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 as 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. These operators are special character reserved words. For a complete listing of ILE COBOL reserved words, see Appendix E. ILE COBOL Reserved Word List.
  • 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, an error occurs in the program.
  • You must write the required clauses and the optional clauses (when used) in the order shown in the diagram unless the associated rules explicitly state otherwise.