Selection of Character Representation and Radix

The value of a numeric item (defined as numeric by its PICTURE, see the topic The PICTURE Clause) can be represented in the computer's storage in either binary or decimal form depending on the USAGE clause of the declaration (see the topic The USAGE Clause). These numeric formats are:

• DISPLAY
• COMPUTATIONAL, COMP,

   BINARY,

   COMPUTATIONAL-4 or COMP-4

•  COMPUTATIONAL-3, COMP-3 or

   PACKED-DECIMAL

•  COMPUTATIONAL-5, COMP-5,
•  COMPUTATIONAL-X or COMP-X

•  COMPUTATIONAL-1, COMPUTATIONAL-2

  ,

    FLOAT-SHORT or FLOAT-LONG

•  POINTER
•  PROCEDURE-POINTER

 An alphanumeric function is always represented in the standard data format. Its size is determined by the definition of the function.

The representation of integer and numeric functions is as follows:

• COMP-2 if the function is trigonometric or if one or more function arguments are COMP-2 and the function is not defined as returning an integer.
• Otherwise, as PIC SV9(39)ES9(4). The exponent is S9(4) COMP and so has a range of approximately +/-32k.

Integer and numeric functions can be used only in arithmetic expressions, and represent the value resulting from the evaluation of the function without the restriction on composite of operands and/or receiving data items.

When a computer provides more than one means of representing data, the standard data format must be used for data items

 other than integer and numeric functions,

if not otherwise specified by the data description.