Before you use Character Animator, you must compile your source code, including all called programs; see Compiling for Animation. You can animate source files containing lines longer than 80 characters, provided that you compiled your program with the SOURCEFORMAT"FREE" directive. However, you should be aware that while Character Animator does tolerate free-format source code, it does not scroll beyond the normal COBOL margins, so results can be unpredictable.
You can use Character Animator to debug files in any executable format. The following sections show how to prepare your environment for animation, and how to use the cob utility to create an executable file ready for animation.
By default, compilation includes the creation of an information file (.idy file), which is essential to debugging. This file is portable, enabling you to debug your application using remote development environments. If you port the .idy file, you must port its associated .int file; you cannot port an .idy file with any other type of executable file for debugging in another environment.
If the system is unable to write to an .idy file upon compilation, you could receive the following error:
I-O Error: IDY file (fatal)
Ensure that sufficient disk space is available, and remove any LOCK or READ ONLY attributes that your file contains, and recompile your program.