Constraints for Referencing User-Defined Words
In general, a user-defined word belongs to one, and only one, of the types listed in the preceding table. A user-defined word must also be unique within the type to which it belongs.
There are two exceptions to the general rule:
- A level-number or segment-number does not need to be unique. The user-defined word for any level-number or segment-number can be identical to the user-defined word for another level-number or segment number.
- A user-defined word can be duplicated within one of the following, provided that uniqueness of reference can be maintained:
- The group comprising condition-names, data-names, and record-names
- Paragraph-names
- Text-names
The following types of user-defined words can be referenced by statements and entries in that program in which the user-defined word is declared:
- paragraph-name
- section-name
The following types of user-defined words can be referenced by any COBOL program:
- library-name
- program-name
- text-name
The following types of names, when they are declared within a Configuration Section, can be referenced by statements and entries either in that program which contains a Configuration Section or in any program contained within that program:
- alphabet-name
- class-name
- condition-name
- mnemonic-name