Day One

The Legacy of VS COBOL II

• COBOL II Recap
  • Mixed-case and un-named filler
  • Packed-decimal and binary data declarations
  • Tables: dimensions, sizes, and initialization
  • Reference modification and hex notation
  • Pointers and addresses
  • Nested programs
  • CALL … BY CONTENT … ON EXCEPTION enhancements
  • PERFORM … WITH TEST AFTER
  • Scope terminators
  • In-line PERFORM
  • SET … TO TRUE
  • CONTINUE
  • INITIALIZE
  • EVALUATE
  • Some Compiler Parm changes
  • Changes in OPEN behavior
  • Computer Exercise: Using the New COBOL Structures

COBOL Evolves

• COBOL/370 (Version 1, Release 1)
• New reserved words
• Compiler option changes
• Run-time JCL changes
• Language Environment Run-Time Parameters of interest

COBOL Intrinsic functions

• Concepts and Syntax
• Date and Time Related Functions
• String Related Functions
• Arithmetic, Business, and Mathematical Functions
• The ALL Intrinsic Function
• Computer Exercise: Using Intrinsic Functions

Introduction to Language Environment

• What Is Language Environment?
• LE Services
• Benefits of Using LE
• Using LE Services

Day Two

A Deeper look at LE

• LE Program management model
• Survey of LE services
• Code fragments: condition handling and storage management
• Computer exercise (optional): Using a Condition Handler
• A Quick look at an LE dump (CEEDUMP)

COBOL for MVS & VM (Version 1, Release 2) Changes

• General Changes
  • Apostrophes and Quotes
  • Null-terminated non-numeric literals
  • Long names, mixed case names
  • Enhanced currency support
  • Local-storage
  • Recursive programs
  • RETURNING on procedure division header and call
• Pass arguments BY VALUE
• Procedure-pointer extensions
• New Reserved Words
• New / Changed Compiler Options
• New / Changed Run-time Options
• INTDATE COBOL Compiler Installation Option
• Introduction of Object Oriented COBOL
  • Computer Exercise: Using more of the new features

COBOL for OS/390 & VM (Version 2, Release 1) Changes

• DLL Support
• New ACCEPT Options
• New intrinsic functions: DATE-TO-YYYYMMDD, DAY-TO-YYYYDDD, YEAR-TO-YYYY
• New compiler option
  • Computer Exercise: New Intrinsic functions

COBOL for OS/390 & VM (Version 2, Release 2) Changes

• ADDRESS OF available for WORKING-STORAGE
• New usage: comp-5
• 31- Digit numbers
• Line sequential files
• New / changed compiler options
• Dynamic file allocation
• z/OS and OS/390 UNIX support
  • Computer Exercise: Dynamic File Allocation From COBOL Program

Enterprise COBOL changes

• Enterprise COBOL V3R1
• Enterprise COBOL V3R2
• Enterprise COBOL V3R3
• Enterprise COBOL V3R4
• Enterprise COBOL V4R1
• Enterprise COBOL V4R2

Enterprise COBOL Compiler: V3R1

• New reserved words
• Compiler option changes
• DB2 coprocessor (from earlier compiler)
• CICS integrated translator
• Multithreading support
• Function-pointers
• ADDRESS OF in CALL
• Other features discussed elsewhere

Enterprise COBOL Compiler: V3R2

• New / changed reserved words, compiler options
• New functionality: overview

Enterprise COBOL Compiler: V3R3

• New / changed reserved words ,compiler options
• New functionality: overview

Enterprise COBOL Compiler: V3R4

• New / changed reserved words, compiler options
• New functionality:
  • Larger table limits
  • Unicode support stage 2
  • REDEFINES extension

Enterprise COBOL Compiler: V4R1

• Compiler option changes
• New reserved words
• Enhanced XML support

Enterprise COBOL Compiler: V4R2

• Compiler option changes
• New functionality
  • Underscore in user-defined names
  • XML PARSE with validation

Appendix: MLE – Millennium Language Extensions (Optional)

• MLE Concepts
• MLE compiler options
• MLE intrinsic functions: DATEVAL, UNDATE, YEARWINDOW
• Using MLE