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Definitions
Abbreviated Combined Relation Condition
The combined condition that results from the omission of a common subject
or a common subject and common relational operator in a consecutive
sequence of relation conditions.
Access Mode
The manner in which records are to be operated upon within a file.
Actual Decimal Point
The physical representation, using either of the decimal point characters
"." (period) or "," (comma) of the decimal point position in a data item.
Alphabet-name
A user-defined word in the SPECIAL-NAMES paragraph of the Environment
Division that assigns a name to a specific character set and/or collating
sequence.
Alphabetic Character
A character that belongs to the following set of letters: A, B, C, D, E,
F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z and the
space. Also a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t,
u, v, w, x, y and z.
Alphanumeric Character
Any letter or number in the computer's character set.
Alternate Record Key
A key, other than the prime record key, whose contents identify a record
within an indexed file.
Alphanumeric Function
A function whose value is composed of a string of one or more characters
from the computer's character set.
Argument
An identifier, a literal, or an arithmetic expression that specifies a
value to be used in the evaluation of a function.
Arithmetic Expression
An arithmetic expression can be an identifier or a numeric elementary
item, a numeric literal, such identifiers and literals separated by
arithmetic operators, two arithmetic expressions separated by an
arithmetic operator, or an arithmetic expression enclosed in parentheses.
Arithmetic Operator
A single character, or a fixed two-character combination, that belongs to
the following set:
Character Meaning
+ Addition
- Subtraction
* Multiplication
/ Division
** Exponentiation
Ascending Key
A key upon the values of which data is ordered starting with the lowest
value of key up to the highest value of key in accordance with the rules
for comparison of the data items.
Assumed Decimal Point
A decimal point position which does not involve the existence of an
actual character in a data item. The assumed decimal point has logical
meaning but no physical representation.
At End Condition
A condition caused in one of three circumstances:
1. During the execution of a READ statement for a sequentially
accessed file.
2. During the execution of a RETURN statement when no next logical
record exists for the associated sort or merge file.
3. During the execution of a SEARCH statement, when the search
operation terminates without satisfying the condition specified in
any of the associated WHEN phrases.
Block
A physical unit of data that is normally composed of one or more logical
records. For mass storage files, a block can contain a portion of a
logical record. The size of a block has no direct relationship to the
size of the file within which the block is contained or to the size of
the logical record(s) that are either continued within the block or that
overlap the block. The term is equivalent to physical record.
Called Program
A program which is the object of a CALL statement combined at run time
with the calling program to produce a run unit.
Calling Program
A program which executes a CALL to another program.
Cd-name
A user-defined word that names an MCS interface area described in a
communication description entry within the Communication Section of the
Data Division.
Chained Program
A program which is the object of a CHAIN statement.
Chaining Program
A program which executes a CHAIN to another program.
Character
The basic indivisible unit of the language.
Character Position
A character position is the amount of physical storage required to store
a single standard data format character described as USAGE IS DISPLAY.
Character Set
The complete COBOL language character set consists of all characters
listed below:
Character Meaning
0,1,...,9 Numeric digit
A,B,...,Z Uppercase alphabetic
a,b,...,z Lowercase alphabetic (ANS85)
Space (blank)
+ Plus Sign
- Minus Sign
* Asterisk
/ Stroke (Virgule or Slash)
= Equal Sign
$ Currency Sign
, Comma
; Semicolon
. Period (Decimal Point, Fullstop)
" Quotation Mark
( Left Parenthesis
) Right Parenthesis
> Greater Than Symbol
< Less Than Symbol
: Colon (ANS85)
' Apostrophe (OSVS) (VSC2) (MF)
& Ampersand (MF)
________________________________________________________________________
|(ANS85) |
| |
| |
| |
|Note: When the computer character set includes |
| lowercase letters, they can be used in character|
| strings and text words. Except when used in |
| nonnumeric literals, each lowercase letter is |
| equivalent to the corresponding uppercase |
| letter. |
| |
________________________________________________________________________
Character-string
A sequence of contiguous characters which form a COBOL word, a literal, a
PICTURE character-string or a comment-entry.
Class Condition
The proposition, for which a truth value can be determined, that an
operand is wholly alphabetic or is wholly numeric,
________________________________________________________________________
|(ANS85) |
|or alphabetic-lower, or alphabetic-upper, or contains only the |
|characters in the set of characters specified by the CLASS clause |
|as defined in the SPECIAL-NAMES paragraph of the Environment |
|Division. |
________________________________________________________________________
Clause
A clause is an ordered set of consecutive COBOL character-strings whose
purpose is to specify an attribute of an entry.
COBOL System Directing Statement
A statement, beginning with a directing verb, that causes your COBOL
system to take a specific action during creation of the intermediate
code.
COBOL Word
See Word.
Collating Sequence
The sequence in which the characters that are acceptable in a computer
are ordered for purposes of sorting, merging and or comparing.
Column
A character position within a print line. The columns are numbered from
one, by one, starting at the leftmost character position of the print
line and extending to the rightmost character position of the print line.
Combined Condition
A condition that is the result of connecting two or more conditions with
the "AND" or the "OR" logical operator.
Comment Entry
An entry in the Identification Division that can be any combination of
characters from the computer character set.
Comment Line
A source program line represented by an asterisk in the indicator area of
the line and any characters from the computer's character set in area A
and area B of that line. The comment line serves only for documentation
in a program. A special form of comment line is represented by a slash
(/) in the indicator area of the line and any characters from the
computer's character set in area A and area B of that line causes page
ejection before printing the comment.
Common Program
A program which, despite being directly contained within another program,
can be called from any program directly or indirectly contained in that
other program.
Communication Description Entry
An entry in the Communication Section of the Data Division that is
composed of the level indicator CD, followed by a cd-name, and then
followed by a set of clauses as required. It describes the interface
between the MCS and the COBOL program.
Communication Device
A mechanism (hardware or hardware/software) capable of sending data to a
queue and/or receiving data from a queue. This mechanism can be a
computer or a peripheral device. One or more programs containing
communication description entries and residing within the same computer
define one or more of these mechanisms.
Communication Section
The section of the Data Division that describes the interface areas
between the MCS and the program, composed of one or more CD description
entries. See Message Control Systems.
Complex Condition
A condition in which one or more logical operators act upon one or more
conditions. See Negated Simple Condition, Combined Condition, Negated
Combined Condition.
Computer-name
A system-name that identifies the computer upon which the source program
is to be converted to object code, or the object code run.
Condition
A status of a program at execution time for which a truth value can be
determined. Where the term "condition" (condition-1, condition-2, ...)
appears in these language specifications in or in reference to
"condition" (condition-1, condition-2, ...) of a general format, it is a
conditional expression consisting of either a simple condition optionally
parenthesized, or a combined condition consisting of the syntactically
correct combination of simple conditions, logical operators, and
parentheses for which a truth value can be determined.
Condition Name
A user-defined word assigned to a specific value, set of values, or range
of values, within the complete set of values that a conditional variable
can possess; or the user-defined word assigned to a status of an
implementor-defined switch or device.
Condition-name Condition
The proposition, for which a truth value can be determined, that the
value of a conditional variable is a member of the set of values
attributed to a condition-name associated with the conditional variable.
Conditional Expression
A simple condition or a complex condition specified in an IF, PERFORM
,EVALUATE (ANS85) or SEARCH statement. See Simple Condition and Complex
Condition.
Conditional Statement
A conditional statement specifies that the truth value of a condition is
to be determined, and that the subsequent action of the run-time program
is dependent on this truth value.
Conditional Variable
A data item, one or more values of which has a condition-name assigned to
it.
Configuration Section
A section of the Environment Division that describes overall
specifications of source and run computers.
Constant-name
A user-defined word assigned as the name of a fixed value.
Contiguous Items
Items that are described by consecutive entries in the Data Division and
that bear a definite hierarchic relationship to one another.
Counter
A data item used for storing numbers or number representations in a
manner that permits these numbers to be increased or decreased by the
value of another number, or to be changed or reset to zero or to an
arbitrary positive or negative value.
CRT
An output device by which an operator can receive visual data.
Currency Symbol
The character defined by the CURRENCY SIGN clause in the SPECIAL-NAMES
paragraph. If no CURRENCY SIGN clause is present in a COBOL source
program, the currency symbol is identical to the currency sign. See the
section The SPECIAL-NAMES Paragraph in the chapter The Nucleus.
Current Record
The record which is available in the record area associated with the
file.
Cursor
The indicator on a CRT screen that marks the line and character position
which the input/output control is currently referencing.
Data Clause
A clause that appears in a data description entry in the Data Division
and provides information describing a particular attribute of a data
item.
Data Description Entry
An entry in the Data Division that is composed of a level-number followed
by a data-name, if required, and then followed by a set of data clauses
as required.
Data Dictionary
A table built by your COBOL system and held in memory, which contains
information on each user-defined name.
Data Item
A unit of data (excluding literals) defined by a COBOL program or by the
rules for function evaluation.
Data-name
A user-defined word that names a data item described in a data
description entry in the Data Division. When used in the general
formats, "data-name" represents a word which can neither be subscripted
nor indexed unless specifically permitted by the rules for that format.
Debugging Line
A debugging line is any line with "D" or "d" (VSC2) (MF) in the indicator
area of the line.
Debugging Section
A debugging section is a section that contains a USE FOR DEBUGGING
statement.
Declaratives
A set of one or more special purpose sections written at the beginning of
the Procedure Division, the first of which is preceded by the key word
DECLARATIVES and the last of which is followed by the key words END
DECLARATIVES. A declarative is composed of a section header, followed by
a USE COBOL system-directing-sentence, followed by a set of associated
paragraphs (0 or more).
Declarative-sentence
A COBOL system directing sentence consisting of a single USE statement
terminated by the separator period (.).
De-edit
The logical removal of all editing characters from a numeric edited data
item in order to determine that item's unedited numeric value.
Delimited Scope Statement
Any statement that includes its explicit scope terminator.
Delimiter
A character (or sequence of contiguous characters) that identifies the
end of a string of characters, and separates that string of characters
from the following string of characters. A delimiter is not part of the
string of characters that it delimits.
Descending Key
A key upon the values of which data is ordered starting with the highest
value of key down to the lowest value of key, in accordance with the
rules for comparing data items.
Destination
The symbolic identification of the receiver of a transmission from a
queue.
Digit Position
A digit position is the amount of physical storage required to store a
single digit. This amount varies depending on the usage of the data item
describing the digit position.
Division
A set of sections or paragraphs (0 or more) that are formed and combined
in accordance with a specific set of rules is called a division body.
There are four divisions in a COBOL program: Identification,
Environment, Data and Procedure.
Division Header
A combination of words followed by a period and a space that indicate the
beginning of a division. The division headers are:
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
DATA DIVISION.
PROCEDURE DIVISION [{USING }] data-name-1[data-name-2]...
[{CHAINING}]
Dynamic Access
An access mode in which specific logical records can be obtained from or
placed into a disk file in a non-sequential manner (see Random Access)
and obtained from a file in a sequential manner (see Sequential Access)
during the scope of the same OPEN statement.
Editing Character
A single character or a fixed two-character combination belonging to the
same set:
Character Meaning
B Space
0 Zero
+ Plus
- Minus
CR Credit
DB Debit
Z Zero Suppress
* Check Protect
$ Currency Sign
, Comma
. Period (Decimal
Point)
/ Slash (Virgule,
Stroke)
Elementary Item
A data item that is described as not being further logically subdivided.
End of Procedure Division
The physical position in a COBOL source program after which no further
procedures appear.
End Program Header
A combination of words, followed by a separator period, that indicates
the end of a COBOL source program. The end program header is:
END PROGRAM program-name.
Entry
Any descriptive set of consecutive clauses terminated by a separator
period (.) and written in the Identification Division, Environment
Division or Data Division of a COBOL source program.
Environment Clause
A clause that appears as part of an Environment Division entry.
Extend Mode
With the EXTEND phrase specified, the state of a file after execution of
an OPEN statement, and before the execution of a CLOSE statement for the
file.
External Data
The data described in a program as external data items and external file
connectors.
External File Connector
A file connector which is accessible to one or more object programs in
the run unit.
Figurative Constant
A value generated by your COBOL system which is referenced through the
use of certain reserved words.
File
A collection of records.
File Clause
A clause that appears as part of any of the following Data Division
entries:
File Description (FD)
Sort-Merge File Description (SD)
Communication Description (CD)
File Connector
A storage area which contains information about a file and is used as the
linkage between a file-name and a physical file and between a file-name
and its associated record area.
File-control
The name of an Environment Division paragraph in which the data files for
a given source program are declared.
File Description Entry
An entry in the File Section of the Data Division that is composed of the
level indicator FD, followed by a file-name, and then followed by a set
of file clauses as required.
File-name
A user-defined word that names a file described in a file description
entry or a sort-merge file description entry within the File Section of
the Data Division.
File Organization
The permanent logical file structure established at the time that a file
is created.
File Position Indicator
A conceptual entity that is used in the selection of the next record to
be accessed within a given file during certain sequences of input-output
operations. This concept has no meaning for a file opened in output or
extend mode. The setting of the file position indicator is affected only
by the OPEN, READ and START statements.
File Section
The section of the Data Division that contains file description entries
together with their associated record descriptions.
Fixed File Attributes
Information about a file which is established when a file is created and
cannot subsequently be changed during the existence of the file. These
attributes include the organization of the file (sequential, relative, or
indexed), the prime record key, the alternate record keys, the code set,
the minimum and maximum record size, the record type (fixed or variable),
the collating sequence of the keys for indexed files, the maximum and
minimum physical record size, the padding character, and the record
delimiter.
Fixed Format Mode
The default manner in which data entry is made to numeric and
numeric-edited screen fields. This mode formats and echoes the entered
data and also moves the cursor in accordance with the requirements of the
field's picture specification, as each keystroke is received. Characters
other than "+", "-", and the decimal point character, are rejected;
insertion characters in edited fields are skipped over as the cursor
moves backwards and forwards; any sign indicator is modified in
accordance with its normal specification; floating symbols move left and
right in the field, and insertion symbols appear and disappear as digits
are inserted or deleted.
Floating-point Data Item
A number representation in which:
1. Each number is represented by two sequences of digits, the
mantissa and the exponent, and
2. Each number equals one of those sequences of digits, the mantissa,
multiplied by the value obtained by raising ten to the power
represented by the other sequence of digits, the exponent.
Floating-point Literal
A quantity, in floating point representation, that has a base of ten and
is written as a signed fixed-point numeric literal that must have a
decimal point in any character position (the mantissa), immediately
followed by the letter "E", which is, in turn, immediately followed by a
signed fixed-point numeric literal that does not contain a decimal point
(the exponent).
Format
A specific arrangement of a set of data.
Free Format Mode
An alternative manner in which data entry can be made to numeric and
numeric-edited screen fields. The default mode is fixed format mode (see
above entry). This configurable mode allows data to be keyed into a PIC
X field of appropriate length, and it is only when the operator leaves
the field that the data is reformatted to comply with the picture
specification. Once the operator moves the cursor from the field, your
COBOL system disregards all characters other than digits and the sign and
decimal point symbols. It then extracts, stores, or reformats the
numeric value in accordance with the normal COBOL rules for a MOVE to an
item with the same picture as the screen or working-storage item. The
numeric value is then usually echoed to the screen.
Function
A temporary data item whose value is determined by invoking a mechanism
provided by the implementor at the time the function is referenced during
the execution of a statement.
Function-identifier
A syntactically correct combination of character-strings and separators
that references a function. The data item represented by a function is
uniquely identified by a function-name with its arguments, if
any. A function-identifier can include a reference-modifier. A
function-identifier that references an alphanumeric function can be
specified anywhere in the general formats that an identifier can be
specified, subject to certain restrictions. A function-identifier that
references an integer or numeric function can be referenced anywhere in
the general formats that an arithmetic expression can be specified.
Function-name
A word that names a mechanism provided by the implementor to determine
the value of a function.
Group Item
A named contiguous set of elementary items.
High Order End
The leftmost character of a string of characters.
I-O-control
The name of an Environment Division paragraph in which object program
requirements for specific input/output techniques, rerun points, sharing
of same areas by several data files, and multiple file storage on a
single input/output device are specified.
I-O Mode
The state of a file after execution of an OPEN statement, with the I-O
phrase specified for that file, and before the execution of a CLOSE
statement for that file.
Identifier
A syntactically correct combination of character-strings and separators
that names a data item. When referencing a data item which is not a
function, an identifier consists of a data-name, together with its
qualifiers, subscripts, and reference-modifier, as required for
uniqueness of reference. When referencing a data item which is a
function, a function-identifier is used. The rules for "identifier"
associated with general formats can, however, specifically prohibit
reference to functions, qualification, subscripting, or reference
modification.
Imperative Statement
A statement that begins with an imperative verb and specifies an
unconditional action to be taken. An imperative statement can consist of
a sequence of imperative statements.
Implicit Scope Terminator
A separator period which terminates the scope of any preceding
unterminated statement, or a phrase of a statement which by its
occurrence indicates the end of the scope of any statement contained
within the preceding phrase.
Implicit Segment
A segment created by your COBOL system to control the size of code
segments.
Index
A computer storage position or register, the contents of which represent
the identification of a particular element in a table.
Index Data Item
A data item in which the value associated with an index-name can be
stored.
Index-name
A user-defined word that names an index associated with a specific table.
Indexed Data-name
An identifier that is composed of a data-name, followed by one or more
index-names enclosed in parentheses.
Indexed File
A file with indexed organization.
Indexed Organization
The permanent logical file structure in which each record is identified
by the value of one or more keys within that record.
Indicator Area
The leftmost parameter position of a COBOL source record that indicates
the use of the record.
Input Field
A screen item whose description contains a TO phrase.
Input File
A file that is opened in the input mode.
Input Mode
The state of a file after execution of an OPEN statement, with the INPUT
phrase specified for that file, and before the execution of a CLOSE
statement for that file.
Input-Output File
A file that is opened in the I-O mode.
Input-Output Section
The section of the Environment Division that names the files and the
external media used by a program and which provides information required
for transmission and handling of data during execution of the run-time
program.
Input Procedure
A set of statements that is executed each time a record is released to
the sort file.
Integer
1. A numeric literal that does not include any digit positions to the
right of the decimal point.
2. A numeric data item defined in the Data Division that does not
include any digit positions to the right of the decimal point.
Where the term "integer" appears in the general formats, integer must be
a numeric literal which is an integer, and must be neither signed nor
zero unless explicitly allowed by the rules of that format.
Integer Function
A function whose category is numeric and whose definition provides that
all digits to the right of the decimal point are zero in the returned
value for any possible evaluation of the function.