This release provides enhancements in the following areas:
Integration with the Visual Studio IDE
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This release provides the following enhancements in the integration of Micro Focus COBOL with the Visual Studio IDE:
- A new menu command
SQL Option for DB2 on the
Tools menu enables you to access all the SQL Option for DB2 utilities.
- It is now possible to specify options for compiling native resource files (.rc) by accessing the file's properties from within the IDE.
Editor improvements:
- Colorization of the code in the ToolTips for collapsed regions in the COBOL editor has been added.
- The Time and Date Warp options are now available on the
Run-Time Configuration tab when editing an application configuration file for native COBOL projects.
- Go To Next Method and
Go To Previous Method editor context menu commands are now available for native Object-Oriented and for managed COBOL code.
For more information see
Related Information at the end of this topic.
Building applications
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It is now possible to use the 64-bit version of MSBuild to build COBOL projects.
For more information see
Related Information at the end of this topic.
COBOL language enhancements
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Numeric, edited and external floating point items can now specify USAGE NATIONAL when the NATIONAL"2" Compiler directive is in effect. Signed numeric items must be specified with the SIGN IS SEPARATE clause.
For more information see
Related Information at the end of this topic.
Classic Data File Tools
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A new command line utility is available which enables you to initiate the following actions: open data files, create or open record layout files, create or open segment layout files, and open IMS databases using a DBD or PSB file. Note that although you can initiate these actions from the command line, you must complete them from within the IDE.
For more information see
Related Information at the end of this topic.
Compiler directives
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The following Compiler directives are new in this release:
- COMMAND-LINE-LINKAGE - enables you to call a program and pass the command line to the main program as a parameter to be accessed via the Linkage Section. This offers equivalent functionality to the command_line_linkage tunable, which has now been deprecated.
- EBC-COL-SEQ - controls the behavior of an EBCDIC collating sequence, specified in a NATIVE"EBCDIC" program. EBC-COL-SEQ"1" (the default) maintains use of the long-standing fixed (platform-independent) EBCDIC collating sequence. EBC-COL-SEQ"2" prompts use of the latest CODESET table, which varies according to platform and user-controlled MFCODESET environment variable setting.
- NATIONAL - enables you to specify numeric, edited and external floating point items as USAGE NATIONAL.
For more information see
Related Information at the end of this topic.
Debugging applications
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- You can configure the debug tooltip for subscripted OCCURS items to either display the elements of arrays or to display the value of the current expression. To do this, right-click in the editor, click
COBOL Debug Tooltip Style and either enable or disable
Show COBOL OCCURS or reference modification value.
For more information see
Related Information at the end of this topic.
Dialog System GUI
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Installing the version of the
Compatibility AddPack for Visual COBOL provided with this release adds a new menu item,
Micro Focus Dialog System, to the
Tools menu of Visual Studio for starting the Dialog System GUI from within the IDE.
For more information see
Related Information at the end of this topic.
File handling
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MFJSORT ICETOOL now supports the USING parameter in the SELECT operator.
For more information see
Related Information at the end of this topic.
Library routines
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The following library routine contains new functionality:
- CBL_GET_PROGRAM_INFO - a new function (function 10) has been added for native COBOL which returns the path and program name, or the program name only of a particular program.
For more information see
Related Information at the end of this topic.
