Skip to Main Content
IBM Z Software


This portal is to open public enhancement requests against IBM Z Software products. To view all of your ideas submitted to IBM, create and manage groups of Ideas, or create an idea explicitly set to be either visible by all (public) or visible only to you and IBM (private), use the IBM Unified Ideas Portal (https://ideas.ibm.com).


Shape the future of IBM!

We invite you to shape the future of IBM, including product roadmaps, by submitting ideas that matter to you the most. Here's how it works:

Search existing ideas

Start by searching and reviewing ideas and requests to enhance a product or service. Take a look at ideas others have posted, and add a comment, vote, or subscribe to updates on them if they matter to you. If you can't find what you are looking for,

Post your ideas
  1. Post an idea.

  2. Get feedback from the IBM team and other customers to refine your idea.

  3. Follow the idea through the IBM Ideas process.


Specific links you will want to bookmark for future use

Welcome to the IBM Ideas Portal (https://www.ibm.com/ideas) - Use this site to find out additional information and details about the IBM Ideas process and statuses.

IBM Unified Ideas Portal (https://ideas.ibm.com) - Use this site to view all of your ideas, create new ideas for any IBM product, or search for ideas across all of IBM.

ideasibm@us.ibm.com - Use this email to suggest enhancements to the Ideas process or request help from IBM for submitting your Ideas.

Status Not under consideration
Workspace COBOL Compilers
Created by Guest
Created on Jul 23, 2018

Contextual compilation variables

It might be interesting to have compiler variables indicating the current context corresponding to the position in the source code:
- name / type of the current Division: Identification, Environment, Data, Procedure
- name / type of the current Section: Configuration, File, Working-Storage, Local-Storage, Linkage-Storage, procedure section defined by the program ...
- name of the current paragraph: standard paragraph Cobol or paragraph defined by the program
- source identification: value of PROGRAM-ID, CLASS-ID, METHOD-ID ...

This would allow for example in a COPYBOOK to adapt to the context, or even to group in the same COPYBOOK information to be inserted at different locations in the source code (using directive >> IF / >> EVALUATE), as this is present in the example associated with our request 122735: https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rfe/execute?use_case=viewRfe&CR_ID=122735

Idea priority Low
  • Guest
    Reply
    |
    Dec 16, 2020

    IBM Enterprise COBOL for z/OS is a continuous delivery offering, and aims to satisfy the needs of a rapidly evolving market segment. Product strategy evolves and requirements are continuously evaluated against that strategy. This RFE has recently been reappraised against the wider product strategy and does not fall into IBMs delivery plans for the next 12 month. Whilst this RFE might be valid and we might look to deliver longer term, this RFE is being rejected at this time. The requirement will be kept in our internal RFE backlog and might be reassessed in the future.

  • Guest
    Reply
    |
    Aug 31, 2018

    This is a valid RFE and is being accepted. This RFE will be updated once put into plan.