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Status Future consideration
Workspace COBOL Compilers
Created by Guest
Created on Jan 19, 2021

RELATED IDEAS

Adopt Dataname Picture and Usage in Mainframe COBOL

It would be extremely useful, and would help to prevent logic errors, if the COBOL compiler would allow a dataname to adopt the PICTURE and USAGE from another dataname at compile time. At execution time, logic errors (and even abends) can occur in the case that internal working datanames (that are intended to hold the content of other datanames) are overlooked when the picture or usage of those other datanames change at compile time. There should be a way to make one dataname automatically look like another dataname at compile time.

Idea priority High
  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Feb 25, 2021

    why choose to implement the "same as" clause rather than type management (TYPEDEF / TYPE TO) ?
    Type management seems to me to be a more structured and evolved approach.

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Feb 17, 2021

    We will use this RFE to implement the "SAME AS" feature as mentioned in the COBOL Standard.

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Jan 28, 2021

    This functionality can be obtained by implementing the TYPEDEF support which is described in the ISO COBOL standard.

    I suggest that the TYPEDEF support be taken over by the IBM Enterprise COBOL compiler which will make it closer to the ISO standard.

    01 LISTMAPY-TYPE IS TYPEDEF.
    ... etc ...

    01 LISTMAMY TYPE LISTMAPY-TYPE.
    ... etc ...

    01 DFHCOMMAREA.
    ... etc ...
    05 SAVE-LISTMAP TYPE LISTMAPI-TYPE.
    ... etc ...

    Look at https://github.com/TypeCobolTeam/TypeCobol/wiki/TypeCobolTypesNutshell (an implementation of COBOL 85 / 2002 via TypeCobol for COBOL compilers missing some functionnality).

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