HP 3000 Manuals

EDIT/3000:Reference Manual

3-5.  COLUMN 

Each line of the WORK file has a predefined number of columns as defined
either by the SET LENGTH command or by the EDIT/3000 subsystem default of
72 characters per line.  If text is entered beyond the right margin
(default :  column 72), a warning message is displayed.

A column position in a range expression specifies a particular column in
a line of the WORK file.

MPE/iX 5.0 Documentation