String Manipulation Using COBOL

Deepak Dash · New User Joined: 03 Sep 2007 Posts: 16 Location: India

Hi All,

I have below requirements and I appriciate if someone can help me.

I have a address Line of 30 Bytes lenght i.e. let's say Address PIC X(30).

I need to search this Address string for a particular string "CONFIDENTIAL" or "confidential" (Both Capital o small case letter may exist). If I found a hit then i will follow another logic.

Second requirment -

In the same string of X(30), I need to search for a particular date patteren like '%_/_/_%' or '%_-_-_%'.

Can anybody guide me if it's possible to do this Logic using COBOL?

Thanks for help.

dick scherrer · Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 10:07 am

Hello,

Using an inspect for the string, and an array (or more than 1), or reference modification, you can accomplish the pattern match within a couple of loops.

You need to determine which patterns are valid and then alllow for all valid patterns in the code. Until you have well established the "rules" coding would be premature.

Terry Heinze · Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 10:10 am

I think INSPECT finds occurrences of 'confidential' regardless of case. Test it and let us know.

Deepak Dash · New User Joined: 03 Sep 2007 Posts: 16 Location: India

Hi Terry,

Thanks. INSPECT does work and also gives me the count. Can you please let me know how do I find the date patteren in my string?

like '%_/_/_%' or '%_-_-_%'.

Thanks

gkpabbati · New User Joined: 25 May 2005 Posts: 3 Location: Hyderabad

similarly you can do 'INSPECT' for '/ 'or '-' , 3rd and 6th byte using reference modification

dick scherrer · Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 8:39 pm

Hello,

INSPECT won't be much help for doing the pattern match. It might be used to find the first position, but i'd not try to say until the rules have all been shown.

The code will need to parse across the data until a potential beginning-of-pattern is found. Will the pattern always start and end with %? Could there be more than one pattern in the data? What is to happen when a pattern is found? Are single-digit month and day valid?

Terry Heinze · Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 9:05 pm

Dick, I think Deepak is using % as a wildcard character, not literally a percent sign.

dick scherrer · Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 9:56 pm

Hi Terry,

Very possibly. . . Maybe something more useful will follow. . .

d