HP 3000 Manuals HP 3000 Manuals
Introducing COBOL II/XL by John Pavone--Information Technology Group This initial software release for the HP 3000 Series 900 family of computer systems includes a new COBOL Native Mode compiler product. This compiler is a superset of the COBOL II compiler product currently available on the HP 3000 MPE V system family and, as such, provides a forward migration path for COBOL applications software from the MPE V to the MPE XL, on the HP 3000 Series 900 family of computer systems. The native compiler continues support for both the ANSI 74 and 85 standard levels, as was initially introduced on the HP 3000 MPE V systems with the product version HP32233A.01.00 on the T-DELTA-4 MIT. This new compiler product is enhanced beyond the capability levels available on the MPE V system family. Enhancements that are included reflect a number of capabilities made possible by the advanced hardware and software technology that the HP 3000 Series 900 family provides. Other enhancements reflect the response to customer-submitted requests for more flexibility and control in the decision making areas of run-time error handling and performance. There is a new approach in the enhanced product documentation, which includes new information, the reorganization of old information, and the introduction of a number of new publications. The overall objective of this new documentation approach is to insure that you quickly gain the knowledge necessary to either: accomplish a smooth migration of some existing applications from the MPE V Series to the new MPE XL 900 Series; or to develop new applications for the MPE XL Series 900 family of computer systems. There are some operating system dependencies in the release of the compiler. NEW FEATURES The EXTERNAL clause, which allows the sharing of files and records among main and subprograms, can also be used to share data between main and subprograms developed using the HP COBOL, Pascal, and FORTRAN language products. $CONTROL NOVALIDATE is the compiler default option that allows the compiler to generate more efficient code. It does this by skipping the generation of code for performing data validity checking in programs that include user checking and/or process valid decimal data. A VALIDATE option is available for specifying that the user desires the compiler to generate the code for data validation. MIGRATION The migration of existing applications from the MPE V Series to the MPE XL 900 Series family of systems is significantly simplified for applications that are implemented in conformance with ANSI programming standards. Compiler options such as VALIDATE and CALLINTRINSIC are now available to ease the migration process by resolving some technological variations between the MPE V and MPE XL operating systems. RUN-TIME ERROR HANDLING The native compiler now provides a run-time error handling facility, which is user controlled, and provides a variety of user-selected options for program actions to be taken when errors occur. These actions include: abort/continue, print/ignore error messages, invoke the debug facility, and illegal ASCII/decimal digit detection and modification options. The design of this facility allows for the enhanced addition of other options as new situations arise. DOCUMENTATION The following documentation is now being provided to support the compile application developers, and migration projects: HP COBOL II Reference Manual (P/N 31500-90001) This is a generic COBOL programming language reference manual, which presents the necessary information for developing COBOL programs that conform to the ANSI'74, ANSI'85 standards and Hewlett-Packard extensions to those standards. HP COBOL II/XL Reference Manual Supplement (P/N 31500-90005) This reference manual supplement, in conjunction with the HP COBOL II Reference Manual, provides system-specific information on the HP COBOL II/XL programming language and the MPE XL operating system. HP COBOL II/XL Migration Guide (P/N 31500-90004) This guide describes how to migrate COBOL II applications from the HP 3000 MPE V Series to COBOL II/XL applications that execute on the MPE XL HP 3000 Series 900. It presents information about the migration process, differences between the two compilers, migrating code/data, and run-time error handling. Examples are included to guide the user towards a successful migration. HP COBOL II/XL Programmer's Guide (P/N 31500-90002) This guide is a new publication for the COBOL language and is intended for the experienced COBOL programmer, who is familiar with the COBOL language, the MPE XL file system, and HP 3000 subsystems. It discusses selected HP COBOL II/XL in detail. It provides numerous examples to support and demonstrate the application of the subject material using the capabilities of the COBOL programming language. Some of the key subjects presented include: structured programming, designing for maximum run-time efficiency and portability, using files, using the debug facility, and interprogram communication. HP COBOL II/XL Quick Reference Guide (P/N 31500-90003) This quick reference guide provides an easy reference to the COBOL language statements and syntax for application developers. For more details refer to COBOL II/XL in the TECHNICAL ARTICLES section of this document.