Highlights

• Highest performance and reliability
• No COBOL runtime license charges!
• Standards Compliant (Full ANSI Standard COBOL X3.23 1985)
• Compatible with VS COBOL II, OS/VS COBOL and Micro Focus COBOL
• Embedded SQL Preprocessor with ODBC support, with USE FOR DEADLOCK procedures for escaping from database deadlock situations
• CGI, ISAPI and SAF support subroutines
• Converts data between COBOL data files and XML
• Creates and works with COM/DCOM objects
• COBOL objects invokable from Active Server Pages®
• Provides Web Application Wizard for creating Web applications
• Full-function GUI COBOL Integrated Development Environment (Edit, Compile, and Debug)
• Supports multi-threaded execution
• Provides event logging, trouble-shooting information on abends and just-in-time debugging
• Supports Unicode application development.
  
  

A sophisticated data file editor is also included. It supports all COBOL data file types and provides editing, conversion, printing, sorting, test data generation, reorganizing, and recovery facilities.

NetCOBOL ships with sample COBOL applications that cover a wide array of NetCOBOL compiler functions. Additional samples can be downloaded from the Download Center.

Detailed Features and Benefits

NetCOBOL for Windows contains tools and utilities covering the full spectrum of COBOL programming needs. The tables below list key features and benefits for each of these components.

Key Features of NetCOBOL
NetCOBOL Compiler
Object-oriented COBOL
Debugging
Data Tools
Web Support
Oracle® Web Cartridge

An In-Depth Look at NetCOBOL

The following sequence of screen captures lets you see the features of NetCOBOL at work.

NetCOBOL Project Manager
COBOL Editor
Building Applications
Debugging Applications
Using Prototype HTML
Object-oriented COBOL Syntax
Class Browser

Points to watch for in the NetCOBOL walk-through include:

• Managing sources and projects using the project tree-view
• Integrated configuration management
• Editor tailored to NetCOBOL source code
• Debugging with control and visibility
• Simplified HTML output
• Continued evolution of NetCOBOL with object-oriented syntax

COBOL Project Manager

NetCOBOL provides you with the COBOL Project Manager - an environment from which you can control your development tasks. The Project Manager:

• Encourages you to structure your applications.
• Provides a project tree structure.
• Builds applications.
• Invokes other development tools.
• Can be customized to invoke other tools.

The following screen capture shows most of the elements that can be included in a project tree

COBOL Editor
Fujitsu's COBOL Editor:

• Provides full editing functions.
• Understands the layout of COBOL programs.
• Colors reserved words and comments for better readability.
• Integrates with other NetCOBOL tools such as the COBOL Project Manager.
• Invokes the COBOL compiler.

Building Applications
The COBOL Project Manager has a build function that:

• Constructs a make file.
• Only uses changed components.
• Displays a summary of results (shown below).
• Takes you to build errors.
• Builds modules or entire projects.
• Also provides a function for creating lists of projects to be built at the same time.

Debugging Applications
The COBOL Debugger is a full-function debugging tool that can:

• Display the actual source file.
• Color source code for easy readability.
• Make breakpoints visible (line highlighted in red).
• Break execution when a data item changes value (see status bar and COBW3-COOKIE-NAME in the Watch Data window).
• List active programs in the Program List window.

In addition, the "Datatip" feature displays data values when the pointer hovers over a data name (in the following screen capture, the I-bar pointer is over PROGRAM-STATUS and the datatip shows the value contained in that item).

Using Prototype HTML
Part of the NetCOBOL CGI, ISAPI and SAF 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 in the following screen capture show standard HTML (in the Editor) with three conversion values inserted ("//COBOL//xxxxx//COBOL//") and the three lines required (shown in the Debugger) to set one of the three conversion values to the string to be displayed (in this case "00125").

Object-oriented COBOL Syntax

NetCOBOL comes with syntax and tools to support object-oriented programming. Concepts such as classes, inheritance, data encapsulation through methods, code reuse by overriding certain methods and separated developments by using method prototypes, form natural extensions to COBOL.

Class Browser

One of the strengths of an OO system is the ability to reuse code. The Class Browser helps you explore existing class structures. Some of the information shown in the following screen capture includes:

• Disclosed classes
• Parent classes
• Object methods
• Property get and set methods
• Inherited methods (Factory and object)
• Arguments for the selected method (shown in the right-hand window pane)

COBOL on the Internet? You bet! With NetCOBOL's Internet support packages you can enable your applications for the web using a simple set of function calls.

Note that you will need the Enterprise Edition to distribute applications that use ASP, ISAPI and the Server (i.e. multi-threaded) run-time.

Web Support from Active Server Pages (ASP) By creating COM or DCOM objects using NetCOBOL you can invoke COBOL code directly from Active Server Pages. This way you can quickly use existing code and/or skills to create or enhance the highly used ASPs.

Web Support with CGI, ISAPI and SAF NetCOBOL comes with support packages for COBOL CGI (Common Gateway Interface), COBOL ISAPI (Internet Server Application Programming Interface) and COBOL SAF (Server Application Functions for Netscape Enterprise Server). These packages contain a set of subroutines that can be called from COBOL programs running on Internet servers. These subroutines make it possible for the COBOL programs to act as CGI scripts, ISAPI or NSAPI (Netscape Server Application Programming Interface) extensions - accepting input from Internet clients, performing normal COBOL logic and data processing, constructing variable HTML output, and sending the output back to the client, optionally requesting further input.

CGI, ISAPI and SAF Subroutines The subroutines are simple and straightforward to use, yet cover all the functions required for CGI, ISAPI and SAF programming, namely:

• Retrieve values entered,
• Output HTML line-by-line or in blocks, and
• Execute commands.

The routines are compatible so that CGI applications can be converted into ISAPI or SAF applications with only a few minor modifications (required because of the different ways CGI, ISAPI and SAF work).

Prototype HTML
A key feature of the subroutines is the "Prototype HTML" concept. In this you create the bulk of your output HTML using normal HTML authoring tools, then place "//COBOL//" variable marker strings in the HTML. At execution time you use some of the subroutine calls to replace the variable marker strings with the actual text or HTML to be output. The subroutines do the work of transmitting the HTML to the client through CGI, ISAPI or SAF. You also have the option of assembling several Prototype HTML files to create a single output page

Benefits of Prototype HTML

The benefits of Prototype HTML are that:

• You do not build a lot of HTML intelligence into your COBOL programs,
• You do not have to have a lot of HTML expertise yourself, and
• The amount of code required to output HTML is reduced.

Debugging Web Programs
As you can see from the above screen capture, debugging CGI scripts, Internet Server applications, Netscape Enterprise Server applications, or ASP supporting code, is just like debugging any other COBOL program. You use the "attach debugger" feature to bring up the debugger when the COBOL code is invoked on the server, then step through the code as it receives, processes and responds to the Web parameter input. (Note that Internet server products generally need configuration to allow the COBOL server session to interact with a user.)

Create Web-based Applications
The NetCOBOL Internet support packages and the "prototype HTML" feature make it easy to build dynamic web sites with the power of COBOL. Database access and business logic can all be done in familiar COBOL.

Integrating with Visual Basic

You can seamlessly and transparently connect to a variety of Microsoft tools with the NetCOBOL suite of products including Access™, ActiveX®, COM/DCOM, SQL Server, Transaction Server, and Visual Basic®. And you can access DLLs you create in NetCOBOL from any of Microsoft’s development languages.

NetCOBOL’s support of Transaction Server and COM/DCOM architecture lets your COBOL logic run as part of the client code, the local server code, or the remote server code. You can still embed SQL statements in your COBOL code, but with our extended ODBC support, you can now access even more databases than ever before.

Using NetCOBOL with Visual Basic allows you to access COBOL logic from Visual Basic, where you can make dynamic calls to COBOL. Passing data between Visual Basic and NetCOBOL is easy. You can also use Visual Basic to add GUIs to your COBOL applications. A particularly useful feature is that you can debug your Visual Basic and COBOL code at the same time. The debuggers run in separate windows so you can watch the execution flow as it switches between the two languages.

For more information about NetCOBOL and Visual Basic, you can access the following white papers: Best of GUI. Best of COBOL. Accessing COBOL Programs from Visual Basic. (This file is a 218 kb PDF. If you would like to download it rather than view it in your browser, please right click on the link and select "Save As" and download it to your computer.); and NetCOBOL and Microsoft® Visual Basic®.

Data Access Options

In today's application environment an organization's data can be stored in a wide variety of databases, spreadsheets or file systems. NetCOBOL provides support for a large number of databases and data access techniques so that your applications can access the data they require.

Data Access Using the COBOL File System
NetCOBOL supports the full range of COBOL files*:

• Sequential
• Line Sequential
• Relative
• Indexed

*For both fixed and variable length formats.

The Data Converter tool extends this range by supporting conversion to and from CSV format (Comma Separated Values - a data exchange format supported by most spreadsheets and databases), and conversion to and from EBCDIC, giving the option of using mainframe-based files.

Data Access Using Embedded SQL
NetCOBOL supports embedded SQL ("EXEC SQL ...") connecting to the following databases:

• SQL Server
• Oracle
• Informix
• Sybase
• Any ODBC-compliant database

Data Access Using ODBC
ODBC databases can be accessed using:

• Embedded SQL (indicated above)
• The PowerCOBOL ODBC control

Data Access Using OLE
NetCOBOL supplies a special OLE class along with a mapping of COBOL data types to OLE data types. This makes accessing OLE data from COBOL applications a straightforward process.

Data Access Using DDE
The DDE control in PowerCOBOL and its supporting methods makes available the data from any application that provides a DDE server.

Data Access Using Microsoft's ActiveX Data Objects (ADO)
The ADODataSource control in PowerCOBOL provides access to the many properties, methods and events supplied in Microsoft's ActiveX Data Objects. These objects can greatly enhance what you can do with ODBC databases.

Data Access Using the Excel Connection
The ExcelConnection control in PowerCOBOL provides specific methods of accessing and updating Microsoft Excel data.

Platforms Supported

• Microsoft® Windows® Vista®
• Microsoft® Windows® XP
• Microsoft® Windows® Server 2003
• Microsoft® Windows® Server 2008
• Microsoft® Windows® Server 2003, Standard x64 Edition
• Microsoft® Windows® Server 2003, Enterprise x64 Edition
• Microsoft® Windows® Server 2003 R2, Standard x64 Edition
• Microsoft® Windows® Server 2003 R2, Enterprise x64 Edition

Frequently Asked Questions

Choosing NetCOBOL for Windows

1. What are the main benefits of upgrading to NetCOBOL Version 10?
2. There appears to be a lot of value in the NetCOBOL package, yet your prices seem to be a lot lower than your competitors? What's the catch?
3. The choice of COBOL vendor is a long-term strategic decision for my company. I've only recently heard of NetCOBOL, how can I be sure that NetCOBOL will be around in 5 year's time?
4. Isn't everyone moving on from COBOL? Why are Alchemy Solutions and Fujitsu apparently putting a lot of effort into COBOL?
5. Why did Fujitsu add object-oriented programming features to COBOL?
6. What are the resource requirements for NetCOBOL Version 10 and PowerCOBOL?

Using NetCOBOL for Windows

7. How quickly can I apply my COBOL knowledge to Windows programming?
8. How do I get started using NetCOBOL?
9. How do I debug a mixed PowerCOBOL and NetCOBOL application?
10. Can I create software that runs on Window 3.1, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000, and Windows NT?
11. What packaging options are available for NetCOBOL and PowerCOBOL applications? Are there any guidelines for packaging in client/server environments?
12. How much disk space does the NetCOBOL run-time support occupy on the user's machine?
    

Using NetCOBOL for Windows with Data Bases

13. Can I access SQL databases?
14. What databases have been tested with NetCOBOL?
15. Can I access Oracle and other databases with native SQL calls?
16. Will other databases work with NetCOBOL?
17. Where can I get the ODBC Driver for my database?
18. Does NetCOBOL support Btrieve files?

Migrating from Micro Focus COBOL

19. I have applications created with Micro Focus COBOL, are there going to be many issues when I convert them to NetCOBOL?
20. Are the Micro Focus Call-by-Name (CBL_) routines supported in NetCOBOL?
21. How do I find out more about converting my Micro Focus code to NetCOBOL?
    

Product Features

22. What is the difference between PowerCOBOL and NetCOBOL?
23. Does NetCOBOL support "make" file functionality (automated compiles and links)?
24. What's the difference between PowerFORM and Crystal Reports?
25. What are the report printing options under COBOL and PowerFORM?
26. What kind of documentation and books are provided?
27. Can I search the books?
28. Can I buy printed manuals?

1. What are the main benefits of upgrading to NetCOBOL Version 10?

2. There appears to be a lot of value in the NetCOBOL package, yet your prices seem to be a lot lower than your competitors? What's the catch?

Answer: We believe that COBOL programmers deserve a reasonably priced COBOL compiler with high performance, unmatched reliability, superior scalability, and royalty free COBOL run-times.

Our business model is very different from other COBOL vendors. We believe that the price of a COBOL compiler and associated development tools should be competitive with the price of compilers and tools for other programming languages.

We are extremely committed to the COBOL market and always try to put the needs of COBOL programmers first. We believe that it's the key for earning your respect and building a long-term mutually beneficial business partnership.

3. The choice of COBOL vendor is a long-term strategic decision for my company. I've only recently heard of NetCOBOL, how can I be sure that NetCOBOL will be around in 5 year's time?

Answer: Fujitsu has been developing COBOL compilers for over 40 years and is the world’s leading vendor of Microsoft Windows-based COBOL compilers and development tools with over 10,000 mainframe, 300,000 midrange, and 80,000 PC sites.

Consider how well the NetCOBOL technology fits in the Windows environment: seamless integration with Visual Basic, Visual C++ and Web development technologies; creation of COM/DCOM objects; and, with NetCOBOL for .NET, fully integrated with the .NET architecture; – all these demonstrate committed design and long-term thinking.

NetCOBOL has a long and successful history of supporting industrial-quality applications. It has the backing of a solid company, Fujitsu, committed to growth in the global market. How many COBOL vendors can you name that have comparable credentials for taking COBOL into the 21st Century?

4. Isn't everyone moving on from COBOL? Why are Alchemy Solutions and Fujitsu apparently putting a lot of effort into COBOL?

Answer: The majority of the world's business applications are still written in COBOL. No one has found a silver-bullet solution for replacing these applications over night, and it does not look likely that this will happen in the next few years. There is therefore a massive investment in both COBOL programs and COBOL programmers that needs to be supported.

COBOL continues to provide the solutions that businesses need. Many companies that have taken excursions into 4 GL's, C, VB, C++, Java, and other "latest trend" solutions, are realizing that although each of these new developments have their benefits they also have their downside in leaving a legacy that is tough to handle. COBOL is designed for easy maintainability and has been around long enough to be supported by many maintenance tools. It is still the best business-logic language for the long-term.

5. Why did Fujitsu add object-oriented programming features to COBOL?

Answer:Fujitsu implemented support for OO extensions as part of its efforts of supporting the international COBOL standards. Studies show that information hiding and encapsulation are the best tactics for obtaining code reuse. These features are implicit in OO programming and Fujitsu recognizes the importance many of its customers place on being able to gain greater return on their investments by reusing their code. The early support for OO syntax made a big difference to the development of NetCOBOL for .NET which was able to take advantage of many of the OO COBOL constructs to give access to the exceptionally rich .NET framework collection of classes.

6. What are the resource requirements for NetCOBOL Version 10 and PowerCOBOL?

Answer: NetCOBOL for Windows will operate on any computer with at least the minimum resources required by the operating system and the following available hard disk space:

610 MB to install NetCOBOL Enterprise Edition

7. How quickly can I apply my COBOL knowledge to Windows programming?

Answer: Immediately. PowerCOBOL can have you creating GUI's in minutes and you will find that NetCOBOL comes with all the tools to make you feel very comfortable in the Windows environment.

8. How do I get started using NetCOBOL?

Answer: The NetCOBOL Getting Started Guide – Chapter 1, A Quick Tour, is a good place to start. We recommend that you print out this chapter. This provides step by step instructions on using NetCOBOL.

9. How do I debug a mixed PowerCOBOL and NetCOBOL application?

Answer: The NetCOBOL Debugging Guide - Chapter 3 describes debugging mixed PowerCOBOL and NetCOBOL applications.

10. Can I create software that runs on Window 3.1, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000, and Windows NT?

Answer: Versions of NetCOBOL and its predecessor, Fujitsu COBOL, have enabled applications to be created for these versions of Windows. However, as Microsoft has withdrawn support for most of them, and we no longer claim to support them, we would not recommend that you attempt to build applications for those operating systems using NetCOBOL for Windows.

11. What packaging options are available for NetCOBOL and PowerCOBOL applications? Are there any guidelines for packaging in client/server environments?

Answer: The preferred mechanism for deploying NetCOBOL applications is to construct your own installer using any of the commonly available msi-based installation building tools, such as WiX (http://wix.sourceforge.net/), InstallShield (http://www.installshield.com), or Visual Studio itself and then to include appropriate Microsoft Merge Modules (sometimes known by their file extension of .msm) for NetCOBOL runtime components into your installer. The Microsoft Merge Modules are available from the Downloads area of this site.

Another alternative is to use NetCOBOL Application Distribution Kits that provide a “wrapper” to help you create an installation package. Note, however, that this technology has been deprecated because it is not supported under Microsoft Windows Vista operating systems. The Application Distribution Kits are also available from the Downloads area of this site along with a Run-time Installation Guide that provides greater detail about these options.

12. How much disk space does the NetCOBOL run-time support occupy on the user's machine?

Answer: The space occupied by the NetCOBOL run-time, depends on which components you use in your application as follows:

It is also possible to set up the run-time support so that it resides on a LAN server and the Setup on the client's machine only updates the necessary registry settings. If this is of interest to you, contact our Support group.

13. Can I access SQL databases?

Answer: Yes – using any ODBC compatible database or Oracle’s Pro*COBOL.
If you want to bring VSAM data to SQL Server without having to change your COBOL code, consider using NeoData with NetCOBOL for .NET..

14. What databases have been tested with NetCOBOL?

Answer: NetCOBOL for Windows Version 9 has been verified with: Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, Pervasive.SQL and Symfoware. See the Related Products section of the “NetCOBOL V10 Software Release Guide” in the Online Manuals set for full details.

Earlier versions (with essentially identical behavior) were also tested with: Sybase SQL Anywhere and Informix.

15. Can I access Oracle and other databases with native SQL calls?

Answer: Yes. Fujitsu verifies NetCOBOL for Windows with the published operations for the following combinations.

	Precompiler	Database
	Pro*COBOL R8.1.6 or Pro*COBOL R1.8.51	Oracle8i Enterprise Edition R8.1.6
	Pro*COBOL R8.1.7 or Pro*COBOL R1.8.52	Oracle8i Enterprise Edition R8.1.7
	Pro*COBOL R9.0.1 or Pro*COBOL R1.8.76	Oracle9i Database Enterprise Edition Release1 (R9.0.1)
	Pro*COBOL R9.2.0 or Pro*COBOL R1.8.77	Oracle9i Database Enterprise Edition Release2 (R9.2.0)
	Pro*COBOL R10.1.0	Oracle10g Database Enterprise Edition (R10.1.0)
	Pro*COBOL R10.2.0.1.0	Oracle10g Database Enterprise Edition Release1   (10.2.0)
	Pro*COBOL R11.1.0.1	Oracle 11g Database Enterprise Edition (11.1.0)

The built in support for EXEC SQL statements is designed to work with ODBC interfaces. Provided your database supports ODBC you should be able to access it directly from your NetCOBOL program. Using SQL and ODBC is described in “Getting Started” and the “User’s Guide”.

16. Will other databases work with NetCOBOL?

Answer: Any database that can be accessed via ODBC should work.

17. Where can I get the ODBC Driver for my database?

Answer: The vendor who supplied the database. NetCOBOL does not provide ODBC drivers.

18. Does NetCOBOL support Btrieve files?

Answer: Yes, to work with Btrieve files, specify the BTRV option on the file specification. This is set in the Run-time Environment Setup Tool. For example, INFILE=C:\MYFILE,BTRV

19. I have applications created with Micro Focus COBOL, are there going to be many issues when I convert them to NetCOBOL?

Answer: As with any inter-vendor or inter-machine conversion the key question is how closely have you followed standard COBOL? The more vendor-specific syntax and routines you have used, the more issues you are likely to have to deal with. Our staff would be happy to discuss your likely conversion needs with you and, if you are likely to need specialist assistance, put you in touch with companies experienced in helping people make the move from Micro Focus to NetCOBOL. Send an email to cobol@netcobol.com to initiate the discussion.

20.Are the Micro Focus Call-by-Name (CBL_) routines supported in NetCOBOL?

Answer: NetCOBOL contains support for the Micro Focus CBL_ routines. The documentation for these routines is contained in the CBL Subroutines User's Guide, provided in Acrobat .PDF format with the product.

21. How do I find out more about converting my Micro Focus code to NetCOBOL?

Answer: Send an email to cobol@netcobol.com to initiate a dialog on your Micro Focus conversion needs – let us know the best phone number to use and times to call.

22. What is the difference between PowerCOBOL and NetCOBOL?

Answer: PowerCOBOL is a GUI Builder that allows COBOL programmers to create Windows applications. PowerCOBOL uses an event-driven programming model like Visual Basic but all the programming is done in COBOL.

"NetCOBOL" is sometimes used to describe the compiler used to create batch and character mode (DISPLAY/ACCEPT and Screen Section) applications. It is possible to create mixed PowerCOBOL and NetCOBOL applications.

With PowerCOBOL, you can create and use ActiveX controls.

23. Does NetCOBOL support "make" file functionality (automated compiles and links)?

Answer: Yes, The NetCOBOL Project Manager has a simple facility to automate compiles. Please refer to the NetCOBOL User’s Guide - Chapter 6, Project Manager, for more information. Most of the sample programs are built with project files that utilize this facility, so you can also familiarize yourself with it by building and executing the sample programs.

25. What's the difference between PowerFORM and Crystal Reports?

Answer: Crystal Reports is a tool designed for creating reports from existing data. Its primary goal is to help cope with the situation in which users want reports created in a short time frame. PowerFORM is designed to help create reports from within COBOL applications. PowerFORM reports are more likely to be long-lived than those created with Crystal Reports. Because you write PowerFORM reports in a very similar manner to other COBOL reports, PowerFORM can be a great tool for enhancing the appearance of existing reports, or replacing pre-printed forms with PowerFORM designs.

25. What are the report printing options under COBOL and PowerFORM?

Answer: There are two ways to print reports using NetCOBOL: COBOL syntax and PowerFORM.

With COBOL syntax, fixed pitch and proportional fonts are all printed with a fixed pitch. This may not always look the best when proportional fonts are used.

PowerFORM prints reports in a WYSIWYG format.

Also, you should note that MSLineDraw is the equivalent to a "native DOS" print. Another alternative is to write to a file, and print that. These alternatives should be considered if it appears that Windows print drivers (which COBOL uses) are getting in the way of a simple print that "used to work under DOS".

26. What kind of documentation and books are provided?

Answer: All the books and manuals are provided in Adobe Acrobat softcopy form on the CD, or in HTML form for some new manuals. After you install the softcopy documentation, you can view and search all of the softcopy documentation by selecting Online Documentation in the Fujitsu NetCOBOL V10 group/sub-menu.

27. Can I search the books?

Answer: Yes, you simply use the Adobe Reader Search function.

28. Can I buy printed manuals?

Answer: No. The availability of printed manuals was discontinued after NetCOBOL for Windows Version 6. The Version 10 manuals are formatted for 8.5" x 11" pages (with margins set so the text will also fit comfortably on A4 pages) so printing off your own copy of manuals or sections of manuals is convenient.

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