Parts of the LIST compiler output might be useful to you for debugging a program.
The LIST compiler option produces seven pieces of output:
From the address in storage of the instruction that was executing when an abend occurred, you can find the COBOL verb that corresponds to that instruction. After you find the address of the failing instruction, go to the assembler listing and find the verb for which that instruction was generated.
Use the TGT to find information about the environment in which your program is running.
You can use the WORKING-STORAGE portion of LIST output to find the location of data items defined in WORKING-STORAGE. (The beginning location of WORKING-STORAGE is not shown for programs compiled with the RENT option.)
The map of the DSA (also known as the stack frame) contains information about the contents of the storage acquired each time a separately compiled procedure is entered.
You do not need to be able to program in assembler language to understand the LIST output. The comments that accompany most of the assembler code provide you with a conceptual understanding of the functions performed by the code.
Example: program initialization code
Example: assembler code generated from source code
Example: TGT memory map
Example: DSA memory map
Example: location and size of WORKING-STORAGE
related references
Signature information bytes: compiler options
Signature information bytes: DATA DIVISION
Signature information bytes: ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
Signature information bytes: PROCEDURE DIVISION verbs
Signature information bytes: more PROCEDURE DIVISION items
Language Environment Programming Guide (Stack storage overview)