The USAGE clause specifies the format in which data is represented in storage. The format may be restricted if certain Procedure Division statements are used.
USAGE Clause - Format
>>-+---------------+--+-BINARY-----------------+---------------><
'-USAGE--+----+-' +-COMPUTATIONAL----------+
'-IS-' +-COMP-------------------+
| (1) |
+-COMPUTATIONAL-1--------+
| (1) |
+-COMP-1-----------------+
| (1) |
+-COMPUTATIONAL-2--------+
| (1) |
+-COMP-2-----------------+
| (1) |
+-COMPUTATIONAL-3--------+
| (1) |
+-COMP-3-----------------+
| (1) |
+-COMPUTATIONAL-4--------+
| (1) |
+-COMP-4-----------------+
+-DISPLAY----------------+
| (1) |
+-DISPLAY-1--------------+
+-INDEX------------------+
| (1) |
+-NATIONAL---------------+
+-PACKED-DECIMAL---------+
| (1) |
+-POINTER----------------+
| (1) |
'-PROCEDURE-POINTER------'
Notes:
The following table outlines the phrase that is used for the various data
items specified by the USAGE clause.
Table 18. Usage Clause Data Items
| Data Item | Phrase in USAGE Clause |
|---|---|
| Binary (computational item) |
BINARY or COMPUTATIONAL-41 or COMP-41 |
| Packed-decimal/Internal decimal (computational item) |
PACKED-DECIMAL or COMPUTATIONAL or COMP or COMPUTATIONAL-31 or COMP-31 |
| Internal floating point (computational item) |
COMPUTATIONAL-11 or COMP-11 (4-byte) COMPUTATIONAL-21 or COMP-21 (8-byte) |
|
Numeric DISPLAY items External decimal (zoned decimal) External floating-point1 | DISPLAY |
|
Non-numeric DISPLAY items Alphabetic Alphanumeric Alphanumeric-edited Numeric-edited items Boolean1 Date time, and timestamp1 | DISPLAY |
|
DBCS1 DBCS-edited1 | DISPLAY-1 |
| National1 | NATIONAL |
| Index | INDEX |
| Pointer1 | POINTER |
| Procedure-pointer1 | PROCEDURE-POINTER |
|
Notes:
| |
The USAGE clause can be specified for an entry at any level (other than 66 or 88). However, if it is specified at the group level, it applies to each elementary item in the group rather than to the group itself. The usage of an elementary item must not contradict the usage specified on the owning group item.
When the USAGE clause is not specified at either the group or elementary level, it is assumed that the usage is DISPLAY.
+-------------------------------IBM Extension--------------------------------+
The TYPE clause cannot be specified in the same data description entry as the USAGE clause.
Data description entries with a TYPE clause cannot be subordinate to a data description entry that contains a USAGE clause. For example, the following is illegal:
01 FLAGS USAGE DISPLAY. 05 F-STATUS TYPE CHAR. 05 FLAG-ACTIVE TYPE CHAR.
+----------------------------End of IBM Extension----------------------------+
Related Information:
+-------------------------------IBM Extension--------------------------------+
+----------------------------End of IBM Extension----------------------------+
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