What is the picture clause in COBOL?
What is the picture clause in COBOL?
PICTURE Clause – Format The PICTURE clause must be specified for every elementary item except an index data item, the subject of a LIKE, RENAMES, or TYPE clause. The PICTURE character-string may contain a maximum of 90 characters. It consists of certain COBOL characters used as symbols.
What is PIC S9 in COBOL?
Signed Fields COBOL represents this type of field by an “S” in the picture clause of a display format field, e.g. PIC S9(6). The value of that digit is stored as a binary value, and is OR’d with the sign code, which is D0 hex for negative numbers, C0 hex for positive values, and F0 hex for “unsigned” values.
What are the different picture clauses?
Picture Clause. Data type can be numeric, alphabetic, or alphanumeric. Numeric type consists of only digits 0 to 9. Alphabetic type consists of letters A to Z and spaces.
What is the symbol of COBOL?
2.1 Character Set
| Character | Meaning |
|---|---|
| * | Asterisk |
| / | Oblique stroke/slash |
| = | Equal sign |
| $ | Dollar sign |
When to use a picture clause in COBOL?
Picture clause is used to define the following items − Data type can be numeric, alphabetic, or alphanumeric. Sign can be used with numeric data. Decimal point position can be used with numeric data. Length defines the number of bytes used by the data item.
How can I edit a picture in COBOL?
In COBOL these things can be achieved using Edited Pictures. The type of editing allowed for an item depends on its data category. The type of editing that is valid for each category is shown in the following table. cs indicates any valid currency symbol.
How to describe an elementary item in COBOL?
Elementary items cannot be divided further. Level number, Data name, Picture clause, and Value clause (optional) are used to describe an elementary item. Group items consist of one or more elementary items. Level number, Data name, and Value clause (optional) are used to describe a group item.
Where do you find data names in COBOL?
Data Name. Data names must be defined in the Data Division before using them in the Procedure Division. They must have a user-defined name; reserved words cannot be used. Data names give reference to the memory locations where actual data is stored. They can be elementary or group type.
What is the picture clause in COBOL? PICTURE Clause – Format The PICTURE clause must be specified for every elementary item except an index data item, the subject of a LIKE, RENAMES, or TYPE clause. The PICTURE character-string may contain a maximum of 90 characters. It consists of certain COBOL characters used as symbols. What…