COBOL Programming

© Tech Mahindra Limited 2007 Tech Mahindra Limited confidential

Objective
At the end of this session, you will be able to…

ƒ Know the history of COBOL

ƒ List some characteristics of COBOL
ƒ Structure of COBOL program in detail
ƒ Coding Rules
ƒ Various data items used
ƒ Level Numbers
ƒ Picture Clauses along with symbols
ƒ Data Movement Verbs
ƒ Interactive Processing Verbs

CONFIDENTIAL© Copyright 2007 Tech Mahindra Limited 2

Agenda
ƒ History of COBOL
ƒ Characteristics of COBOL
ƒ Structure of COBOL
ƒ Coding Rules
ƒ Data items used
ƒ Level Numbers
ƒ Picture Clauses along with symbols
ƒ Data Movement Verbs
ƒ Interactive Processing Verbs

CONFIDENTIAL© Copyright 2007 Tech Mahindra Limited 3

Overview of COBOL
ƒ Cobol, abbreviated form of
Common Business Oriented Language

ƒ The most widespread programming language for commercial

applications

ƒ Best suited for handling large volume of data

ƒ Considered a very user-friendly language since it is very much

English like

ƒ Developed in 1959 by a board of directorate known as CODASYL

(Conference on Data System Language)

ƒ The standard version of Cobol was approved by American National

Standards Institute (ANSI) in 1968.
Thus, the first official standard was known as ANSI-68 Cobol

ƒ Cobol compilers are available for most computers

The first Cobol compiler became available in 1960
Latest version available is Cobol-II
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Characteristics of COBOL
ƒ Powerful file handling

ƒ Processing of voluminous business data

ƒ Structured language

ƒ Compiler based

ƒ Fast execution of programs

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Structure of COBOL programs

Program

DIVISIONS

SECTION(S)

PARAGRAPH(S)

SENTENCE(S)

STATEMENT(S)

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COBOL Coding Rules

ƒ Almost all COBOL compilers treat a line of COBOL code as if it

contained two distinct areas. These are known as;
Area A and Area B

ƒ When a COBOL compiler recognizes these two areas:

All division, section, paragraph names, FD entries and 01 level
numbers must start in Area A

All other sentences must start in Area B

ƒ Area A is four characters wide and is followed by Area B

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The COBOL Metalanguage - Syntax Notation
ƒ Words in uppercase are reserved words
• When underlined they must be present when the operation of which
they are a part is used

• When they are not underlined the used for readability only and are
optional. If used they must be spelt correctly

ƒ Words in mixed case represent names which will be devised by

the programmer

ƒ When material is enclosed in braces { } a choice must be made

from the options within the braces

ƒ Material is enclosed in square brackets [ ] indicates that the

material is an option which may be included or omitted as
required

ƒ The ellipsis symbol ‘...’ indicates that the preceding syntax

element may be repeated at the programmer’s discretion

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The Four Divisions
ƒ DIVISIONS are used to identify the principal
components of the program text

There are four DIVISIONS in all

IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.

DATA DIVISION.

PROCEDURE DIVISION.

ƒ Although some of the divisions may be omitted the

sequence in which the DIVISIONS are specified is fixed
and must follow the pattern shown above

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Functions of the Four Divisions

Like other languages COBOL provides a means for specifying

sequence, selection and iteration constructs

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COBOL Program Text Structure

IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
Program Details
DATA DIVISION.
Data Descriptions
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
Algorithm Description

NOTE : The keyword DIVISION is followed by ‘full-stop’.

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 Identification Division

© Tech Mahindra Limited 2007 Tech Mahindra Limited confidential

IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
ƒ The purpose of the IDENTIFICATION DIVISION is to
provide information about the program to the
programmer and to the compiler

ƒ Most of the entries in the IDENTIFICATION DIVISION

are directed at the programmer and are treated by the
compiler as comments

ƒ An exception to this is the PROGRAM-ID clause

Every COBOL program must have a PROGRAM-ID

It is used to enable the compiler to identify the program

ƒ There are several other informational paragraphs in the

IDENTIFICATION DIVISION but we will ignore them for the
moment.

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The IDENTIFICATION DIVISION Syntax
ƒ The IDENTIFICATION DIVISION has the following structure

IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. NameOfProgram.
[AUTHOR. YourName.]
[INSTALLATION. [comment-entry] . . .]
[DATE-WRITTEN. [comment-entry] . . .]
[DATE-COMPILED. [comment-entry] . . .]
[SECURITY. [comment-entry] . . .]

ƒ The keywords IDENTIFICATION DIVISION represent the

division header and signal the commencement of the
program text.

ƒ The paragraph name PROGRAM-ID is a keyword. It must be

specified immediately after the division header.

ƒ The program name can be up to 30 characters long.

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 Environment Division

15
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The Sections Of The Environment Division
ƒ The ENVIRONMENT DIVISION is the only machine-
dependent division of a COBOL program

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
CONFIGURATION SECTION.
SOURCE-COMPUTER. computer-name.
OBJECT-COMPUTER. computer-name.
INPUT-OUTPUT SECTION.
FILE-CONTROL.
SELECT file-name-1
ASSIGN TO implementor-name-1.

ƒ Entries in this division will depend upon:

• the computer system and
• the specific devices or hardware used in the program*

*Interactive programs that use keyed data as input

and display screen output will not need this division

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 Configuration Division

17
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© Tech Mahindra Limited 2007 Tech Mahindra Limited confidential
THE CONFIGURATION SECTION
ƒ Supplies information about the computer on which the
COBOL program will be compiled and executed
y SOURCE-COMPUTER:
• The computer that will be used for compiling the program

y OBJECT-COMPUTER:
• The computer that will be used for executing or running the
program

• SOURCE- COMPUTER and OBJECT-COMPUTER are coded primarily

as documentation entries

ƒ The CONFIGURATION SECTION, if coded, will follow the

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION entry in Area A
Example:
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
CONFIGURATION SECTION.
SOURCE-COMPUTER. IBM390.
OBJECT-COMPUTER. IBM390.

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INPUT-OUTPUT SECTION
ƒ The INPUT-OUTPUT SECTION optionally follows the
CONFIGURATION SECTION
y It supplies information concerning the input and output devices
used in the program by means of a FILE-CONTROL paragraph

ƒ In the FILE-CONTROL paragraph, a file-name is

designated and assigned to a device for each file used in
the program.

ƒ The FILE-CONTROL paragraph consists of SELECT

statements
y …each is coded in Area B followed by a period

ƒ A SELECT statement
y …defines a file-name
y …assigns a device name to that file*

*A file is the major collection of data for a given application

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INPUT-OUTPUT SECTION
ƒ If the output is printed or saved on disk, an output file
must exist in the ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.

ƒ If the output is displayed on a screen, then no file

declaration is necessary in the ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
• When this is the case, the ENVIRONMENT DIVISION may be
entirely omitted

ƒ The instruction format for the SELECT statement follows:

SELECT file-name-1
ASSIGN TO implementor-name-1
[ORGANIZATION IS SEQUENTIAL]

ƒ The implementor-name is a machine-dependent device

specification that is typically provided by the computer
center

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 Data Division

21
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© Tech Mahindra Limited 2007 Tech Mahindra Limited confidential
The DATA DIVISION
ƒ The DATA DIVISION is used to describe most of the data
that a program processes

ƒ The DATA DIVISION is divided into two main sections;

y FILE SECTION.
y WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.

ƒ The FILE SECTION is used to describe most of the data

that is sent to, or comes from, the computer’s peripherals

ƒ The WORKING-STORAGE SECTION is used to describe the

general variables used in the program

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DATA DIVISION Syntax
ƒ The DATA DIVISION has the following structure

IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. Add-Program.
AUTHOR. ABC.

DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01 N1 PIC 9 VALUE ZEROS.
01 N2 PIC 9 VALUE ZEROS.
01 Result PIC 9 VALUE ZEROS.

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FILE SECTION
Defining a File
ƒ The FILE SECTION describes the input and output areas
used in the program

ƒ A READ instruction, in the PROCEDURE DIVISION, will

transmit one record of the designated file to this input area

ƒ Similarly, an output area is primary storage reserved for a

record to be produced in an output file

ƒ Each file is described in the FILE SECTION with an FD

sentence that may consist of a series of clauses

ƒ After the clauses are specified, the FD sentence ends with a

period

ƒ FD is an abbreviation for File Description

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File Description Entries
An example:

SELECT INVENTORY-FILE
ASSIGN TO DISK1.
SELECT ERROR-LIST
ASSIGN TO PRINTER.
*
DATA DIVISION.
FILE SECTION.
FD INVENTORY-FILE
.
.
FD ERROR-LIST

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LABEL RECORD(S) Clause
Format:
LABEL {RECORD IS}{RECORDS ARE}
{OMITTED}{STANDARD}

ƒ This clause specifies whether or not the standard header and

trailer labels should be present in the magnetic-tape files
ƒ Interpreting Instruction Formats
y Each set of braces {} denotes that one of the enclosed items is
required.

RECORD CONTAINS Clause --(Optional)

Format:
RECORD CONTAINS integer-1
CHARACTERS
ƒ The RECORD CONTAINS clause indicates the size of each
record
A print file, for example, may have the following entry:
RECORD CONTAINS 80 CHARACTERS
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BLOCK CONTAINS Clause - (Optional)
Format
BLOCK CONTAINS integer-1 RECORDS

ƒ The BLOCK CONTAINS clause is included in the File

Description entry only for files on magnetic media
y A group of logical records is included within one block to
maximize the efficient use of a disk area

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RECORD description entries
Defining a Record
ƒ A record is a unit of information consisting of related data
items within a file
• A file consists of records that all have the same length and
format called fixed-length records

ƒ Level Numbers
• After a file is described by an FD, the record description entries
for each record format within the file follow

• The record description specifies the format of a record

• Just as the file-name is specified on the FD level,

a record- name is coded on the 01 level

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RECORD description entries (Contd…)
ƒ Level Numbers--Example
y A transaction disk file with only one record format may have
the following entries:

FD TRANSACTION-FILE
LABEL RECORDS ARE OMITTED
RECORD CONTAINS 80 CHARACTERS.

01 TRANSACTION-REC-IN.
{Entries of the record}

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RECORD description entries (Contd…)
Level Numbers
ƒ Data is grouped in COBOL using the concept of a level

ƒ Records are considered the highest level of data in a file,

and are coded on the 01 level
y A record consists of fields

e.g:
The record description entries following the FD are:
01 EMPLOYEE-REC-IN.
05 NAME-IN.
05 ANNUAL-SALARY-IN.
05 JOB-DESCRIPTION-IN.
All fields on the 05 level are subordinate to, or part of, the
01-level entry
All fields coded on the same level are independent items

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RECORD description entries (Contd…)

Fields are defined as either:

Elementary Item Group Item

ƒ A field that is not further ƒ A field that is further
subdivided subdivided

ƒ must be additionally ƒ because it is subdivided,

described with a PICTURE needs no further
clause that indicates the specification and ends with
size and type of the field a period

ƒ consists of a level number,

data name followed by a
number of optional clauses
terminated by a period.

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RECORD description entries (Contd…)
PICTURE (PIC) Clauses
ƒ Group items are defined by a level number and a name,
which is followed by a period

ƒ Elementary items or fields not further subdivided must be

described with a PICTURE (or PIC, for short) clause

FUNCTIONS OF THE PICTURE CLAUSE

1. To specify the type of data contained within an
elementary item.
2. To indicate the size of the field.

Value Clauses
ƒ The syntax of the Value clause is
VALUE IS literal.

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 The Procedure Division

33
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© Tech Mahindra Limited 2007 Tech Mahindra Limited confidential
The PROCEDURE DIVISION
ƒ The PROCEDURE DIVISION is where all the data described
in the DATA DIVISION is processed and produced.

It is here that the programmer describes his algorithm

ƒ It is hierarchical in structure and consists of

Sections, Paragraphs, Sentences and Statements.

ƒ Only the Section is optional

ƒ There must be at least one paragraph, sentence and

statement

ƒ Paragraph and section names are chosen by the

programmer
The names used should reflect the processing being done in
the paragraph or section
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Sections
ƒ A section is a block of code made up of one or more
paragraphs

ƒ A section begins with the section name and ends where the
next section name is encountered or where the program text
ends

ƒ A section name consists of a name devised by the

programmer or defined by the language followed by the
word SECTION followed by a full stop
e.g:
SelectUlsterRecords SECTION.
FILE SECTION.

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Paragraphs
ƒ Each section consists of one or more paragraphs

ƒ A paragraph is a block of code made up of one or more

sentences

ƒ A paragraph begins with the paragraph name and ends

with the next paragraph or section name or the end of the
program text

ƒ The paragraph name consists of a name devised by the

programmer or defined by the language followed by a full
stop
e.g:
PrintFinalTotals.
PROGRAM-ID.

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Sentences and Statements
ƒ A paragraph consists of one or more sentences

ƒ A sentence consists of one or more statements and is

terminated by a full stop
e.g:
MOVE .21 TO VatRate
COMPUTE VatAmount = ProductCost * VatRate.
DISPLAY "Enter name " WITH NO ADVANCING.
ACCEPT StudentName.
DISPLAY "Name entered was " StudentName.

ƒ A statement consists of a COBOL verb and an operand or

operands.
e.g:
SUBTRACT Tax FROM GrossPay GIVING NetPay.
READ StudentFile
AT END SET EndOfFile TO TRUE
END-READ.

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A Full COBOL program

IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. AddProgram.
AUTHOR. ABC.

DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01 N1 PIC 9 VALUE ZEROS.
01 N2 PIC 9 VALUE ZEROS.
01 Result PIC 9 VALUE ZEROS.

PROCEDURE DIVISION.
CalculateResult.
ACCEPT N1.
ACCEPT N2.
MULTIPLY N1 BY N2 GIVING Result.
DISPLAY "Result is = ", Result.
STOP RUN.

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The minimum COBOL program
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. MinimalProgram.

PROCEDURE DIVISION.
DisplayPrompt.
DISPLAY "I did it".
STOP RUN.

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Name Construction
ƒ All user defined names, such as data names, paragraph
names, section names and mnemonic names, must adhere
to the following rules;

-1 to 30 characters
-Letters, digits and hyphens only
-Should not begin or end with ‘-’
-No embedded blanks are permitted
-Must contain at least one alphabetic character
-Should not be Cobol reserved word like ADD, MOVE etc..
e.g. TotalSal, Gross-Sal, PrintReportTitle, Customer1-Rec

ƒ All data-names should describe the data they contain

ƒ All paragraph and section names should describe the

function of the paragraph or section

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Describing DATA
There are basically three kinds of data used in COBOL
programs;

ƒ Variables
ƒ Literals
ƒ Figurative Constants

Unlike other programming languages,

COBOL does not support user defined constants

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Data-Names and Variables
ƒ A variable is a named location in memory into which a
program can put data and from which it can retrieve data

ƒ A data-name or identifier is the name used to identify the

area of memory reserved for the variable

ƒ Variables must be described in terms of their type and size

ƒ Every variable used in a COBOL program must have a

description in the DATA DIVISION

CONFIDENTIAL© Copyright 2007 Tech Mahindra Limited 42

 Using Variables

01 StudName PIC X(5) VALUE SPACES.

MOVE “AMOL" TO StudName.
DISPLAY "My name is ", StudName.

StudName

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 Using Variables

01 StudName PIC X(5) VALUE SPACES.

MOVE “AMOL" TO StudName.

DISPLAY "My name is ", StudName.

StudName

A M O L

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 Using Variables

01 StudName PIC X(5) VALUE SPACES.

MOVE “AMOL" TO StudName.
DISPLAY "My name is ", StudName.

StudName
My name is AMOL
A M O L

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COBOL Data Types
ƒ COBOL is not a “typed” language and the distinction
between some of the data types available in the language is
a little blurred.

ƒ For the time being we will focus on just two data types,
y numeric
y text or string

ƒ Data type is important because it determines the operations

which are valid on the type

ƒ COBOL is not as rigorous in the application of typing

rules as other languages.
For example, some COBOL “numeric” data items may, from
time to time, have values which are not “numeric”!

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What are “typed” languages?
ƒ In “typed” languages simply specifying the type of a
data item provides quite a lot of information about it

ƒ The type usually determines the range of values the data

item can store
y For instance a CARDINAL item can store values between
0..65,535 and an INTEGER between -32,768..32,767

ƒ From the type of the item the compiler can establish how
much memory to set aside for storing its values

ƒ If the type is “REAL” the number of decimal places is

allowed to vary dynamically with each calculation but the
amount of the memory used to store a real number is fixed

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COBOL data description
ƒ Because COBOL is not typed it employs a different
mechanism for describing the characteristics of the
data items in the program

ƒ COBOL uses what could be described as a “declaration by

example” strategy

ƒ In effect, the programmer provides the system with an

example, or template, or PICTURE of what the data item
looks like

ƒ From the “picture” the system derives the information

necessary to allocate it

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COBOL ‘PICTURE’ Clause symbols
ƒ To create the required ‘picture’ the programmer uses a set
of symbols
ƒ The following symbols are used frequently in picture
clauses:

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COBOL ‘PICTURE’ Clause symbols (Cont’d…)
For Example:
ƒ PIC PPP999 means the numeric data is of 3 characters in
size and there are 6 positions after the assumed decimal
point.

ƒ Suppose the data in memory is 555, the value will be taken

as .000555

ƒ Similarly for 999PP will hold 55500.

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COBOL ‘PICTURE’ Clauses
ƒ Some examples

PICTURE 999 a three digit (+ive only) integer

PICTURE S999 a three digit (+ive/-ive) integer
PICTURE XXX a three character text item or string
PICTURE 99V99 a +ive ‘real’ in the range 0 to 99.99

ƒ If you wish you can use the abbreviation PIC

ƒ Numeric values can have a maximum of

18 (eighteen) digits (i.e. 9’s)

ƒ The limit on string values is usually system-dependent

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Abbreviating recurring symbols
ƒ Recurring symbols can be specified using a ‘repeat’ factor
inside round brackets

y PIC 9(5) is equivalent to PICTURE 99999

y PIC 9(5)V99 is equivalent to PIC 99999V99

y PICTURE X(9) is equivalent to PIC XXXXXXXXX

y PIC S9(3)V9(3) is equivalent to PIC S999V999

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 Declaring DATA in COBOL
ƒ In COBOL a variable declaration consists of a line containing
the following items;
• A level number
• A data-name or identifier
• A PICTURE clause

ƒ We can give a starting value to variables by means of an

extension to the picture clause called the value clause

DATA DATA DIVISION.

Num1 VatRate
Num1 VatRate
StudentName
StudentName
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01 N1 PIC 99 VALUE ZEROS.
00
00 .10
.10 01 Rate PIC V99 VALUE .10.
01 StudName PIC X(5) VALUE SPACES.

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COBOL Literals.
ƒ String/Alphanumeric literals are enclosed in quotes and may
consists of alphanumeric characters

e.g. “Sam Joseph", "-111", "123.55"

ƒ Numeric literals may consist of numerals, the decimal point

and the plus or minus sign

Numeric literals are not enclosed in quotes

e.g. 111, 123.55, -234, +2345

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Figurative Constants

ƒ COBOL provides its own, special constants called

Figurative Constants

SPACE or SPACES =
ZERO or ZEROS or ZEROS = 0
QUOTE or QUOTES = "
HIGH-VALUE or HIGH-VALUES
HIGH-VALUE HIGH-VALUES = Max Value
LOW-VALUE or LOW-VALUES
LOW-VALUE LOW-VALUES = Min Value
ALL literal = Fill With Literal

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Figurative Constants - Examples
01 MyPay PIC 9(5)V99 VALUE 12.5.
ZERO
MOVE ZEROS TO MyPay.
ZEROES

MyPay
0 0 0 1 2 5 0
×
z

01 StudName PIC X(10) VALUE “AMIT".

MOVE ALL "-" TO StudName.

StudentName
A M I T
CONFIDENTIAL© Copyright 2007 Tech Mahindra Limited 56
Figurative Constants - Examples
01 MyPay PIC 9(5)V99 VALUE 12.5.
ZERO
MOVE ZEROS TO MyPay.
ZEROES

MyPay
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
×
z

01 StudName PIC X(10) VALUE “AMOL".

MOVE ALL "-" TO StudName.

StudName
- - - - - - - - - -
CONFIDENTIAL© Copyright 2007 Tech Mahindra Limited 57
 Group Items/Records

WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01 StudDetails PIC X(26).

StudDetails
A B C D E A B C D E 9 4 1 0 1 8 2 L C 1 1 0 1 1 0 M

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Group Items/Records

WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01 StudDetails.
02 SName PIC X(10).
02 SId PIC 9(7).
02 CourseCode PIC X(4).
02 Grant PIC 9(4).
02 Gender PIC X.

StudDetails
A BC D EA B C DE 9 4 1 0 1 8 2 L C 1 1 0 1 1 0 M
SName SId CourseCode Grant Gender

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LEVEL Numbers express DATA hierarchy
ƒ In COBOL, level numbers are used to decompose a structure
into it’s constituent parts

ƒ In this hierarchical structure the higher the level number, the lower
the item is in the hierarchy
At the lowest level the data is completely atomic

ƒ The level numbers 01 through 49 are general level numbers

but there are also special level numbers such as 66, 77 and 88

ƒ In a hierarchical data description what is important is the

relationship of the level numbers to one another, not the actual
level numbers used
01 StudDetails. 01 StudDetails.
02 SName. 05 SName.
03 Surname PIC X(8). 10 Surname PIC X(8).
03 Initials PIC XX. 10 Initials PIC XX.
02 SId PIC 9(7). = 05 SId PIC 9(7).
02 CourseCode PIC X(4). 05 CourseCode PIC X(4).
02 Grant PIC 9(4). 05 Grant PIC 9(4).
02 Gender PIC X. 05 Gender PIC X.

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Group and elementary items
ƒ In COBOL the term “group item” is used to describe a
data item which has been further subdivided
• A Group item is declared using a level number and a data
name. It cannot have a picture clause
• Where a group item is the highest item in a data hierarchy it is
referred to as a record and uses the level number 01

ƒ The term “elementary item” is used to describe data

items which are atomic; that is, not further subdivided

ƒ An elementary item declaration, consists of;

• a level number,
• a data name
• picture clause
y An elementary item must have a picture clause

ƒ Every group or elementary item declaration must be

followed by a full stop.
CONFIDENTIAL© Copyright 2007 Tech Mahindra Limited 61
PICTUREs for Group Items
ƒ Picture clauses are NOT specified for ‘group’ data
items because the size a group item is the sum of the sizes
of its subordinate, elementary items and its type is always
assumed to be PIC X

ƒ The type of a group items is always assumed to be PIC X

because group items may have several different data items
and types subordinate to them

ƒ An X picture is the only one which could support such

collections

CONFIDENTIAL© Copyright 2007 Tech Mahindra Limited 62

Assignment in COBOL
ƒ In “strongly typed” languages like Modula-2, Pascal or
ADA the assignment operation is simple because
assignment is only allowed between data items with
compatible types
ƒ The simplicity of assignment in these languages is
achieved at the “cost” of having a large number of data
types
ƒ In COBOL there are basically only three data types,
• Alphabetic (PIC A)
• Alphanumeric (PIC X)
• Numeric (PIC 9)

ƒ But this simplicity is achieved only at the cost of having a

very complex assignment statement
ƒ In COBOL assignment is achieved using the MOVE
verb

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COBOL Verbs
ƒ A statement in Cobol always begins with a Cobol verb

ƒ The various verbs available in Cobol are

• Data Movement verb

• Arithmetic verbs

• Sequence Control verb

• Input and Output verbs

• The MOVE verb

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The MOVE Verb

ƒ The MOVE copies data from the source identifier or

literal to one or more destination identifiers

ƒ The source and destination identifiers can be group or

elementary data items

ƒ When the destination item is alphanumeric or alphabetic

(PIC X or A) data is copied into the destination area from left
to right with space filling or truncation on the right

ƒ When data is MOVEd into an item, the contents of the item

are completely replaced

If the source data is too small to fill the destination item

entirely the remaining area is zero or space filled
CONFIDENTIAL© Copyright 2007 Tech Mahindra Limited 65
MOVEing Data

MOVE “RAYS” TO Surname.

MOVE “RITZHATRICK” TO Surname.

01 Surname PIC X(8).

D O U G H L A N

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MOVEing Data

MOVE “RAYS”
“RAYS” TO Surname.
MOVE “FITZPATRICK” TO Surname.

01 Surname PIC X(8).

R A Y S

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MOVEing Data

MOVE “RYAN” TO Surname.

MOVE “FITZPATRICK”
“FITZPATRICK” TO Surname.

01 Surname PIC X(8).

F I T Z P A T R I C K

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MOVEing to a numeric item
ƒ When the destination item is numeric, or edited numeric,
then data is aligned along the decimal point with zero filling
or truncation as necessary

ƒ When the decimal point is not explicitly specified in

either the source or destination items, the item is treated as
if it had an assumed decimal point immediately after its
rightmost character

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MOVEing to a numeric item (Contd…)

01 PersonalPay PIC 9(4)V99.

GrossPay
MOVE ZEROS TO PersonalPay. 0 0 0 0 0 0
×
z
GrossPay
MOVE 11.5 TO PersonalPay. 0 0 1 1 5 0
×
z
GrossPay
MOVE 123.789 TO PersonalPay. 0 1 2 3 7 8 9
×
z
GrossPay
MOVE 12345.858 TO PersonalPay. 1 2 3 4 5 8 58
×
z

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Processing data interactively
ƒ The two verbs used for interactive processing are

y ACCEPT

y DISPLAY

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The DISPLAY Verb

ƒ From time to time it may be useful to display messages

and data values on the screen

ƒ A simple DISPLAY statement can be used to achieve this

ƒ A single DISPLAY can be used to display several data

items or literals or any combination of these

ƒ The WITH NO ADVANCING clause suppresses the carriage

return/line feed

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The ACCEPT verb

01 CurrentDate PIC 9(6).

* YYMMDD
01 DayOfYear PIC 9(5).
* YYDDD
01 Day0fWeek PIC 9.
* D (1=Monday)
01 CurrentTime PIC 9(6).
* HHMMSS

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Run of Accept and Display program
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. AcceptAndDisplay.
AUTHOR. ARYAN RAY.
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01 StudentDetails.
Enter student details using template below 02 StudentName.
03 Surname PIC X(8).
NNNNNNNNNNSSSSSSSCCCCGGGGS 03 Initials PIC XX.
TOUGHLANMM9476532LM511245M 02 StudentId PIC 9(7).
02 CourseCode PIC X(4).
Name is MM TOUGHLAN 02 Grant PIC 9(4).
Date is 04 04 04 02 Gender PIC X.
The time is 22:23 01 CurrentDate.
02 CurrentYear PIC 99.
02 CurrentMonth PIC 99.
02 CurrentDay PIC 99.
01 CurrentTime.
02 CurrentHour PIC 99.
02 CurrentMinute PIC 99.
02 FILLER PIC 9(4).
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
Begin.
DISPLAY "Enter student details using template below".
DISPLAY "NNNNNNNNNNSSSSSSSCCCCGGGGS ".
ACCEPT StudentDetails.
ACCEPT CurrentDate FROM DATE.
ACCEPT CurrentTime FROM TIME.
DISPLAY "Name is ", Initials SPACE Surname.
DISPLAY "Date is " CurrentDay SPACE CurrentMonth SPACE CurrentYear.
DISPLAY "The time is " CurrentHour ":" CurrentMinute.
STOP RUN.

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Summary
In this session, we looked at:

ƒ The history of COBOL

ƒ Characteristics of COBOL
ƒ The Structure of COBOL program
ƒ Coding Rules
ƒ Various data items used
ƒ Level Numbers
ƒ Picture Clauses along with symbols
ƒ Data Movement Verbs
ƒ Interactive Processing Verbs

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References:

ƒ COBOL Programming By Roy & Dastidar

ƒ Search engine used - Google

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