> COBOL 6.1 introduced a "feature" where VALUE clauses that are used for > initialization are flagged as errors.
This is not true. If an ILLEGAL VALUE clause is specified in the LINKAGE section, it always got a WARNING in older compilers that VALUE in LINKAGE has no effect. Now with V6, an ILLEGAL VALUE clause will get a severe error, and a legal VALUE clause in LINKAGE will get no message at all. Example of illegal VALUE clause (nonumeric value for numeric item): 77 silly PIC S9(9) BINARY VALUE 'goof'. *> Will get error in LINKAGE in V6 Legal value clause: 77 legal PIC S9(9) BINARY VALUE 1234. *> Will get no error in V6 > Ever since I began using COBL in the seventies, this would be treated as > warning. > Personally, I consider it bad form, but the compiler happily marched on. > We have a number of COPYBOOKs that are occasionally used in LINKAGE, and > these items have raised issues during recompiles. > Nothing terrible, but still a bump in the development road. > Are there any new features like this in COBOL 6.2? I don't think so! Cheers, TomR >> COBOL is the Language of the Future! << ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
