area
unless the associated file is named in a SAME RECORD AREA
clause.
In that case, the logical record is available to the
program as a record of other files appearing in the same SAME
RECORD AREA clause as the associated I-0 file, as well as to
the file associated with record-name.

5-98

I-0

PROCEDURE DIVISION
5.

The execution of a REWRITE statement with the FROM phrase
equivalent to the execution of:

MOVE identifier TO record-name
followed by the execution of the same REWRITE statement
without the FROM phrase.
The contents of the record area
prior to the execution of the implicit MOVE statement have no
effect on the execution of the REWRITE statement.
6.

The current record pointer is not affected by
of a REWRITE statement.

the

execution

For a file accessed .in either random or dynamic access mode,
the record specified by the contents of the RELATIVE KEY data
item associated with the file is logically replaced.
An
INVALID KEY condition may arise; the REWRITE is considered
unsuccessful, the data in the current record area
is
unaffected, and the following action is taken:
a.

If the INVALID KEY phrase is not specified, but a USE
procedure is specified, either explicitly or implicitly,
for this file, that procedure is executed.

A REWRITE statement attempting to replace a record that is
being
simultaneously accessed by another task will be
unsuccessful.
The FILE STATUS data item,
if one
was
specified for the file, is set to 92.

A REWRITE statement that is unsuccessful for an undetermined
reason causes a 30 to be stored in the FILE STATUS data item,
if one was specified for the file.

5-99

PROCEDURE DIVISION

REWRITE
5.32

THE REWRITE STATEMENT (INDEXED)

Function
The REWRITE statement logically replaces a record existing
mass storage file.

General Format
REWRITE record-name [FROM identifier]

[;INVALID KEY imperative-statement]

Syntax Rules
1.

Record-name and identifier must not refer to
allocated to the same storage area.

data

that

are

Record-name is the name of a
logical
record
in
Section of the Data Division and may be qualified.

the

File

The INVALID KEY phrase must be specified in the REWRITE
statement for files for which an applicable USE procedure is
not specified.

General Rules
1.

The file associated with record-name must be open in the
mode at the time of execution of this statement.

For files
in the sequential
access
mode,
the
last
input-output statement executed for the associated file prior
to the execution of the REWRITE statement must have been a
successfully executed READ statement.
The record that was
accessed by the READ statement is logically replaced.
If the
last input-output statement executed for the associated file
was not a successfully executed READ statement,
the REWRITE
statement is not attempted and the value 93 is placed in the
FILE STATUS data item, if any, associated with the file
to
indicate an unsuccessful REWRITE statement. The data in the
current record area is unaffected.

The number of character positions in the record referenced by
record-name
must be equal to the number of character
positions in the record being replaced.

The logical record released by a successful execution of the
REWRITE statement is no longer available in the record area
unless the associated file is named in a SAME RECORD AREA
clause.
In that case, the logical record is available to the
program as a record of other files appearing in the same SAME
RECORD AREA clause as the associated I-0 file.
It is also
available to the file associated with record-name.

5-100

I-0

PROCEDURE DIVISION
5.

The execution of a REWRITE statement with the FROM phrase
equivalent to the execution of:

The current record pointer is not affected by
of a REWRITE statement.

For a file in the sequential access mode, the record to be
replaced is specified by the value contained in the prime
record key. When the REWRITE statement is executed, the
value contained in the prime record key data item of the
record to be replaced must be equal to the value of the prime
record key of the last record read from this file.
If this
relationship does not occur, then an INVALID KEY condition
exists.
When the INVALID KEY condition
taken in the following order:

recognized,

the

execution

actions

are

The value 21 is placed into the FILE STATUS data item if
specified for this file to indicate an INVALID KEY
condition.

If the INVALID KEY phrase is specifie-0 in the statement
causing the condition, control is transferred to the
INVALID KEY imperative statement.
Any USE procedure
specified for this file is not executed.

If the INVALID KEY phrase is not specified but a USE
procedure is specified, either explicitly or implicitly,
for this file, that procedure is executed.

When the INVALID KEY condition occurs, execution of the
input-output statement that recognized the condition is
unsuccessful and the file is not affected.
8.

For a tile in either random or dynamic access mode,
the
record specified by the contents of the prime record key data
item associated with the file is logically replaced.
If the
value contained in the prime record key does not equal that
of any record stored in the file, an INVALID KEY condition
exists. The value 23 is placed in the FILE STATUS data item,
if one was specified for the file.
(See General Rule 7b and
c)

The contents of alternate record key data items of the record
being rewritten may differ from those in the record being
replaced.
The Record Management Services
utilize
the
contents of the record key data items during the execution of

5-101

PROCEDURE DIVISION
the REWRITE statement to allow subsequent access of the
record based upon any of the specified record keys.
If the
value contained in an alternate record key for which a
DUPLICATE clause has not been specified is equal to that of a
record already stored in the file, the INVALID KEY condition
exists.
The value 02 is placed in the FILE STATUS data item
if one was specified for the file.
See General Rule 7b and
c.
10.

A REWRITE statement attempting to replace a
record that is
The
being simultaneously accessed by another task will fail.
value 92 is placed into the FILE STATUS data item if one was
specified for the file.

11.

A REWRITE statement that fails for
an undetermined reason
will cause the value 30 to be placed in the FILE STATUS data
item if one was specified for the file.

5-102

PROCEDURE DIVISION

SEARCH
5.33

THE SEARCH STATEMENT

Function
The SEARCH statement is used to search a
table for a table
element that satisfies the specified condition and to adjust the
associated index-name to indicate that table element.
General Format
Format 1
SEARCH

identifier-l~ARYING
AT~

[;

{

~dentifier-2}]
index-name-1

imperative-statement-! ]
imperative-statement-2}

WHEN condition-!

[

WHEN condition-2

{ NEXT SENTENCE
imperative-statement-3}] ..•
{ NEXT SENTENCE

Format 2
SEARCH ALL identif ier-1

data-name-1
WHEN

[ ;

AT END imperative-statement-!]

TO}
{ IS~
=
IS

identifier-3
}}
literal-!
{ arithmetic-expression-!

{
condition-name-!

data-name-2

IS EQUAL TO}
{IS

identifier-4
literal-2
{ arithmetic-expression-2

{
condition-name-2
imperative-statement-2}
{ NEXT SENTENCE

NOTE
The required relational character
is not underlined
avoid confusion with other symbols.

5-103

PROCEDURE DIVISION
Syntax Rules
1.

In both Formats 1 and 2, identifier-! must not be subscripted
or indexed, but its description must contain an OCCURS clause
and an INDEXED BY clause. The description of identifier-! in
Format 2 must also contain the KEY IS phrase in its OCCURS
clause.

Identifier-2, when specified, must be described as USAGE IS
INDEX or as a numeric elementary item without any positions
to the right of the assumed decimal point.

In Format 1, condition-!,
condition
as
described
Expressions.

In Format 2, all referenced condition-names must be defined
as having only a single value. The data-name associated with
a condition-name must appear
in
the
KEY
clause
of
identifier-!.
Each
data-name-1,
data-name-2
may
be
qualified.
Each data-name-1, data-name-2 must be indexed by
the first index-name associated with identifier-! along with
other indices or literals as required, and must be referenced
in
the
KEY
clause
of
identifier-!.
Identifier-3,
identifier-4,
or
identifiers
specified
in
arithmetic-expression-!, arithmetic-expression-2 must not be
referenced in the KEY clause of identif ier-1 or be indexed by
the first index-name associated with identif ier-1.

condition-2, etc., may be any
5.6, Conditional
in
Section

In Format 2, when a data-name in the KEY clause
of
identifier-!
is
referenced,
or when a condition-name
associated with a data-name in the KEY clause of identifier-!
is referenced, all preceding data-names in the KEY clause of
identif ier-1 or their associated condition-names must also be
referenced.
General Rules
1.

If Format 1 of the SEARCH is used, a serial type of search
operation takes place, starting with the current index
setting.
a.

If, at the start of execution of the SEARCH statement,
the index-name associated with ide~tif ier-1 contains a
value that corresponds to an occurrence number that is
greater than the highest permissible occurrence number
for identifier-!, the SEARCH is terminated immediately.
The number of occurrences of identifier-!, the last of
which is the highest permissible,
is discussed in the
OCCURS clause.
(See Section 4.19, The OCCURS Clause.)
Then,
if
the
AT
END
phrase
is
specified,
imperative-statement-! is executed;
if the AT END phrase
is not specified, control passes to the next executable
sentence.

5-104

PROCEDURE DIVISION
b.

If, at the start of execution of the SEARCH statement,
the index-name associated with identif ier-1 contains a
value that corresponds to an occurrence number that is
not greater than the highest permissible occurrence
number for identif ier-1 (the number of occurrences of
identifier-!,
the
last
of
which is the highest
permissible is discussed in the OCCURS clause;
see
S~ction
4.19, The OCCURS Clause), the SEARCH statement
operates by evaluating the conditions in the order that
they are written, making use of the index settings,
wherever specified, to determine the occurrence of those
items to be tested.
If none of the conditions are
satisfied, the index-name for identifier-! is incremented
to obtain reference to the next oqcurrence. The process
is then repeated using the new index-name settings unless
the new value of the index-name settings for identif ier-1
corresponds to a table element outside the permissible
range of occurrence values.
In that case, the search
terminates as indicated in la above.
If one of the
conditions is satisfied upon its evaluation, the search
terminates immediately and the imperative
statement
associated
with
that
condition is executed;
the
index-name remains set at the occurrence that caused the
condition to be satisfied.

In a Format 2 SEARCH, the results of the SEARCH ALL operation
are predictable only when the following conditions are met:
a.

The data in the table is ordered in the same manner as
described
in
the
ASCENDING/DESCENDING
KEY clause
associated with the description of identifier-!.

The contents of the key{s) referenced in the WHEN clause
are sufficient to identify a unique table element.

If Format 2 of the SEARCH is used, a nonserial type of search
operation may take place;
the initial setting of the
index-name for identifier-! is ignored and its setting is
varied during the search operation, with the restriction that
at no time is it set to a value that exceeds the value which
corresponds to the last element of the table or that is less
than the value that corresponds to the first element of the
table. •(For further information, see the PDP-11 COBOL User's
Guide.) The length of the table is discussed in the OCCURS
clause.
(See Section 4.19, The OCCURS Clause.) If any of the
conditions specified in the WHEN clause cannot be satisfied
for any setting of the index within the permitted range,
control is passed to imperative-statement-I of the AT END
phrase, when specified, or to the next executable sentence
when this phrase is not specified; in either case the final
setting of the index is not predictable.
If all the
conditions can be satisfied, the
index
indicates
an
occurrence that allows the conditions to be satisfied, and
control passes to imperative-statement-2.

5-105

PROCEDURE DIVISION
4.

After
execution
of
imperative-statement-1,
imperative-statement-2, or imperative-statement-3, that does
not terminate with a GO TO statement, control passes to the
next executable sentence.

In Format 2, the index-name that is used for the search
operation is the first (or only) index-name that appears in
the INDEXED BY phrase of identifier-1. Any other index-names
for identifier-1 remain unchanged.

In Format 1, if the VARYING phrase is not used, the
index-name that is used for the search operation is the first
(or only) index-name that appears in the INDEXED BY phrase of
identifier-1.
Any other index-names for identifier-I remain
unchanged.

In Format 1, if the VARYING index-name-1 phrase is specified,
and if index-name-I appears in the INDEXED BY phrase of
identifier-I, that index-name is used for this search.
If
this is not the case, or if the VARYING identifier-2 phrase
is specified, the first (or only)
index-name given in the
INDEXED BY phrase of identifier-1 is used for the search. In
addition, the following operations will occur:

If the VARYING index-name-1 phrase is used, and if
index-name-I appears in the INDEXED BY phrase of another
table entry, the occurrence number
represented
by
index-name-1 is incremented by the same amount as and at
the same time as the occurrence number represented by the
index-name associated with identifier-I is incremented.

If the VARYING identifier-2 phrase is specified, and
identifier-2 is an index data item, then the data item
referenced by identif ier-2 is incremented by the same
amount as and at the same time as the index associated
with identifier-1 is incremented. If identifier-2 is not
an
index
data item, the data item referenced by
identifier-2 is incremented by the value one {l) at the
same time as the index referenced by the index-name
associated with identifier-I is incremented.

If identifier-1 is a data item subordinate to a data item
that contains an OCCURS clause
(providing for a 2 or 3
dimensional table), an index-name must be associated with
each dimension of the table through the INDEXED BY phrase of
the OCCURS clause.
Only the setting of the index-name
associated with identif ier-1 (and the data item identifier-2
or index-name-1, if present) is modified by the execution of
the SEARCH statement. To search an entire 2 or 3 dimensional
table, it is necessary to execute a SEARCH statement several
times.
Prior to each execution of a SEARCH statement, SET
statements must be executed whenever index-names must be
adjusted to appropriate settings.
A flowchart of the Format 1 SEARCH operation
WHEN phrases follows:

5-106

containing

two

PROCEDURE DIVISION

START

INDEX SETTING;
HIGHEST PERMISSIBLE
OCCURRENCE NUMBER

CONDITION-1

AT END*

IMPERATIVESTATEMENT-1

TRUE

IMPERATIVESTATEMENT-2

TRUE

IMPERATIVESTATEMENT-3

FALSE

CONDITION-2

FALSE
INCREMENT INDEX-NAME
FOR IDENTIFIER-1
(INDEX-NAME-1
IF APPLICABLE)

INCREMENT
INDEX-NAME-1
(FOR A DIFFERENT
TABLE) OR
IDENTIFIER-2

*These operations are options included only when specified in
the SEARCH statement.
**Each of these control transfers is to the next executable
sentence unless the imperative-statement ends with a GO TO
statement.

5-107

PROCEDURE DIVISION

SET
5.34

THE SET STATEMENT

Function
The SET statement is used to establish a value in
or index data-item.

index-name

General Format
Format 1
SET {

identifier-! [, identifier-2] ···}

index-name-I [, index-name-2] •••

{identifier-3}
index-name-3
integer-I

Format 2
SET

index-name-4 [, index-name-5] •••

UP BY } {id.entifier-4}
{ DOWN BY
integer-2

Syntax Rules
1.

All
references
to
index-name-1,
identifier-I,
and
index-name-4 apply equally to index-name-2, identifier-2, and
index-name-5, respectively.

Identifier-I and identifier-3 must name either an index data
item, or an elementary item described as a numeric integer.

Identif ier-4 must
integer.

Integer-I and integer-2 may be
positive.

described

elementary

numeric

Integer-I

must

Index-names are considered related to a given table and
defined by being specified in the INDEXED BY clause.

are

If index-name-3 is specified, the value of the index before
the execution of the SET statement must correspond to an
occurrence number of an element in the associated table.
This
is
guaranteed
by
the
fact that PDP-11 COBOL
automatically initializes all index-names with a
value
corresponding to an occurrence number of one.

signed.

General Rules

5-108

PROCEDURE DIVISION
If index-name-4, index-name-5 is specified, the value of the
index both before and after the execution of the SET
statement must correspond to an occurrence number of an
element
in
the
associated
table.
If index-name-1,
index-name-2 is specified, the value of the index after the
execution
of the SET statement must correspond to an
occurr~nce number of an element in the associated table.
3.

In Format 1, the following action occurs:
a.

Index-name-! is set to a value causing it to refer to the
table element that corresponds in occurrence number to
the
table
element
referenced
by
index-name-3,
identifier-3, or integer-!.
A new value of the index
value portion of index-name-I is always computed.

If identifier-! is an index data item, it may be set
equal to the contents of either the occurrence number
portion of index-name-3 or
to
identif ier-3
where
identif ier-3 is also an index data item.

If identifier-I is not an index data item, it may be set
only to an occurrence number that corresponds to the
value of index-name-3.
Neither
identifier-3,
nor
integer-I can be used in this case.

The process is repeated for index-name-2, identifier-2,
etc., if specified. Each time the value of index-name-3
or identifier-3 is used as it was at the beginning of the
execution of the statement. Any subscripting or indexing
associated with
identifier-I,
etc.,
is
evaluated
immediately before the value of the respective data item
is changed.

In Format 2, the contents of index-name-4 are incremented (UP
or decremented (DOWN BY) by a value that corresponds to
the number of occurrences represented by the value of
literal-2
or identifier-4;
thereafter, the process is
repeated for index-name-5, etc.
Each time the value of
identifier-4 is used as it was at the beginning of the
execution of the statement.
BY)

Data in the following chart represents the validity of
various operand combinations in the SET statement. The
references to the preceding general rules (/3b) indicates the
applicable general rule.

Receiving Item
Sending Item
Integer Data Item

Index-Name

Index Data Item

Integer Literal

No/3c

Valid/3a

No/3b

Integer Data Item

No/3c

Valid/3a

No/3b

Index-Name

Valid/3c

Valid/3a

Valid/3b

Index Data Item

No/3c

Valid/3a

Valid/3b

5-109

PROCEDURE DIVISION

START
5.35

THE START STATEMENT (RELATIVE)

Function
The START statement
within a relative
records.

provides a means of logical positioning
file for subsequent sequential retrieval of

General Format

START file-name

~!
~E:O
J
{
THAN

data-name

IS NOT LESS THAN
IS NOT <

[; INVALID KEY imperative-statement]
NOTE: The required relational characters <, >, and = are
not underlined to avoid confusion with other symbols such as
greater than or equal to.
Syntax Rules
1.

File-name must be the name
dynamic access.

file

with

sequential

The INVALID KEY phrase must be specified if no applicable USE
procedure is specified for file-name.

Data-name, if specified, must be the data item specified in
the RELATIVE KEY phrase of the associated file control entry.

Data-name may be qualified.

General Rules
1.

File-name must be open in the INPUT or I-0 mode at
of execution of the START statement.

the

If the KEY phrase is not specified, the
IS EQUAL TO is implied.

operator

The type of comparison specified by the relational operator
in the KEY phrase occurs between a key associated with a
record in the file referenced by file-name and the data item
referenced
by the RELATIVE KEY clause associated with
file-name.

relational

time

The current record pointer is positioned to the first
logical record currently existing in the file whose key
satisfies the comparison.

If the comparison is not satisfied by any record in the
file,
an INVALID KEY condition exists, the execution of
the START statement is unsuccessful, and the position of

5-110

PROCEDURE DIVISION
the current record pointer is undefined.
action is taken:

The following

(1) If the contents of the RELATIVE KEY data item is
within the range of the key values corresponding to
the allocated space for this file, the value "23" is
placed
in the FILE STATUS data item,
if any,
associated with the file.
(2) If the INVALID KEY phrase is specified in the
statement
causing
the
condition,
control
is
transferred to the INVALID KEY imperative statement.
Any USE procedure specified for this file is not
executed.
(3) If the INVALID KEY phrase is not specified, but a USE
procedure
is
specified,
either
explicitly or
implicitly, for this file,
that
procedure
is
executed.
When the INVALID KEY condition occurs, execution of the
input-output statement that recognized the condition is
unsuccessful and the file is not affected.
4.

A START statement that repositions the current record pointer
to a record that is being simultaneously accessed by another
task will be unsuccessful. The FILE STATUS data item, if one
was specified for the file, is set to 92.

A START statement that is unsuccessful for an undetermined
reason will cause a 30 to be stored in the FILE STATUS data
item, if one was specified for the file.

5-111

PROCEDURE DIVISION

START
5.36

THE START STATEMENT (INDEXED)

Function
The START statement provides a basis for logical positioning
within an indexed file, for subsequent sequential retrieval of
records.
General Format

START file-name

[;

data-name

INVALID KEY imperative-statement]
NOTE
The required relational characters ,
,
and
= are not underlined to avoid
confusion with other symbols such as
greater than or equal to.

Syntax Rules
1.

File-name must be the name
dynamic access.

file

with

sequential

The INVALID KEY phrase must be specified if no applicable USE
procedure is specified for file-name.

If file-name is the name of an indexed file, and if the KEY
phrase is specified, data-name may reference a data item
specified as a record key associated with file-name, or it
may
reference
any data item of cabegory alphanumeric
subordinate to the data-name of a data ibem specified as a
record key associated with file-name whose leftmost character
position corresponds to the leftmost character position of
that record key data item.

Data-name may be qualified.

General Rules
1.

File-name must be open in the INPUT or I-0 mode at
that the START statement is executed.

If the KEY phrase is not specified the relational operator IS
EQUAL TO is implied.

5-112

the

time

PROCEDURE DIVISION
3.

The type of comparison specified by the relational operator
in the KEY phrase occurs between a key associated with a
record in the file referenced by file-name and a data item as
specified in general rule 6.
If file-name references an
indexed file and the operands are of unequal size, comparison
proceeds as though the longer one were truncated on the right
such that its length is equal to that of the shorter.
All
othei nonnumeric comparison rules apply.
a.

The current record pointer is positioned to the first
logical
record currently existing in the file whose key
satisfies the comparison.

If the comparison is not satisfied by any record
in the
file,
an INVALID KEY condition exists.
The execution of
the START statement is unsuccessful, and the position of
the current record pointer is undefined.
The FILE STATUS
data item, if one was specified for the file, is set to
23.

If the KEY phrase is specified, the comparison described
in
general rule 3 uses the data item referenced by data-name.

If the KEY phrase is not specified, the comparison described
in general rule 3 uses the data item referenced in the RECORD
KEY clause associated with file-name.

Upon completion of the successful execution of the START
statement, a
key of reference is established and used in
subsequent Format 1 READ statement as follows:
a.

If the KEY phrase is not specified, the prime record key
specified for file-name becomes the key of reference.

If the KEY phrase is specified,
and data-name
is
specified as a record key for file-name, that record key
becomes the key of reference.

If the KEY phrase is specified,
and data-name is not
specified as a record key for file-name, the record key
whose leftmost character position corresponds to the
leftmost character position of the data item specified by
data-name becomes the key of reference.

If the execution of the START statement
the key of reference is undefined.

A START statement that is unsuccessful for an undetermined
reason Cquses a 30 to be stored in the FILE STATUS data item,
if one was specified for the file.

5-113

not

successful,

PROCEDURE DIVISION

STOP
5.37

THE STOP STATEMENT

Function
The STOP statement causes a permanent or temporary suspension
the execution of the object program.

General Format
STOP

RUN

}

{ literal

Syntax Rules
1.

The literal may be numeric or nonnumeric
figurative constant, except ALL.

may

If the literal is
integer.

unsigned

If a STOP RUN statement appears in a consecutive sequence of
imperative statements within a sentence, it must appear as
the last statement in that sequence.

numeric,

then

must

any

General Rules
1.

If the RUN phrase is used, the standard ending procedure
executed and the object program execution is terminated.

If STOP literal is specified, the literal is displayed on the
user's standard display device. The execution of the object
program is temporarily suspended awaiting an ACCEPT from the
console device. Typing a carriage return causes the program
execution to continue. Continuation of the object program
begins with the execution of the next executable statement in
sequence.

5-114

PROCEDU~E

DIVISION

STRING
5.38

THE STRING STATEMENT

Function
The STRING statement provides concatenation of the partial or
complete contents of two or more data items into a single data
item.
General Format

STRING {

identifier-!} [ identifier-2]
literal-!

,literal-2

{

~{ identifier-4 }[ identif ier-5]
~,literal-4

ide.ntif ier-3}
literal-3

••• DELIMITED BY

identifier-6}••
literal-6

••• DELIMITED BY

,literal-5

SIZE

{

SIZE

INTO identifier-7 [WITH POINTER identifier-8]
[;ON OVERFLOW imperative-statement]

Syntax Rules
1.

Each literal may be
optional word ALL.

any

figurative

All literals must be described as nonnumeric literals, and
all identifiers, except identifier-8, must be described
implicitly or explicitly as USAGE IS DISPLAY.

Identifier-7 must represent an elementary alphanumeric
item without editing symbols or the JUSTIFIED clause.

Identifier-8 must represent an elementary numeric integer
data item of sufficient size to contain a value equal to the
size, plus 1 of the area referenced by identifier-7.
The
symbol P may not be used in the PICTURE character-string of
identifier-8.

Where identifier-I, identifier-2, ••• ,or identifier-6 is an
elementary numeric data item,
it must be described as an
integer without the symbol P in its PICTURE character-string.

5-115

constant

without

the

data

PROCEDURE DIVISION
General Rules
1.

All references to identifier-1,
identifier-2,
identifier~3,
literal-1,
literal-2,
literal-3
apply
equally
to
identifier-4,
identifier-5,
identifier-6,
literal-4,
literal-5 and literal-6, respectively, and all recursions
thereof.

Identifier-1, literal-I,
identifier-2, literal-2 represent
the sending items.
Identifier-7 represents the receiving
item.

Literal-3, identifier-3, indicate the character(s) delimiting
the move. If the SIZE phrase is used, the complete data item
defined by identifier-1, literal-I,
identifier-2, literal-2
is moved.
When a figurative constant is used as the
delimiter, it stands for a single character nonnumeric
literal.

When a figurative constant is specified as
literal-I,
literal-2, literal-3,
it refers to an implicit 1-character
data item whose USAGE IS DISPLAY.

When the STRING statement is executed, the transfer
is governed by the following rules:

data

Those characters from literal-I, literal-2, or from the
contents of the data item referenced by identifier-I,
identif ier-2 are transferred
to
the
contents
of
identifier-7
in
accordance
with
the
rules
for
alphanumeric to alphanumeric moves, except that
no
space-filling will be provided.
(See Section 5.22. The
MOVE STATEMENT).

If the DELIMITED phrase is specified without the SIZE
phrase, the contents of the data item referenced by
identifier-1, identifier-2 or the value of literal-I,
literal-2 are transferred to the receiving data item in
the sequence specified in the STRING statement beginning
with the leftmost character and continuing from left to
right until the end of the data item is reached or until
the
character(s)
specified by literal-3 or by the
contents
of
identifier-3
are
encountered.
The
character(s)
specified by literal-3 or by the data item
referenced by identifier-3 are not transferred.

If the DELIMITED phrase is specified with the SIZE
phrase, the entire contents of literal-I, literal-2, or
the contents of the data item referenced by identifier-1,
identifier-2 are transferred, in the sequence specified
in the STRING statement, to the data item referenced by
identif ier-7 until all data has been transferred or the
end of the data item referenced by identif ier-7 has been
reached.

5-116

PROCEDURE DIVISION
6.

If the POINTER phrase is
specified,
identifier-8
is
explicitly available to the programmer, and he is responsible
for setting its initial value.
The initial value must not be
less than one.

If the POINTER phrase is not specified, the following general
rules apply as if the user had specified identifier-8 with an
initial value of 1.

When characters are transferred to the data item referenced
by identifier-7,
the moves behave as though the characters
were moved one at a time from the source into the character
position
of
the data item referenced by identifier-7
designated by the value associated with identifier-8,
and
then identifier-8 was increased by one prior to the move of
the next character.
The value associated with identifier-8
is changed during execution of the STRING statement only by
the behavior specified above.

At the end of execution of the STRING statement,
only the
portion of the data item referenced by identifier-7 that was
referenced during the execution of the STRING statement is
changed.
All other portions of the data item referenced by
identif ier-7 will contain data that was present before this
execution of the STRING statement.

10.

If at any point at or after
initialization of the STRING
statement,
but
before
execution of the statement is
completed, the value associated with identifier-8 is either
less than one or exceeds the number of character positions in
the data item referenced by identifier-7, no
(further)
data
is transferred to the data item referenced by identifier-7,
and the imperative statement in the ON OVERFLOW phrase is
executed, if specified.

11.

If the ON OVERFLOW phrase is not specified when
the
conditions
described
1n
General
Rule
10 above are
encountered, control passes to the next executable statement.

5-117

PROCEDURE DIVISION

SUBTRACT
5.39

THE SUBTRACT STATEMENT

Function
The SUBTRACT statement is used to subtract one or the sum of
or more numeric data items from one or more items and set
value of one or more items equal to the results.

two
the

General Format
Format 1
SUBTRACT

identifier-!} [ identifier-2]
{

literal-!

••. FROM identifier-m [ROUNDED]

,literal-2

[identifier-n [ROUNDED]] ••.
[;

ON SIZE ERROR imperative-statement]

Format 2
SUBTRACT

identifier-!}
{

[identifier-2~ •.• FROM

literal-!

,literal-2

identif ier-m}
{

literal-m

GIVING identifier-n [ROUNDED], Q.dentifier-o [ROUNDED]] •••
[;ON SIZE ERROR imperative-statement]
Format 3
CORRESPONDING}
SUBTRACT
[;

{

identifier-! FROM identif ier-2 [ROUNDED]
CORR

on SIZE ERROR imperative-statement]

Syntax Rules
1.

Each identifier must
except that:

refer

numeric

elementary

item

In Format 2, each identifier following the word GIVING
must refer to either an elementary numeric item or an
elementary numeric edited item.

In Format 3, each identifier must refer to a group item.

Each literal must be a numeric literal.

The composite of operands must not contain more than
digits.
{See Section 5.7.4, The Arithmetic Statements.)

5-118

PROCEDURE DIVISION

In Format 1, the composite of operands is determined
using all of the operands in a given statement.

In Format 2, the composite of operands is determined by
using all of the operands in a given statement excluding
the data item that follows the word GIVING.

In Format 3, the composite of oper~nds is determined
separately for each pair of corresponding data items.

CORR is an abbreviation for CORRESPONDING.

General Rules
1.

See Section 5.7.1, The ROUNDED phrase;
Section 5.7.2, The
SIZE ERROR Phrase; Section 5.7.3, The CORRESPONDING Phrase;
Section 5.7.4, The Arithmetic Statements;
Section 5.7.5,
Multiple Results in Arithmetic Statements;
and Section
5.7.6, Overlapping Operands.

In Format 1, all literals or identifiers preceding the word
FROM are added together, and this total is subtracted from
the current value of identifier-m,
storing the
result
immediately into identif ier-m, and repeating this process
respectively for each operand following the word FROM.

In Format 2, all literals or identifiers preceding the word
FROM are added together, the sum is subtracted from literal-m
or identifier-m, and the result of the subtraction is stored
as the new value of identifier-n, identifier-o, etc.

are
If Format 3 is used, data items in identifier-I
subtracted from and stored into corresponding data items in
identifier-2.

The compiler insures enough places are carried so as
lose significant digits during execution.

5-119

not

PROCEDURE DIVISION

UNSTRING
5.40

THE UNSTRING STATEMENT

Function
The UNSTRING statement causes contiguous data in a sending
to be separated and placed into multiple receiving fields.

field

General Format

~I:::::i::e::~L]
{i~entifier-2}[,0R
~

[ALL]

11teral-l

{i~entifier-3}] ..JJ
literal-2

INTO identifier-4[DELIMITER IN identifier-SJ [,COUNT IN identifier-6)
[,identifier-7[,DELIMITER IN identifier-BJ [,COUNT IN identifier-9)) •••
[WITH POINTER
[;

ide~tifier-10)

[TALLYING IN identifier-11)

ON OVERFLOW imperative-statement]

Syntax Rules
1.

Each literal must be a nonnumeric literal. In addition, each
literal may be any figurative constant without the optional
word ALL.

Identifier-!, identifier-2, identifier-3,
identifier-5, and
identifier-8 must be described, implicitly or explicitly, as
an alphanumeric data item.

Identifier-4 and identifier-7 may be described as either
alphabetic
{except that the symbol B may not be used in the
PICTURE character-string), alphanumeric, or numeric
{except
that
the
symbol
P may not be used in the PICTURE
character-string), and must be described as USAGE IS DISPLAY.

Identifier-6, identifier-9, identifier-10, and identifier-11
must be described as elementary numeri~ integer data items
{except that the symbol P may not be used in the PICTURE
character-string).

No identifier may name a level 88 entry.

The DELIMITER IN phrase and the COUNT IN phrase may
specified only if the DELIMITED BY phrase is specified.

General Rules
1.

All references to identifier-2, literal-1, identifier-4,
identifier-5 and identifier-6 apply equally to identifier-3,
literal-2,
identifier-7,
identifier-8, and
identifier-9,
respectively, and all recursions thereof.

5-120

PROCEDURE DIVISION
2.

Identifier-I represents the sending area.

Identifier-4
represents
the
data
receiving
area.
Identifier-5 represents the receiving area for delimiters.

Literal-! or the data
specifies a delimiter.

Identifier-6 represents the count of the number of characters
within the data item referenced by identifier-! that were
isolated by the delimiters for
the move to identifier-4.
This value does not include a count of the delimiter
character{s).

The data item referenced by identifier-lo contains a value
that indicates a relative character position within the area
defined by identifier-I.

The data item referenced by identifier-11 is a counter that
records the number of data items acted upon during the
execution of an UNSTRING statement.

When a figurative constant is used as the
stands for a !-character nonnumeric literal.

item

referenced

identif ier-2

delimiter,

When the ALL phrase is specified, one occurrence, or two or
more contiguous occurrences of literal-! {figurative constant
or not) or the contents of the data item referenced by
identifier-2 are treated as if it were only one occurrence,
and this occurrence is moved to the receiving data item
according to the rules in general rule 13d.

When any examination encounters two contiguous delimiters,
the current receiving area is either space or zero filled
according to the description of the receiving area.

10.

Literal-! or the contents of the data item referenced by
identif ier-2 can contain any character in the full character
set.

11.

Each literal-! or the data item referenced by identifier-2
represents one delimiter. When a delimiter contains two or
more characters, all of the characters must be present in
contiguous positions of the sending item and in the order
given to be recognized as a delimiter.

12.

When two or more delimiters are specified in the DELIMITED BY
phrase,
an OR condition exists between them.
Each delimiter
is compared to the sending field.
If a match occurs,
the
character{s)
in the sending field
is considered to be a
single delimiter. No character(s) in the sending field can
be considered a part of more than one delimiter.
Each delimiter is applied to the sending
sequence specified in the UNSTRING statement.

5-121

field

the

PROCEDURE DIVISION
13.

When the UNSTRING statement is initiated, the
current
receiving area is the data item referenced by identifier-4.
Data is transferred from the data item referenced
by
identifier-I to the data item referenced by identifier-4,
according to the following rules:
a.

If the POINTER phrase is specified, the string of
characters
referenced
by identifier-I is examined,
beginning with the relative character position indicated
by
the
content
of
the data item referenced by
identifier-IO. If the POINTER phrase is not specified,
the string of characters is examined, beginning with the
leftmost character position.

If the DELIMITED BY phrase is specified, the examinatioQ
proceeds left to right until either a delimiter specified
by the value of literal-I or the data item referenced by
identifier-2 is encountered.
(See general rule 11.) If
the DELIMITED BY phrase is not specified, the number of
characters examined is equal to the size of the current
receiving area. However, if the sign of the receiving
item
is defined as occupying a separate character
position, the number of characters examined is one less
than the size of the current receiving area.
If the end of the data item referenced by identifier-I is
encountered before the delimiting condition is met, the
examination terminates with the last character examined.

The characters thus examined
(excluding the delimiting
character(s), if any)
are treated as an elementary
alphanumeric data item and are moved into the current
receiving area according to the rules for the MOVE
statement.
(See Section 5.22, The MOVE Statement.)

If the DELIMITER IN phrase is specified, the delimiting
character(s)
are treated as an elementary alphanumeric
data item and are moved into the data item referenced by
identif ier-5
according
to the rules for the MOVE
statement.
(See Section 5.22, The MOVE Statement.)
If
the delimiting condition is the end of the data item
referenced by identifier-I, then the data item referenced
by identifier-5 is space filled.

If the COUNT IN phrase is specified, a value equal to the
number
of
characters thus examined
(excluding the
delimiter character(s), if any) is moved into the area
referenced by identifier-6, according to the rules for an
elementary move.

If the DELIMITED BY phrase is specified, the string of
characters is further examined, beginning with the first
character to the right of the delimiter.
If
the
DELIMITED BY phrase is not specified, the string of
characters is further examined, beginning with
the
character to the right of the last character transferred.

5-122

PROCEDURE DIVISION
g.

After data is transferred to the data item referenced by
identifier-4, the current receiving area is the data item
referenced by identifier-7. The behavior described in
paragraph 13b through 13f is repeated until either all
the characters are exhausted in the data item referenced
by identif ier-1 or until there are no more receiving
areas.

14.

The initialization of the contents of the data
items
associated with the POINTER phrase or the TALLYING phrase is
the responsibility of the user.

15.

The contents of the data item referenced by identifier-IO
will be incremented by one for each character examined in the
data item referenced by identifier-I. When the execution of
an UNSTRING~statement with a POINTER phrase is completed, the
contents of the data item referenced by identifier-IO will
contain a value equal to the initial value, plus the number
of characters examined in the data item referenced by
identifier-I.

16.

When the execution of an UNSTRING statement with a TALLYING
phrase is completed, the contents of the data item referenced
by identifier-II contain a value equal to its initial value,
plus the number of data-receiving items acted upon.

17.

Either of
condition:

the

following

situations

causes

overflow

An UNSTRING is initiated, and the value in the data item
referenced by identif ier-10 is less than l or greater
than the size of
the
data
item
referenced
by
identifier-I.

If, during execution of an UNSTRING statement, all
receiving areas have been acted upon, and the data item
referenced by identif ier-1 contains characters that have
not been examined.

18.

When an overflow condition exists, the UNSTRING operation is
terminated. If an ON OVERFLOW phrase has been specified, the
imperative statement included in the ON OVERFLOW phrase is
executed.
If the ON OVERFLOW phrase is not specified,
control is transferred to the next executable statement.

19.

The evaluation of subscripting
identifiers is as follows:

and

indexing

for

the

Any
subscripting
or
indexing
associated
with
identifier-I,
identifier-IO, identifier-11 is evaluated
only once, immediately before any data is transferred as
the result of the execution of the UNSTRING statement.

Any
subscripting
or
indexing
associated
with
identifier-2,
identifier-3,
identifier-4, identifier-5,
identifier-6 is evaluated immediately before the transfer
of data into the respective data item.

5-123

PROCEDURE DIVISION

USE
5.41

THE USE STATE~ENT

Function
The USE statement specifies procedures for input-output error
handling that are in addition to the standard procedures provided
by the File Control System.
General Format
file-name-1
[ , f ilename-2]
EXCEPTION
INPUT
STANDARD{
}PROCEDURE ON OUTPUT
{ I-0
ERROR
EXTEND
Syntax Rules
1.

A USE statement, when present, must immediately follow a
section header in the Declaratives Section and must be
followed by a period followed by a space. The remainder of
the section must consist of zero, one, or more procedural
paragraphs that define the procedures to be used.

The USE statement itself is never executed;
it merely
defines the conditions calling for the execution of the USE
procedures.

Appearance of a file-name in a USE statement must not cause
the simultaneous request for execution of more than one USE
procedure.

The words ERROR and EXCEPTION are synonymous and may be
interchangeably.

The files implicitly or explicitly referenced in a USE
statement need not all have the same organization or access.

used

General Rules
1.

The designated procedures are executed by the input-output
system after completing the standard input-output error
routine or upon recognition of the INVALID KEY or AT END
condition when the INVALID KEY phrase or AT END phrase has
not been specified in the input-output statement.

After execution of a USE procedure, control
the invoking routine.

Within a USE procedure, there must not be any reference to
any
non-declarative
procedures.
Conversely,
in
the
nondeclarative portion there must be no
reference
to
procedure-names that appear in the declarative portion,
except that PERFORM statements may refer to a USE statement
or to the procedures associated with such a USE statement.

Within a USE procedure, there must not be the execution of
~ny
statement that would cause the execution of a USE
procedure that had previously been invoked and had not yet
returned control to the invoking routine.
5-124

returned

PROCEDURE DIVISION

WRITE
5.42

THE WRITE STATEMENT (SEQUENTIAL)

Function
The WRITE statement releases a logical record for an output file.
It can also be used for vertical positioning of lines within a
logical page.
General Format
WRITE record-name

[

[FROM identif ier-D

ADVANCING1n~~~~!;ier-2} ~~=~~1J
[ AT 1~-0F-PAGEl PAG:mperative-statement]
{

BEFORE.}
AFTER

Syntax Rules
1.

Record-name and identifier-! must not refer to data
allocated to the same storage area.

The record-name is the name of a logical record in the File
Section of the Data Division; record-name may be qualified.

When identifier-2 is used in the ADVANCING phrase, it must be
the name of an elementary integer data item.

Integer or the value of
identifier-2 may be zero.

the

If the END-OF-PAGE phrase is
must be specified in the
associated file.

specified, the LINAGE clause
file description entry for the

The words END-OF-PAGE and EOP are equivalent.

data

item

that

referenced

General Rules
1.

The associated file must be open in the OUTPUT or EXTEND mode
at the time of the execution of this statement.

5-125

PROCEDURE DIVISION
2.

The logical record released by the successful execution of
the WRITE statement is no longer available in the record area
unless the associated file is named in a SAME RECORD AREA
clause.
The logical .record is also available to the program
as a record of other files referenced in the s.ame SAME RECORD
AREA clause as the associated output file, as well as to the
file associated with record-name.

The results of the execution of the WRITE statement with
FROM phrase is equivalent to the execution of:
a.

the

The statement:
MOVE identif ier-1 TO record-name
according to the rules specified for the MOVE
followed by:

statement,

The same WRITE statement without the FROM phrase.
The contents of the record area prior to the execution of
the implicit MOVE statement have no effect on the
execution of this WRITE statement.
After execution of the WRITE statement is complete, the
information in the area referenced by identif ier-1 is
available, even though the information in the area
referenced by record-name may not be.

The current record pointer is unaffected by the execution
a WRITE statement.

The maximum record size for a file is established at the time
the file is created and must not subsequently be changed.

The number of character positions on a mass storage device
required to store a logical record in a file may or may not
be equal to the number of character positions defined by the
logical description of that record in the program.

The execution of the WRITE statement releases
record to the file Record Management Services.

Both the ADVANCING phrase and the END-OF-PAGE phrase allow
control of the vertical positioning of each line on a
representation of a printed page.
If the ADVANCING phrase is
not used, automatic advancing will be provided to act as if
the user had specified AFTER ADVANCING 1 LINE.
If the
ADVANCING phrase is used, advancing is provided as follows:
a.

logical

If identifier-2 is specified, the representation of the
printed page is advanced the number of lines equal to the
current value associated with identifier-2.

5-126

PROCEDURE DIVISION
b.

If integer is specified, the representation of the
printed page is advanced the number of lines equal to the
value of integer.

If the BEFORE phrase is used, the line is presented
before the representation of the printed page is advanced
according to rules a and b above.

If the AFTER phrase is used, the line is presented after
the representation of the printed page is advanced
according to rules a and b above.

If PAGE is specified, the record is presented on the
logical page b~fore or after (depending on the phrase
used) the device is repositioned to the next logical
page.
If the record to be written is associated with a
file whose file description entry contains a LINAGE
clause, the repositioning is to the first line that can
be written on the next logical page as specified in ·the
LINAGE clause. If the record to be written is associated
with a file whose file description entry does not contain
a LINAGE clause, the repositioning to the next logical
page is accomplished in accordance with the File Control
System standard.
If page has no meaning in conjunction
with a specific device, then advancing will be provided
to act as if the user had specified BEFORE or AFTER
(depending on the phrase used) ADVANCING 1 LINE.

If the logical end of the representation of the printed page
is reached during the execution of a WRITE statement with the
END-OF-PAGE phrase, the imperative-statement specified in the
END-OF-PAGE phrase is executed. The logical end is specified
in the LINAGE clause associated with record-name.

10.

An end-of-page condition is reached whenever the execution of
a given WRITE statement with the END-OF-PAGE phrase causes
printing or spacing within the footing area of a page body.
This occurs when the execution of such a WRITE statement
causes the LINAGE-COUNTER to equal or exceed the value
specified by integer-2 or the data item referenced by
data-name-2 of the LINAGE clause, if specified.
In this
case, the WRITE statement is executed and then the imperative
statement in the END-OF-PAGE phrase is executed.
An automatic page overflow condition is reached whenever the
execution of a given WRITE statement (with or without an
END-OF-PAGE phrase) cannot be fully accommodated within the
current page body.
This occurs when a WRITE statement, if executed, would cause
the LINAGE-COUNTER to exceed the value specified by integer-I
or the data item referenced by data-name-I of the LINAGE
clause.
In this case, the record is presented on the logical
page before or after
(depending on the phrase used)
the
device is repositioned to the first line that can be written

5-127

PROCEDURE DIVISION
on the next logical page as specified in the LINAGE clause.
The imperative statement in the END-OF-PAGE clause,
if
specified, is executed after the record is written and the
device has been repositioned.
If integer-~ or data-name-2 of the LINAGE clause is not
specified, no end-of-page condition distinct from the page
overflow condition is detected.
In
this
case,
the
end-of-page condition and page overflow condition occur
simultaneously.
If integer-2 or data-name-2 of the LINAGE
clause
is
specified, but the execution of a given WRITE statement would
cause LINAGE-COUNTER to simultaneously exceed the value of
both
(integer-2 or the data item referenced by data-name-2)
and integer-! or the data item referenced by data-name-1,
then the operation proceeds as if integer-2 (or data-name-2)
had not been specified.
11.

12.

13.

When an attempt is made to write beyond the externally
defined boundaries of a sequential file the Record Management
Services will attempt to extend the space allocated to the
file on the media.
If that attempt is successful, the WRITE
will be executed normally.
If it is unsuccessful,
an
exception condition exists and the contents of the record
area are unaffected. The following action takes place:
a.

The value of the FILE STATUS data item, if any, of the
associated file is set to a value of 34 indicating a
boundary violation.

If a USE AFTER STANDARD EXCEPTION
declarative
is
explicitly or implicitly specified for the file, that
declarative procedure will then be executed.

If a USE AFTER STANDARD EXCEPTION declarative is not
explicitly or implicitly specified for the file, the
execution of the object program is terminated.

After the recognition of an end-of-reel or an end-of-unit of
an output file that is contained on more than one physical
ieel/unit,
the WRITE statement performs
the
following
operations:
a.

The standard ending reel/unit label procedure.

A reel/unit swap.

The standard beginning reel/unit label procedure.

A WRITE statement that is unsuccessful for an undetermined
reason, will cause a 30 to be stored in the FILE STATUS data
item, if one was specified for the file.

5-128

PROCEDURE DIVISION

WRITE
5.43

THE WRITE STATEMENT (RELATIVE)

Function
The WRITE statement releases a logical record for
input-output file.

output

General Format
WRITE record-name(!ROM identifier]

G INVALID KEY imperative-statemen~

Syntax Rules
1.

Record-name and identifier must not refer to
allocated to the same storage area.

data

that

are

The record-name is the name of a logical record in the File
Section of the Data Division;
record-name may be qualified.

The INVALID KEY phrase must be specified if an applicable USE
procedure is not specified for the associated file.

General Rules
1.

The associated file must be open in the OUTPUT or I-0 mode at
the time of the execution of this statement.

The logical record released by the successful execution of
the WRITE statement is no longer available in the record area
unless the associated file is named in a SAME RECORD AREA
clause.
The logical record is also available to the program
as a record of other files referenced in the same SAME RECORD
AREA clause as the associated output file, as well as to the
file associated with record-name.

The results of the execution of the WRITE statement with
FROM phrase is equivalent to the execution of:
a.

the

The statement:
MOVE identifier TO record-name
according to the rules specified for the MOVE
followed by:

5-129

statement,

PROCEDURE DIVISION
b.

The same WRITE statement without the FROM phrase.
The contents of the record area prior to the ex~cution of
the implicit MOVE statement have no effect on the
execution of this WRITE statement.
After execution of the WRITE statement is complete, the
information in the area referenced by identifier is
available, even though the information in the area
referenced by record-name may not be.

The current record pointer is unaffected by the execution
a WRITE statement.

The maximum record size for a file is established at the time
the file is created and must not subsequently be changed.

The number of character positions on a storage media required
to store a logical record in a file will be greater than the
number of character positions defined by
the
logical
description of that record in the program.

The execution of the WRITE statement releases
record to the Record Management Services.

When a file is opened in the output mode,
records
placed into the file by one of the following:

logical
may

If the access mode is sequential, the WRITE statement
will cause a record to be released to the file control
system. The first record will have a relative record
number of one and subsequent records released will have
relative record numbers of 2,
3,
4,
If the
RELATIVE KEY data item has been specified in the file
control entry for the associated file,
the relative
record number of the record just released will be placed
into the RELATIVE KEY data item during execution of the
WRITE statement.

If the access mode is random or dynamic, prior to the
execution of the WRITE statement the value of the
RELATIVE KEY data item must be initialized in the program
with the relative record number to be associated with the
record in the record area. That record is then released
to the file Record Management Services by execution of
the WRITE statement.

When a file is opened in the I-0 mode and the access mode is
random or dynamic, the WRITE statement allows records to be
inserted in the associated file.
The value of the RELATIVE
KEY data item must be initialized by the program with the
relative record number to be associated with the record in
the record area.
Execution of a WRITE statement then causes
the contents of the record area to be released to the Record
Management Services.

5-130

PROCEDURE DIVISION
lQ.

An INVALID KEY condition may arise; the WRITE statement is
unsuccessful, the contents of the record area are unaffected,
and the following actions take place.
If the access mode is sequential, a boundary violation may
occur if the WRITE stat~ment attempted to write beyond the
allocated space for the file and the Record Management
Services was unsuccessful in obtaining additional space for
the file. The value 24 is placed in the FILE STATUS data
item, if any, associated with the file.
If the access mode is random or dynamic and the contents of
the RELATIVE KEY data item specifies a record which already
exists in the file, the value 22 is placed in the FILE STATUS
data item, i~ any, associated with the file.
If the access mode is random or dynamic and the contents of
the RELATIVE KEY data item does not lie in the range of key
values associated with the file, a boundary violation may
occur if the Record Management Services is unsuccessful in
obtaining additional space for the file.
The value 24 is
placed in the FILE STATUS data item, if any, associated with
the file.

11.

A WRITE statement issued to a
file
that
is
being
simultaneously accessed by another task will be unsuccessful.
The FILE STATUS data item, if one was specified for the file,
is set to 92.

12.

A WRITE statement that is unsuccessful for an undetermined
reason will cause a 30 to be stored in the FILE STATUS data
item, if one was specified for the file.

5-131

PROCEDURE DIVISION

WRITE
5.44

THE WRITE STAT~MENT {INDEXED)

Function
The WRITE statement releases a logical record for
input-output file.

output

General Format
~

record-name [FROM identifier]

[;INVALID KEY imperative-statement]

Syntax Rules
1.

Record-name and identifier must not refer
allocated to the same storage area.

The record-name is the name of a logical record in
Section of the Data Division.

The INVALID KEY phrase must be specified if an applicable USE
procedure is not specified for the associated file.

data

that
the

is
File

General Rules

The associated file must be open in the OUTPUT or I-0 mode at
the time of the execution of this statement.

The logical record released by the execution of the WRITE
statement is no longer available in the record area unless
the associated file is named in a SAME RECORD AREA clause or
the execution of the WRITE statement is unsuccessful. The
logical record is also available to the program as a record
of other files referenced in the same SAME RECORD AREA clause
as the associated output file,
as well as to the file
associated with record-name.

The results of the execution of the WRITE statement with
FROM phrase is equivalent to the execution.of:
a.

the

The statement:
MOVE identifier TO record-name

according to the rules
followed by:
b.

specified

for

the

MOVE

statement,

The same WRITE statement without the FROM phrase.

The contents of the record area prior to the execution of the
implicit MOVE statement have no effect on the execution of
this WRITE statement.
After execution of the
information
in
the

WRITE statement
area referenced

5-132

is
by

complete, the
identifier is

PROCEDURE DIVISION
available, even though the information in the area referenced
by record-name may not be.
{See general rule 2).
4.

The current record pointer is unaffected by the execution
a WRITE statement.

The maximum record size for a file is established at the time
the file is created and must not subsequently be changed.

The number of character positions on a mass storage device
required to store a logical record in a file may or may not
be equal to the number of character positions defined by ~he
logical description of that record in the program.

The execution of the WRITE statement releases
record to the Record Management Services.

Execution of the WRITE statement causes the contents of the
record area to be released.
The Record Management Services
utilizes the content of the record keys in such a way that
subsequent access of the record may be made based upon any of
those specified record keys.

The value of the prime record key must be unique
records in the file.

10.

The data item specified as the prime record key must be set
by the program to the desired value prior to the execution of
the WRITE statement.

11.

If sequential access mode is specified for the file,
records
must be released to the Record Management Services in
ascending order of prime record key values.

12.

If random or dynamic access mode is specified, records may be
released
to
the
Record
Management
Services in any
program-specified order.

13.

When the ALTERNATE RECORD KEY clause is specified in the file
control entry for an indexed file, the value of the alternate
record key may be non-unique only if the DUPLICATES phrase is
specified for that data item.
In this case the Record
Management Services provides storage of records such that
when
records
are accessed sequentially, the order of
retrieval of those records is the order
in which they are
released to the Record Management Services.

14.

The INVALID KEY
circumstances:

condition

5-133

exists

under

the

logical

within

the

following

PROCEDURE DIVISION
NOTE
The value in parentheses immediately
following each statement is the value
that is placed in the FILE STATUS data
item, if one was specified for the file.
a.

When sequential access mode is specified for a file
opened in the output mode and the value of the prime
record key is not greater than the value of the prime
record key of the previous record, (21)

When the file is opened in the output or I-0 mode and the
value of the prime record key is equal to the value of a
prime record key of a record already eiisting in the
fi~e,
(22)

When the file is opened in the output or I-0 mode and the
value of an alternate record key for which duplicates are
not allowed equals the corresponding data item of a
record already existing in the file, (22)

When the device to which the file is assigned has no more
space to contain the new record, (24)

When an attempt is made to write a record that
simultaneously accessed by another task, (92)

When an unidentifiable error occurs.

5-134

(30)

being

CHAPTER 6
SEGMENTATION

The COBOL segmentation facility allows you to communicate object
program overlay requirements to the compiler. COBOL segmentation
deals only with the segmentation of procedures. Therefore, only the
Procedure
Division
is
considered
in determining segmentation
requirements.

6.1

ORGANIZATION

When segmentation is used, the Procedure Division for a source program
must be written as a consecutive group of sections. Each section is
composed of a series of closely related operations designed to
collectively perform a particular function. Also, each section must
be specified as belonging to the non-overlayable or overlayable
portion of the program.
Using segmentation affects only the physical management of the object
program
during
execution.
It
neither imposes any syntactic
restrictions nor implies any semantic differences over the same
program written without segmentation.
The logical sequence of the
program is the same as the physical sequence except for specific
~ransfers of control.
Flow of control from a non-overlayable segment
to an overlayable segment, or from an overlayable segment to another
overlayable segment is accomplished by the system.

6.1.1

Non-Overlayable vs. Overlayable Segments

A non-overlayable segment is that portion of the program that cannot
be overlaid once it is loaded into memory. An overlayable segment,
however, can overlay or be overlaid by any other overlayable segment.

6-1

SEGMENTATION
6.2

USING THE SEGMENTATION FACILITY

The COBOL segmentation facility requires that you specify
the
SEGMENT-LIMIT clause
(see Section 3.4.2)
in the OBJECT-COMPUTER
paragraph of the Envitonment Division, and that you assign segment
numbers to each section of the Procedure Division.

6.2.1

The SEGMENT-LIMIT Clause

The SEGMENT-LIMIT clause has the following format:
SEGMENT-LIMIT IS segment-number
where segment-number is an integer ranging from 00 to 49.
The value specified by segment-number is used by the compiler to
determine whether a segment is overlayable. That is, the value you
specify in the SEGMENT-LIMIT clause is compared to the segment-number
you assign to each section in the Procedure Division. Sections having
segment-numbers that are less in value than the one specified by the
SEGMENT-LIMIT clause are non-overlayable. Those having segment-number
values that are greater than or equal to the segment limit are
overlay able.

6.2.2

Segment Numbers

Sections within the Procedure Division are grouped into segments by
means of a system of segment-numbers. A segment-number is included in
the section header.
General Format
Section-name SECTION [segment-number].

Syntax Rules
1.

The segment-number must be an integer ran~ing in
00 through 49.

If the section-number is omitted, 00 is assumed.

value

from

General Rules
1.

All sections having the same segment-number constitute a
program overlay. Sections with the same segment-numbers need
not be physically contiguous in the source program.

6-2

SEGMENTATION
2.

Segments with segment-numbers less than the number specified
in the SEGMENT-LIMIT clause belong to the
non-overlayable
portion of the program.

Segments with segment-numbers equal to or greater than the
value specified in the SEGMENT-LIMIT clause belong to the
overlayqble portion of the program.

6-3

CHAPTER 7
THE LIBRARY MODULE

7.1

FUNCTION

The Library module provides a capability for specifying text
to be copied from a library file.

that

COBOL library files contain source text that is available to the
compiler
for
copying
qt
compile
time.
The effect of the
interpretation of the COPY statement is to insert the text of a file
into the source program where it will be treated by the compiler as
part of the source program.

7.2

THE COPY STATEMENT

Function
The COPY statement incorporates text into a COBOL source program.

General Format
COPX {

text-name}
literal-3

REPLACING {,

literal-!}
{

word-1

BY {

literal-2} }

•••

word-2

Syntax Rules
1.

Each text-name must be unique within the file directories
available
to
the
compiler.
(See
Section
1.2.3.1,
User-defined words)

7-1

THE LIBRARY MODULE
2.

The COPY statement must be preceded by a space and terminated
by the separator period.

Word-1 or word-2 may be any single COBOL word.

COPY statement may occur in the source program anywhere a
character-string or a separator may occur except that a COPY
statement must not occur within a COPY statement.

Literal-3 is a non-numeric literal containing
a
file
specification.
The use of text-name is equivalent to
specifying "SY:textname.LIB".

General Rules
1.

When a COPY statement is specified, the library
text
associated with text-name is copied into the source program.
The entire COPY statement is logically replaced, beginning
with the reserved word COPY and ending with the punctuation
character period, inclusive.

If the REPLACING phrase is not specified, the library text is
copied unchanged.
If the REPLACING phrase is specified, the library text is
copied and each properly matched occurrence of word-1 and
literal-1 in the library
text
is
replaced
by
the
corresponding word-2, or literal-2.

The comparison operation to determine text replacement occurs
in the following manner:
Any separator comma, semicolon and/or space(s) preceding the
leftmost library text-word is copied into the source program.
Starting with the leftmost library text-word and the first
word-1, or literal-1, that was specified in the REPLACING
phrase, the entire REPLACING phrase operand that precedes the
reserved word BY is compared to a library text-word.
Word-1, or literal-1, matches the library text if, and only
if, the text-word that forms word-1, or literal-1 is equal,
character for character, to the library text-word.
If no match occurs, the comparison is repeated with each next
successive word-1, or literal-1, if any, in the REPLACING
phrase until either a match is found or there is no next
successive REPLACING operand.
When all the REPLACING operands have been compared and no
match has occurred, the leftmost library text-word is copied
into the source program.
The next successive
library
text-word
is
then considered as the leftmost library

7-2

THE LIBRARY MODULE
text-word, and the comparison cycle starts again
first word-1,
or literal-I,
specified in the
phrase.

with the
REPLACING

Whenever a match occurs between word-1, or literal-I, and the
library text,
the corresponding word-2, or literal-2, is
placed intoi the source program.
The library text-word
immediately
following
the
rightmost
text-word
that
participated in the match is then considered as the leftmost
library text-word.
The comparison cycle starts again with
the first word-1, or literal-! specified in the REPLACING
phrase.
The comparison operation continues until the
rightmost
text-word in the library text has either participated in a
match or been considered as a leftmost library text-word and
participated in a complete comparison cycle.
4.

Comment lines appearing in library text are copied
source program unchanged.

The text produced as a result of the complete processing of a
COPY statement must not contain a COPY statement.

Library text must conform to the rules for COBOL reference
format.
A program written in conventional reference format
must COPY only library files also written in conventional
reference format.
COPY statements appearing in a file that
was created using terminal format, can only refer to library
files that were created using the same format.

7-3

into

the

APPENDIX A
RESERVED WORDS

The following is a list of reserved words taken from American National
Standard COBOL, with some additional words that represent PDP-11 COBOL
extensions to the COBOL language. Words that are not reserved by the
standard are indicated by an asterisk. A single asterisk indicates a
word used in PDP-11 COBOL. A double asterisk indicates a word used in
DECsystem-10 COBOL. All of the following words are reserved by PDP-11
COBOL and must not be used as user-created words.
ACCEPT
ACCESS
**ACTUAL
ADD
*ADDRESS
ADVANCING
AFTER
ALL
ALPHABETIC
ALSO
ALTER
ALTERNATE
AND
*APPLY
ARE
AREA
AREAS
ASCENDING
**ASCII
ASSIGN
AT
AUTHOR
BEFORE
**BEGINNING
**BINARY
BLANK
BLOCK
BOTTOM
BY
CALL
CANCEL
*CARD-PUNCH
*CARD-READER
CD
CF
CH
**CHANNEL
CHARACTER

CHARACTERS
CLOCK-UNITS
CLOSE
COBOL
CODE
CODE-SET
COLLATING
COLUMN
COMMA
COMMUNICATION
COMP
COMPUTATIONAL
*COMPUTATIONAL-I
COMPUTE
*COMP-I
CONFIGURATION
*CONSOLE
CONTAINS
CONTROL
CONTROLS
COPY
CORR
CORRESPONDING
COUNT
CURRENCY
DATA
DATE
DATE-COMPILED
DATE-WRITTEN
DAY
DE
DEBUG-CONTENTS
DEBUG-ITEM
DEBUG-LINE
DEBUG-NAME
DEBUG-SUB-I
DEBUG-SUB-2
DEBUG-SUB-3
DEBUGGING
A-1

DECIMAL-POINT
DECLARATIVES
**DECSYSTEM-IO
**DEFERRED
DELETE
DELIMITED
DELIMITER
**DENSITY
DEPENDING
DEPTH
DESCENDING
DESTINATION
DETAIL
DISABLE
DISPLAY
*DISPLAY-6
*DISPLAY-7
DIVIDE
DIVISION
DOWN
DUPLICATES
DYNAMIC
**EBCDIC
EGI
ELSE
EMI
ENABLE
END
**ENDING
END-OF-PAGE
ENTER
**ENTRY
ENVIRONMENT
EOP
EQUAL
**EQUALS
ERROR
ES!
**EVEN

RESERVED WORDS

EVERY
**EXAMINE
EXCEPTION
EXI'r
EXTEND
FD
FILE
FILE-CONTROL
**FILE-LIMIT
**FILE-LIMITS
FILLER
FINAL
FIRST
FOOTING
FOR
**FORTRAN
**FORTRAN-IV
FROM
GENERATE
GIVING
GO
**GO BACK
GREATER
GROUP
HEADING
HIGH-VALUE
HIGH-VALUES
I-0
I-0-CONTROL
*ID
IDENTIFICATION
IF
IN
INDEX
INDEXED
INDICATE
INITIAL
INITIATE
INPUT
INPUT-OUTPUT
INSPECT
INSTALLATION
INTO
INVALID
IS
JUST
JUSTIFIED
KEY
**KEYS
LABEL
LAST
LEADING
LEFT
LENGTH
LESS
LIMIT
LIMITS

LINAGE
LINAGE-COUNTER
LINE
LINE-COUNTER
*LINE-PRINTER
LINES
LINKAGE
LOCK
LOW-VALUE
LOW-VALUES
**MACRO
*MAP4
*MAPS
*MAP6
*MAP7
*MAPS
MEMORY
MERGE
MESSAGE
MODE
MODULES
MOVE
MULTIPLE
MULTIPLY
NATIVE
NEGATIVE
NEXT
NO
NOT
**NOTE
NUMBER
NUMERIC
OBJECT-COMPUTER
OCCURS
**ODD
OF
OFF
OMITTED
ON
OPEN
OPTIONAL
OR
ORGANIZATION
OUTPUT
OVERFLOW
PAGE
PAGE-COUNTER
*PAPER-TAPE-PUNCH
*PAPER-TAPE-READER
**PARITY
**PDP-10
PERFORM
PF
PH
PIC
PICTURE
PLUS
POINTER
POSITION
POSITIVE

A-2

*PRINT CONTROL
PRINTING
PROCEDURE
PROCEDURES
PROCEED
**PROCESSING
PROGRAM
PROGRAM-ID
QUEUE
QUOTE
QUOTES
RANDOM
RD
READ
*READ-AHEAD
RECEIVE
RECORD
**RECORDING
RECORDS
REDEFINES
REEL
REFERENCES
RELATIVE
RELEASE
REMAINDER
**REMARKS
REMOVAL
RENAMES
REPLACING
REPORT
REPORTING
REPORTS
RERUN
RESERVE
RESE-T
RETURN
REVERSED
REWIND
REWRITE
RF
RH
RIGHT
ROUNDED
RUN
SAME
SD
SEARCH
SECTION
SECURITY
**SEEK
SEGMENT
SEGMENT-LIMIT
SELECT
SEND
SENTENCE
SEPARATE
SEQUENCE
SEQUENTIAL
SET
SIGN
SIZE

RESERVED WORDS

SORT
SQRT-MERGE
SOURCE
SOURCE-COMPUTER
SPACE
SPACES
SPECIAL-NAMES
STANDARD
STANDARD-I
START
STATUS
STOP
STRING
SUB-QUEUE-!
SUB-QUEUE-2
SUB-QUEUE-3
SUBTRACT
SUM
SUPPRESS
*SWITCH
SYMBOLIC
SYNC
SYNCHRONIZED

TABLE
**TALLY
TALLYING
TAPE
TERMINAL
TERMINATE
TEXT
THAN
THROUGH
THRU
TIME
TIMES
TO
**TODAY
TOP
**TRACE
TRAILING
TYPE

**USER-NUMBER
USING
VALUE
VALUES
VARYING
WHEN
WITH
WORDS
WORKING-STORAGE
WRITE
*WRITE-BEHIND
ZERO
ZEROES
ZEROS

+
UNIT
UNSTRING
UNTIL
UP
UPON
USAGE
USE

A-3

>
<

APPENDIX B
CHARACTER SETS

000 008 016 024

032

040 048 056 064 072 080 088

096

104 112

120

040

050 060 070 100 llO 120 130

140

150 160

170

1
2

E
F

M
N

u
v

6
7
Characters used to form words.

e 000 008 016 024

032

040 048 056 064 072 080 088

096

104 112

120

000 010 020 030

040

050 060 070 100 llO 120 130

140

150 160

170

NUL BS OLE CAN space

grave

x
y

1
2

[

{

(

)

SOH
STX

DCl EM
DC2 SUB

ETX

DC3 ESC

;

EOT

DC4 FS

ENQ

NAK GS

]

ACK

SYN RS

(t)

m
n

u
v

(ESC)

BEL SI

apos

v
w

e
f

}

<::.>

DEL

ETB

Characters that may appear within a non-numeric literal in the source text.

B-1

CHARACTER SETS

~
e

000 010 020 030

NUL BS

OLE CAN space

(

grave

SOR HT

DCl EM

)

STX LF

DC2 SUB

ETX VT

DC3 ESC

;

[

{

EOT FF

DC4 FS

#
$

ENQ CR NAK GS

]

}

ACK

(t)

(ESC)

BEL SI

v
w

(+)

DEL

e 000 008 016 024

032

040 048 056 064 072 080 088

096

104 112

120

040

050 060 070 100 110 120 130

140

150 160

170

SYN RS
ETB

apos

Characters that may appear in an alphanumeric field in the object program.

000 008 016 024 032 040 048 056 064 072 080 088 096 104 112 120

Characters used to delineate lines of the source text.

B-2

GLOSSARY

ABBREVIATED COMBINED RELATION CONDITION
The combined condition that results from the explicit omission of
a common subject or a common subject and common relational
operator in a consecutive sequence of relation conditions.
ABNORMAL TERMINATION
The premature end of execution of a program due to the detection
of a situation, by the operating system, that prevents further
successful execution of that program.
ACCESS MODE
How records are to be opera~ed upon in a file.
ACTUAL DECIMAL POINT
The physical representation, using a period (.) or comma (,),
the decimal point position in a data item.

ALPHABET-NAME
A user-defined word that assigns a name to a specific character
set and/or collating sequence, in the SPECIAL-NAMES paragraph of
the Environment Division.
ALPHABETIC CHARACTER
A character from the following set of letters (A, B, C, D, E,
G,

I, J, K,

L, M, N, 0, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z)

F,
and

the space.
ALPHANUMERIC CHARACTER
Any character in the computer character set.
ALTERNATE RECORD KEY
A key, other than the Prime Record Key, whose contents identify a
record within an indexed file.

Glossary-1

GLOSSARY
ARITHMETIC EXPRESSION
An identifier of 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 OPERATION
The process started by the execution of an arithmetic statement
or the evaluation of an arithmetic expression that results in a
mathematically correct solution to that expression,
using
the
arguments presented.
ARITHMETIC OPERATOR
A single character or a fixed
2-character combination
character(s) that belongs to the following set:
Character

the

Meaning
Addition
Subtraction
Multiplication
Division
Exponentiation

ASCENDING KEY
A key upon whose values data are ordered, starting with the
lowest key value and going to the highest key value in accordance
with the rules for comparing data items.
ASSUMED DECIMAL POINT
A decimal point position not involving 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:
1.

During execution of a READ statement for a sequentially
accessed file when no next logical record exists for the
file or when an optional file is not present.

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

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

Glossary-2

GLOSSARY
BIT
The smallest unit in a computer storage
expressing two distinct alternatives.

structure

capable

BLOCK
A physical unit of data normally composed of one or more logical
records.
For mass storage files, a block may contain a portion
of a logical record. Block size has no direct relationship to
the file size within which the block is contained or to the size
of the logical record(s) that are either contained within the
block or that overlap the block.
The term is synonymous with
Physical Record.
BOTTOM MARGIN
An empty area which follows the page body.
CALLED PROGRAM
A pro,gram that is the object of a CALL statement combined
object time with the calling program to produce a run unit.

CALLING PROGRAM
A program which executes a CALL to another program.
CHARACTER
The basic indivisible unit of the language.
CHARACTER DATA ITEM
A data item consisting
characters.

entirely

Standard

Data

Format

CHARACTER POSITION
A character position is the amount of physical storage required
to store a single Standard Data Format character whose usage is
DISPLAY.
CHARACTER-STRING
A sequence of contiguous characters forming a COBOL word,
literal, a PICTURE character-string, or a comment-entry.

CLASS CONDITION
The proposition (for which a truth value can be determined)
that
the content of an item is wholly alphabetic or wholly numeric.
CLAUSE
A clause is an ordered set of consecutive COBOL character-strings
whose purpose is to specify an entry attribute.

Glossary-3

GLOSSARY
COBOL CHARACTER SET
The complete COBOL character set, except for the contents of
nonnumeric literals, comment-entries, and comment lines, consists
of the 59 characters listed below:
Meaning

Character
0' 1, .
A, B,

(
)

>
<
#
%
&

?
@

•

' z

digit
let.ter
space
plus sign
minus sign (hyphen)
asterisk
stroke (virgule, slash)
equal sign
currency sign
comma (decimal point)
semicolon
period (decimal point, full stop)
quotation mark
left parenthesis
right parenthesis
greater than
less than
exclamation point
number sign
percent
ampersand
apostrophe
colon
question mark
at sign

COBOL WORD
(See WORD)
COLLATING SEQUENCE
The sequence in which the characters acceptable to a computer are
ordered for purposes of sorting, merging, and comparing.
COLUMN
A character position in a print line. The columns are numbered
from 1, by 1, starting at the leftmost character position of the
print line and extending to the rightmost position of the print
line.
COMBINED CONDITION
A condition resulting from the connection of two
conditions with the AND or the OR logical operator.

Glossary-4

GLOSSARY
COMMENT-ENTRY
An entry in the Identification Division that may be
combination of characters from the computer character set.

any

COMMENT LINE
A source program line represented by an asterisk in the Indicator
Area of the line, and any characters from the computer character
set in Areas A and B of that line. The comment line serves only
for program documentation.
A special form of comment line
represented by a stroke (/) in the Indicator Area of the line and
any characters from the computer character set in Areas A and B
of that line causes page ejection prior to printing the comment.
COMPILE TIME
The time at which a COBOL source program is translated by a COBOL
compiler to a COBOL object program.
COMPILER DIRECTING STATEMENT
A statement beginning with a compiler directing verb that causes
the compiler to take a specific action during compilation.
COMPLEX CONDITION
A condition where 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 program
is to be compiled or run.
CONCURRENT RUN UNIT
A run unit, other than this run unit, that has been initiated but
not terminated during the time in which this run unit has been
initiated but not terminated.
CONDITION
A program status at execution time for which a truth value can be
determined.
Where
the
term
'condition'
(condition-I,
condition-2, •
.) appears in these language specifications in
or in reference to 'condition' (condition-I, 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.

Glossary-5

GLOSSARY
CONDITION-NAME
Either a user-defined word that assigns a name to a subset of
values that a conditional variable may assume or a user-defined
word assigned to a status of a switch or device.
When
'condition-name'
is used in the General Formats, it represents a
unique data item reference consisting of a syntactically correct
combination of a condition-name and qualifiers, subscripts, and
indices, as required for uniqueness of reference.
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 value set
attributed to a ~ondition-name associated with the conditional
variable.
CONDITIONAL EXPRESSION
A simple condition or a complex condition specified· in an IF,
PERFORM, 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 object program depends on this truth value.
CONDITIONAL VARIABLE
A data item whose value(s) has a condition-name assigned to it.
CONFIGURATION SECTION
A section of the Environment Division that describes
specifications for source and object computers.

overall

CONNECTIVE
A reserved word used to:
1.

Associate a data-name, paragraph-name, condition-name or
text-name with its qualifier.

Link two or more operands written in a series.

Form conditions
OPERATOR.)

(logical

connectives).

(See

LOGICAL

COUNTER
A data item used to store numbers or number representations in a
way that permits them 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.

Glossary-6

GLOSSARY
CURRENCY SIGN
The $ character in the COBOL character set.
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.
CURRENT RECORD
The record available in the record area associated with the file.
DATA CLAUSE
A clause in a Data Description entry in the Data
COBOL program.

Division

DATA DESCRIPTION ENTRY
An entry in the Data Division of a COBOL program 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 ITEM
A unit of data (excluding literals) defined by the COBOL program.
DATA ITEM VALIDATION
Verification of the proper contents of data
accessed from, or stored in, the data base.

items

they

are

DATA-NAME
A user-defined word that names a data item described in a Data
Description entry.
When used in the General Formats, data-name
represents a word which must
not
be
reference-modified,
subscripted, indexed, or qualified unless specifically permitted
by the rules of the format.
DECLARATIVE-SENTENCE
A compiler-directing sentence consisting of
statement terminated by the separator period.

single

USE

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 compiler directing
sentence, followed by a set of zero, one, or more associated
paragraphs.

Glossary-7

GLOSSARY
DE-EDIT
The logical removal of all editing characters from a numeric
edited data item to determine its unedited numeric value.
DELIMITER
A character or a 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 whose values data are ordered, in accordance with the
rules for comparing data items, starting with the highest value
of key down to the lowest value of key.
DIGIT POSITION
A digit position is the amount of physical storage required to
store a single digit.
This amount may vary, depending on the
usage specified in the Data Description entry that defines the
data item.
If the Data Description entry specifies that usage is
DISPLAY, then a digit position is synonymous with a character
position.
DIVISION
A collection of zero, one, or more sections or paragraphs, called
the division body, that are formed and combined in accordance
with a specific set of rules.
Each division consists of the
division header and the related division body. There are four
(4) divisions in a PDP-11 COBOL program:
IDENTIFICATION
ENVIRONMENT
DATA
PROCEDURE
DIVISION HEADER
that
A combination of words, followed by a separator period,
indicates the beginning of a division. The division headers in a
PDP-11 COBOL program are:
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
DATA DIVISION.
PROCEDURE DIVISION
(USING [data-name-1] •

Glossary-8

. 1.

GLOSSARY
DYNAMIC ACCESS
An access mode in which specific logical records can be obtained
from or placed into a mass storage file in a non-sequential
manner and obtained from a file in a sequential manner during the
scope
of
the
same OPEN statement.
(See RANDOM ACCESS;
SEQUENTIAL ACCESS.)
EDITING CHARACTER
A single character or a fixed 2-character
to the following set:
Character
B

+
CR
DB

*
$

combination

belonging

Meaning
space
zero
plus
minus
credit
debit
zero suppress
check protect
currency sign
comma (decimal point)
period (decimal point)
stroke (virgule, slash)

ELEMENTARY ITEM
A data item that is described
subdivided.

not

being

further

logically

EMPTY SET
A set containing no member records.
END OF PROCEDURE DIVISION
The physical position of a COBOL source program
further procedures appear.

after

which

ENTRY
Any descriptive set of consecutive clauses terminated by a
separator
period
and
written
in
the Control Division,
Identification Division, Environment Division, or Data Division
of a COBOL program.
ENVIRONMENT CLAUSE
A clause that appears as part of an Environment Division entry.
EXECUTION TIME
(See OBJECT TIME.)

Glossary-9

GLOSSARY
EXTEND MODE
The state of a file after execution of an OPEN
the EXTEND phrase specified for that file
execution of a CLOSE statement without the REEL
for that file.

statement, with
and before the
or UNIT phrase

EXTERNAL SWITCH
A hardware or software device used to indicate that
alternate states exist.
FIGURATIVE CONSTANT
A compiler-generated value referenced by using
words.

one

certain

two

reserved

FILE
A collection of records.
FILE CLAUSE
A clause that appears as part of a File Description.
File Description

(FD)

FILE-CONTROL
The name of an Environment Division paragraph
files for a given source program are declared.

where

the

data

FILE DESCRIPTION ENTRY
An entry in the File S~ction of the Data Division 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 within the File Section of the Data Division.
FILE ORGANIZATION
The permanent logical file structure established when a
created.
FILE SECTION
The section of the Data Division that contains File
entries and their associated Record Descriptions.

Glossary-10

file

Description

GLOSSARY
FIXED-LENGTH RECORD
A record associated with a file whose File Description entry
requires that all records contain the same number of character
positions.
FOOTING AREA
The position of the page body next to the bottom margin.
FORMAT
A specific arrangement of a set of data.
GROUP ITEM
A data item that is composed of subordinate data items.
HIGH ORDER END
The leftmost character of a string of characters.
I-0-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-0 MODE
The state of a file after execution of an OPEN statement, with
the I-0 phrase specified for that filP.. and before the execution
of a CLOSE statement without the REEL or UNIT phrase for
that
file.
IDENTIFIER
A syntactically correct combination of a data-name,
reference
modifier and qualifiers, subscripts and indices, as required for
uniqueness of reference, that names a data item. Trre rules for
'identifier' associated with the General Formats may, however,
specifically prohibit reference modification,
qualification,
subscripting, or indexing.
IMPERATIVE STATEMENT
A statement that begins with an imperative verb and specifies an
unconditional action to be taken. An imperative statement may
consist of a sequence of imperative statements.
INDEX
A computer storage area or register, whose contents represent the
identification of a particular element in a table.

Glossary-11

GLOSSARY
INDEX DATA ITEM
A data item in which the values associated with an index-name can
be stored.
INDEX-NAME
A user-defined word
specific table.

that

names

index

associated

with

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 which each record is
identified by the value of one or more keys within that record.
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 without the file REEL or UNIT phrase.
INPUT-OUTPUT FILE
A file that is opened in the I-0 mode.
INPUT-OUTPUT SECTION
The section of the Environment Division that names the files and
the external media required by an object program and which
provides information required for transmission and handling of
data during execution of the object program.
INTEGER
A numeric literal or a numeric data item that does not include
any character positions to the right of the assumed decimal
point. Where the term integer appears in General Formats,
it
must not be a numeric data item, must not be signed, and must not
be zero unless explicitly allowed by the rules of that format.
INTEGRITY
The ability to-ensure that record relationships and data item
contents are not adversely affected by concurrent processes.

Glossary-12

GLOSSARY
INTERMEDIATE DATA ITEM
A signed numeric data item that contains the results developed
during an arithmetic operation before the final result is moved
to the resultant-identifier, if any.
INVALID KEY CONDITION
At object time, a condition caused when a specific value of the
key associated with an indexed or relative file is determined to
be invalid.
KEY
A data item which identifies the location of a record, or a
of data items which serve to identify the ordering of data.
KEY OF REFERENCE
The prime or alternate key,
within an indexed file.

currently

used

access

set

records

KEY WORD
A reserved word needed when the format where the word appears
used in a source program.
LEVEL INDICATOR
Two alphabetic characters that identify a specific type
or a position in a hierarchy.

file

LEVEL-NUMBER
A user-defined word, expressed as a 1 or 2 digit number, which
indicates the hierarchical position of a data item or the special
properties of a Data Description entry.
Level-numbers in the
range 1 through 49 indicate the position of a data item in the
hierarchical structure of a logical record. Level-nu~bers in the
range 1 through 9 may be written either as a single digit or as a
zero followed by a significant digit. Level-numbers 66, 77 and
88 identify special properties of a Data Description entry.

LIBRARY-NAME
A user-defined word naming a COBOL library for compiler use in
given source program compilation.
LIBRARY TEXT
A sequence of character-strings
library.

and/or

Glossary-13

separators

COBOL

GLOSSARY
LINAGE-COUNTER
A special register whose value points
within the page body.

the

current

position

LINE
A division of a page representing one row of horizontal character
positions.
LINE NUMBER
An integer that denotes the vertical position of a report line on
a page.
LINKAGE SECTION
The section in the Data Division of the called program that
describes data items available from the calling program.
These
items may be referred to by the calling and the called program.
LITERAL
A character-string whose value is implied by the ordered
characters comprising the string.

set

LOGICAL OPERATOR
One of the reserved words AND, OR, or NOT.
In the formation of a
condition, AND or OR or both can be used as logical connectives.
NOT can be used for logical negation.
LOGICAL PAGE
A conceptual entity consisting of the top margin, the page
and the bottom margin.

body,

LOGICAL RECORD
The most inclusive data item. The level-number for a record is
01.
A record may be either an elementary item or a group item.
LOW ORDER END
The rightmost character of a string of characters.
MASS STORAGE
A storage medium where data may be organized and maintained in
sequential and nonsequential manner.
MASS STORAGE FILE
A collection of records assigned to a mass storage medium.

Glossary-14

GLOSSARY
MNEMONIC-NAME
A user-defined word associated in the Environment Division with a
specific implementor-name.
NATIVE CHARACTER SET
The character set associated with the computer specified
OBJECT-COMPUTER paragraph.

the

NATIVE COLLATING SEQUENCE
The collating sequence associated with the computer specified
the OBJECT-COMPUTER paragraph.

NEGATED COMBINED CONDITION
The NOT logical operator immediately followed by a
combined condition.

parenthetical

NEGATED SIMPLE CONDITION
The NOT logical operator
condition.

immediately

followed

simple

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

after

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

after

NEXT RECORD
The record which logically follows the current file record.
NEXT RECORD POINTER
A conceptual entity that either points to the next logical
record,
indicates the at end condition, or is set to indicate
that no valid next record has been established.
NONNUMERIC ITEM
A data item whose description permits its contents to be composed
of
any combination of characters taken from the computer
character set. Certain categories of nonnumeric items may be
formed from more restricted character sets.
NONNUMERIC LITERAL
A literal bounded by quotation marks.
The string of characters
may include any character in the computer character set, some or
all of which may be represented by a symbolic-character-string.

Glossary-15

GLOSSARY
NUMERIC CHARACTER
A character that belongs to the set of digits 0 through 9.
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 may also contain a +,
or some other
representation of an operational sign.
NUMERIC LITERAL
A literal composed of one or more numeric characters that may
contain a decimal point, an algebraic sign, or both.
The decimal
point must not be the rightmost character. The algebraic sign,
if present, must be the leftmost character.
OBJECT-COMPUTER
The name of an Environment Division paragraph in which the
computer environment within which the object program is executed
is described.
OBJECT PROGRAM
A set or group of executable machine language instructions and
other material designed to interact with data to provide problem
solutions.
In this context, an object program is generally the
machine language result of the operation of a COBOL compiler on a
source program. Where there is no danger of ambiguity, the word
'program'
alone may be used in place of the phrase 'object
program'.
OBJECT TIME
When an object program is executed.
OPEN MODE
The condition a file is in between the time an OPEN statement
issued and the time a CLOSE statement is executed.

OPERAND
Although the general definition of operand is a component which
is operated upon, in this publication any lower-case word(s) that
appears in a statement or entry format may be considered 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.

Glossary-16

GLOSSARY
OPTIONAL WORD
A reserved word included in a specific format solely to improve
the readability of the language.
Its presence is optional to the
user when the format in which the word appears is used in a
source program.
OUTPUT FILE
A file that is opened in the output mode or extend mode.
OUTPUT MODE
The state of a file after an OPEN statement is executed, with the
OUTPUT or EXTEND phrase specified, for that file and before the
execution of a CLOSE statement without the REEL or UNIT phrase
for that file.
PADDING CHARACTER
An alphanumeric character that
positions in a physical record.

fills

the

unused

character

PAGE
A vertical division of a report representing
a
physical
separation of report data, t~e separation being based on internal
reporting requirements and/or external characteristics of the
reporting medium.
PAGE BODY
That part of the logical page where lines can be
spaced.

written

and/or

PAGE FOOTING
The logical end of a report page.
PAGE HEADING
The logical beginning of a report page.
PARAGRAPH
In the Procedure Division,
a paragraph-name followed by a
separator period and by zero, one, or more entries.
In the
Identification and Environment Divisions, a paragraph header
followed by zero, one, or more entries.
PARAGRAPH HEADER
A reserved word followed by the separator period that indicates
the
beginning
of
a paragraph in the Identification and
Environment Divisions. The permissible paragraph headers are:

Glossary-17

GLOSSARY
In the Identification Division:
PROGRAM-ID.
AUTHOR.
INSTALLATION.
DATE-WRITTEN.
DATE-COMPILED.
SECURITY.
In the Environment Division:
SOURCE-COMPUTER.
OBJECT-COMPUTER.
SPECIAL-NAM'ES.
FILE-CONTROL.
I-0-CONTROL.
PARAGRAPH-NAME
A user-defined word that identifies and begins a paragraph in the
Procedure Division.
PHRASE
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.)
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 used to name a paragraph or section in the
Procedure Division.
It consists of a paragraph-name (which may
be qualified) or a section-name.
PROGRAM-NAME
A user-defined word that identifies a COBOL source program.

Glossary-18

GLOSSARY
PSEUDO-FILE-NAME
A user-defined word that names a file residing on a multiple file
tape for which no File Description entry is specified.
PUNCTUATION CHARACTER
A character that belongs to the following set:
Character Meaning

(
)

comma
semicolon
colon
period (full stop)
quotation mark
left parenthesis
right parenthesis
space
equal sign

QUALIFIED DATA-NAME
An identifier composed of a data-name followed by one or more
sets of the connectives OF and
IN followed by a data-name
qualifier.
QUALIFIER
a. A data-name which is used in a reference with
data-name at a lower level in the same hierarchy.

another

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

with

A library-name which is used in a reference with a

text-name

associated with that library.
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.
RECORD
(See LOGICAL RECORD.)
RECORD AREA
A storage area allocated to process the record described in a
Record Description entry in the File Section of the Data
Division.
RECORD DESCRIPTION
(See RECORD DESCRIPTION ENTRY.)

Glossary-19

GLOSSARY
RECORD DESCRIPTION ENTRY
The total set of Data
particular record.

Description

entries

associated

with

RECORD KEY
A key, either the Prime Record Key or an Alternate Record
whose contents identify a record within an indexed file.

Key,

RECORD-NAME
A user-defined word that names a record described in a Recqrd
Description entry in the Data Division of a COBOL program.
RECORD TYPE
The collection of
entry.

records

described

REFERENCE FORMAT
A format that provides a standard
source programs.

method

for

Record

Description

describing

COBOL

RELATION
(See RELATIONAL OPERATOR.)
RELATION CHARACTER
A character that belongs to the following set:
Character

>
<

Meaning
greater than
less than
equal 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 specific
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:

Glossary-20

GLOSSARY
Relational Operator

Meaning

IS [NOT] GREATER THAN
IS [NOT]
>

Greater than or not greater than

[NOT] LESS THAN
IS [NOT]
<

Less than or not less than

IS [NOT] EQUAL TO
[NOT]

Equal to or not equal to

UNEQUAL TO

Not equal to

EQUALS

Equal to

EXCEEDS

Greater than

RELATIVE FILE
A file with relative organization.
RELATIVE KEY
A key whose contents identify a
file.

logical

record

relative

RELATIVE ORGANIZATION
The permanent logical file structure in which each record is
uniquely identified by an integer value greater than zero, which
specifies the logical ordinal position of the record in the file.
REPEATING GROUP
A group data item whose description contains an OCCURS clause or
a group data item subordinate to a data item whose description
contains an OCCURS clause.
RESERVED WORD
A COBOL word specified in the list of words which may be used in
a COBOL source program but which must not appear in the programs
as user-defined words or system-names.
RESOURCE
A facility or service controlled by the operating system that can
be used by an executing program.
RESULTANT-IDENTIFIER
A user-defined data item that is to
arithmetic operation.

Glossary-21

contain

the

result

GLOSSARY
SECTION
A set of zero, 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 separator period.
It
indicates the beginning of a Section in the Environment, Data,
and Procedure Division.
In the Environment and Data Division, a section header is
composed of reserved words followed by a separator period. The
permissible section headers are:
In the Environment Division:
CONFIGURATION SECTION.
INPUT-OUTPUT SECTION.
In the Data Division:
FILE SECTION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
LINKAGE 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 separator period.
SECTION-NAME
A user-defined word
Division.

which

names

SECURITY
The ability to prohibit
unauthorized means.

access

section

data

the

base

Procedure

record

SEGMENT-NUMBER
A user-defined word which classifies sections in the Procedure
Division for purposes of segmentation.
Segment-numbers may
contain only the characters '0', 'l', ... , '9'.
A segment-number
may be expressed either as a 1 or 2 digit number.
SENTENCE
A sequence of one or more statements,
terminated by a separator period.

Glossary-22

the

last

which

GLOSSARY
SEPARATOR
A character or two
character-strings.

contiguous

characters

used

delimit

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.
SEQUENTIAL PROCESSING
(See SYNCHRONOUS PROCESSING.)
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

f~om

the set:

relation condition
class condition
condition-name condition
switch-status condition
sign condition
(simple-condition)
SOURCE-COMPUTER
The name of an Environment Division paragraph in which the
computer environment within which the source program is compiled
is described.

Glossary-23

GLOSSARY
SOURCE PROGRAM
Although it is recognized that a source program
may
be
represented by other forms and symbols, in this report it always
refers to a syntactically correct set of COBOL statements.
A
COBOL source program commences with an Identification Division
and terminates with the end of the Procedure Division.
In
contexts where there is no danger of ambiguity, the word program
'by itself may 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
stroke (virgule, slash)
equal sign
currency sign
comma (decimal point)
semicolon
period (decimal point, full stop)
quotation mark
left parenthesis
right parenthesis
greater than symbol
less than symbol
exclamation point
number sign
percent
ampersand
apostrophe
colon
question mark
commercial at

SPECIAL-CHARACTER WORD
A reserved word that is an
character.

arithmetic

operator

relation

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

hardware

SPECIAL REGISTERS
Certain compiler generated storage areas whose primary use is
store information produced in conjunction with the use
specific COBOL features.

Glossary-24

to
of

GLOSSARY
STANDARD DATA FORMAT
The concept used in describing 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 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, beginning
with a verb, written in the Procedure Division.
SUBPROGRAM
(See CALLED PROGRAM.)
SUBSCRIPT
An integer whose value
table.

identifies

particular

element

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

SWITCH-STATUS CONDITION
The proposition, for which a truth value can be determined, that
a specified switch, capable of being set to an ON or OFF status,
has been set to a specific status.
SYMBOLIC-CHARACTER
A group of from one (1) to thirty (30) characters combined from
the letters A through z and the numbers 1 through 9, used in a
nonnumeric literal to represent a specific character in a
particular character set.
SYMBOLIC-CHARACTER-STRING
A symbolic-character or a group of symbolic-characters that
appears within a nonnumeric literal enclosed in quotation marks
and separated from each other by either the separator comma or
space.
Each symbolic-character represents a character within a
given character set.
SYSTEM-NAME
A COBOL word used to communicate with the operating environment.

Glossary-25

GLOSSARY
TABLE
A set of logically consecutive items of data defined in the
Division of a COBOL program by means of the OCCURS clause.
TABLE ELEMENT
A data item that belongs to the set of repeated items
a table.

Data

comprising

TEXT-NAME
A user-defined word which identifies library text.
TEXT-WORD
Any character-string or
library.

separator,

except

space,

COBOL

TOP MARGIN
An empty area which precedes the page body.
TRUTH VALUE
The representation of the result of the evaluation of a condition
in terms of one of two values;
true
false
UNARY OPERATOR
A plus (+) or a minus (-) sign, that precedes a variable or a
left parenthesis in ·an arithmetic expression and that has the
effect of multiplying the expression by +l or -1, respectively.
UNSUCCESSFUL EXECUTION
The attempted execution of a statement that does not result in
the execution of all the operations specified by that statement.
The unsuccessful execution of a statement does not affect any
data
referenced by that statement, but may affect status
indicators.
UPDATE USAGE MODE
The state of a realm during which its record may be both accessed
and modified.
USER-DEFINED WORD
A COBOL word that must be supplied by the
format of a clause or statement.

Glossary-26

user

satisfy

the

GLOSSARY
VARIABLE
A data item whose value may be changed by execution of the object
program.
A variable used in an arithmetic expression must be a
numeric elementary item.
VARIABLE-LENGTH RECORD
A record associated with a file whose File Description entry
permits
records to contain a varying number of character
positions.
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 a
Format 2 OCCURS clause in its Data Description entry, or be
subordinate to such an item.
VERB
A word that expresses an action to be taken by a
or object program.

COBOL

compiler

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

forms

WORKING-STORAGE SECTION
The section of the Data Division that describes Working-Storage
data items and constants composed either of noncontiguous items
or of Working-Storage records or both.

Glossary-27

INDEX

ACCEPT,
general format, 5-30
general rules, 5-30
syntax rules, 5-30
ACCEPT statement, 5-30
ACCESS clause, 3-10
Access modes, 3-9
dynamic, 3-9
random, 3-9
sequential, 3-9
ADD,
general format, 5-32
general rules, 5-33
syntax rules, 5-32
ADD statement, 5-32
Algebraic signs, 4-20
Alignment,
item, 4-21
rules, 4-20
ALL literal, 1-6
Alphabet-name, 3-4, 4-8
Alphanumeric literal, 1-8
Alphanumeric operands,
comparison of, 5-18
ALTER,
general format, 5-34
general rules, 5-34
syntax rules, 5-34
ALTER statement, 5-34
ALTERNATE RECORD KEY clause,
3-11
APPLY PRINT-CONTROL clause,
3-18
Area A, 1-14
Area B, 1-14
Arithmetic,
expressions, 5-14
operators, 5-14
statements, 5-27
Arithmetic statements,
ADD, 5-32
COMPUTE, 5-44
DIVIDE, 5-49
Multiple results, 5-28
MULTIPLY, 5-67
SUBTRACT, 5-118
ASSIGN clause, 3-10
Asterisk, 1-14

Blank, 1-14
Blank line, 1-15
BLANK WHEN ZERO,
clause, 4-25
general format, 4-25
general rules, 4-25
syntax rules, 4-25

BLOCK CONTAINS,
clause, 4-6
general format, 4-6
general rules, 4-6
syntax rules, 4-6
Braces, 1-10
Brackets~ 1-10

CALL,
general format, 5-35
general rules, 5-35
statement, 5-35
syntax rules, 5-35
CARD-READER clause, 3-5
Character,
tab, 1-16
Character representation,
numeric, 4-20
Character set,
COBOL, 1-3
Character-string, 1-3, 4-32
Characteristics,
file, 4-17
Class condition, 5-20
Clause,
ACCESS, 3-10
ALTERNATE RECORD KEY,
3-11
APPLY PRINT-CONTROL, 3-18
ASSIGN, 3-10
BLANK WHEN ZERO, 4-25
BLOCK CONTAINS, 4-6
CARD-READER, 3-5
CODE-SET, 4-8
CONSOLE, 3-5
DATA RECORDS, 4-9
DA'I'A-NAME, 4-26
FILE STATUS, 3-10, 3-11
FILLER, 4-26
JUSTIFIED I 4-27
LABEL RECORDS, 4-10
LEVEL-NUMBER, 4-28
LINAGE I 4-11
LINE-PRINTER, 3-5
MEMORY SIZE, 3-4
MULTIPLE FILE, 3-18
OCCURS, 4-29
ORGANIZATION, 3-10
PAPER-TAPE-PUNCH, 3-5
PAPER-TAPE-READER, 3-5
PICTURE, 4-32
PROGRAM COLLATING
SEQUENCE, 3-4
RECORD CONTAINS, 4-14
RECORD KEY, 3-11
REDEFINES I 4-42
Index-!

INDEX (CONT.)

Clause (Cont.)
RENAMES, 4-44
SAME RECORD AREA, 3-18
SEGMENT-LIMIT, 3-4, 6-2
SELECT, 3-10
SIGN, 4-46
SWITCH OFF STATUS, 3-5
SWITCH ON STATUS, 3-5
SYNCHRONIZE, 4-48
USAGE, 4-50
VALUE, 4-52
VALUE OF ID, 4-16
CLOSE (indexed),
general format, 5-42
general rule, 5-42
statement, 5-42
syntax rules, 5-42
CLOSE (relative),
general format, 5-42
general rules, 5-42
statement, 5-42
syntax rules, 5-42
CLOSE (sequential),
general format, 5-37
general rules, 5-37
statement, 5-37
syntax rules, 5-37
COBOL, 1-1
COBOL,
character set, 1-3
division, 1-2
general rules, 1-3
paragraph, 1-2
reserved words, 1-4
section, 1-2
source language
format, 1-11
syntax rules, 1-3
words, 1-4
CODE-SET,
clause, 4-8
general format, 4-8
general rules, 4-8
syntax rules, 4-8
Combined condition, 5-22
negated, 5-22
Combined relation condition,
5-24
Comma, 1-9
Comment indicator area,
1-14
Comment line, 1-15
Comment-entry, 2-4
Comparison,
alphanumeric operands,
5-18
index data item, 5-19
index-names, 5-19
numeric operands, 5-18

Compiler directing,
sentence, 5-5
statement, 5-5
Complex condition, 5-21
COMPUTE,
general format, 5-44
general rules, 5-44
statement, 5-44
syntax rules, 5-44
Concept,
classes of data, 4-19
DATA DESCRIPTION, 4-17
file, 4-17
levels, 4-18
logical record, 4-17
record, 4-18
Condition,
class, 5-20
combined, 5-22
combined relation, 5-24
complex, 5-21
condition-name, 5-20
evaluation rules, 5-25
negated combined, 5-22
negated simple, 5-22
sign, 5-21
switch-status, 5-21
Condition-name, 5-12
condition, 5-20
rules, 4-53
Conditional
expressions, 5-16
sentence, 5-4
statement, 5-4
variable, 5-20
Conditions,
relation, 5-17
simple 5-16
CONFIGURATION SECTION,
OBJECT-COMPUTER, 3-4
SOURCE-COMPUTER, 3-3
SPECIAL-NAMES, 3-5
Connectives, 1-6
logical, 1-5
qualifier, 1-5
series, 1-5
CONSOLE clause, 3-5
Constants,
figurative, 1-6
Continuation indicator area,
1-14
Continuation line, 1-15
COPY,
general format, 7-1
general rules, 7-1
statement, 7-1
syntax rules, 7-1
CORRESPONDING phrase, 5-27
Current-date, 2-4

Index-2

INDEX (CONT. )

Data,
incompatible, 5-29
DATA DESCRIPTION, 4-22
concept, 4-17
general format, 4-22
general rules, 4-23
syntax rules, 4-23
DATA-DESCRIPTION Entries,
DATA-NAME, 4-26
FILLER, 4-26
JUSTIFIED, 4-27
LEVEL-NUMBER, 4-28
OCCURS, 4-29
PICTURE, 4-32
REDEFINES, 4-42
RENAMES, 4-44
SIGN, 4-46
skeleton, 4-22
SYNCHRONIZE, 4-48
USAGE, 4-50
VALUE, 4-52
DATA DIVISION, 4-1, 4-3
declaratives, 1-20
FILE SECTION, 4-2
level indicator, 1-20
level-numbers, 1-20
LINKAGE SECTION, 4-3
organization, 4-1
structure, 4-2
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION,
4-3
Data item comparison,
index, 5-19
DATA RECORDS,
clause, 4-9
general format, 4-9
general rules, 4-9
syntax rules, 4-9
Data-name, 4-26
DATA-NAME,
clause, 4-26
general format, 4-26
general rules~ 4-26
syntax rules, 4-26
DATA~COMPILED paragraph,
2-4
Declarative-sentence, 5-3
Declaratives, 1-20, 5-1
DELETE (indexed),
general format, 5-45
general rules, 5-45
statement, 5-45
syntax rules, 5-45
DELETE (relative),
general format, 5-45
general rules, 5-45
statement, 5-45
syntax rules, 5-45

DISPLAY,
general format, 5-47
general rules, 5-47
statement, 5-47
syntax rules, 5-47
DIVIDE,
general format, 5-49
general rules, 5-49
statement, 5-49
syntax rules, 5-49
Division,
COBOL, 1-2
DIVISION,
DATA, 4-1, 4-3
ENVIRONMENT, 3-1
IDENTIFICATION, 2-1
PROCEDURE, 5-1
Dynamic access modes, 3-9

Edi ting,
fixed insertion, 4-37
floating insertion, 4-37,
4-38
rules PICTURE, 4-36
simple insertion, 4-37
special insertion, 4-37
symbols PICTURE, 4-34
zero suppression, 4-39
Elements,
language, 1-3
meta language, 1-10
Ellipsis, 1-11
Entries declaratives,
data division, 1-20
Entries level indicator,
data division, 1-20
Entries level-numbers,
data division, 1-20
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION, 3-1
CONFIGURATION SECTION, 3-3
INPUT-OUTPUT SECTION, 3-8
organization, 3-1
structure, 3-2
Execution,
program, 5-2
EXIT,
general format, 5-52
general rules, 5-52
statement, 5-52
syntax rules, 5-52
Explicit specification,
5-12
Expressions,
arithmetic, 5-14
conditional, 5-16

Index-3

INDEX (CONT.)

FD, 4-5
BLOCK CONTAINS, 4-6
CODE-SET' 4-8 I
DATA RECORDS, 4-9
LABEL RECORDS, 4-10
LINAGE, 4-11
RECORD CONTAINS, 4-14
VALUE OF ID, 4-16
Figurative constants, 1-6
File characteristics, 4-17
File concept, 4-17
FILE DESCRIPTION,
(FD)
4-5
general format, 4-5
skeleton, 4-5
syntax rules, 4-5
File organization, 3-8
indexed, 3-8
relative, 3-8
sequ~ntial, 3-8
FILE SECTION, 4-2
FILE STATUS clause, 3-10,
3-11
File status key 1, 3-13
FILE-CONTROL,
ACCESS, 3-10
ASSIGN, 3-10
ALTERNATE RECORD KEY, 3-11
FILE STATUS, 3-10, 3-11
general format, 3-10
ORGANIZATION, 3-10
paragraph, 3-10
RECORD KEY, 3-11
SELECT, 3-10
File-control-entry, 3-10
File-description-entry, 4-2
FILLER,
clause, 4-26
general format, 4-26
general rules, 4-26
syntax rules 4-26
Fixed insertion editing,
4-37
Floating insertion editing,
4-37, 4-38
Format,
COBOL source language,
1-11
PROCEDURE DIVISION, 5-3
terminal reference, 1-17

General Format,
ACCEPT, 5-30
ADD, 5-32
ALTER, 5-34
BLANK WHEN ZERO, 4-25
BLOCK CONTAINS, 4-6
CALL, 5.,..35
CLOSE-(indexed), 5-42

General Format (Cont.)
CLOSE (relative), 5-42
CLOSE (sequential), 5-37
CODE-SET, 4-8
COMPUTE, 5-44
COPY, 7-1
DATA DESCRIPTION, 4-22
DATA RECORDS, 4-9
DATA-NAME, 4-26
DATE-COMPILED, 2-4
DELETE (indexed), 5-45
DELETE (relative), 5-45
DISPLAY, 5-4 7
DIVIDE, 5-49
EXIT, 5-52
FILE DESCRIPTION, 4-5
FILE-CONTROL, 3-10
FILLER, 4-26
GO TO, 5-53
I-0-CONTROL, 3-18
IF, 5-54
INSPECT, 5-56
JUSTIFIED, 4-27
LABEL RECORDS, 4-10
LEVEL-NUMBER, 4-28
LINAGE, 4-11
MOVE, 5-63
MULTIPLY, 5-67
OBJECT-COMPUTER, 3-4
OCCURS, 4-29
OPEN (indexed), 5-73
OPEN (relative), 5-73
OPEN (sequential), 5-69
PERFORM, 5-76
PICTURE, 4-32
PROGRAM-ID, 2-3
READ (indexed), 5-92
READ (relative), 5-88
READ (sequential), 5-85
RECORD CONTAINS, 4-14
REDEFINES, 4-42
RENAMES, 4-44
REWRITE (indexed), 5-100
REWRITE (relative), 5-98
REWRITE (sequential), 5-96
SEARCH, 5-103
SET, 5-108
SIGN, 4-46
SOURCE-COMPUTER, 3-3
SPECIAL-NAMES, 3-5
START (indexed), 5-112
START (relative), 5-110
STOP, 5-115
STRING, 5-115
SUBTRACT, 5-118
SYNCHRONIZE. 4-48
UNSTRING, 5-120
USAGE, 4-50
USE, 5-124
VALUE, 4-52
VALUE OF ID, 4-16
Index-4

INDEX (CONT. )

General Format· (Cont.)
WRITE (indexed), 5-132
WRITE (relative), 5-129
WRITE (sequential), 5-125
General rules,
ACCEPT, 5-30
ADD, 5-33
ALTER, 5-34
BLANK WHEN ZERO, 4-25
BLOCK CONTAINS, 4-6
CALL, 5-35
CLOSE (indexed) 5-42
CLOSE (relative), 5-42
CLOSE (sequential), 5-37
COBOL, 1-3
CODE-SET, 4-8
COMPUTE, 5-44
COPY, 7-1
DATA DESCRIPTION, 4-23
DATA RECORDS, 4-9
DATA-NAME, 4-26
DATE-COMPILED, 2-4
DELETE (indexed), 5-45
DELETE (relative), 5-45
DISPLAY, 5-47
DIVIDE, 5-49
EXIT, 5-52
FILLER, 4-26
GO TO, 5-53
I-0-CONTROL, 3-19
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION,
2-2
IF, 5-54
INSPECT, 5-56
JUSTIFIED, 4-27
LABEL RECORDS, 4-10
LEVEL-NUMBER, 4-28
LINAGE, 4-11
MOVE, 5-63
MULTIPLY, 5-68
OCCURS, 4-30
OPEN (indexed), 5-73
OPEN (relative), 5-73
OPEN (sequential), 5-69
PERFORM, 5- 77
PICTURE, 4-32
PROGRAM-ID, 2-3
READ (indexed), 5-93
READ (relative), 5-89
READ (sequential), 5-85
RECORD CONTAINS, 4-14
REDEFINES, 4-43
RENAMES, 4-45
REWRITE (indexed), 5-100
REWRITE (relative), 5-98
REWRITE (sequential), 5-96
SEARCH, 5-104
SET, 5-108
SIGN, 4-46
SOURCE-COMPUTER, 3-3

General rules (Cont.)
SPECIAL-NAMES, 3-6
START (indexed), 5-112
START (relative), 5-110
STOP, 5-115
STRING, 5-116
SUBTRACT, 5-119
SYNCHRONIZE, 4-48
UNSTRING, 5-120
USAGE, 4-50
USE, 5-125
VALUE, 4-52
VALUE OF ID, 4-16
WRITE (indexed), 5-132
WRITE (relative), 5-129
WRITE (sequential), 5-125
GO TO,
general format, 5-53
general rules, 5-53
statement, 5-53
syntax rules, 5-53

Header,
division, 1-18
paragraph, 1-19
PROCEDURE DIVISION, 5-2
section, 1-18
HIGH-VALUE, 1-6
HIGH-VALUES, 1-6
Horizontal tab, 1-9
Hyphen, 1-14

I-0-CONTROL,
APPLY PRINT-CONTROL, 3-18
general format, 3-18
general rules, 3-19
syntax rules, 3-18
MULTIPLE FILE, 3-18
paragraph, 3-18
SAME RECORD AREA, 3-18
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION,
2-1
general rules, 2-2
organization, 2-1
PROGRAM-ID, 2-3
syntax rules, 2-2
Identification field, 1-14
Identifier, 5-11
IF,
general format, 5-54
general rules, 5-54
statement, 5-54
syntax rules, 5-54
Imperative sentence, 5-6
Imperative statement, 5-5
Implicit specification, 5-12

Index-5

INDEX (CONT.)

Imcompatible data, 5-29
Index data item comparison,
5-19
Index-names comparison,
5-19
Indexed file organization,
3-8
Indexing, 5-10
INPUT-OUTPUT SECTION, 3-8
FILE-CONTROL, 3-10
I-0-CONTROL, 3-18
Insertion editing,
fixed
4-37
floating, 4-37, 4-38
simple, 4-37
special, 4-37
INSPECT,
general format, 5-56
general rules, 5-56
statement, 5-56
syntax rules, 5-56
Item alignment, 4-21
Item comparison,
index data, 5-19

JUSTIFIED,
clause, 4-27
general format, 4-27
general rules, 4-27
syntax rules, 4-27

Key words, 1-5

LABEL RECORDS,
clause, 4-10
general format, 4-10
general rules, 4-10
syntax rules, 4-10
Language format,
COBOL source, 1-11
Language organization, 1-17
Left parenthesis, 1-9
LEVEL-NUMBER,
clause, 4-28
general format, 4-28
general rules, 4-28
syntax rules, 4-28
Level-number 01, 4-28
Level-number 66, 4-23, 4-28,
4-44
Level-number 77, 4-23, 4-28
Level-number 88, 4-23, 4-28
Level-numbers, 1-20, 4-18
Levels concept, 4-18
Library module, 7-1

LINAGE,
clause, 4-11
general format, 4-11
general rules, 4-11
syntax rules, 4-11
Line,
blank, 1-15
comment, 1-15
continuation, 1-15
short, 1-16
LINE-PRINTER clause, 3-5
LINKAGE SECTION, 4-3
Literal, 1-7
ALL, 1-6
alphanumeric, 1-8
numeric, 1-7
Logical record concept,
4-17
LOW-VALUE, 1-6
LOW-VALUES, 1-6

MEMORY SIZE clause, 3-4
Meta language elements, 1-10
braces, 1-10
brackets, 1-10
ellipsis, 1-10
underline, 1-10
Modes,
dynamic access, 3-9
random access, 3-9
sequential access, 3-9
Module,
library, 7-1
MOVE,
general format, 5-63
general rules, 5-63
statement, 5-63
syntax rules, 5-63
MULTIPLE FILE clause, 3-18
MULTIPLY,
general format, 5-67
general rules, 5-68
statement, 5-67
syntax rules, 5-67

Negated combined condition,
5-22
Negated simple condition,
5-22
Non-overlayable segments, 6-1
Noncontiguous
working storage, 4-3
Numeric character
representation, 4-20
Numeric literal, 1-7
Numeric operands,
comparison of, 5-18
Index-6

INDEX (CONT. )

OBJECT-COMPUTER,
general format, 3-4
MEMORY SIZE, 3-4
paragraph, 3-4
SEGMENT-LIMIT, 3-4
OCCURS
clause, 4-29
general format, 4-29
general rules, 4-30
syntax rules, 4-29
OPEN (indexed),
general format, 5-73
general rules, 5-73
statement, 5-73
syntax rules, 5-73
OPEN (relative),
general format, 5-73
general rules, 5-73
statement, 5-73
syntax rules, 5-73
OPEN (sequential),
general format, 5-69
general rules, 5-69
statement, 5-69
syntax rules, 5-69
Operands,
comparison of
alphanumeric, 5-18
comparison of numeric,
5-18
overlapping, 5-29
Operators,
arithmetic, 5-14
Optional words, 1-5
Organization,
DATA DIVISION, 4-1
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION, 3-1
file I 3-8
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION,
2-1
indexed file, 3-8
language, 1..-.17
relative file, 3-8
sequential file, 3-8
ORGANIZATION clause, 3-10
Overlapping operands, 5-29
Overlayable segments, 6-1

PAPER-TAPE-PUNCH clause,
3-5
PAPER-TAPE-READER clause,
3-5
Paragraph, 1-19
COBOL 1-2
DATE-COMPILED, 2-4
FILE-CONTROL, 3-10
I-0-CONTROL, 3-18
OBJECT-COMPUTER, 3-4

Paraqraph (Cont.)
PROGRAM-ID, 2-3
SOURCE-COMPUTER, 3-4
SPECIAL-NAMES 3-5
Paragraph header, 1-19
Paragraph-name, 1-19, 5-3
PDP-11, 3-3
PERFORM,
general format, 5-76
general rules, 5-77
statement, 5-76
syntax rules, 5-77
Period, 1-9
Phrase,
CORRESPONDING, 5-27
ROUNDED, 5-26
SIZE error, 5-26
USING, 5-2
Phrases,
PROCEDURE DIVISION common,
5-26
PICTURE,
clause, 4-32
editing rules, 4-36
editing symbols, 4-34
general format, 4-32
general rules, 4-32
syntax rules, 4-32
PROCEDURE DIVISION, 5-1
ACCEPT, 5-30
ADD, 5-32
ALTER, 5-34
body I 5-3
CALL, 5-35
CLOSE (indexed), 5-42
CLOSE (relative), 5-42
CLOSE (sequential), 5-37
common phrases, 5-26
COMPUTE, 5-44
DELETE (indexed), 5-45
DELETE (relative), 5-45
DISPLAY, 5-47
DIVIDE, 5-49
EXIT, 5-52
format, 5-3
GO TO, 5-53
header, 5-2
IF I 5-54
INSPECT I 5-56
MOVE, 5-63
MULTIPLY, 5-67
OPEN (indexed), 5-73
OPEN (relative), 5-73
OPEN (sequential), 5-69
PERFORM, 5-76
READ (indexed), 5-92
READ (relative), 5-88
READ (sequential), 5-85
REWRITE (indexed), 5-100
REWRITE (relative), 5-98

Index-7

INDEX (CONT.)

PROCEDURE DIVISION (Cont.)
REWRITE (sequential), 5-96
SEARCH, 5-103
SET, 5-108
START (indexed), 5-112
START (relative), 5-110
STOP, 5-114
STRING, 5-115
SUBTRACT, 5-118
UNSTRING, 5-120
USE, 5-124
USING, 5-2
WRITE (indexed), 5-132
WRITE (relative), 5-129
WRITE (sequential), 5-125
Procedures, 5-1
PROGRAM COLLATING SEQUENCE
clause, 3-4
Program execution, 5-2
PROGRAM-ID paragraph, 2-3
Program-name, 2-3
Punctuation,
comma, 1-9
format, 1-9
period, 1-9
semicolon, 1-9

Qualification, 5-8
Qualifier, connectives, 1-5
Quotation marks, 1-9
QUOTE, 1-6
QUOTES, 1-6

Random access modes, 3-9
READ (indexed) ,
general format, 5-92
general rules, 5-93
statement, 5-92
syntax rules, 5-92
READ (relative),
general format, 5-88
general rules, 5-89
statement, 5-88
syntax rules, 5-88
READ (sequential),
general format, 5-85
general rules, 5-85
statement, 5-85
svntax rules, 5-85
Record concept, 4-18
logical, 4-17
RECORD CONTAINS,
clause, 4-14
general format, 4-14
general rules, 4-14
Record-description-entry,
4-2

Records,
working-storage, 4-3
REDEFINES,
clause, 4-42
general format, 4-42
general rules, 4-43
syntax rules, 4-42
Reference,
uniqueness of, 5-8
Reference format,
conventional source, 1-12
terminal, 1-17
Registers,
special, 1-5
Relation condition, 5-17
combined, 5-24
Relative file organization,
3-8
RENAMES,
clause, 4-44
general format, 4-44
general rules, 4-45
syntax rules, 4-44
Reserved words, A-1
COBOL, 1-4
REWRITE (indexed),
general rules, 5-100
statement, 5-100
syntax rules, 5-100
REWRITE (relative),
general format, 5-98
general rules, 5-98
statement, 5-98
syntax rules, 5-98
REWRITE (sequential),
general format, 5-96
general rules, 5-96
statement, 5-96
syntax rules, 5-96
Right parenthesis, 1-9
ROUNDED phrase, 5-26
Rules,
alignment, 4-20
COBOL general, 1-3
COBOL syntax, 1-3
condition evaluation,
5-25
condition-name, 4-53

SAME RECORD AREA clause,
3-18
SEARCH,
general format, 5-103
general rules, 5-104
statement, 5-103
syntax rules, 5-104
Section,
COBOL, 1-2
header, 1-18
Index-8

INDEX (CONT.)

SECTION,
FILE, 4-2
INPUT-OUTPUT, 3-8
LINKAGE, 4-3
WORKING-STORAGE, 4-3
Section-name, 5-3, 6-2
SEGMENT-LIMIT clause, 3-4,
6-2
Segment-number, 3-4, 5-3,
6-2
Segmentation, 6-1
Segments,
non-overlayable, 6-1
overlayable, 6-1
SELECT clause, 3-10
Semicolon, 1-9
Sentence, 5-4
compiler directing, 5-5
conditional, 5-4
imperative, 5-6
Separator, 1-8
Separator comma, 1-9
Separator horizontal tab,
1-9
Separator left parenthesis,
1-9
Separator quotation marks,
1-9
Separator right parenthesis,
1-9
Separator semicolon, 1-9
Separator space, 1-8
Sequence number, 1-14
Sequential access modes,
3-9
Sequential file
organization, 3-8
SET,
general format, 5-108
general rules, 5-108
statement, 5-108
syntax rules, 5-108
Short line, 1-16
SIGN,
clause, 4-4-6
general format, 4-46
general rules, 4-46
syntax rules, 4-46
Sign condition, 5-21
algebraic, 4-20
Simple condition,
negated, 5-22
Simple conditions, 5-16
Simple insertion editing,
4-37
SIZE error phrase, 5-26
Skeleton,
DATA DESCRIPTION, 4-22
FILE DESCRIPTION, 4-5
Slash, 1-14

Source language format,
COBOL, 1-11
Source reference format
conventional, 1-12
terminal, 1-17
SOURCE-COMPUTER,
general format, 3-3
general rules, 3-3
paragraph, 3-4
Space, 1-8
SPACE, 1-6
SPACES, 1-6
Special characters in
formats, 1-10
Special insertion editing,
4-37
Special ~egisters~ 1-5
Special-character words,
1-7
SPECIAL-NAMES,
CARD-READER, 3-5
CONSOLE, 3-5
general format, 3-5
general rules, 3-6
LINE-PRINTER, 3-5
PAPER-TAPE-PUNCH, 3-5
PAPER-TAPE-READER, 3-5
paragraph, 3-5
SWITCH OFF STATUS, 3-5
SWITCH ON STATUS, 3-5
syntax rules, 3-5
Specification,
explicit, 5-12
implicit, 5-12
START (indexed),
general format, 5-112
general rules, 5-112
statement, 5-112
syntax rules, 5-112
START (relative),
general format, 5-110
general rules, 5-110
statement, 5-110
syntax rules, 5-110
Statement,
ACCEPT, 5-30
ADD, 5-32
ALTER, 5-34
CALL, 5-35
CLOSE (indexed), 5-42
CLOSE (relative), 5-42
CLOSE (sequential), 5-31
compiler directing, 5-5
COMPUTE, 5-44
conditional, 5-4
COPY, 7-1
DELETE (indexed), 5-45
DELETE (relative), 5-45
DISPLAY, 5-47
DIVIDE, 5-49

Index-9

INDEX (CONT. )

Statement (Cont.)
EXIT, 5-52
GO TO, 5-53
IF, 5-54
imperative, 5-5
INSPECT, 5-56
MOVE, 5-63
MULTIPLY, 5-67
OPEN (indexed), 5-73
OPEN (relative), 5-73
OPEN (sequential), 5-69
PERFORM, 5-76
READ (indexed), 5-92
READ (relative), 5-88
READ (sequential), 5-85
REWRITE (indexed), 5-100
REWRITE (relative), 5-98
REWRITE (sequential),
5-96
SEARCH, 5-103
SET, 5-108
START (indexed), 5-112
START (relative), 5-110
STOP, 5-114
STRING, 5-115
SUBTRACT, 5-118
UNSTRING, 5-120
USE, 5-124
WRITE (indexed), 5-132
WRITE (relative), 5-129
WRITE (sequential), 5-125
Statements, 5-4
ADD, 5-32
arithmetic, 5-27
COMPUTE, 5-44
DIVIDE, 5-49
MULTIPLY, 5-67
SUBTRACT, 5-118
STOP,
general format, 5-115
general rules, 5-115
statement, 5-114
syntax rules, 5-115
STRING,
general format, 5-115
general rules, 5-116
statement, 5-115
syntax rules, 5~115
Structure,
DATA DIVISION, 4-2
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION, 3-2
Subscripting, 5-9
SUBTRACT,
general format, 5-118
general rules, 5-119
statement, 5-118
syntax rules, 5-118
Suppression editing,
zero, 4-39
Switch-status condition,
5-21

Symbols PCITURE,
editing, 4-34
SYNCHRONIZE,
clause, 4-48
general format, 4-48
general rules, 4-48
syntax rules, 4-48
Syntax rules,
ACCEPT, 5-30
ADD, 5-32
ALTER, 5-34
BLANK WHEN ZERO, 4-25
BLOCK CONTAINS, 4-6
CALL, 5-35
CLOSE (indexed), 5-42
CLOSE (relative), 5-42
CLOSE (sequential), 5-37
COBOL, 1-3
CODE-SET, 4-8
COMPUTE, 5-44
COPY, 7-1
DATA DESCRIPTION, 4-23
DATA RECORDS, 4-9
DATA-NAME, 4-26
DATE-COMPILED, 2-4
DELETE (indexed), 5-45
DELETE (relative), 5~45
DISPLAY, 5-47
DIVIDE, 5-49
EXIT, 5-52
FILE DESCRIPTION, 4-5
FILLER, 4-26
GO TO, 5-53
I-0-CONTROL, 3-18
IF, 5-54
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION,
2-2
INSPECT, 5-56
JUSTIFIED, 4-27
LABEL RECORDS, 4-10
LEVEL-NUMBER, 4-28
LINAGE, 4-11
MOVE, 5-63
MULTIPLY, 5-67
OCCURS, 4-29
OPEN (indexed), 5-73
OPEN (relative), 5-73
OPEN (sequential), 5-69
PERFORM, 5-77
PICTURE, 4-32
PROGRAM-ID, 2-3
READ (indexed), 5-~~
READ (relative), 5-88
READ (sequential), 5-85
REDEFINES, 4-42
RENAMES, 4-44
REWRITE (indexed), 5-100
REWRITE (relative), 5-98
REWRITE (sequential), 5-9~
SEARCH, 5-104
SET, 5-108
Index-10

INDEX (CONT.}

Syntax rules (Cont.}
SIGN, 4-46
SPECIAL-NAMES, 3-5
START (indexed}, 5-112
START (relative}, 5-110
STOP, 5-115
STRING, 5-115
SUBTRACT, 5-118
SYNCHRONIZE, 4-48
UNSTRING, 5-120
USAGE, 4-50
USE, 5-125
VALUE, 4-52
VALUE OF ID, 4-16
WRITE (indexed), 5-132
WRITE (relative), 5-129
WRITE (sequential), 5-125

Tab character, 1-16
Terminal reference format,
1-17

Underline, 1-10
Uniqueness of reference,
5-8
UNSTRING,
general format, 5-120
general rules, 5-120
statement, 5-120
syntax rules, 5-120
USAGE,
clause, 4-50
general format, 4-50
general rules, 4-50
syntax rules, 4-50
USE,
general format, 5-124
general rules, 5-125
statement, 5-124
syntax rules, 5-125
User-defined words, 1-4
USING,
PROCEDURE DIVISION, 5-2
USING phrase, 5-2

VALUE,
clause, 4-52
general format, 4-52
general rules, 4-52
syntax rules, 4-52
VALUE OF ID,
clause, 4-16
general format, 4-16
general rules, 4-16
syntax rules, 4-16
Variable,
conditional, 5-20

Words,
COBOL, 1-4
COBOL reserved, 1-4
key, 1-5
optional, 1-5
reserved, A-1
special-character, 1-7
user-defined, 1-4
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION,
4-3
WRITE (indexed),
general format, 5-132
general rules, 5-132
statement, 5-132
syntax rules, 5-132
WRITE (relative),
general format, 5-129
general rules, 5-129
statement, 5-129
syntax, 5-129
WRITE (sequential),
general format, 5-125
general rules, 5-125
statement, 5-125
syntax rules, 5-125

ZERO, 1-6
Zero suppresion editing,
4-39
ZEROES, 1-6
ZEROS, 1-6

Index-11

PDP-11 COBOL
Language Reference
Manual
AA-1749D-TC

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discretion. Problems with software should be reported
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