How to implement methods in COBOL!

[wahlers]

To: Dimandja

You are right! Technique is the wrong word.
What I ment was OO is on a higher abstraction level (one abstraction level higher above modular programming).
You might be in an environment now were you don't need to use this abstraction level or be in environment were modular abstraction is the more appropriate one. But, I don't think it is wise to ignore this abstraction level.

Whereas techniques can be many things (e.g. CORBA, XML, ... , all the ones you mentioned)

Regards, Wim.

 

[wahlers]

To: Bill

See: Should anyway care...

Bill is correct and this is the reason:
COBOLs real estate is from position 21 up til and including position 72. The reply area of forums can be smaller.
Sometimes you have to improvise a little with the code to keep it readable.
One option is to truncate your code as follows:

(ISPF) EX ALL '*' 7; C ALL ', ' ','
...to reverse, of cource:
EX ALL '*' 7; C ALL ',' ', '
(assuming ',' is not used in an value clause or constant)


Wim.

 

[Dimandja]

COBOLs real estate is from position 21 up til and including position 72.

I believe the current trend in COBOL compilers is to use any columns. The only exception is column 1, where compiler directives (such as comment indicators) can be coded.

Confining code below column 72 (an ANSI standard) is claustrophobic and unnecessary in my opinion.

 

[wahlers]

COBOLs real estate is from position 21 up til and including position 72

of course this should have been:

COBOLs real estate is from position 12 up til and including position 72


I believe the current trend in COBOL compilers is to use any columns. The only exception is column 1, where compiler directives (such as comment indicators) can be coded.

Up til and including COBOL 85 the B area margin is officially: [12,72].

 

[Dimandja]

I have never used B Areas and the like in 24 years. In all that time, my compiler allows me to use any column as I described.

But, I guess, if you are confined to IBM COBOL, you have no choice but to go ANSI, and carefully fit your code between those tiny areas. Pity.

Dimandja

 

[wahlers]

Yep