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Conference clt::cobol

Title:	VAX/DEC COBOL
Notice:	Kit,doc,performance talk info-->DIR/KEY=KIT or DOC or PERF_TALK
Moderator:	PACKED::BRAFFITT

Created:	Mon Feb 03 1986
Last Modified:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	3250
Total number of notes:	13077

3249.0. "Group Initialization problem" by CSC32::J_HEISLER () Thu Jun 05 1997 16:15

Hi,

I could use some help.  I have a customer who provided me with the following 
example.  If I uncomment out the initialize statement the output (out1) is
printing out portions of the 2nd records ($0.00).  With the initialize state
of the group element commented out the correct (out2) record is printed out.
I know that initializing a group will only initialize with alphanumeric and he 
is using numeric and character data in the records but I can't explain why 
writting out record 1 appears to be also writting out a portion of record 2.

Thanks for the help,
Jim Heisler
LST Support Team

--

IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. DEC_TEST.
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
INPUT-OUTPUT SECTION.
FILE-CONTROL.
    SELECT ODEC-FILE ASSIGN TO "DEC-TEST.RPT".
DATA DIVISION.
FILE SECTION.
FD  ODEC-FILE.
01  LP-FILE-1.
    02  ODEC-1A                   PIC 9(4).
    02  ODEC-2A                   PIC X.
    02  ODEC-3A                   PIC 9(3).
01  LP-FILE-2.
    02  ODEC-1B                   PIC X(24).
    02  ODEC-2B                   PIC $$$9.999.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01  COUNTER                   PIC 99.
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
START-OF-PROGRAM.
    OPEN OUTPUT ODEC-FILE.
    PERFORM WRITE-FILE THRU WRITE-FILE-EXIT VARYING COUNTER FROM 1 BY 1
            UNTIL COUNTER = 4.
WRITE-FILE.
                            Press RETURN to continue
*    INITIALIZE LP-FILE-1.
*    INITIALIZE LP-FILE-2.
    MOVE 9999 TO ODEC-1A.
    MOVE "-" TO ODEC-2A.
    MOVE 999 TO ODEC-3A.
    WRITE LP-FILE-1 BEFORE ADVANCING 2 LINES.
    INITIALIZE LP-FILE-1.
    MOVE "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX" TO ODEC-1B.
    MOVE 9999999 TO ODEC-2B.
    WRITE LP-FILE-2 BEFORE ADVANCING 4 LINES.
WRITE-FILE-EXIT.
    EXIT.
FINISH-PROGRAM.
    CLOSE ODEC-FILE.
    STOP RUN.
------

(out1) * bad output here when group is initialized:

9999-999                  $0.000

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX$999.000



9999-999                  $0.000

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX$999.000



9999-999                  $0.000

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX$999.000



9999-999                  $0.000

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX$999.000

---

(out2) correct output here when group is not initialized:

9999-999

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX$999.000



9999-999XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX$999.000

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX$999.000



9999-999XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX$999.000

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX$999.000



9999-999XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX$999.000

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX$999.000

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
3249.1	Get fixed-length by default	WIBBIN::NOYCE	Pulling weeds, pickin' stones	`Thu Jun 05 1997 16:44`	21
	>out2) correct output here when group is not initialized: > >9999-999 > >XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX$999.000 > > > >9999-999XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX$999.000 > >XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX$999.000 > Well, the first like "looks nicer", but the third line seems to show that the problem isn't really solved. I suspect the first line only looks nice because the PIC $$$9.999 item wasn't properly initialized. I think that your FD needs to say "RECORD CONTAINS 8 to 32 CHARACTERS" or "RECORD IS VARYING IN SIZE" or something -- otherwise COBOL defaults to using fixed-length records, whose length is as long as the longest record given. The various record formats all overlay each other...
3249.2	RECORD IS VARYING gives consistent results	PACKED::BRAFFITT		`Thu Jun 05 1997 16:56`	46
	>or "RECORD IS VARYING IN SIZE" or something -- otherwise COBOL defaults I verified Bill's suggestion with both VAX COBOL and DEC COBOL with and without INITIALIZE. All 4 cases give identical results if you include RECORD IS VARYING. IDENTIFICATION DIVISION. PROGRAM-ID. DEC_TEST. ENVIRONMENT DIVISION. INPUT-OUTPUT SECTION. FILE-CONTROL. SELECT ODEC-FILE ASSIGN TO "DEC-TEST.RPT". DATA DIVISION. FILE SECTION. FD ODEC-FILE RECORD IS VARYING. 01 LP-FILE-1. 02 ODEC-1A PIC 9(4). 02 ODEC-2A PIC X. 02 ODEC-3A PIC 9(3). 01 LP-FILE-2. 02 ODEC-1B PIC X(24). 02 ODEC-2B PIC $$$9.999. WORKING-STORAGE SECTION. 01 COUNTER PIC 99. PROCEDURE DIVISION. START-OF-PROGRAM. OPEN OUTPUT ODEC-FILE. PERFORM WRITE-FILE THRU WRITE-FILE-EXIT VARYING COUNTER FROM 1 BY 1 UNTIL COUNTER = 4. WRITE-FILE. \I INITIALIZE LP-FILE-1. \I INITIALIZE LP-FILE-2. MOVE 9999 TO ODEC-1A. MOVE "-" TO ODEC-2A. MOVE 999 TO ODEC-3A. WRITE LP-FILE-1 BEFORE ADVANCING 2 LINES. INITIALIZE LP-FILE-1. MOVE "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX" TO ODEC-1B. MOVE 9999999 TO ODEC-2B. WRITE LP-FILE-2 BEFORE ADVANCING 4 LINES. WRITE-FILE-EXIT. EXIT. FINISH-PROGRAM. CLOSE ODEC-FILE. STOP RUN.
3249.3	ADVANCING could be the culprit	PACKED::BLATT		`Thu Jun 05 1997 21:57`	16
	Another thing I noticed is that when the program says ADVANCING on the WRITE statement, that is a request for a VFC file. Normally, two record description entries of different sizes mean a variable-length record, but ADVANCING takes priority and produces a VFC file, which means the entire buffer is used for each WRITE statement. It sounds like they are expecting variable-length behavior. If it is declared as RECORD IS VARYING (or remove the ADVANCING clauses), then you will generate a true variable length record. WRITEing the short record will only produce those characters in the short-buffer. WRITEing the long record will produce all the characters in the buffer. When the delta of the short and the long have spaces, it "looks nice" as .1 said, but that is still data being written out.