SELECT clause
The
SELECT clause identifies a file in the COBOL program to be associated with an
external data set.
- SELECT OPTIONAL
- Can be specified only for files opened in the input, I-O, or extend mode.
You must specify SELECT OPTIONAL for those input files that are not
necessarily present each time the object program is executed. For more
information, see the
COBOL for Windows Programming Guide.
- file-name-1
- Must be identified by an FD or SD entry in the data division. A file-name
must conform to the rules for a COBOL user-defined name, must contain at
least one alphabetic character, and must be unique within this program.
When file-name-1 specifies a sort or a merge file, only the ASSIGN
clause can follow the SELECT clause.
If the file connector referenced by file-name-1 is an external
file connector, all file-control entries in the run unit that reference this
file connector must have the same specification for the OPTIONAL phrase.
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