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Status Future consideration
Workspace COBOL Compilers
Created by Guest
Created on Mar 1, 2021

RELATED IDEAS

Enterprise Cobol - Pseudo figurative constants "max-value" and "min-value"

See this idea on ideas.ibm.com

In some processing, we need to assign the greatest possible value, or the smallest possible value, to a data-item, without necessarily knowing the PICTURE and the USAGE of this data-item (processing carried out by COPYBOOKs of general interest) .

The "high-value" or "low-value" figurative constants are not suitable for feeding numeric zones (or purely alphabetic zones), because this generates warnings or abends at runtime (in particular with the NUMCHECK option active).

We would like "pseudo" figurative constants ("pseudo" because adaptive to the context) to be supported by the compiler:
- "max-value" to assign to a data-item the greatest possible value and in accordance with PICTURE and USAGE,
- "min-value" to assign to a data-item the smallest possible value and in accordance with PICTURE and USAGE.

Examples:
- PIC S9(3): "max-value" = +999, "min-value" is -999
- PIC 9(3): "max-value" = 999, "min-value" is 000
- PIC S9(3) COMP-5: "max-value" is +32767, "min-value" is -32768
- PIC ZZ9: "max-value" is 999, "min-value" is 2 spaces fallowed by 1 0
- PIC A(3): "max-value" = ZZZ, "min-value" = spaces
- PIC X(3): "max-value" = x'FFFFFF ', "low-value" = x'000000'

These "pseudo" figurative constants must be able to be used in different contexts where they will adapt to the description of the related data-item:
- in move instructions: "move max-value to :data-item:" (including initialize ... replacing ... by max-value ")
- in comparison instructions? (no use case identified)
- in declarations: "05 :data-item: PIC :apic: value max-value."

Idea priority Low
  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Sep 3, 2024

    Hi,


    ISO standard COBOL defines these functions as :

    • HIGHEST-ALGEBRAIC : function returns a value that is equal to the greatest algebraic value that may be represented in argument

    • LOWEST-ALGEBRAIC : function returns a value that is equal to the lowest algebraic value that may be represented in argument

    However these functions only apply to numeric type arguments.

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Aug 9, 2024

    Hi,

    In response to comments about using intrinsic functions:

    • the minimum and maximum values ​​relative to a PICTURE can be determined at compile time,

    • using an intrinsic function suggests that the minimum and maximum values ​​would be determined at runtime, which is an unnecessary waste of time.

    Thanks.

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Jun 3, 2021

    We will be accepting this RFE for MAX-VALUE and MIN-VAULE, but not for dates. The RFE will be updated once put into plan.

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Apr 29, 2021

    Is it possible to change headline of this RFE from ==Pseudo figurative constants "max-value" and "min-value"== to ==Intrinsic Function "max-value" and "min-value"== ?

    I think Intrinsic Function would be more appropriate and will avoid a response like "rejected, not in COBOL standard"...

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Apr 18, 2021

    Could also be an intrinsic function:

    move function max-value (this-data-item) to this-data-item

    move function min-value (this-data-item) to this-data-item

    if incoming-data-item > function max-value (receiving-data-item) then
    display « overflow »
    else
    move incoming-data-item to receiving-data-item
    end-if


    Function « receive » data-item type and data-item length and can « return » the min or max value for this data-item.

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Apr 10, 2021

    Hi,

    Use case for condition against a min or max value :

    IF incoming-dataitem > max-value of receiveing-dataitem THEN
    DISPLAY "overflow"
    END-IF

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Mar 30, 2021

    This RFE is being investigated

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Mar 24, 2021

    @Rune

    Hi, "date" and "timestamp" are not COBOL types, and values can't be determined at compile time.

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Mar 2, 2021

    Nice RFE :-)

    I would like to add a wish for MAX-DATE, MIN-DATE, MAX-TIMESTAMP and MIN-TIMESTAMP, as these values are also used a lot, and are currently residing in copybooks.

    Regards,
    Rune

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