Re: COBOL 101 Question

[MichaelQuigley@xxxxxxxxxx]

cobol400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote on 06/04/2008 10:39:39 AM:

> ----- Message from "Jim Essinger" <dilbernator@xxxxxxxxx> on Tue, 3 
> Jun 2008 12:02:25 -0600 -----
>
> To:
>
> "COBOL Programming on the iSeries/AS400" <cobol400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> Subject:
>
> Re: [COBOL400-L] COBOL 101 Question
>
> Robert,
        .        .        .
        .        .        .
        .        .        .
>  . . . . I'm not
> sure what you get for date and time datatype fields.
>
> HTH
>
> Jim

Here's the text from the ILE COBOL Language Reference:
"The INITIALIZE statement sets selected categories of data fields to 
predetermined values. It is functionally equivalent to one or more MOVE 
statements."

Then in the syntax diagram which follows, the following categories are 
referred to:
ALPHABETIC
ALPHANUMERIC
NUMERIC
NUMERIC-EDITED
DBCS
DBCS-EDITED
NATIONAL

As Tom noted, any values clause is overridden by the default for the 
category--e.g., alpha and alphanumeric to spaces, numeric to zeroes, etc. 
You can specify a different value for a data category using the REPLACING 
phrase.

I've used the initialize statement for years to initialize complex group 
items consisting of a mix of other group items and elementary items, 
tables, etc.  It's a wonderful and powerful statement--although not a 
direct correspondence to the RPG RESET opcode.

Michael Quigley
Computer Services
The Way International
www.TheWay.org