While the templates do provide a solid foundation for your programs, your programs are likely to require additional functionality that is not provided by the code generated by the program templates.
As you code a program, you specify the COBOL program locations where the code belongs, such as the Working-Storage Section or Procedure Division, by entering AMB keywords in columns 4 through 7.
You can enter your source code and associated keywords in any sequence; when you generate the program, AMB arranges the source into the proper COBOL program sequence. For example, you can define Working-Storage fields in the Procedure Division instead of Working-Storage.
You can add to or modify the template as needed. To do this, enter additional AMB keywords with your source code to specify the program location where the source belongs. For example, you can:
There are a few items you need to code into your program that are not provided by the batch program template. Use Program Painter keywords, COBOL, S-COBOL, database calls, and user-defined Customizer rules to code:
A program stub is just part of a program. Usually, it consists of a paragraph or paragraphs, and is written in COBOL or S-COBOL. A stub can also contain user-defined Customizer rules. You can call a program stub from other programs, but you cannot compile and run it on its own. You add a program stub to an application in the Project Explorer, which makes the stub available to all other programs in the application that contains it. You code program stubs in the Program Painter.
If you choose, you can also code a program directly using S-COBOL, that is, without coding the logic into the Program Painter. To do this, create a source member in your APSSRC directory, and code S-COBOL statements directly into it. Effectively, an APSSRC member contains the same code as would a GENSRC member if you coded the same logic into the Program Painter.
In your program, you can enter any Customizer rule calls or statements that your program requires. For example, if on the Project Explorer you include user-defined rules in a Globals folder, call the rules you need, and assign values to any variables that the rules require. Use the following keywords to place Customizer source in the appropriate program location.
SYM1
/* RULE VARIABLE TO APPEAR AT BEGINNING OF PROGRAM,BEFORE
/* RULE LIBRARY THAT I INCLUDE AT BEGINNING OF PROGRAM.
% &MY-SYMBOL = 1234
SYM2
/* RULE VARIABLE TO APPEAR AFTER RULE LIBRARY THAT I
/* INCLUDE AT BEGINNING OF PROGRAM.
% &MY-STRING-SYMB = "THIS IS A STRING"
SYWS
/* RULE VARIABLE TO APPEAR AFTER RULE LIBRARY THAT I
/* AT INCLUDE BEGINNING OF WORKING-STORAGE.
% &MY-WS-SYMBOL = 1234