Rational Developer for System z
COBOL for Windows, Version 7.5, Programming Guide


Fixing environment differences that affect portability

Differences in file-names and control codes between workstation and mainframe platforms can affect the portability of your programs.

File naming conventions on the Windows-based workstation are very different from those on the mainframe. This difference can affect portability if you use file-names in your COBOL source programs. The following file-name, for example, is valid on the Windows-based workstation but not on the mainframe:

\users\joesmith\programs\cobol\myfile.cbl

Some characters that have no particular meaning on the mainframe are interpreted as control characters on the Windows-based workstation. This difference can lead to incorrect processing of ASCII text files. Files should not contain any of the following characters:

If you use device-dependent (platform-specific) control codes in your programs or files, these control codes can cause problems when you try to port the programs or files to platforms that do not support the control codes. As with all other platform-specific code, it is best to isolate such code as much as possible so that you can replace it easily when you move the application to another platform.


Terms of use | Feedback

Copyright IBM Corporation 1996, 2008.
This information center is powered by Eclipse technology. (http://www.eclipse.org)