Rational Developer for System z
Enterprise PL/I for z/OS, Version 3.8, Language Reference Manual

COLUMN format item

The COLUMN format item positions the file to a specified character position within the current or following line.

Read syntax diagramSkip visual syntax diagram>>-COLUMN--(character-position)--------------------------------><
 
character-position
Specifies an expression which is evaluated and converted to an integer value, which must be nonnegative, each time the format item is used.

The file is positioned to the specified character position in the current line, provided it has not already passed this position. If the file is already positioned after the specified character position, the current line is completed and a new line is started; the format item is then applied to the following line.

Then, if the specified character position lies beyond the rightmost character position of the current line, or if the value of the expression for the character position is less than one, the default character position is one.

The rightmost character position is determined as follows:

COLUMN must not be used in a GET STRING or PUT STRING statement.

COLUMN cannot be used with input or output lines that contain graphics or widechars.

On input, intervening character positions are ignored.

On output, intervening character positions are filled with blanks.


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