Language Reference
Table of Contents
Index
Chapter 2: Concepts of the COBOL Language
2.1 Character Set
2.2 Language Structure
2.2.1 Separators
2.2.2 Character-strings
2.2.2.1 COBOL Words
2.2.3 Scope of Names
2.2.3.1 Conventions for Program-names
2.2.3.2 Conventions for Condition-names, Data-names, File-names, Record-names and Report-Names
2.2.3.3 Conventions for Index-names
2.2.3.4 Conventions for Class-names (for Object Orientation)
2.2.3.5 Conventions for Method-names
2.2.4 Literals
2.2.4.1 Nonnumeric Literals
2.2.4.2 Numeric Literals
2.2.4.3 Figurative Constant Values
2.2.4.4 Constant-Names
2.2.4.5 Concatenation Expressions
2.2.4.6 Special Registers
2.2.4.7 Predefined Object Identifiers
2.2.4.8 PICTURE Character-Strings
2.2.4.9 Comment-Entries
2.3 Formats and Rules
2.3.1 General Format
2.3.2 Syntax Rules
2.3.3 General Rules
2.3.4 Elements
2.4 Concept of Computer-independent Data Description
2.5 Concept of Levels
2.5.1 Level-Numbers
2.6 Concepts of Classes of Data
2.6.1 Algebraic Signs
2.6.2 Standard Alignment Rules
2.6.3 Item Alignment for Increased Object-code Efficiency
2.6.4 Selection of Character Representation and Radix
2.6.4.1 DISPLAY Format
2.6.4.2 COMPUTATIONAL, BINARY, or COMPUTATIONAL-4 Format
2.6.4.3 COMPUTATIONAL-1 and COMPUTATIONAL-2 Formats
2.6.4.4 COMPUTATIONAL-3 or PACKED-DECIMAL Format
2.6.4.5 COMPUTATIONAL-X and COMPUTATIONAL-5 Formats
2.6.4.6 POINTER Format
2.6.4.7 PROCEDURE-POINTER Format
2.6.5 Uniqueness of Reference
2.6.5.1 Qualification
2.6.5.2 Subscripting
2.6.5.3 Indexing
2.6.5.4 Function-identifier
2.6.5.5 Reference Modification
2.6.5.6 Identifier
2.6.5.7 Condition-Name
2.6.6 Explicit and Implicit Specifications
2.6.6.1 Explicit and Implicit Procedure Division References
2.6.6.2 Explicit and Implicit Transfers of Control
2.6.6.3 Explicit and Implicit Attributes
2.6.6.4 Explicit and Implicit Scope Terminators