The terms in this glossary are defined in accordance with
their meaning in COBOL. These terms might or might not have the same meaning
in other languages.
This glossary includes
terms and definitions from the following publications:
- ANSI INCITS 23-1985, Programming languages - COBOL, as amended
by ANSI INCITS 23a-1989, Programming Languages - COBOL - Intrinsic Function
Module for COBOL, and ANSI INCITS 23b-1993, Programming Languages
- Correction Amendment for COBOL
- ANSI X3.172-2002, American National Standard Dictionary for Information
Systems
American
National Standard definitions are preceded by an asterisk (*).
This glossary
includes definitions developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. for their Java and
J2EE glossaries. When Sun is the source of a definition, that is indicated.
A
- * abbreviated combined relation condition
- The combined condition that results from the explicit omission of a common
subject or a common subject and common relational operator in a consecutive
sequence of relation conditions.
- abend
- Abnormal termination of a program.
- above the 16-MB line
- Storage above the so-called 16-MB line (or boundary) but
below the 2-GB bar.
This storage is addressable only in 31-bit mode.
Before IBM introduced the
MVS/XA™
architecture
in the 1980s, the virtual storage for a program was limited to 16 MB.
Programs
that have been compiled with a 24-bit mode can address only 16 MB of space,
as though they were kept under an imaginary storage line.
Since VS COBOL II,
a program that has been compiled with a 31-bit mode can be above the 16-MB
line.
- * access mode
- The manner in which records are to be operated upon within a file.
- * actual decimal point
- The physical representation, using the decimal point characters period
(.) or comma (,), of the decimal point position in a data item.
- actual document encoding
- For an XML document, one of the following encoding categories that the
XML parser determines by examining the first few bytes of the document:
- ASCII
- EBCDIC
- Unicode UTF-16, either big-endian or little-endian
- Other unsupported encoding
- No recognizable encoding
- * alphabet-name
- A user-defined word, in the SPECIAL-NAMES paragraph of
the ENVIRONMENT DIVISION, that assigns a name to a specific
character set or collating sequence or both.
- * alphabetic character
- A letter or a space character.
- alphabetic data item
- A data item that is described with a PICTURE character
string that contains only the symbol A. An alphabetic data
item has USAGE DISPLAY.
- * alphanumeric character
- Any character in the single-byte character set of the computer.
- alphanumeric data item
- A general reference to a data item that is described implicitly or explicitly
as USAGE DISPLAY, and that has category alphanumeric, alphanumeric-edited,
or numeric-edited.
- alphanumeric-edited data item
- A data item that is described by a PICTURE character
string that contains at least one instance of the symbol A or X and
at least one of the simple insertion symbols B, 0,
or /. An alphanumeric-edited data item has USAGE
DISPLAY.
- * alphanumeric function
- A function whose value is composed of a string of one or more characters
from the alphanumeric character set of the computer.
- alphanumeric group item
- A group item that is defined without a GROUP-USAGE NATIONAL clause.
For operations such as INSPECT, STRING,
and UNSTRING, an alphanumeric group item is processed as
though all its content were described as USAGE DISPLAY regardless
of the actual content of the group. For operations that require processing
of the elementary items within a group, such as MOVE CORRESPONDING, ADD
CORRESPONDING, or INITIALIZE, an alphanumeric group
item is processed using group semantics.
- alphanumeric literal
- A literal that has an opening delimiter from the following set: ',
", X', X", Z',
or Z".
The string of characters can
include any character in the character set of the computer.
- * alternate record key
- A key, other than the prime record key, whose contents identify a record
within an indexed file.
- ANSI (American National Standards Institute)
- An organization that consists of producers, consumers, and general-interest
groups and establishes the procedures by which accredited organizations create
and maintain voluntary industry standards in the United States.
- argument
- (1) An identifier, a literal, an arithmetic expression, or a function-identifier
that specifies a value to be used in the evaluation of a function. (2) An
operand of the USING phrase of a CALL or INVOKE statement,
used for passing values to a called program or an invoked method.
- * arithmetic expression
- An identifier of a numeric elementary item, a numeric literal, such identifiers
and literals separated by arithmetic operators, two arithmetic expressions
separated by an arithmetic operator, or an arithmetic expression enclosed
in parentheses.
- * arithmetic operation
- The process caused by the execution of an arithmetic statement, or the
evaluation of an arithmetic expression, that results in a mathematically correct
solution to the arguments presented.
- * arithmetic operator
- A single character, or a fixed two-character combination that belongs
to the following set:
| Character |
Meaning |
| + |
Addition |
| - |
Subtraction |
| * |
Multiplication |
| / |
Division |
| ** |
Exponentiation |
- * arithmetic statement
- A statement that causes an arithmetic operation to be executed. The arithmetic
statements are ADD, COMPUTE, DIVIDE, MULTIPLY,
and SUBTRACT.
- array
- An aggregate that consists of data objects, each of which can be uniquely
referenced by subscripting. An array is roughly analogous to a COBOL table.
- * ascending key
- A key upon the values of which data is ordered, starting with the lowest
value of the key up to the highest value of the key, in accordance with the
rules for comparing data items.
- ASCII
- American National Standard Code for Information Interchange. The standard
code uses a coded character set that is based on 7-bit coded characters (8
bits including parity check). The standard is used for information interchange
between data processing systems, data communication systems, and associated
equipment. The ASCII set consists of control characters and graphic characters.
IBM
has defined an extension to ASCII (characters 128-255).
- assignment-name
- A name that identifies the organization of a COBOL file and the name by
which it is known to the system.
- * assumed decimal point
- A decimal point position that does not involve the existence of an actual
character in a data item. The assumed decimal point has logical meaning but
no physical representation.
- AT END condition
- A condition that is caused during the execution of a READ, RETURN,
or SEARCH statement under certain conditions:
- A READ statement runs on a sequentially accessed file
when no next logical record exists in the file, or when the number of significant
digits in the relative record number is larger than the size of the relative
key data item, or when an optional input file is not available.
- A RETURN statement runs when no next logical record exists
for the associated sort or merge file.
- A SEARCH statement runs when the search operation terminates
without satisfying the condition specified in any of the associated WHEN phrases.
B
- big-endian
- The default format that the mainframe and the AIX workstation use to store
binary data and UTF-16 characters. In this format, the least significant byte
of a binary data item is at the highest address and the least significant
byte of a UTF-16 character is at the highest address. Compare with little-endian.
- binary item
- A numeric data item that is represented in binary notation (on the base
2 numbering system). The decimal equivalent consists of the decimal digits
0 through 9, plus an operational sign. The leftmost bit of the item is the
operational sign.
- binary search
- A dichotomizing search in which, at each step of the search, the set of
data elements is divided by two; some appropriate action is taken in the case
of an odd number.
- * block
- A physical unit of data that is normally composed of one or more logical
records. For mass storage files, a block can contain a portion of a logical
record. The size of a block has no direct relationship to the size of the
file within which the block is contained or to the size of the logical records
that are either contained within the block or that overlap the block. Synonymous
with physical record.
- breakpoint
- A place in a computer program, usually specified by an instruction, where
external intervention or a monitor program can interrupt the program as it
runs.
- buffer
- A portion of storage that is used to hold input or output data temporarily.
- built-in function
- See intrinsic function.
- business method
- A method of an enterprise bean that implements the business
logic or rules of an application. (Sun)
- byte
- A string that consists of a certain number of bits, usually eight, treated
as a unit, and representing a character or a control function.
- byte order mark (BOM)
- A Unicode character that can be used at the start of UTF-16 or UTF-32
text to indicate the byte order of subsequent text; the byte order can be
either big-endian or little-endian.
- bytecode
- Machine-independent code that is generated by the Java compiler and executed
by the Java interpreter. (Sun)
C
- callable services
- In Language Environment, a set of services that a
COBOL program can invoke by using the conventional Language Environment-defined
call interface. All programs that share the Language Environment conventions
can use these services.
- called program
- A program that is the object of a CALL statement. At
run time the called program and calling program are combined to produce a run
unit.
- * calling program
- A program that executes a CALL to another program.
- case structure
- A program-processing logic in which a series of conditions is tested in
order to choose between a number of resulting actions.
- cataloged procedure
- A set of job control statements that are placed in a partitioned data
set called the procedure library (SYS1.PROCLIB). You can use cataloged procedures
to save time and reduce errors in coding JCL.
- CCSID
- See coded character set identifier.
- century window
- A 100-year interval within which any two-digit year is unique. Several
types of century window are available to COBOL programmers:
- For windowed date fields, you use the YEARWINDOW compiler
option.
- For the windowing intrinsic functions DATE-TO-YYYYMMDD, DAY-TO-YYYYDDD,
and YEAR-TO-YYYY, you specify the century window with argument-2.
- For Language Environment callable services,
you specify the century window in CEESCEN.
- * character
- The basic indivisible unit of the language.
- character encoding unit
- A unit of data that corresponds to one code point in a coded character
set. One or more character encoding units are used to represent a character
in a coded character set. Also known as encoding unit.
For USAGE
NATIONAL, a character encoding unit corresponds to one 2-byte code
point of UTF-16.
For USAGE DISPLAY, a character encoding
unit corresponds to a byte.
For USAGE DISPLAY-1, a
character encoding unit corresponds to a 2-byte code point in the DBCS character
set.
- character position
- The amount of physical storage or presentation space required to hold
or present one character. The term applies to any class of character. For
specific classes of characters, the following terms apply:
- Alphanumeric character position, for characters represented in USAGE
DISPLAY
- DBCS character position, for DBCS characters represented in USAGE
DISPLAY-1
- National character position, for characters represented in USAGE
NATIONAL; synonymous with character encoding unit for UTF-16
- character set
- A collection of elements that are used to represent textual information,
but for which no coded representation is assumed. See also coded character
set.
- character string
- A sequence of contiguous characters that form a COBOL word, a literal,
a PICTURE character string, or a comment-entry. A character
string must be delimited by separators.
- checkpoint
- A point at which information about the status of a job and the system
can be recorded so that the job step can be restarted later.
- * class
- The entity that defines common behavior and implementation for zero, one,
or more objects. The objects that share the same implementation are considered
to be objects of the same class. Classes can be defined hierarchically, allowing
one class to inherit from another.
- * class condition
- The proposition (for which a truth value can be determined) that the content
of an item is wholly alphabetic, is wholly numeric, is wholly DBCS, is wholly
Kanji, or consists exclusively of the characters that are listed in the definition
of a class-name.
- * class definition
- The COBOL source unit that defines a class.
- class hierarchy
- A tree-like structure that shows relationships among object classes. It
places one class at the top and one or more layers of classes below it. Synonymous
with inheritance hierarchy.
- * class identification entry
- An entry in the CLASS-ID paragraph of the IDENTIFICATION
DIVISION; this entry contains clauses that specify the class-name
and assign selected attributes to the class definition.
- class-name (object-oriented)
- The name of an object-oriented COBOL class definition.
- * class-name (of data)
- A user-defined word that is defined in the SPECIAL-NAMES paragraph
of the ENVIRONMENT DIVISION; this word assigns a name to
the proposition (for which a truth value can be defined) that the content
of a data item consists exclusively of the characters that are listed in the
definition of the class-name.
- class object
- The runtime object that represents a class.
- * clause
- An ordered set of consecutive COBOL character strings whose purpose is
to specify an attribute of an entry.
- client
- In object-oriented programming, a program or method that requests services
from one or more methods in a class.
- * COBOL character set
- The set of characters used in writing COBOL syntax. The complete COBOL
character set consists of the characters listed below:
| Character |
Meaning |
| 0,1, . . . ,9 |
Digit |
| A,B, . . . ,Z |
Uppercase letter |
| a,b, . . . ,z |
Lowercase letter |
| |
Space |
| + |
Plus sign |
| - |
Minus sign (hyphen) |
| * |
Asterisk |
| / |
Slant (virgule, slash) |
| = |
Equal sign |
| $ |
Currency sign |
| , |
Comma (decimal point) |
| ; |
Semicolon |
| . |
Period (decimal point, full stop) |
| " |
Quotation mark |
| ( |
Left parenthesis |
| ) |
Right parenthesis |
| > |
Greater than symbol |
| < |
Less than symbol |
| : |
Colon |
- * COBOL word
- See word.
- code page
- An assignment of graphic characters and control function meanings to all
code points. For example, one code page could assign characters and meanings
to 256 code points for 8-bit code, and another code page could assign characters
and meanings to 128 code points for 7-bit code. For example, one of the IBM
code pages for English on the workstation is IBM-1252 and on the host is IBM-1047. A coded character set.
- code point
- A unique bit pattern that is defined in a coded character set (code page).
Graphic symbols and control characters are assigned to code points.
- coded character set
- A set of unambiguous rules that establish a character set and the relationship
between the characters of the set and their coded representation. Examples
of coded character sets are the character sets as represented by ASCII or
EBCDIC code pages or by the UTF-16 encoding scheme for Unicode.
- coded character set identifier (CCSID)
- An IBM-defined number in the range 1 to 65,535 that identifies a specific
code page.
- * collating sequence
- The sequence in which the characters that are acceptable to a computer
are ordered for purposes of sorting, merging, comparing, and for processing
indexed files sequentially.
- * column
- A byte position within a print line or within a reference format line.
The columns are numbered from 1, by 1, starting at the leftmost position of
the line and extending to the rightmost position of the line. A column holds
one single-byte character.
- * combined condition
- A condition that is the result of connecting two or more conditions with
the AND or the OR logical operator. See
also condition and negated combined condition.
- * comment-entry
- An entry in the IDENTIFICATION DIVISION that can be any
combination of characters from the character set of the computer.
- * comment line
- A source program line represented by an asterisk (*) in the indicator
area of the line and any characters from the character set of the computer
in area A and area B of that line. The comment line serves only for documentation.
A special form of comment line represented by a slant (/) in the indicator
area of the line and any characters from the character set of the computer
in area A and area B of that line causes page ejection before printing the
comment.
- * common program
- A program that, despite being directly contained within another program,
can be called from any program directly or indirectly contained in that other
program.
- compatible date field
- The meaning of the term compatible, when applied to date fields,
depends on the COBOL division in which the usage occurs:
- DATA DIVISION: Two date fields are compatible if they
have identical USAGE and meet at least one of the following
conditions:
- They have the same date format.
- Both are windowed date fields, where one consists only of a windowed year, DATE
FORMAT YY.
- Both are expanded date fields, where one consists only of an expanded
year, DATE FORMAT YYYY.
- One has DATE FORMAT YYXXXX, and the other has YYXX.
- One has DATE FORMAT YYYYXXXX, and the other has YYYYXX.
A windowed date field can be subordinate to a data item that is an
expanded date group. The two date fields are compatible if the subordinate
date field has USAGE DISPLAY, starts two bytes after the
start of the group expanded date field, and the two fields meet at least one
of the following conditions:
- The subordinate date field has a DATE FORMAT pattern
with the same number of Xs as the DATE FORMAT pattern of
the group date field.
- The subordinate date field has DATE FORMAT YY.
- The group date field has DATE FORMAT YYYYXXXX and the
subordinate date field has DATE FORMAT YYXX.
- PROCEDURE DIVISION: Two date fields are compatible if
they have the same date format except for the year part, which can be windowed
or expanded. For example, a windowed date field with DATE FORMAT YYXXX is
compatible with:
- Another windowed date field with DATE FORMAT YYXXX
- An expanded date field with DATE FORMAT YYYYXXX
- * compile
- (1) To translate a program expressed in a high-level language into a program
expressed in an intermediate language, assembly language, or a computer language.
(2) To prepare a machine-language program from a computer program written
in another programming language by making use of the overall logic structure
of the program, or generating more than one computer instruction for each
symbolic statement, or both, as well as performing the function of an assembler.
- * compile time
- The time at which COBOL source code is translated, by a COBOL compiler,
to a COBOL object program.
- compiler
- A program that translates source code written in a higher-level language
into machine-language object code.
- compiler-directing statement
- A statement that causes the compiler to take a specific action during
compilation. The standard compiler-directing statements are COPY, REPLACE,
and USE.
- * complex condition
- A condition in which one or more logical operators act upon one or more
conditions. See also condition, negated simple condition, and negated
combined condition.
- complex ODO
- Certain forms of the OCCURS DEPENDING ON clause:
- Variably located item or group: A data item described by an OCCURS clause
with the DEPENDING ON option is followed by a nonsubordinate
data item or group. The group can be an alphanumeric group or a national group.
- Variably located table: A data item described by an OCCURS clause
with the DEPENDING ON option is followed by a nonsubordinate
data item described by an OCCURS clause.
- Table with variable-length elements: A data item described by an OCCURS clause
contains a subordinate data item described by an OCCURS clause
with the DEPENDING ON option.
- Index name for a table with variable-length elements.
- Element of a table with variable-length elements.
- component
- (1) A functional grouping of related files. (2) In object-oriented programming,
a reusable object or program that performs a specific function and is designed
to work with other components and applications.
JavaBeans is
Sun Microsystems, Inc.'s architecture for creating components.
- * computer-name
- A system-name that identifies the computer where the program is to be
compiled or run.
- condition (exception)
- An exception that has been enabled, or recognized,
by Language Environment and thus is eligible to activate
user and language condition handlers. Any alteration to the normal programmed
flow of an application. Conditions can be detected by the hardware or the
operating system and result in an interrupt. They can also be detected by
language-specific generated code or language library code.
- condition (expression)
- A status of data at run time for which a truth value can be determined.
Where used in this information in or in reference to "condition"
(condition-1, condition-2,. . .) of
a general format, the term refers to a conditional expression that consists
of either a simple condition optionally parenthesized or a combined condition
(consisting of the syntactically correct combination of simple conditions,
logical operators, and parentheses) for which a truth value can be determined.
See also simple condition, complex condition, negated simple
condition, combined condition, and negated combined condition.
- * conditional expression
- A simple condition or a complex condition specified in an EVALUATE, IF, PERFORM,
or SEARCH statement. See also simple condition and complex
condition.
- * conditional phrase
- A phrase that specifies the action to be taken upon determination of the
truth value of a condition that results from the execution of a conditional
statement.
- * conditional statement
- A statement that specifies that the truth value of a condition is to be
determined and that the subsequent action of the object program depends on
this truth value.
- * conditional variable
- A data item one or more values of which has a condition-name assigned
to it.
- * condition-name
- A user-defined word that assigns a name to a subset of values that a conditional
variable can assume; or a user-defined word assigned to a status of an implementor-defined
switch or device.
- * condition-name condition
- The proposition (for which a truth value can be determined) that the value
of a conditional variable is a member of the set of values attributed to a
condition-name associated with the conditional variable.
- * CONFIGURATION SECTION
- A section of the ENVIRONMENT DIVISION that describes
overall specifications of source and object programs and class definitions.
- CONSOLE
- A COBOL environment-name associated with the operator console.
- contained program
- A COBOL program that is nested within another COBOL program.
- * contiguous items
- Items that are described by consecutive entries in the DATA DIVISION,
and that bear a definite hierarchic relationship to each other.
- copybook
- A file or library member that contains a sequence of code that is included
in the source program at compile time using the COPY statement.
The file can be created by the user, supplied by COBOL, or supplied by another
product. Synonymous with copy file.
- * counter
- A data item used for storing numbers or number representations in a manner
that permits these numbers to be increased or decreased by the value of another
number, or to be changed or reset to zero or to an arbitrary positive or negative
value.
- cross-reference listing
- The portion of the compiler listing that contains information on where
files, fields, and indicators are defined, referenced, and modified in a program.
- currency-sign value
- A character string that identifies the monetary units stored in a numeric-edited
item. Typical examples are $, USD, and EUR. A currency-sign value can be defined
by either the CURRENCY compiler option or the CURRENCY
SIGN clause in the SPECIAL-NAMES paragraph of the ENVIRONMENT
DIVISION. If the CURRENCY SIGN clause is not specified
and the NOCURRENCY compiler option is in effect, the dollar
sign ($) is used as the default currency-sign value. See also currency
symbol.
- currency symbol
- A character used in a PICTURE clause to indicate the
position of a currency sign value in a numeric-edited item. A currency symbol
can be defined by either the CURRENCY compiler option or
the CURRENCY SIGN clause in the SPECIAL-NAMES paragraph
of the ENVIRONMENT DIVISION. If the CURRENCY SIGN clause
is not specified and the NOCURRENCY compiler option is in
effect, the dollar sign ($) is used as the default currency sign value and
currency symbol. Multiple currency symbols and currency sign values can be
defined. See also currency sign value.
- * current record
- In file processing, the record that is available in the record area associated
with a file.
- * current volume pointer
- A conceptual entity that points to the current volume of
a sequential file.
D
- * data clause
- A clause, appearing in a data description entry in the DATA DIVISION of
a COBOL program, that provides information describing a particular attribute
of a data item.
- * data description entry
- An entry in the DATA DIVISION of a COBOL program that
is composed of a level-number followed by a data-name, if required, and then
followed by a set of data clauses, as required.
- DATA DIVISION
- The division of a COBOL program or method that describes the data to be
processed by the program or method: the files to be used and the records contained
within them; internal working-storage records that will be needed; data to
be made available in more than one program in the COBOL run unit.
- * data item
- A unit of data (excluding literals) defined by a COBOL program or by the
rules for function evaluation.
- * data-name
- A user-defined word that names a data item described in a data description
entry. When used in the general formats, data-name represents a word that
must not be reference-modified, subscripted, or qualified unless specifically
permitted by the rules for the format.
- date field
- Any of the following:
- A data item whose data description entry includes a DATE FORMAT clause.
- A value returned by one of the following intrinsic functions:
DATE-OF-INTEGER
DATE-TO-YYYYMMDD
DATEVAL
DAY-OF-INTEGER
DAY-TO-YYYYDDD
YEAR-TO-YYYY
YEARWINDOW
- The conceptual data items DATE, DATE YYYYMMDD, DAY, and DAY YYYYDDD of
the ACCEPT statement.
- The result of certain arithmetic operations. For details, see Arithmetic with date fields (Enterprise COBOL Language Reference).
The term date field refers to both expanded date field and windowed
date field. See also nondate.
- date format
- The date pattern of a date field, specified in either of the following
ways:
- Explicitly, by the DATE FORMAT clause or DATEVAL intrinsic
function argument-2
- Implicitly, by statements and intrinsic functions that return date fields.
For details, see Date
field (Enterprise COBOL Language Reference).
- DBCS
- See double-byte character set (DBCS).
- DBCS character
- Any character defined in IBM's double-byte character set.
- DBCS character position
- See character position.
- DBCS data item
- A data item that is described by a PICTURE character
string that contains at least one symbol G, or, when the NSYMBOL(DBCS) compiler
option is in effect, at least one symbol N. A DBCS data item
has USAGE DISPLAY-1.
- * debugging line
- Any line with a D in the indicator area of the line.
- * debugging section
- A section that contains a USE FOR DEBUGGING statement.
- * declarative sentence
- A compiler-directing sentence that consists of a single USE statement
terminated by the separator period.
- * declaratives
- A set of one or more special-purpose sections, written at the beginning
of the PROCEDURE DIVISION, the first of which is preceded
by the key word DECLARATIVE and the last of which is followed
by the key words END DECLARATIVES. A declarative is composed
of a section header, followed by a USE compiler-directing
sentence, followed by a set of zero, one, or more associated paragraphs.
- * de-edit
- The logical removal of all editing characters from a numeric-edited data
item in order to determine the unedited numeric value of the item.
- * delimited scope statement
- Any statement that includes its explicit scope terminator.
- * delimiter
- A character or a sequence of contiguous characters that identify the end
of a string of characters and separate that string of characters from the
following string of characters. A delimiter is not part of the string of characters
that it delimits.
- dependent region
- In IMS, the MVS virtual storage region that contains message-driven
programs, batch programs, or online utilities.
- * descending key
- A key upon the values of which data is ordered starting with the highest
value of key down to the lowest value of key, in accordance with the rules
for comparing data items.
- digit
- Any of the numerals from 0 through 9. In COBOL, the term is not used to
refer to any other symbol.
- * digit position
- The amount of physical storage required to store a single digit. This
amount can vary depending on the usage specified in the data description entry
that defines the data item.
- * direct access
- The facility to obtain data from storage devices or to enter data into
a storage device in such a way that the process depends only on the location
of that data and not on a reference to data previously accessed.
- display floating-point data item
- A data item that is described implicitly or explicitly as USAGE
DISPLAY and that has a PICTURE character string
that describes an external floating-point data item.
- * division
- A collection of zero, one, or more sections or paragraphs, called the
division body, that are formed and combined in accordance with a specific
set of rules. Each division consists of the division header and the related
division body. There are four divisions in a COBOL program: Identification,
Environment, Data, and Procedure.
- * division header
- A combination of words followed by a separator period that indicates the
beginning of a division. The division headers are:
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
DATA DIVISION.
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
- DLL
- See dynamic link library (DLL).
- DLL application
- An application that references imported programs, functions,
or variables.
- DLL linkage
- A CALL in a program that has been
compiled with the DLL and NODYNAM options;
the CALL resolves to an exported name in a separate module,
or to an INVOKE of a method that is defined in a separate
module.
- do construct
- In structured programming, a DO statement is used to
group a number of statements in a procedure. In COBOL, an inline PERFORM statement
functions in the same way.
- do-until
- In structured programming, a do-until loop will be executed at least once,
and until a given condition is true. In COBOL, a TEST AFTER phrase
used with the PERFORM statement functions in the same way.
- do-while
- In structured programming, a do-while loop will be executed if, and while,
a given condition is true. In COBOL, a TEST BEFORE phrase
used with the PERFORM statement functions in the same way.
- document type definition (DTD)
- The grammar for a class of XML documents. See XML type definition.
- double-byte character set (DBCS)
- A set of characters in which each character is represented by 2 bytes.
Languages such as Japanese, Chinese, and Korean, which contain more symbols
than can be represented by 256 code points, require double-byte character
sets. Because each character requires 2 bytes, entering, displaying, and printing
DBCS characters requires hardware and supporting software that are DBCS-capable.
- * dynamic access
- An access mode in which specific logical records can be obtained from
or placed into a mass storage file in a nonsequential manner and obtained
from a file in a sequential manner during the scope of the same OPEN statement.
- dynamic CALL
- A CALL literal statement in a program
that has been compiled with the DYNAM option and
the NODLL option, or a CALL identifier statement
in a program that has been compiled with the NODLL option.
- dynamic link library (DLL)
- A file that contains executable code and data that
are bound to a program at load time or run time, rather than during linking.
Several applications can share the code and data in a DLL simultaneously.
Although a DLL is not part of the executable file
for a program, it can be required for an executable file to run properly.
- dynamic storage area (DSA)
- Dynamically acquired storage composed of a register save
area and an area available for dynamic storage allocation (such as program
variables). A DSA is allocated upon invocation of a program or function and
persists for the duration of the invocation instance. DSAs are generally allocated
within stack segments managed by Language Environment.
- * EBCDIC (Extended Binary-Coded Decimal Interchange Code)
- A coded character set based on 8-bit coded characters.
- EBCDIC character
- Any one of the symbols included in the EBCDIC (Extended Binary-Coded-Decimal
Interchange Code) set.
- edited data item
- A data item that has been modified by suppressing zeros or inserting editing
characters or both.
- * editing character
- A single character or a fixed two-character combination belonging to the
following set:
| Character |
Meaning |
| |
Space |
| 0 |
Zero |
| + |
Plus |
| - |
Minus |
| CR |
Credit |
| DB |
Debit |
| Z |
Zero suppress |
| * |
Check protect |
| $ |
Currency sign |
| , |
Comma (decimal point) |
| . |
Period (decimal point) |
| / |
Slant (virgule, slash) |
- EJB
- See Enterprise JavaBeans.
- EJB container
- A container that implements the EJB component contract
of the J2EE architecture. This contract specifies a runtime environment for
enterprise beans that includes security, concurrency, life cycle management,
transaction, deployment, and other services. An EJB container is provided
by an EJB or J2EE server. (Sun)
- EJB server
- Software that provides services to an EJB container. An
EJB server can host one or more EJB containers. (Sun)
- element (text element)
- One logical unit of a string of text, such as the description of a single
data item or verb, preceded by a unique code identifying the element type.
- * elementary item
- A data item that is described as not being further logically subdivided.
- encapsulation
- In object-oriented programming, the technique that is used to hide the
inherent details of an object. The object provides an interface that queries
and manipulates the data without exposing its underlying structure. Synonymous
with information hiding.
- enclave
- When running under Language Environment,
an enclave is analogous to a run unit. An enclave can create other enclaves by
a LINK and
the use of the system() function of C.
- encoding unit
- See character encoding unit.
- end class marker
- A combination of words, followed by a separator period, that indicates
the end of a COBOL class definition. The end class marker is:
END CLASS class-name.
- end method marker
- A combination of words, followed by a separator period, that indicates
the end of a COBOL method definition. The end method marker is:
END METHOD method-name.
- * end of PROCEDURE DIVISION
- The physical position of a COBOL source program after which no further
procedures appear.
- * end program marker
- A combination of words, followed by a separator period, that indicates
the end of a COBOL source program. The end program marker is:
END PROGRAM program-name.
- enterprise bean
- A component that implements a business task and resides
in an EJB container. (Sun)
- Enterprise JavaBeans
- A component architecture defined by Sun Microsystems, Inc.
for the development and deployment of object-oriented, distributed, enterprise-level
applications.
- * entry
- Any descriptive set of consecutive clauses terminated by a separator period
and written in the IDENTIFICATION DIVISION, ENVIRONMENT
DIVISION, or DATA DIVISION of a COBOL program.
- * environment clause
- A clause that appears as part of an ENVIRONMENT DIVISION entry.
- ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
- One of the four main component parts of a COBOL program, class definition,
or method definition. The ENVIRONMENT DIVISION describes
the computers where the source program is compiled and those where the object
program is run. It provides a linkage between the logical concept of files
and their records, and the physical aspects of the devices on which files
are stored.
- environment-name
- A name, specified by IBM, that identifies system logical units, printer
and card punch control characters, report codes, program switches or all of
these. When an environment-name is associated with a mnemonic-name in the ENVIRONMENT
DIVISION, the mnemonic-name can be substituted in any format in which
such substitution is valid.
- environment variable
- Any of a number of variables that define some aspect of the computing
environment, and are accessible to programs that operate in that environment.
Environment variables can affect the behavior of programs that are sensitive
to the environment in which they operate.
- execution time
- See run time.
- execution-time environment
- See runtime environment.
- expanded date field
- A date field containing an expanded (four-digit) year. See also date
field and expanded year.
- expanded year
- A date field that consists only of a four-digit year. Its value includes
the century: for example, 1998. Compare with windowed year.
- * explicit scope terminator
- A reserved word that terminates the scope of a particular PROCEDURE
DIVISION statement.
- exponent
- A number that indicates the power to which another number (the base) is
to be raised. Positive exponents denote multiplication; negative exponents
denote division; and fractional exponents denote a root of a quantity. In
COBOL, an exponential expression is indicated with the symbol ** followed
by the exponent.
- * expression
- An arithmetic or conditional expression.
- * extend mode
- The state of a file after execution of an OPEN statement,
with the EXTEND phrase specified for that file, and before
the execution of a CLOSE statement, without the REEL or UNIT phrase
for that file.
- Extensible Markup Language
- See XML.
- extensions
- COBOL syntax and semantics supported by IBM compilers in addition to those
described in Standard COBOL 85.
- external code page
- For XML documents, the value specified by the CODEPAGE compiler
option.
- * external data
- The data that is described in a program as external data items and external
file connectors.
- * external data item
- A data item that is described as part of an external record in one or
more programs of a run unit and that can be referenced from any program in
which it is described.
- * external data record
- A logical record that is described in one or more programs of a run unit
and whose constituent data items can be referenced from any program in which
they are described.
- external decimal data item
- See zoned decimal data item and national decimal data item.
- * external file connector
- A file connector that is accessible to one or more object programs in
the run unit.
- external floating-point data item
- See display floating-point data item and national floating-point
data item.
- external program
- The outermost program. A program that is not nested.
- * external switch
- A hardware or software device, defined and named by the implementor, which
is used to indicate that one of two alternate states exists.
F
- factory data
- Data that is allocated once for a class and shared by all instances of
the class. Factory data is declared in the WORKING-STORAGE SECTION of
the DATA DIVISION in the FACTORY paragraph
of the class definition, and is equivalent to Java private static data.
- factory method
- A method that is supported by a class independently of an object instance.
Factory methods are declared in the FACTORY paragraph of
the class definition, and are equivalent to Java public static methods. They
are typically used to customize the creation of objects.
- * figurative constant
- A compiler-generated value referenced through the use of certain reserved
words.
- * file
- A collection of logical records.
- * file attribute conflict condition
- An unsuccessful attempt has been made to execute an input-output operation
on a file and the file attributes, as specified for that file in the program,
do not match the fixed attributes for that file.
- * file clause
- A clause that appears as part of any of the following DATA DIVISION entries:
file description entry (FD entry) and sort-merge file description
entry (SD entry).
- * file connector
- A storage area that contains information about a file and is used as the
linkage between a file-name and a physical file and between a file-name and
its associated record area.
- * file control entry
- A SELECT clause and all its subordinate clauses that
declare the relevant physical attributes of a file.
- FILE-CONTROL paragraph
- A paragraph in the ENVIRONMENT DIVISION in which the
data files for a given source unit are declared.
- * file description entry
- An entry in the FILE SECTION of the DATA DIVISION that
is composed of the level indicator FD, followed by a file-name,
and then followed by a set of file clauses as required.
- * file-name
- A user-defined word that names a file connector described in a file description
entry or a sort-merge file description entry within the FILE SECTION of
the DATA DIVISION.
- * file organization
- The permanent logical file structure established at the time that a file
is created.
- file position indicator
- A conceptual entity that contains the value of the current key within
the key of reference for an indexed file, or the record number of the current
record for a sequential file, or the relative record number of the current
record for a relative file, or indicates that no next logical record exists,
or that an optional input file is not available, or that the AT END condition
already exists, or that no valid next record has been established.
- * FILE SECTION
- The section of the DATA DIVISION that contains file description
entries and sort-merge file description entries together with their associated
record descriptions.
- file system
- The collection of files that conform to a specific set of data-record
and file-description protocols, and a set of programs that manage these files.
- * fixed file attributes
- Information about a file that is established when a file is created and
that cannot subsequently be changed during the existence of the file. These
attributes include the organization of the file (sequential, relative, or
indexed), the prime record key, the alternate record keys, the code set, the
minimum and maximum record size, the record type (fixed or variable), the
collating sequence of the keys for indexed files, the blocking factor, the
padding character, and the record delimiter.
- * fixed-length record
- A record associated with a file whose file description or sort-merge description
entry requires that all records contain the same number of bytes.
- fixed-point item
- A numeric data item defined with a PICTURE clause that
specifies the location of an optional sign, the number of digits it contains,
and the location of an optional decimal point. The format can be either binary,
packed decimal, or external decimal.
- floating point
- A format for representing numbers in which a real number is represented
by a pair of distinct numerals. In a floating-point representation, the real
number is the product of the fixed-point part (the first numeral) and a value
obtained by raising the implicit floating-point base to a power denoted by
the exponent (the second numeral). For example, a floating-point representation
of the number 0.0001234 is 0.1234 -3, where 0.1234 is the mantissa and -3
is the exponent.
- floating-point data item
- A numeric data item that contains a fraction and an exponent. Its value
is obtained by multiplying the fraction by the base of the numeric data item
raised to the power that the exponent specifies.
- * format
- A specific arrangement of a set of data.
- * function
- A temporary data item whose value is determined at the time the function
is referenced during the execution of a statement.
- * function-identifier
- A syntactically correct combination of character strings and separators
that references a function. The data item represented by a function is uniquely
identified by a function-name with its arguments, if any. A function-identifier
can include a reference-modifier. A function-identifier that references an
alphanumeric function can be specified anywhere in the general formats that
an identifier can be specified, subject to certain restrictions. A function-identifier
that references an integer or numeric function can be referenced anywhere
in the general formats that an arithmetic expression can be specified.
- function-name
- A word that names the mechanism whose invocation, along with required
arguments, determines the value of a function.
- function-pointer data item
- A data item in which a pointer to an entry point can be stored. A data
item defined with the USAGE IS FUNCTION-POINTER clause contains
the address of a function entry point. Typically used to communicate with
C and Java programs.
G
- garbage collection
- The automatic freeing by the Java runtime system of the memory for objects
that are no longer referenced.
- * global name
- A name that is declared in only one program but that can be referenced
from the program and from any program contained within the program. Condition-names,
data-names, file-names, record-names, report-names, and some special registers
can be global names.
- global reference
- A reference to an object that is outside the scope of a
method.
- group item
- (1) A data item that is composed of subordinate data items. See alphanumeric
group item and national group item. (2) When not qualified explicitly
or by context as a national group or an alphanumeric group, the term refers
to groups in general.
- grouping separator
- A character used to separate units of digits in numbers for ease of reading.
The default is the character comma.
H
- header label
- (1) A file label or data-set label that precedes the data records on a
unit of recording media. (2) Synonym for beginning-of-file label.
- hide
- To redefine a factory or static method (inherited from a parent class)
in a subclass.
- hierarchical file system
- A collection of files and directories that are organized in a hierarchical
structure and can be accessed by using z/OS UNIX.
- * high-order end
- The leftmost character of a string of characters.
- hiperspace
- In a z/OS environment,
a range of up to 2 GB of contiguous virtual storage addresses that a program
can use as a buffer.
I
- IBM COBOL extension
- COBOL syntax and semantics supported by IBM compilers in addition to those
described in Standard COBOL 85.
- IDENTIFICATION DIVISION
- One of the four main component parts of a COBOL program, class definition,
or method definition. The IDENTIFICATION DIVISION identifies
the program, class, or method. The IDENTIFICATION DIVISION can
include the following documentation: author name, installation, or date.
- * identifier
- A syntactically correct combination of character strings and separators
that names a data item. When referencing a data item that is not a function,
an identifier consists of a data-name, together with its qualifiers, subscripts,
and reference-modifier, as required for uniqueness of reference. When referencing
a data item that is a function, a function-identifier is used.
- IGZCBSO
- The Enterprise COBOL bootstrap routine. It
must be link-edited with any module that contains a Enterprise COBOL program.
- * imperative statement
- A statement that either begins with an imperative verb and specifies an
unconditional action to be taken or is a conditional statement that is delimited
by its explicit scope terminator (delimited scope statement). An imperative
statement can consist of a sequence of imperative statements.
- * implicit scope terminator
- A separator period that terminates the scope of any preceding unterminated
statement, or a phrase of a statement that by its occurrence indicates the
end of the scope of any statement contained within the preceding phrase.
- * index
- A computer storage area or register, the content of which represents the
identification of a particular element in a table.
- * index data item
- A data item in which the values associated with an index-name can be stored
in a form specified by the implementor.
- indexed data-name
- An identifier that is composed of a data-name, followed by one or more
index-names enclosed in parentheses.
- * indexed file
- A file with indexed organization.
- * indexed organization
- The permanent logical file structure in which each record is identified
by the value of one or more keys within that record.
- indexing
- Synonymous with subscripting using index-names.
- * index-name
- A user-defined word that names an index associated with a specific table.
- inheritance
- A mechanism for using the implementation of a class as the basis for another
class. By definition, the inheriting class conforms to the inherited classes. Enterprise COBOL does not support multiple inheritance;
a subclass has exactly one immediate superclass.
- inheritance hierarchy
- See class hierarchy.
- * initial program
- A program that is placed into an initial state every time the program
is called in a run unit.
- * initial state
- The state of a program when it is first called in a run unit.
- inline
- In a program, instructions that are executed sequentially, without branching
to routines, subroutines, or other programs.
- * input file
- A file that is opened in the input mode.
- * input mode
- The state of a file after execution of an OPEN statement,
with the INPUT phrase specified, for that file and before
the execution of a CLOSE statement, without the REEL or UNIT phrase
for that file.
- * input-output file
- A file that is opened in the I-O mode.
- * INPUT-OUTPUT SECTION
- The section of the ENVIRONMENT DIVISION that names the
files and the external media required by an object program or method and that
provides information required for transmission and handling of data at run
time.
- * input-output statement
- A statement that causes files to be processed by performing operations
on individual records or on the file as a unit. The input-output statements
are ACCEPT (with the identifier phrase), CLOSE, DELETE, DISPLAY, OPEN, READ, REWRITE, SET (with
the TO ON or TO OFF phrase), START,
and WRITE.
- * input procedure
- A set of statements, to which control is given during the execution of
a SORT statement, for the purpose of controlling the release
of specified records to be sorted.
- instance data
- Data that defines the state of an object. The instance data introduced
by a class is defined in the WORKING-STORAGE SECTION of the DATA
DIVISION in the OBJECT paragraph of the class definition.
The state of an object also includes the state of the instance variables introduced
by classes that are inherited by the current class. A separate copy of the
instance data is created for each object instance.
- * integer
- (1) A numeric literal that does not include any digit positions to the
right of the decimal point. (2) A numeric data item defined in the DATA
DIVISION that does not include any digit positions to the right of
the decimal point. (3) A numeric function whose definition provides that all
digits to the right of the decimal point are zero in the returned value for
any possible evaluation of the function.
- integer function
- A function whose category is numeric and whose definition does not include
any digit positions to the right of the decimal point.
- Interactive System Productivity Facility (ISPF)
- An IBM software product that provides a menu-driven interface
for the TSO or VM user. ISPF includes library utilities, a powerful editor,
and dialog management.
- interlanguage communication (ILC)
- The ability of routines written in different programming languages to
communicate. ILC support lets you readily build
applications from component routines written in a variety of languages.
- intermediate result
- An intermediate field that contains the results of a succession of arithmetic
operations.
- * internal data
- The data that is described in a program and excludes all external data
items and external file connectors. Items described in the LINKAGE
SECTION of a program are treated as internal data.
- * internal data item
- A data item that is described in one program in a run unit. An internal
data item can have a global name.
- internal decimal data item
- A data item that is described as USAGE PACKED-DECIMAL or USAGE
COMP-3, and that has a PICTURE character string
that defines the item as numeric (a valid combination of symbols 9, S, P,
or V). Synonymous with packed-decimal data item.
- * internal file connector
- A file connector that is accessible to only one object program in the
run unit.
- internal floating-point data item
- A data item that is described as USAGE COMP-1 or USAGE
COMP-2. COMP-1 defines a single-precision floating-point
data item. COMP-2 defines a double-precision floating-point
data item. There is no PICTURE clause associated with an
internal floating-point data item.
- * intrarecord data structure
- The entire collection of groups and elementary data items from a logical
record that a contiguous subset of the data description entries defines. These
data description entries include all entries whose level-number is greater
than the level-number of the first data description entry describing the intra-record
data structure.
- intrinsic function
- A predefined function, such as a commonly used arithmetic function, called
by a built-in function reference.
- * invalid key condition
- A condition, at run time, caused when a specific value of the key associated
with an indexed or relative file is determined to be not valid.
- * I-O-CONTROL
- The name of an ENVIRONMENT DIVISION paragraph in which
object program requirements for rerun points, sharing of same areas by several
data files, and multiple file storage on a single input-output device are
specified.
- * I-O-CONTROL entry
- An entry in the I-O-CONTROL paragraph of the ENVIRONMENT
DIVISION; this entry contains clauses that provide information required
for the transmission and handling of data on named files during the execution
of a program.
- * I-O mode
- The state of a file after execution of an OPEN statement,
with the I-O phrase specified, for that file and before the
execution of a CLOSE statement without the REEL or UNIT phase
for that file.
- * I-O status
- A conceptual entity that contains the two-character value indicating the
resulting status of an input-output operation. This value is made available
to the program through the use of the FILE STATUS clause
in the file control entry for the file.
- is-a
- A relationship that characterizes classes and subclasses in an inheritance
hierarchy. Subclasses that have an is-a relationship to a class inherit from
that class.
- ISPF
- See Interactive System Productivity Facility (ISPF).
- iteration structure
- A program processing logic in which a series of statements is repeated
while a condition is true or until a condition is true.
J
- J2EE
- See Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE).
- Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE)
- An environment for developing and deploying enterprise applications, defined
by Sun Microsystems, Inc. The J2EE platform consists of a set of services,
application programming interfaces (APIs), and protocols that provide the
functionality for developing multitiered, Web-based applications. (Sun)
- Java batch-processing program (JBP)
- An IMS batch-processing program that has access to online
databases and output message queues. JBPs run online, but like programs in
a batch environment, they are started with JCL or in a TSO session.
- Java batch-processing region
- An IMS dependent region in which only Java batch-processing
programs are scheduled.
- Java Database Connectivity (JDBC)
- A specification from Sun Microsystems that defines an API
that enables Java programs to access databases.
- Java message-processing program (JMP)
- An IMS Java application program that is driven by transactions
and has access to online IMS databases and message queues.
- Java message-processing region
- An IMS dependent region in which only Java message-processing
programs are scheduled.
- Java Native Interface (JNI)
- A programming interface that lets Java code that runs inside a Java
virtual machine (JVM) interoperate with applications and libraries written
in other programming languages.
- Java virtual machine (JVM)
- A software implementation of a central processing unit that runs compiled
Java programs.
- JavaBeans
- A portable, platform-independent, reusable component model.
(Sun)
- JBP
- See Java batch-processing program (JBP).
- JDBC
- See Java Database Connectivity (JDBC).
- JMP
- See Java message-processing program (JMP).
- job control language (JCL)
- A control language used to identify a job to an operating
system and to describe the job's requirements.
- JVM
- See Java virtual machine (JVM).
K
- K
- When referring to storage capacity, two to the tenth power; 1024 in decimal
notation.
- * key
- A data item that identifies the location of a record, or a set of data
items that serve to identify the ordering of data.
- * key of reference
- The key, either prime or alternate, currently being used to access records
within an indexed file.
- * keyword
- A reserved word or function-name whose presence is required when the format
in which the word appears is used in a source program.
- kilobyte (KB)
- One kilobyte equals 1024 bytes.
L
- * language-name
- A system-name that specifies a particular programming language.
- Language Environment-conforming
- A characteristic of compiler products (such as Enterprise COBOL, COBOL for OS/390 & VM, COBOL for MVS & VM, C/C++ for MVS & VM, PL/I for MVS &
VM) that produce object code conforming to the Language Environment conventions.
- last-used state
- A state that a program is in if its internal values remain the same as
when the program was exited (the values are not reset to their initial values).
- * letter
- A character belonging to one of the following two sets:
- Uppercase letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q,
R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z
- Lowercase letters: a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q,
r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z
- * level indicator
- Two alphabetic characters that identify a specific type of file or a position
in a hierarchy. The level indicators in the DATA DIVISION are: CD, FD,
and SD.
- * level-number
- A user-defined word (expressed as a two-digit number) that indicates the
hierarchical position of a data item or the special properties of a data description
entry. Level-numbers in the range from 1 through 49 indicate the position
of a data item in the hierarchical structure of a logical record. Level-numbers
in the range 1 through 9 can be written either as a single digit or as a zero
followed by a significant digit. Level-numbers 66, 77, and 88 identify special
properties of a data description entry.
- * library-name
- A user-defined word that names a COBOL library that the compiler is to
use for compiling a given source program.
- * library text
- A sequence of text words, comment lines, the separator space, or the separator
pseudo-text delimiter in a COBOL library.
- Lilian date
- The number of days since the beginning of the Gregorian calendar. Day
one is Friday, October 15, 1582. The Lilian date format is named in honor
of Luigi Lilio, the creator of the Gregorian calendar.
- * linage-counter
- A special register whose value points to the current position within the
page body.
- link
- (1) The combination of the link connection (the transmission medium) and
two link stations, one at each end of the link connection. A link can be shared
among multiple links in a multipoint or token-ring configuration. (2) To interconnect
items of data or portions of one or more computer programs; for example, linking
object programs by a linkage editor to produce an executable
file.
- LINKAGE SECTION
- The section in the DATA DIVISION of the called program
or invoked method that describes data items available from the calling program
or invoking method.
Both the calling program or invoking method and the called
program or invoked method can refer to these data items.
- linker
- A term that refers to either the z/OS linkage
editor or the z/OS binder.
- literal
- A character string whose value is specified either by the ordered set
of characters comprising the string or by the use of a figurative constant.
- little-endian
- The default format that Intel processors use to store binary data and
UTF-16 characters. In this format, the most significant byte of a binary data
item is at the highest address and the most significant byte of a UTF-16 character
is at the highest address. Compare with big-endian.
- local reference
- A reference to an object that is within the scope of your
method.
- locale
- A set of attributes for a program execution environment that indicates
culturally sensitive considerations, such as character code page, collating
sequence, date and time format, monetary value representation, numeric value
representation, or language.
- * LOCAL-STORAGE SECTION
- The section of the DATA DIVISION that defines storage
that is allocated and freed on a per-invocation basis, depending on the value
assigned in the VALUE clauses.
- * logical operator
- One of the reserved words AND, OR, or NOT. In the formation of a condition,
either AND, or OR, or both can be used as logical connectives. NOT can be
used for logical negation.
- * logical record
- The most inclusive data item. The level-number for a record is 01. A record
can be either an elementary item or a group of items. Synonymous with record.
- * low-order end
- The rightmost character of a string of characters.
M
- main program
- In a hierarchy of programs and subroutines, the first program that receives
control when the programs are run within a process.
- makefile
- A text file that contains a list of the files for your application. The
make utility uses this file to update the target files with the latest changes.
- * mass storage
- A storage medium in which data can be organized and maintained in both
a sequential manner and a nonsequential manner.
- * mass storage device
- A device that has a large storage capacity, such as a magnetic disk.
- * mass storage file
- A collection of records that is stored in a mass storage medium.
- * megabyte (MB)
- One megabyte equals 1,048,576 bytes.
- * merge file
- A collection of records to be merged by a MERGE statement.
The merge file is created and can be used only by the merge function.
- message-processing program (MPP)
- An IMS application program that is driven by transactions
and has access to online IMS databases and message queues.
- message queue
- The data set on which messages are queued before being
processed by an application program or sent to a terminal.
- method
- Procedural code that defines an operation supported by an object and that
is executed by an INVOKE statement on that object.
- * method definition
- The COBOL source code that defines a method.
- * method identification entry
- An entry in the METHOD-ID paragraph of the IDENTIFICATION
DIVISION; this entry contains a clause that specifies the method-name.
- method invocation
- A communication from one object to another that requests the receiving
object to execute a method.
- method-name
- The name of an object-oriented operation. When used to invoke the method,
the name can be an alphanumeric or national literal or a category alphanumeric
or category national data item. When used in the METHOD-ID paragraph
to define the method, the name must be an alphanumeric or national literal.
- * mnemonic-name
- A user-defined word that is associated in the ENVIRONMENT DIVISION with
a specified implementor-name.
- module definition file
- A file that describes the code segments within a load module.
- MPP
- See message-processing program (MPP).
- multitasking
- A mode of operation that provides for the concurrent, or interleaved,
execution of two or more tasks.
- multithreading
- Concurrent operation of more than one path of execution within a computer.
Synonymous with multiprocessing.
N
- name
- A word (composed of not more than 30 characters) that defines a COBOL
operand.
- namespace
- See XML namespace.
- national character
- (1) A UTF-16 character in a USAGE NATIONAL data item
or national literal. (2) Any character represented in UTF-16.
- national character position
- See character position.
- national data item
- A data item of category national, national-edited, or numeric-edited of USAGE
NATIONAL.
- national decimal data item
- An external decimal data item that is described implicitly or explicitly
as USAGE NATIONAL and that contains a valid combination of PICTURE symbols 9, S, P, and V.
- national-edited data item
- A data item that is described by a PICTURE character
string that contains at least one instance of the symbol N and
at least one of the simple insertion symbols B, 0,
or /. A national-edited data item has USAGE NATIONAL.
- national floating-point data item
- An external floating-point data item that is described implicitly or explicitly
as USAGE NATIONAL and that has a PICTURE character
string that describes a floating-point data item.
- national group item
- A group item that is explicitly or implicitly described with a GROUP-USAGE
NATIONAL clause. A national group item is processed as though it
were defined as an elementary data item of category national for operations
such as INSPECT, STRING, and UNSTRING.
This processing ensures correct padding and truncation of national characters,
as contrasted with defining USAGE NATIONAL data items within
an alphanumeric group item. For operations that require processing of the
elementary items within a group, such as MOVE CORRESPONDING, ADD
CORRESPONDING, and INITIALIZE, a national group
is processed using group semantics.
- * native character set
- The implementor-defined character set associated with the computer specified
in the OBJECT-COMPUTER paragraph.
- * native collating sequence
- The implementor-defined collating sequence associated with the computer
specified in the OBJECT-COMPUTER paragraph.
- native method
- A Java method with an implementation that is written in another programming
language, such as COBOL.
- * negated combined condition
- The NOT logical operator immediately followed by a parenthesized combined
condition. See also condition and combined condition.
- * negated simple condition
- The NOT logical operator immediately followed by a simple condition. See
also condition and simple condition.
- nested program
- A program that is directly contained within another program.
- * next executable sentence
- The next sentence to which control will be transferred after execution
of the current statement is complete.
- * next executable statement
- The next statement to which control will be transferred after execution
of the current statement is complete.
- * next record
- The record that logically follows the current record of a file.
- * noncontiguous items
- Elementary data items in the WORKING-STORAGE SECTION and LINKAGE
SECTION that bear no hierarchic relationship to other data items.
- nondate
- Any of the following:
- A data item whose date description entry does not include the DATE
FORMAT clause
- A literal
- A date field that has been converted using the UNDATE function
- A reference-modified date field
- The result of certain arithmetic operations that can include date field
operands; for example, the difference between two compatible date fields
- null
- A figurative constant that is used to assign, to pointer data items, the
value of an address that is not valid. NULLS can be used
wherever NULL can be used.
- * numeric character
- A character that belongs to the following set of digits: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4,
5, 6, 7, 8, 9.
- numeric data item
- (1) A data item whose description restricts its content to a value represented
by characters chosen from the digits 0 through 9. If signed, the item can
also contain a +, -, or other representation of an operational sign. (2) A
data item of category numeric, internal floating-point, or external floating-point.
A numeric data item can have USAGE DISPLAY, NATIONAL, PACKED-DECIMAL, BINARY, COMP, COMP-1, COMP-2, COMP-3, COMP-4,
or COMP-5.
- numeric-edited data item
- A data item that contains numeric data in a form suitable for use in printed
output. It can consist of external decimal digits from 0 through 9, the decimal
separator, commas, the currency sign, sign control characters, and other editing
characters. A numeric-edited item can be represented in either USAGE
DISPLAY or USAGE NATIONAL.
- * numeric function
- A function whose class and category are numeric but that for some possible
evaluation does not satisfy the requirements of integer functions.
- * numeric literal
- A literal composed of one or more numeric characters that can contain
a decimal point or an algebraic sign, or both. The decimal point must not
be the rightmost character. The algebraic sign, if present, must be the leftmost
character.
O
- object
- An entity that has state (its data values) and operations (its methods).
An object is a way to encapsulate state and behavior. Each object in the class
is said to be an instance of the class.
- object code
- Output from a compiler or assembler that is itself executable machine
code or is suitable for processing to produce executable machine code.
- * OBJECT-COMPUTER
- The name of an ENVIRONMENT DIVISION paragraph in which
the computer environment, where the object program is run, is described.
- * object computer entry
- An entry in the OBJECT-COMPUTER paragraph of the ENVIRONMENT
DIVISION; this entry contains clauses that describe the computer
environment in which the object program is to be executed.
- object deck
- A portion of an object program suitable as input to a linkage
editor. Synonymous with object module and text deck.
- object instance
- See object.
- object module
- Synonym for object deck or text deck.
- * object of entry
- A set of operands and reserved words, within a DATA DIVISION entry
of a COBOL program, that immediately follows the subject of the entry.
- object-oriented programming
- A programming approach based on the concepts of encapsulation and inheritance.
Unlike procedural programming techniques, object-oriented programming concentrates
on the data objects that comprise the problem and how they are manipulated,
not on how something is accomplished.
- object program
- A set or group of executable machine-language instructions and other material
designed to interact with data to provide problem solutions. In this context,
an object program is generally the machine language result of the operation
of a COBOL compiler on a source program or class definition. Where there is
no danger of ambiguity, the word program can be used in place of object
program.
- object reference
- A value that identifies an instance of a class. If the class is not specified,
the object reference is universal and can apply to instances of any class.
- * object time
- The time at which an object program is executed. Synonymous with run
time.
- * obsolete element
- A COBOL language element in Standard COBOL 85 that was deleted from Standard
COBOL 2002.
- ODO object
- In the example below, X is the object of the OCCURS
DEPENDING ON clause (ODO object).
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION
01 TABLE-1.
05 X PICS9.
05 Y OCCURS 3 TIMES
DEPENDING ON X PIC X.
The value of the ODO object determines how many of the ODO
subject appear in the table.
- ODO subject
- In the example above, Y is the subject of the OCCURS
DEPENDING ON clause (ODO subject). The number of Y ODO
subjects that appear in the table depends on the value of X.
- * open mode
- The state of a file after execution of an OPEN statement
for that file and before the execution of a CLOSE statement
without the REEL or UNIT phrase for that
file. The particular open mode is specified in the OPEN statement
as either INPUT, OUTPUT, I-O,
or EXTEND.
- * operand
- (1) The general definition of operand is "the component that is operated
upon." (2) For the purposes of this document, any lowercase word (or words)
that appears in a statement or entry format can be considered to be an operand
and, as such, is an implied reference to the data indicated by the operand.
- operation
- A service that can be requested of an object.
- * operational sign
- An algebraic sign that is associated with a numeric data item or a numeric
literal, to indicate whether its value is positive or negative.
- optional file
- A file that is declared as being not necessarily available each time the
object program is run.
- * optional word
- A reserved word that is included in a specific format only to improve
the readability of the language. Its presence is optional to the user when
the format in which the word appears is used in a source unit.
- * output file
- A file that is opened in either output mode or extend mode.
- * output mode
- The state of a file after execution of an OPEN statement,
with the OUTPUT or EXTEND phrase specified,
for that file and before the execution of a CLOSE statement
without the REEL or UNIT phrase for that
file.
- * output procedure
- A set of statements to which control is given during execution of a SORT statement
after the sort function is completed, or during execution of a MERGE statement
after the merge function reaches a point at which it can select the next record
in merged order when requested.
- overflow condition
- A condition that occurs when a portion of the result of an operation exceeds
the capacity of the intended unit of storage.
- overload
- To define a method with the same name as another method that is available
in the same class, but with a different signature. See also signature.
- override
- To redefine an instance method (inherited from a parent class) in a subclass.
P
- package
- A group of related Java classes, which can be imported individually or
as a whole.
- packed-decimal data item
- See internal decimal data item.
- padding character
- An alphanumeric or national character that is used to fill the unused
character positions in a physical record.
- page
- A vertical division of output data that represents a physical separation
of the data. The separation is based on internal logical requirements or external
characteristics of the output medium or both.
- * page body
- That part of the logical page in which lines can be written or spaced
or both.
- * paragraph
- In the PROCEDURE DIVISION, a paragraph-name followed
by a separator period and by zero, one, or more sentences.
In the IDENTIFICATION
DIVISION and ENVIRONMENT DIVISION, a paragraph header
followed by zero, one, or more entries.
- * paragraph header
- A reserved word, followed by the separator period, that indicates the
beginning of a paragraph in the IDENTIFICATION DIVISION and ENVIRONMENT
DIVISION. The permissible paragraph headers in the IDENTIFICATION
DIVISION are:
PROGRAM-ID. (Program IDENTIFICATION
DIVISION)
CLASS-ID. (Class IDENTIFICATION DIVISION)
METHOD-ID. (Method IDENTIFICATION
DIVISION)
AUTHOR.
INSTALLATION.
DATE-WRITTEN.
DATE-COMPILED.
SECURITY.
The permissible paragraph headers in the ENVIRONMENT
DIVISION are:
SOURCE-COMPUTER.
OBJECT-COMPUTER.
SPECIAL-NAMES.
REPOSITORY. (Program or Class
CONFIGURATION SECTION)
FILE-CONTROL.
I-O-CONTROL.
- * paragraph-name
- A user-defined word that identifies and begins a paragraph in the PROCEDURE
DIVISION.
- parameter
- (1) Data passed between a calling program and a called program. (2) A
data element in the USING phrase of a method invocation.
Arguments provide additional information that the invoked method can use to
perform the requested operation.
- Persistent Reusable JVM
- A JVM that can be serially reused for transaction processing
by resetting the JVM between transactions. The reset phase restores the JVM
to a known initialization state.
- * phrase
- An ordered set of one or more consecutive COBOL character strings that
form a portion of a COBOL procedural statement or of a COBOL clause.
- * physical record
- See block.
- pointer data item
- A data item in which address values can be stored. Data items are explicitly
defined as pointers with the USAGE IS POINTER clause. ADDRESS
OF special registers are implicitly defined as pointer data items.
Pointer data items can be compared for equality or moved to other pointer
data items.
- port
- (1) To modify a computer program to enable it to run on a different platform.
(2) In the Internet suite of protocols, a specific logical connector between
the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) or the User Datagram Protocol (UDP)
and a higher-level protocol or application. A port is identified by a port
number.
- portability
- The ability to transfer an application program from one application platform
to another with relatively few changes to the source program.
- preinitialization
- The initialization of the COBOL runtime environment in preparation for
multiple calls from programs, especially non-COBOL programs. The environment
is not terminated until an explicit termination.
- * prime record key
- A key whose contents uniquely identify a record within an indexed file.
- * priority-number
- A user-defined word that classifies sections in the PROCEDURE
DIVISION for purposes of segmentation. Segment numbers can contain
only the characters 0 through 9. A segment number can be expressed as either
one or two digits.
- private
- As applied to factory data or instance data, accessible only by methods
of the class that defines the data.
- * procedure
- A paragraph or group of logically successive paragraphs, or a section
or group of logically successive sections, within the PROCEDURE DIVISION.
- * procedure branching statement
- A statement that causes the explicit transfer of control to a statement
other than the next executable statement in the sequence in which the statements
are written in the source code. The procedure branching statements are: ALTER, CALL, EXIT, EXIT PROGRAM, GO TO, MERGE (with
the OUTPUT PROCEDURE phrase), PERFORM and SORT (with
the INPUT PROCEDURE or OUTPUT PROCEDURE phrase), XML
PARSE.
- PROCEDURE DIVISION
- The COBOL division that contains instructions for solving a problem.
- procedure integration
- One of the functions of the COBOL optimizer is to simplify calls to performed
procedures or contained programs.
PERFORM procedure integration
is the process whereby a PERFORM statement is replaced by
its performed procedures. Contained program procedure integration is the process
where a call to a contained program is replaced by the program code.
- * procedure-name
- A user-defined word that is used to name a paragraph or section in the PROCEDURE
DIVISION. It consists of a paragraph-name (which can be qualified)
or a section-name.
- procedure-pointer data item
- A data item in which a pointer to an entry point can be stored. A data
item defined with the USAGE IS PROCEDURE-POINTER clause contains
the address of a procedure entry point. Typically used to communicate with
COBOL and Language Environment programs.
- process
- The course of events that occurs during the execution of all or part of
a program. Multiple processes can run concurrently, and programs that run
within a process can share resources.
- program
- (1) A sequence of instructions suitable for processing by a computer.
Processing may include the use of a compiler to prepare the program for execution,
as well as a runtime environment to execute it. (2) A logical assembly of
one or more interrelated modules. Multiple copies of the same program can
be run in different processes.
- * program identification entry
- In the PROGRAM-ID paragraph of the IDENTIFICATION
DIVISION, an entry that contains clauses that specify the program-name
and assign selected program attributes to the program.
- * program-name
- In the IDENTIFICATION DIVISION and the end program marker,
a user-defined word or alphanumeric literal that identifies a COBOL source
program.
- project
- The complete set of data and actions that are required to build a target,
such as a dynamic link library (DLL) or other executable (EXE).
- * pseudo-text
- A sequence of text words, comment lines, or the separator space in a source
program or COBOL library bounded by, but not including, pseudo-text delimiters.
- * pseudo-text delimiter
- Two contiguous equal sign characters (==) used to delimit pseudo-text.
- * punctuation character
- A character that belongs to the following set:
| Character |
Meaning |
| , |
Comma |
| ; |
Semicolon |
| : |
Colon |
| . |
Period (full stop) |
| " |
Quotation mark |
| ( |
Left parenthesis |
| ) |
Right parenthesis |
| |
Space |
| = |
Equal sign |
Q
- QSAM (queued sequential access method)
- An extended version of the basic sequential access method
(BSAM). When this method is used, a queue is formed of input data blocks that
are awaiting processing or of output data blocks that have been processed
and are awaiting transfer to auxiliary storage or to an output device.
- * qualified data-name
- An identifier that is composed of a data-name followed by one or more
sets of either of the connectives OF and IN followed
by a data-name qualifier.
- * qualifier
- (1) A data-name or a name associated with a level indicator that is used
in a reference either together with another data-name (which is the name of
an item that is subordinate to the qualifier) or together with a condition-name.
(2) A section-name that is used in a reference together with a paragraph-name
specified in that section. (3) A library-name that is used in a reference
together with a text-name associated with that library.
R
- * random access
- An access mode in which the program-specified value of a key data item
identifies the logical record that is obtained from, deleted from, or placed
into a relative or indexed file.
- * record
- See logical record.
- * record area
- A storage area allocated for the purpose of processing the record described
in a record description entry in the FILE SECTION of the DATA
DIVISION. In the FILE SECTION, the current number
of character positions in the record area is determined by the explicit or
implicit RECORD clause.
- * record description
- See record description entry.
- * record description entry
- The total set of data description entries associated with a particular
record. Synonymous with record description.
- record key
- A key whose contents identify a record within an indexed file.
- * record-name
- A user-defined word that names a record described in a record description
entry in the DATA DIVISION of a COBOL program.
- * record number
- The ordinal number of a record in the file whose organization is sequential.
- recording mode
- The format of the logical records in a file. Recording mode can be F (fixed
length), V (variable length), S (spanned), or U (undefined).
- recursion
- A program calling itself or being directly or indirectly called by one
of its called programs.
- recursively capable
- A program is recursively capable (can be called recursively) if the RECURSIVE attribute
is on the PROGRAM-ID statement.
- reel
- A discrete portion of a storage medium, the dimensions of which are determined
by each implementor that contains part of a file, all of a file, or any number
of files. Synonymous with unit and volume.
- reentrant
- The attribute of a program or routine that lets more than one user
share a single copy of a load module.
- * reference format
- A format that provides a standard method for describing COBOL source programs.
- reference modification
- A method of defining a new category alphanumeric, category DBCS, or category
national data item by specifying the leftmost character and length relative
to the leftmost character position of a USAGE DISPLAY, DISPLAY-1,
or NATIONAL data item.
- * reference-modifier
- A syntactically correct combination of character strings and separators
that defines a unique data item. It includes a delimiting left parenthesis
separator, the leftmost character position, a colon separator, optionally
a length, and a delimiting right parenthesis separator.
- * relation
- See relational operator or relation condition.
- * relation character
- A character that belongs to the following set:
| Character |
Meaning |
| > |
Greater than |
| < |
Less than |
| = |
Equal to |
- * relation condition
- The proposition (for which a truth value can be determined) that the value
of an arithmetic expression, data item, alphanumeric literal, or index-name
has a specific relationship to the value of another arithmetic expression,
data item, alphanumeric literal, or index name. See also relational operator.
- * relational operator
- A reserved word, a relation character, a group of consecutive reserved
words, or a group of consecutive reserved words and relation characters used
in the construction of a relation condition. The permissible operators and
their meanings are:
| Character |
Meaning |
| IS GREATER THAN |
Greater than |
| IS > |
Greater than |
| IS NOT GREATER THAN |
Not greater than |
| IS NOT > |
Not greater than |
| |
| IS LESS THAN |
Less than |
| IS < |
Less than |
| IS NOT LESS THAN |
Not less than |
| IS NOT < |
Not less than |
| |
| IS EQUAL TO |
Equal to |
| IS = |
Equal to |
| IS NOT EQUAL TO |
Not equal to |
| IS NOT = |
Not equal to |
| |
| IS GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO |
Greater than or equal to |
| IS >= |
Greater than or equal to |
| |
| IS LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO |
Less than or equal to |
| IS <= |
Less than or equal to |
- * relative file
- A file with relative organization.
- * relative key
- A key whose contents identify a logical record in a relative file.
- * relative organization
- The permanent logical file structure in which each record is uniquely
identified by an integer value greater than zero, which specifies the logical
ordinal position of the record in the file.
- * relative record number
- The ordinal number of a record in a file whose organization is relative.
This number is treated as a numeric literal that is an integer.
- * reserved word
- A COBOL word that is specified in the list of words that can be used in
a COBOL source program, but that must not appear in the program as a user-defined
word or system-name.
- * resource
- A facility or service, controlled by the operating system, that an executing
program can use.
- * resultant identifier
- A user-defined data item that is to contain the result of an arithmetic
operation.
- reusable environment
- A reusable environment is created when you establish an
assembler program as the main program by using either the old COBOL interfaces
for preinitialization (functions ILBOSTP0 and IGZERRE, and the RTEREUS runtime
option), or the Language Environment interface, CEEPIPI.
- routine
- A set of statements in a COBOL program that causes the computer to perform
an operation or series of related operations. In Language Environment,
refers to either a procedure, function, or subroutine.
- * routine-name
- A user-defined word that identifies a procedure written in a language
other than COBOL.
- * run time
- The time at which an object program is executed. Synonymous with object
time.
- runtime environment
- The environment in which a COBOL program executes.
- * run unit
- A stand-alone object program, or several object programs, that interact
by means of COBOL CALL or INVOKE statements
and function at run time as an entity.
S
- SBCS
- See single-byte character set (SBCS).
- scope terminator
- A COBOL reserved word that marks the end of certain PROCEDURE
DIVISION statements. It can be either explicit (END-ADD,
for example) or implicit (separator period).
- * section
- A set of zero, one, or more paragraphs or entities, called a section body,
the first of which is preceded by a section header. Each section consists
of the section header and the related section body.
- * section header
- A combination of words followed by a separator period that indicates the
beginning of a section in any of these divisions: ENVIRONMENT, DATA,
or PROCEDURE. In the ENVIRONMENT DIVISION and DATA
DIVISION, a section header is composed of reserved words followed
by a separator period. The permissible section headers in the ENVIRONMENT
DIVISION are:
CONFIGURATION SECTION.
INPUT-OUTPUT SECTION.
The permissible section headers in the DATA DIVISION are:
FILE SECTION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
LOCAL-STORAGE SECTION.
LINKAGE SECTION.
In the PROCEDURE DIVISION, a section header
is composed of a section-name, followed by the reserved word SECTION,
followed by a separator period.
- * section-name
- A user-defined word that names a section in the PROCEDURE DIVISION.
- selection structure
- A program processing logic in which one or another series of statements
is executed, depending on whether a condition is true or false.
- * sentence
- A sequence of one or more statements, the last of which is terminated
by a separator period.
- * separately compiled program
- A program that, together with its contained programs, is compiled separately
from all other programs.
- * separator
- A character or two or more contiguous characters
used to delimit character strings.
- * separator comma
- A comma (,) followed by a space used to delimit character strings.
- * separator period
- A period (.) followed by a space used to delimit character strings.
- * separator semicolon
- A semicolon (;) followed by a space used to delimit character strings.
- sequence structure
- A program processing logic in which a series of statements is executed
in sequential order.
- * sequential access
- An access mode in which logical records are obtained from or placed into
a file in a consecutive predecessor-to-successor logical record sequence determined
by the order of records in the file.
- * sequential file
- A file with sequential organization.
- * sequential organization
- The permanent logical file structure in which a record is identified by
a predecessor-successor relationship established when the record is placed
into the file.
- serial search
- A search in which the members of a set are consecutively examined, beginning
with the first member and ending with the last.
- session bean
- In EJB, an enterprise bean that is created by a client
and that usually exists only for the duration of a single client/server session.
(Sun)
- 77-level-description-entry
- A data description entry that describes a noncontiguous data item that has level-number 77.
- * sign condition
- The proposition (for which a truth value can be determined) that the algebraic
value of a data item or an arithmetic expression is either less than, greater
than, or equal to zero.
- signature
- (1) The name of an operation and its parameters. (2) The name of a method
and the number and types of its formal parameters.
- * simple condition
- Any single condition chosen from this set:
- Relation condition
- Class condition
- Condition-name condition
- Switch-status condition
- Sign condition
See also condition and negated simple condition.
- single-byte character set (SBCS)
- A set of characters in which each character is represented by a single
byte. See also ASCII and EBCDIC (Extended Binary-Coded Decimal Interchange
Code).
- slack bytes
- Bytes inserted between data items or records to ensure correct alignment
of some numeric items. Slack bytes contain no meaningful data. In some cases,
they are inserted by the compiler; in others, it is the responsibility of
the programmer to insert them. The SYNCHRONIZED clause instructs
the compiler to insert slack bytes when they are needed for proper alignment.
Slack bytes between records are inserted by the programmer.
- * sort file
- A collection of records to be sorted by a SORT statement.
The sort file is created and can be used by the sort function only.
- * sort-merge file description entry
- An entry in the FILE SECTION of the DATA DIVISION that
is composed of the level indicator SD, followed by a file-name,
and then followed by a set of file clauses as required.
- * SOURCE-COMPUTER
- The name of an ENVIRONMENT DIVISION paragraph in which
the computer environment, where the source program is compiled, is described.
- * source computer entry
- An entry in the SOURCE-COMPUTER paragraph of the ENVIRONMENT
DIVISION; this entry contains clauses that describe the computer
environment in which the source program is to be compiled.
- * source item
- An identifier designated by a SOURCE clause that provides
the value of a printable item.
- source program
- Although a source program can be represented by other forms and symbols,
in this document the term always refers to a syntactically correct set of
COBOL statements. A COBOL source program commences with the IDENTIFICATION
DIVISION or a COPY statement and terminates with
the end program marker, if specified, or with the absence of additional source
program lines.
- source unit
- A unit of COBOL source code that can be separately compiled: a program
or a class definition. Also known as a compilation unit.
- * special character
- A character that belongs to the following set:
| Character |
Meaning |
| + |
Plus sign |
| - |
Minus sign (hyphen) |
| * |
Asterisk |
| / |
Slant (virgule, slash) |
| = |
Equal sign |
| $ |
Currency sign |
| , |
Comma (decimal point) |
| ; |
Semicolon |
| . |
Period (decimal point, full stop) |
| " |
Quotation mark |
| ( |
Left parenthesis |
| ) |
Right parenthesis |
| > |
Greater than symbol |
| < |
Less than symbol |
| : |
Colon |
- SPECIAL-NAMES
- The name of an ENVIRONMENT DIVISION paragraph in which
environment-names are related to user-specified mnemonic-names.
- * special names entry
- An entry in the SPECIAL-NAMES paragraph of the ENVIRONMENT
DIVISION; this entry provides means for specifying the currency sign;
choosing the decimal point; specifying symbolic characters; relating implementor-names
to user-specified mnemonic-names; relating alphabet-names to character sets
or collating sequences; and relating class-names to sets of characters.
- * special registers
- Certain compiler-generated storage areas whose primary use is to store
information produced in conjunction with the use of a specific COBOL feature.
- Standard COBOL 85
- The COBOL language defined by the following standards:
- ANSI INCITS 23-1985, Programming languages - COBOL, as amended
by ANSI INCITS 23a-1989, Programming Languages - COBOL - Intrinsic Function
Module for COBOL and ANSI INCITS 23b-1993,
Programming Languages - Correction Amendment for COBOL
- ISO 1989:1985, Programming languages - COBOL, as amended
by ISO/IEC 1989/AMD1:1992, Programming languages - COBOL: Intrinsic
function module and ISO/IEC 1989/AMD2:1994,
Programming languages - Correction and clarification amendment for COBOL
- * statement
- A syntactically valid combination of words, literals, and separators,
beginning with a verb, written in a COBOL source program.
- structured programming
- A technique for organizing and coding a computer program in which the
program comprises a hierarchy of segments, each segment having a single entry
point and a single exit point. Control is passed downward through the structure
without unconditional branches to higher levels of the hierarchy.
- * subclass
- A class that inherits from another class. When two classes in an inheritance
relationship are considered together, the subclass is the inheritor or inheriting
class; the superclass is the inheritee or inherited class.
- * subject of entry
- An operand or reserved word that appears immediately following the level
indicator or the level-number in a DATA DIVISION entry.
- * subprogram
- See called program.
- * subscript
- An occurrence number that is represented by either an integer, a data-name
optionally followed by an integer with the operator + or -, or an index-name
optionally followed by an integer with the operator + or -, that identifies
a particular element in a table. A subscript can be the word ALL when
the subscripted identifier is used as a function argument for a function allowing
a variable number of arguments.
- * subscripted data-name
- An identifier that is composed of a data-name followed by one or more
subscripts enclosed in parentheses.
- substitution character
- A character that is used in a conversion from a source code page to a
target code page to represent a character that is not defined in the target
code page.
- * superclass
- A class that is inherited by another class. See also subclass.
- surrogate pair
- In the UTF-16 format of Unicode, a pair of encoding units that together
represents a single Unicode graphic character. The first unit of the pair
is called a high surrogate and the second a low surrogate. The
code value of a high surrogate is in the range X'D800' through X'DBFF'. The
code value of a low surrogate is in the range X'DC00' through X'DFFF'. Surrogate
pairs provide for more characters than the 65,536 characters that fit in the
Unicode 16-bit coded character set.
- switch-status condition
- The proposition (for which a truth value can be determined) that an UPSI
switch, capable of being set to an on or off status, has been set to a specific
status.
- * symbolic-character
- A user-defined word that specifies a user-defined figurative constant.
- syntax
- (1) The relationship among characters or groups of characters, independent
of their meanings or the manner of their interpretation and use. (2) The structure
of expressions in a language. (3) The rules governing the structure of a language.
(4) The relationship among symbols. (5) The rules for the construction of
a statement.
- * system-name
- A COBOL word that is used to communicate with the operating environment.
T
- * table
- A set of logically consecutive items of data that are defined in the DATA
DIVISION by means of the OCCURS clause.
- * table element
- A data item that belongs to the set of repeated items comprising a table.
- text deck
- Synonym for object deck or object module.
- * text-name
- A user-defined word that identifies library text.
- * text word
- A character or a sequence of contiguous characters between margin A and
margin R in a COBOL library, source program, or pseudo-text that is any of
the following characters:
- A separator, except for space; a pseudo-text delimiter; and the opening
and closing delimiters for alphanumeric literals. The right parenthesis and
left parenthesis characters, regardless of context within the library, source
program, or pseudo-text, are always considered text words.
- A literal including, in the case of alphanumeric literals, the opening quotation
mark and the closing quotation mark that bound the literal.
- Any other sequence of contiguous COBOL characters except comment lines
and the word COPY bounded by separators that are neither a separator nor a
literal.
- thread
- A stream of computer instructions (initiated by an application within
a process) that is in control of a process.
- token
- In the COBOL editor, a unit of meaning in a program. A token can contain
data, a language keyword, an identifier, or other part of the language syntax.
- top-down design
- The design of a computer program using a hierarchic structure in which
related functions are performed at each level of the structure.
- top-down development
- See structured programming.
- trailer-label
- (1) A file or data-set label that follows the data records on a unit of
recording medium. (2) Synonym for end-of-file label.
- troubleshoot
- To detect, locate, and eliminate problems in using computer software.
- * truth value
- The representation of the result of the evaluation of a condition in terms
of one of two values: true or false.
- typed object reference
- A data-name that can refer only to an object of a specified class or any
of its subclasses.
U
- * unary operator
- A plus (+) or a minus (-) sign that precedes a variable or a left parenthesis
in an arithmetic expression and that has the effect of multiplying the expression
by +1 or -1, respectively.
- Unicode
- A universal character encoding standard that supports the interchange,
processing, and display of text that is written in any of the languages of
the modern world. There are multiple encoding schemes to represent Unicode,
including UTF-8, UTF-16, and UTF-32.
Enterprise COBOL supports
Unicode using UTF-16 in big-endian format
as the representation for the national data type.
- Uniform Resource Identifier (URI)
- A sequence of characters that uniquely names a resource;
in Enterprise COBOL, the identifier of a namespace.
URI syntax is defined by the document
Uniform Resource Identifier (URI): Generic Syntax.
- unit
- A module of direct access, the dimensions of which are determined by IBM.
- universal object reference
- A data-name that can refer to an object of any class.
- unrestricted storage
- Storage below the 2-GB bar. It can be above or below the
16-MB line. If it is above the 16-MB line, it is addressable only in 31-bit
mode.
- * unsuccessful execution
- The attempted execution of a statement that does not result in the execution
of all the operations specified by that statement.
The unsuccessful execution
of a statement does not affect any data referenced by that statement, but
can affect status indicators.
- UPSI switch
- A program switch that performs the functions of a hardware switch.
Eight
are provided: UPSI-0 through UPSI-7.
- URI
- See Uniform Resource Identifier (URI).
- * user-defined word
- A COBOL word that must be supplied by the user to satisfy the format of
a clause or statement.
V
- * variable
- A data item whose value can be changed by execution of the object program.
A variable used in an arithmetic expression must be a numeric elementary item.
- variable-length item
- A group item that contains a table described with the DEPENDING phrase
of the OCCURS clause.
- * variable-length record
- A record associated with a file whose file description or sort-merge description
entry permits records to contain a varying number of character positions.
- * variable-occurrence data item
- A variable-occurrence data item is a table element that is repeated a
variable number of times. Such an item must contain an OCCURS DEPENDING
ON clause in its data description entry or be subordinate to such
an item.
- * variably located group
- A group item following, and not subordinate to, a variable-length table
in the same record. The group item can be an alphanumeric group or a national
group.
- * variably located item
- A data item following, and not subordinate to, a variable-length table
in the same record.
- * verb
- A word that expresses an action to be taken by a COBOL compiler or object
program.
- volume
- A module of external storage. For tape devices it is a reel; for direct-access
devices it is a unit.
- volume switch procedures
- System-specific procedures that are executed automatically
when the end of a unit or reel has been reached before end-of-file has been
reached.
- VSAM file system
- A file system that supports COBOL sequential, relative,
and indexed organizations.
W
- Web service
- A modular application that performs specific tasks and is accessible through
open protocols like HTTP and SOAP.
- white space
- Characters that introduce space into a document. They are:
- Space
- Horizontal tabulation
- Carriage return
- Line feed
- Next line
as named in the Unicode Standard.
- windowed date field
- A date field containing a windowed (two-digit) year. See also date
field and windowed year.
- windowed year
- A date field that consists only of a two-digit year.
This two-digit year
can be interpreted using a century window.
For example, 08 could be interpreted as 2008.
See also century window.
Compare with expanded year.
- * word
- A character string of not more than 30 characters that forms a user-defined
word, a system-name, a reserved word, or a function-name.
- * WORKING-STORAGE SECTION
- The section of the DATA DIVISION that describes working-storage
data items, composed either of noncontiguous items or working-storage records
or of both.
- workstation
- A generic term for computers used by end users including personal computers,
3270 terminals, intelligent workstations, and UNIX terminals. Often a workstation
is connected to a mainframe or to a network.
- wrapper
- An object that provides an interface between object-oriented code and
procedure-oriented code.
Using wrappers lets programs be reused and accessed
by other systems.
X
- x
- The symbol in a PICTURE clause that can hold any character
in the character set of the computer.
- XML
- Extensible Markup Language. A standard metalanguage for defining markup
languages that was derived from and is a subset of SGML. XML omits the more
complex and less-used parts of SGML and makes it much easier to write applications
to handle document types, author and manage structured information, and transmit
and share structured information across diverse computing systems. The use
of XML does not require the robust applications and processing that is necessary
for SGML. XML is developed under the auspices of the World Wide Web Consortium
(W3C).
- XML data
- Data that is organized into a hierarchical structure with XML elements.
The data definitions are defined in XML element type declarations.
- XML declaration
- XML text that specifies characteristics of the XML document such as the
version of XML being used and the encoding of the document.
- XML document
- A data object that is well formed as defined by the W3C XML specification.
- XML namespace
- A mechanism, defined by the W3C XML Namespace specifications,
that limits the scope of a collection of element names and attribute names.
A uniquely chosen XML namespace ensures the unique identity of an element
name or attribute name across multiple XML
documents or multiple contexts within an XML document.
- XML type definition
- An XML element that contains or points to markup declarations that provide
a grammar for a class of documents. This grammar is known as a document type
definition, or DTD.
Y
- year field expansion
- Explicit expansion of date fields that contain two-digit years to contain
four-digit years in files and databases, and then use of these fields in expanded
form in programs. This is the only method for assuring reliable date processing
for applications that have used two-digit years.
Z
- zoned decimal data item
- An external decimal data item that is described implicitly or explicitly
as USAGE DISPLAY and that contains a valid combination of PICTURE symbols 9, S, P, and V. The content of a zoned decimal
data item is represented in characters 0 through 9, optionally with a sign.
If the PICTURE string specifies a sign and the SIGN
IS SEPARATE clause is specified, the sign is represented as characters
+ or -. If SIGN IS SEPARATE is not specified, the sign is
one hexadecimal digit that overlays the first 4 bits of the sign position
(leading or trailing).