Highlights
- Develop mission-critical,
single or multi-threaded COBOL applications for SPARC Architecture
workstations
- No COBOL runtime license charges!
- Take advantage
of extensive multi-vendor database support (SQL access to Oracle,
and Sybase)
- Maintain compatibility
with existing code based on support for popular vendor extensions
(IBM and Micro Focus) and compliance with ANSI and ISO standards
- Full COBOL85
syntax
- Direct access
to Oracle Application Server
- Create Web
applications using either CGI or SAF subroutines
- CBL_routines
- Supports Unicode
data
- Supports 64-bit
file access for large files under Solaris
- Remote
development from Windows workstations
- Interactive
Data Editor and Data Converter
- PowerFORM
run-time package for running graphical, COBOL-driven reports
on Solaris platforms. (Forms are developed under Windows but
can run under NetCOBOL for SPARC Architecture.)
- PowerGEM
resource management (required for remote development functions)
- PowerBSORT
high performance sort/merge program
The rich complement
of functions built into NetCOBOL serves as the basis for fast-turnaround
development efforts. Industry extensions compatible with those from
Micro Focus and IBM ensure broad compatibility and a full choice
of powerful functions.
NetCOBOL offers
a number of features to help speed application development as well
as execution times. Because program links are automatically reconstructed
following compilation, errors are usually easily identifiable.
In the debug tool,
you can view data in the watch data window, set break points, and
view I/O in the program I/O window. As a result, you complete your
work faster and produce higher quality code.
Detailed Features and Benefits
Items in red have been added in the V10.0 release.
Note that enhancements are listed in more detail than the already-existing features of the product as even apparently trivial enhancements can make a big difference to some users.
Standards Compliant
- ANSI Standard
COBOL X3.23 1985, ISO-1989-1985
- ANSI '74 COBOL
X3.23-1974
- Various elements from the ANSI 2002 standard such as:
- BINARY-CHAR, BINARY-SHORT, BINARY-LONG, BINARY-DOUBLE data types, and allowing USAGE clauses with these items to be specified on group items
- DISPLAY-OF and NATIONAL-OF intrinsic functions
- EXIT PARAGRAPH and EXIT SECTION
Full
ANSI 85 Compliant to Include:
- Nucleus
- Sequential/Relative/Indexed File
- Inter-Program
Communication
- Sort/Merge
- Source Text
Manipulation
Support
for ANSI'85 Supplement:
Fujitsu
Extensions
- National language
programming
- National character
handling
- UTF-16 big endian support
- NSPCOMP option for specifying Japanese language space comparison
- Extended Indexed
File -- Multiple key items, reverse order access
- National character
printing
- Sort/Merge
of National characters
- Floating-point data
- OO COBOL extensions based on the ISO 2002 standard
- Bit handling
- Constant section
- Functions for
system program description -- pointer, etc.
- CSV (Comma Separated Values)
files supported through extensions to the STRING and UNSTRING statements.
XPG4
Specification (X/OPEN Extensions)
- Line/Sequential file handling
- Inter-language communications -- passing parameters by value,
special register Return-Code
- File sharing
and record locking
- Screen handling
- Access to command-line
arguments
- Concatenated
expressions
SQL
- Most databases using VORTEX from Trifox (www.trifox.com)
- Oracle (using Oracle Pro*COBOL)
- SymfoWARE/RDB (using SymfoWARE/RDB precompiler)
IBM OS/VS
COBOL Compatibility Features Supported
- Special registers
for date, time, return code, sort, etc.
- System directing
statements (example EJECT, SKIP)
- REMARKS paragraph
- EXAMINE statement
- GOBACK statement
- BASIS statement
IBM VS
COBOL II Compatibility Features Supported
Micro
Focus COBOL Extensions
- Enhanced ACCEPT
and DISPLAY verbs to permit video terminal screen I/O with full
control over data positioning on output and protected/unprotected
on input fields
- Full-screen
output and multiple-field input; validation of input with a single
COBOL statement
- Enhanced file
I/O with additional-line-sequential organization to handle text
files
- Level 78 named literals
- BEFORE/AFTER ADVANCING clause supported in WRITE statements for line sequential files.
- INITVALUE option allows you to specify the default initial value for data items that do not have a VALUE phrase.
- Hexadecimal numeric literals (H”xx”)
- COB_ALLOC_MEMORY, COB_FREE_MEMORY, and COB_EXIT_PROCESS supported
- External file handler interface supported.
NetCOBOL Compiler Options
NetCOBOL supports a rich set of options that allow you to configure various behaviors such as controlling features of the object code, whether to insert debug-assisting checks in the code and output listing formats. Options added in the latest release:
- MAP option adds memory map information to the output listing, useful when analyzing memory dumps
- Supports
multi-threaded applications.
- Run-time libraries
for initial threads - The run-time libraries for initial threads
are provided for Solaris 2.5.1 or later. COBOL applications linked
with these libraries can be run on initial threads.
- COBOL program line numbers are included in runtime messages making it easier to locate errors.
- Severity of runtime messages to be issued can be specified, and runtime messages can be written to syslog. Helps you to tailor the message system to the operational environment.
- Readability of runtime messages improved
- System ensures runtime messages are displayed even if there are errors in the environment settings that might otherwise prevent the messages being displayed.
- Memory check function available for tracking down memory corruptions within COBOL programs
- Option to output environment variable settings to a file – helpful when debugging applications
- KOL6 form overlays, created using Windows PowerFORM, can be printed on Solaris systems without having PowerFORM RTS installed
- With the PowerFORM RTS installed JPEG, PNG, TIFF(LZW compress form), and GIF are supported in PowerFORM reports/overlays.
Special Runtime
Features
- Supports multi-threaded applications.
- Run-time libraries for initial threads - The run-time libraries for initial threads are provided for Solaris 2.5.1 or later. COBOL applications linked with these libraries can be run on initial threads.
Project Manager (COBOL
Development Environment)
The COBOL Project
Manager is a utility that supports NetCOBOL application development
and maintenance and consists of a set of tools running on X Window.
It provides:
- Configurable IDE
- Project tree structures
- COBOL program editor
- Compile, Link, Build functions
- Double-click location of compilation errors
- MAKE function
- Source analysis with Grep
- Code coverage
- Application packing
- Support for
WYSIWYG character-mode screen designer
- Remote
development from Windows workstations (requires NetCOBOL for Windows Enterprise Edition on
the client machine)
Interactive
Debugger
The debugger can work in either screen or line modes. Screen mode uses an X Window with the source code displayed.
Line mode uses a TTY terminal, using commands and displayed messages
to control the debugging session.
- Setting/removing complex breakpoints
- Displaying
variables
- Watch data windows
- Breakpoint window
- Calls window showing the call chain
- Passage count window for setting which statements should
be monitored for the number of times they have been exectued
- Stamp window for collecting code coverage information
- Recording and
playing back a debugging procedure to retest user's code
- Performing
batch debugging and automated debugging operations
- Tracing code
execution path
- Stepping over
and through statements
- Remote debugging from Windows
workstations (requires NetCOBOL for Windows Enterprise Edition on the client machine)
- IPv6 supported in the Remote Debug feature
Product and Online Manual Installation
- Use shell commands to install NetCOBOL package easily
- Can be installed and referenced on Microsoft Windows clients
Other V10 Enhancement Details
- High-speed file processing supported in the File Access Subroutines
- Named pipes can be used for file input and output – so programs communicating through intermediate files can, instead, be run in parallel communicating the data through named pipes.
- @CBR_FILE_BOM_READ specifies different ways of handling the Unicode byte order mark (BOM) in Line Sequential files. Options are:
- ensure the BOM in the line sequential file and program definition match
- treat the BOM as part of the data
- do either of the above depending on whether or not the file contains a BOM
- ACCEPT/DISPLAY statements support dummy files when input/output directed from/to a file
- PowerFORM Runtime adds:
- Option to output a trace log that stores PowerFORM usage information such as environment variable settings, form descriptors, printer information file, record data, output printer and fonts, and error information.
- Runtime errors recorded in the system event log.
Other Features (not listed above) Added to the V9 Release
- SYNCHRONIZED clause supported on group items
- CBL routines improved with notification of error details and support for DLOAD
- BINARY-CHAR,BINARY-SHORT,BINARY-LONG,BINARY-DOUBLE data usage types supported
- Sanitizing is supported in the Web programming subroutines. Makes it possible to counter cross-site scripting vulnerabilities of Web applications.
- Configure the date retrieved by COBOL applications in ACCEPT … FROM DATE statements and the CURRENT-DATE function, by using the @CBR_JOBDATE environment variable.
- Automated functions are provided for concatenating files and appending to existing files, by using the MOD and CONCAT options in the file-identifier environment variable.
- Support added to allow data to be appended to an existing file when DISPLAY statement output is directed to a file.
- COUNT information can be added to a file created for a previous execution
- USE FOR DEADLOCK procedures let you escape from deadlock situations.
- The compiler provides listings containing information on data areas by specifying the MAP option. Provides more information that is useful when debugging programs.
An In-Depth Look at NetCOBOL for SPARC Architecture
The following
sequence of screen captures lets you see the features of NetCOBOL
at work.
Project Manager
Configuration Management
NetCOBOL Editor
Building Applications
Debugging Applications
Designing Screens
COBOL File Utility
Using Prototype HTML
Points to watch
for in the NetCOBOL for SPARC Architecture walk-through include:
- Managing
sources and projects using Project Manager
- Integrated
configuration management
- Editor tailored
to NetCOBOL source code
- Debugging with control
- Screen designing
- COBOL File
Utility
- Simplified
HTML templates
Project Manager
Project Manager provides you with a central point for invoking
NetCOBOL tools and building your application. It provides for:
- Editing source
files
- Compiling programs
- Jumping to
compile errors
- Creating and
executing Make files
- Debugging programs
- Setting environment
variables
- Invoking other
NetCOBOL tools such as the Data Tools
- Adding other
tools to the Project Manager menu system to tailor the environment
to your needs
Configuration Management
With PowerGEM you set up
libraries to store updates to sources and objects. When you map
folders to these libraries, the NetCOBOL tools recognize that the
stored file types are controlled. Changes can only be made to files
that the user has checked out.
NetCOBOL Editor
Fujitsu's COBOL editor:
- Provides editing
functions
- Integrates
with other NetCOBOL tools such as the Project Manager
Building Applications
Programming-Staff has a build
function that:
- Constructs
a make file
- Only uses changed
components
- Displays a
summary of results
- Takes you to
build errors (shown below)
- Builds modules
or entire projects
Debugging Applications
The NetCOBOL Debugger is a full-function, source code debugger.
Some of the features available are:
- Source window
(shown below)
- Watch data
window (shown below)
- Break window
- User program
standard I/O window (shown below)
- Passage count
window
- Stamp window
(for recording timing information)
Designing Screens
SCREEN-DESIGNER is a utility that
gives you the ability to design and create screens you and users
will see and use. Its allows you to:
- Design screens
interactively based on screen display images
- Generate COBOL
source code for a SCREEN SECTION
COBOL File Utility
The COBOL File Utility manipulates
files without using COBOL programs. It can be used in both screen
and command modes. The COBOL File Utility has functions that allow
you to:
- Convert a text
file to a variable length sequential file and vice versa
- Create or expand
a sequential, relative, or indexed file from a sequential file
and vice versa
- Display the
contents of records
- Print the contents
of records
- Edit a record
(shown below)
- Expand a file
- Sort records
according to a key and output them to a variable length sequential
file
- Display the
attribute of an indexed file
- Recover an
indexed file
- Reorganize
an unused area of an indexed file
Using Prototype HTML
Part of the NetCOBOL CGI
support is the prototype HTML feature. This reduces the programming
burden when you need to output HTML to Internet clients.
The Debugger and
Editor windows shown below show standard HTML (in the Editor) with
a prototype variable inserted ("//COBOL//GET-TEXT//COBOL//") and
the lines required (in the Debugger) to set the prototype variable
to the string to be displayed (in this case "NetCOBOL").
Platforms Supported
- Sun Sparc Solaris®
Version 2.6
- Sun Sparc Solaris®
Version 7 (32 and 64 bit)
- Sun Sparc Solaris®
Version 8 (32 and 64 bit)
- Sun Sparc Solaris®
Version 9 (32 and 64 bit)
- Sun Sparc Solaris®
Version 10 (32 and 64 bit)
Print files
created with NetCOBOL for Sparc® Architecture require Postscript
Level 1 printers/printer drivers. PowerFORM print files require
Postscript Level 2 printers/printer drivers.
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