Data Moving by using COBOL pointer variables

satishboddu · New User Joined: 02 Aug 2011 Posts: 17 Location: India

Hi All,

I have two variables with data as below.

01 WS-AB PIC X(02) VALUE 'AB'.
01 WS-CD PIC X(02) VALUE 'CD'.
I like to refer data 'CD' to variable WS-AB by using cobol pointers.

Please let me know how can I achieve this.

Thanks

Bill Woodger · Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 2:31 pm

It is unclear from your description what it is that you want.

Why do you want to do it?

What do you want to achieve?

What is wrong with MOVE?

Eshwar CICS · New User Joined: 18 May 2011 Posts: 47 Location: India

Are the variables which you have mentioned reside in working storage?

satishboddu · New User Joined: 02 Aug 2011 Posts: 17 Location: India

Hi All,

I have two variables with data as below.

01 WS-AB PIC X(02) VALUE ‘123’.
01 WS-CD PICX(02) VALUE ‘345’
01 WS-F PIC X(08) VALUE.

MOVE “WS-AB” to WS-F, is populated in another program.

Based on variable name that’s in WS-F, we want to retrieve the value of that variable.
Suppose, we have WS-AB as variable in WS-F, we need 123 and if WS-CD in the variable, we are looking for 345.

I have heard pointers can be used to do this.

Please suggest ..

enrico-sorichetti · Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 3:17 pm

since in any case You have to use an if to <load> the pointer with the proper address why bother

Bill Woodger · Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 3:27 pm

There is no fancy way to dynamically obtain the address/contents of a Cobol data-name from a piece of text.

Test the value of the text, and code out the MOVEs for the appropriate value.

dbzTHEdinosauer · Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 4:26 pm

another case of pc language skills - not able to read the manual.

cobol resolves the contents of areas indirectly addressed by use of pointers.

cobol always treats the contents of a variable as the contents of a variable.

cobol treats the contents of a pointer as the address of a variable.

that is the way that it is done.

Bill O'Boyle · Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 4:38 pm

Using POINTER's to address WS fields was not introduced until OS/390 COBOL 2.2.1, about 10-12 years ago.

If your COBOL version/release is less than the above, then you're out of luck.

Mr. Bill

dbzTHEdinosauer · Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 5:29 pm

Bill,
you are correct.

COBOL 2 still disallows SETing a POINTER TO ADDRESS OF Variable in W-S.

but, you can CALL a module with two parms in the using list:
W-S
POINTER

and the CALLed module simply SETs the POINTER in linkage TO ADDRESS OF Variable in linkage,
and returns.

Eshwar CICS · New User Joined: 18 May 2011 Posts: 47 Location: India

Satish,

My opinion is that compiler has no role to play in this context.Basically get clarity on how working storage gets allocated and understand how pointers can be used in COBOL w.r.t linkage variables.Then you can decide on the feasibility of implementing your requirement. Thanks.

Bill O'Boyle · Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 7:38 pm

Dick,

Yes, you're right.

Many moons ago, had both an Assembler sub-program and COBOL sub-program which did this.

But to tell you the truth, I still don't know what the OP is trying to accomplish.

If the concept of obtaining addresses and traversing control blocks is foreign to the OP, my suggestion is to stay away from this and KISS.

As Bill W. expressed, what's wrong with a MOVE?

Mr. Bill

dbzTHEdinosauer · Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 8:01 pm

you can do that kind of silliness in java, c, c+, vb.