HP OpenVMS Systems Documentation

HP COBOL
Reference Manual

internal data: All data described in a program, except for external data items and external file connectors. Items described in the Linkage Section of a program are treated as internal data.

internal data item: A data item described in one program in a run unit. An internal data item may have a global name.

internal file connector: A file connector that is accessible to only one object program in the run unit.

intrarecord data structure: The entire collection of group and elementary data items from a logical record. The collection is defined by a subset of contiguous data description entries that describe that record. These data description entries include all entries with level-numbers greater than that of the first data description entry for the intrarecord data structure.

intrinsic function: An intrinsic function is treated as an elementary data item that represents a temporary data value to be derived automatically at the time of reference. HP COBOL has intrinsic functions for scientific/mathematical use, date manipulation, relational use, statistical/accounting, and other purposes.

invalid key condition: At run time, a condition caused when the value of the key associated with an indexed or relative file is determined to be invalid.

key: (1) A data item that identifies a record's location, (2) a segmented key, or (3) a set of data items that identifies the ordering of data.

Key of Reference: The key, either prime or alternate, currently being used to access records in an indexed file.

key word: A reserved word or function-name whose presence is required when the format in which the word appears is used in a source program.

level indicator: Two alphabetic characters that identify a specific type of file.

library text: A sequence of text words, comment lines, or the separator spaces and the pseudo-text delimiters in a COBOL library.

line: See report line.

line number: An integer that denotes the vertical position of a line on a video terminal screen, or on a page within a print file.

LINKAGE SECTION: The section in the Data Division of a called program that describes data items available from the calling program. Both the calling and the called programs can refer to these data items.

local name: A user-defined name that is declared in only one program and may be referenced only from that program.

locking: The HP COBOL facilities that allow concurrent use of a sequential, relative, or indexed file without corrupting its records. The HP COBOL I/O system maintains locks on a file, individual records, or both.

logical operator: One of the reserved words AND, OR, or NOT. In the formation of a condition, either AND or OR, or both, can be used as logical connectives. NOT indicates logical negation.

logical page: A conceptual entity consisting of the top margin, page body, and bottom margin.

logical record: The most inclusive data item. The level-number for a logical record is 01 or 77. A record can be either an elementary or group item. See Report Writer logical record, record occurrence, and record type.

low-order end: The rightmost character of a string of characters.

mass storage: A storage medium in which data can be organized and maintained both sequentially and nonsequentially.

Mass Storage Control System (MSCS): An input-output control system that directs or controls the processing of mass storage files.

mass storage file: A collection of records assigned to a mass storage medium.

merge file: A collection of records to be merged by a MERGE statement. The merge file is created and can be used only by the merge function.

native arithmetic: A mode of arithmetic in which the techniques used in handling arithmetic are specified by the implementor.

native character set: The 256-character set that starts with the 128 characters of the ASCII character set.

native collating sequence: The collating sequence of the ASCII character set.

next executable sentence: The next sentence to which control transfers after execution of the current statement is complete.

next record: The record that logically follows the current record of a file.

nonnumeric item: A data item whose description permits it to contain any combination of characters from the computer character set. Certain categories of nonnumeric items can contain only more restricted character sets.

nullity condition: The proposition, for which a truth value can be determined, that a specified data item is null.

null state: The state of a data item that has no value.

numeric character: A character that belongs to the set of digits 0 to 9.

numeric function: An intrinsic function whose class and category are numeric but which for some possible evaluation does not satisfy the requirements of an integer function.

numeric item: A data item whose description allows it to contain only digits. A signed numeric item can also contain a plus sign (+), minus sign (-), or other representation of an operational sign.

object of entry: A set of operands and reserved words in a Data Division entry that immediately follows the subject of the entry.

object program: A set of executable machine-language instructions and other material designed to interact with data to solve problems. Where there is no danger of ambiguity, program means object program.

open mode: The state of a file after a program opens it and before the program closes it without the REEL or UNIT phrase. The OPEN statement specifies the open mode as INPUT, OUTPUT, I-O, or EXTEND.

operand: A component that is operated on. Any lowercase word in a statement or entry format can be considered: (1) an operand and (2) an implied reference to the data indicated by the operand.

operational sign: An algebraic sign associated with a numeric data item or numeric literal to indicate whether its value is positive or negative.

optional file: A file opened in INPUT, I-O, EXTEND, or OUTPUT mode whose presence is not necessary each time the program executes. The program checks for the presence or absence of the file.

Oracle CDD/Repository (OpenVMS Only): The central repository of information about data elements, data structures, and relationships between data structures for languages such as HP COBOL for OpenVMS VAX, HP COBOL for OpenVMS, and more. It does not contain actual data files. Rather, it contains record definitions. Oracle CDD/Repository is available under a separate license from a third party.

output file: A file opened in either output or extend mode.

output mode: The state of a file after a program opens it with the OUTPUT or EXTEND phrase, and before the program closes it without the REEL or UNIT phrase.

output procedure: A set of statements that receives control during the execution of a SORT statement after the sort function ends. Also, a set of statements that receives control during the execution of a MERGE statement after the merge function has selected the next record in merged order.

padding character: An alphanumeric character used to fill the unused character positions in a physical record.

page: A vertical division of a report representing a physical separation of report data, the separation being based on internal reporting requirements and/or external characteristics of the reporting medium.

page body: The part of the logical page in which lines can be written and/or spaced.

page footing: A report group that is presented at the end of a logical page as determined by the Report Writer Control System.

page heading: A report group that is presented at the beginning of a logical page as determined by the Report Writer Control System.

phrase: An ordered set of one or more consecutive COBOL character-strings that forms part of a clause or procedural statement.

pointer: A place marker that identifies the record address of a storage segment.

prime record key: A key that uniquely identifies a record in an indexed file.

printable group: A report group that contains at least one print line.

printable item: A data item, the extent and contents of which are specified by an elementary report entry. This elementary report entry contains a COLUMN NUMBER clause, a PICTURE clause, and a SOURCE, SUM, or VALUE clause.

procedure: A paragraph (or section) or group of logically successive paragraphs (or sections) in the Procedure Division.

procedure-name: A user-defined word that names a paragraph or section in the Procedure Division. It consists of a paragraph-name (which can be qualified), or a section-name.

pseudo-text: A sequence of text words, comment lines, or the separator space in a source program, bounded by, but not including, pseudo-text delimiters.

pseudo-text delimiter: Two contiguous equal sign (=) characters that delimit pseudo-text.

punctuation character: A character from the following set: