Comparing characters using COBOL

umanaga · New User Joined: 09 Apr 2007 Posts: 33 Location: India

Will the below logic work fine

CODE 1:
01 WS-VAR1 PIC X VALUE '#'.
01 WS-VAR2 PIC X VALUE 'V'.

IF (WS-VAR1 > WS-VAR2)
DISPLAY 'I AM IN IF'
ELSE
DISPLAY 'I AM IN ELSE'
END-IF.

CODE 2:
IF( '#' > 'V' )
DISPLAY 'I AM IN IF'
ELSE
DISPLAY 'I AM IN ELSE'
END-IF.

Thanks in advance.

yogeshwar_ade · Active User Joined: 31 Aug 2006 Posts: 103 Location: INDIA

Why Don't You Try and let us know the result?

umanaga · New User Joined: 09 Apr 2007 Posts: 33 Location: India

I tried CODE 2, but got compilation error. I havn't checked CODE 1.
Now i don't have access to mainframe.
So would like to hear from experts.

yogeshwar_ade · Active User Joined: 31 Aug 2006 Posts: 103 Location: INDIA

Your Code-1 will work & will give result as

itdsen · New User Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 23 Location: Chennai

Code 1 will work fine.

result : I Am In Else.

Phrzby Phil · Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 5:56 pm

Are you going to tell us the compiler error?

Since the compiler can see what is being compared, it knows the result, and can therefore generate just the code needed. The remaining codce is dead and the compiler will issue a level 4 warning for it.