POINTER-32 Format

The POINTER-32 format holds a value that represents a 32-bit memory address of an available data item. If the data item becomes unavailable (for example, because it is in a program that has been cancelled) then the POINTER-32 format is considered to hold a value that is incompatible with the format.

The default amount of storage allocated for the POINTER-32 format is always four bytes. The method of representation of the memory address varies between environments and is in general consistent with the representation used in non-COBOL languages.

The AMODE system directive must be on in order to use this format. Unless AMODE"64" is specified, POINTER-32 format is synonymous with POINTER-format.

When the IBMCOMP system directive is on, padding bytes can be generated before a pointer data item with a SYNC clause; these bytes are not part of the data item and are never affected by data stored in the item.