Setting preferences for preprocessor statements

The Preprocessor Integration preference defines the process for identifying preprocessor statements.

About this task

You can set preprocessor integration preferences for the COBOL Editor, for the PL/I Editor, and for COBOL and PL/I files that are open in the System z® LPEX Editor. The Preprocessor Integration preferences trigger running the preprocessor during editing to verify the expected output from the preprocessor statement.

Among the preferences that you can set on the Preprocessor Integration page are whether to start the preprocessor automatically when a file is opened or saved or whether to start it manually by using the Source menu in the editor.

The Preprocessor Integration preference also provides settings that determine how preprocessor statements are identified by the editor. These settings help to distinguish preprocessor statements from comments or non-syntax text that is not a preprocessor statement.

Procedure

You can open the Preprocessor Integration page from the menu bar or from an edit session.

  1. From the menu bar, click Window > Preferences, and do one of these steps:
    Editor Instructions
    COBOL Editor Click COBOL > Editor > Preprocessor Intergration
    PL/I Editor Click PL/I > Editor > Preprocessor Intergration
    System z LPEX Editor with COBOL files Click LPEX Editor > System z LPEX Editor > COBOL Parser > Preprocessor Intergration
    System z LPEX Editor with PL/I files Click LPEX Editor > System z LPEX Editor > PL/I Parser > Preprocessor Intergration
  2. From an edit session, right-click and click Source > Preprocessor Statements > Preferences.
  3. In the Running configured preprocessors automtically section, select whether the preprocessor runs when the file is open or saved by the editor.
  4. In the Identifying preprocessor statements section, select the characteristics that are used by the editor to identify preprocessor statements.
  5. Click Apply to save your changes.

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