Advanced Topics in COBOL (Enterprise COBOL, z/OS)

Description

Objectives
Code COBOL mainline programs that CALL subroutines, passing arguments as necessary and COBOL subroutine programs that are CALLed, receiving any passed parameters

• Explain the tradeoffs in deciding whether to use static or dynamic linkages when using external subroutines
• Define and process tables, including: Initializing tables using VALUE or REDEFINES clauses, the INITIALIZE statement, loops, and extracting data from records in a file Working with tables of more than one dimension
• Process tables using subscripting, indexing, or mixing subscripting and indexing; also using relative subscripting and relative indexing
• Use the SET, SEARCH, and SEARCH ALL verbs as they apply to indexed tables
• Use the ALL subscript capability of intrinsic functions
• Work with variable length records in sequential files
• Use the string handling features of COBOL, including Reference modification (sub-stringing), Hexadecimal notation, LENGTH OF special register and the LENGTH intrinsic function, INSPECT, STRING, and UNSTRING verbs, Null-terminated strings
• Use some advanced features of the newest IBM COBOL compilers, including Local-storage section,
• Recursive programs, Pointers, procedure-pointers, function-pointers, Address Of special register, Dynamic file allocation
• (Optionally) use the COBOL SORT and MERGE verbs.

Topics

• Introduction to Subroutines
• Additional Subroutine Topics
• Nested Programs
• Additional Subroutine Capabilities - Optional
• Table Handling, II
• Table Handling, III
• Initializing Tables
• Indexing
• Intrinsic Functions and Tables
• Introduction to String Handling In COBOL
• More String Handling in COBOL
• COBOL SORT Facility (Optional)
• Other Advanced Topics (Optional)