ILE COBOL Syntax Notation
ILE COBOL basic formats are presented in a
uniform system of syntax notation. This notation, designed to assist you in
writing COBOL source statements, is explained in the following paragraphs:
- COBOL keywords and optional words appear in uppercase letters; for example:
MOVE
They must be spelled exactly as shown. If any keyword is missing,
the compiler considers it to be an error.
- Variables representing user-supplied names or values appear in all lowercase
letters; for example:
parmx
- For easier text reference, some words are followed by a hyphen and a digit
or a letter, as in:
identifier-1
This suffix does not change
the syntactical definition of the word.
- Arithmetic and logical operators (+, -, *, /, **,
>, <, =, >=, and <=) that appear in syntax formats are required. For
a complete listing of reserved ILE COBOL words, see the ILE COBOL for AS/400 Reference.
- All punctuation and other special characters appearing in the diagram
are required by the syntax of the format when they are shown; if you leave
them out, errors will occur in the program.
- You must write the required and optional clauses (when used) in the order
shown in the diagram unless the associated rules explicitly state otherwise.
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