Modernize Exception Handling in EXEC CICS API

While learning CICS programming with Cobol, programmers with background in Java or other newer programming languages find fault with the current exception handling in CICS.

Although CICS offers a broad range of techniques to cope with exceptions in CICS, each technique has its own drawbacks and none corresponds to modern try-catch coding style.

- Traditional EC HANDLE CONDITION with Label generates proscribed GOTOs and it has to be used with annoying care to avoid wild branches.
- Coding EC IGNORE CONDITION before a command and EC HANDLE CONDITION afterwards and testing of EIBRESP, maybe combined with PUSH/POP HANDLE is considered too laborious.
- Handling exceptions by inline code with NOHANDLE or RESP in EC corresponds to DL1's or SQL's exception handling, but this style renounces the comfort of CICS default exception handling and urges the application to handle every possible exception that could by thrown by a CICS command. If something unexpected happens, most often it is desirable to get the CICS generated abend and dump with original ABCODE and EIBRESP2 .

I propose to extend the EXEC CICS API with extended NOHANDLE option, which specifies inside the EC command a list of conditions the application would like to handle and which triggers CICS default exception handling otherwise.