Making a program that exports an XML document

The next stage is to create an XML document from the content of a COBOL data structure. To do this, more logic is added to the original COBOL program. The added text is shown in bold.

Identification Division.
Program-Id. Getting-Started.
Data Division.
Working-Storage Section.
01  Customer-Address.
    02  Cust-Name     Pic X(128).
    02  Address-1     Pic X(128).
    02  Address-2     Pic X(128).
    02  Address-3.
        03  City      Pic X(64).
        03  State     Pic X(2).
        03  Zip       Pic 9(5) Value 0 Binary.
Copy "lixmlall.cpy".
Procedure Division.
A.
    XML INITIALIZE.
    If Not XML-OK Go To Z.

     XML EXPORT FILE
         Customer-Address
         "Address"
         "getstarted#customer-address".
     If Not XML-OK Go To Z.

Z.
Copy "lixmltrm.cpy".
    GoBack.
Copy "lixmldsp.cpy".
End Program  Getting-Started.

The XML EXPORT FILE statement is used to create an XML document from the content of a COBOL data structure. This statement has three arguments: the data structure name, the desired filename, and the root name of the model files.

A value of zero is added to the zip code field so that the field has a valid numeric value.

As you would expect, the data structure name is customer-address. Almost all of the XML statements may set an unsuccessful or warning status value; that is, a status value for which the condition-name XML-OK is false following the execution of the XML statement. It is good practice to follow every XML statement with a status test, such as, If Not XML-OK Go To Z.

The program is again compiled and run from the command line as follows:

cobol getstarted.cbl xmlgen(ws) noobj; run getstarted