COBOL Manual for TNS/E Programs (H06.03+)

Procedure Division
HP COBOL Manual for TNS/E Programs—520347-003
8-56
Simple Conditions
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When the nonnumeric operand is either an elementary data item or a
nonnumeric literal, the numeric operand is handled as though it were
moved to an elementary alphanumeric data item, and the value of this item
were then compared to the nonnumeric operand. The size of this
conceptual data item is the same as the number of digit positions in the
numeric operand. The numeric operand is handled as if it were an
unsigned integer; therefore any sign or assumed decimal point is deleted
by the conceptual move, and no COMPUTATIONAL items are converted to
usage DISPLAY.
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When the nonnumeric operand is a data structure, the numeric operand is
handled as though it were moved to a data structure, and the value of this
item were then compared to the nonnumeric operand. The size of this
conceptual data item is the same as the number of character positions
occupied by the numeric operand. Because the operand is handled as if it
were alphanumeric, the sign of the numeric operand (if any) is not deleted
by the conceptual move, and no COMPUTATIONAL usage items are
converted to DISPLAY usage.
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Operand size
The size of an operand is the total number of characters it contains. Operands
can be of equal or unequal size.
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Operands of equal size
If the operands are of equal size, the process compares characters in
corresponding character positions, starting with the leftmost character
position and continuing until it either encounters a pair of unequal
characters or exhausts the operands. The process determines that the
operands are equal if all character pairs in the operands are equal;
otherwise, the process compares the first pair of unequal characters it
encounters to determine their relative position in the collating sequence
active for the comparison. The operand that contains the character that has
a higher position in the collating sequence is considered to be the greater
operand.
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Operands of unequal size
If the operands are of unequal size, comparison proceeds as though the
shorter operand were extended on the right by sufficient spaces to make
the operands of equal size.
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Index-Name and Index Data Item Comparisons
Relation tests can be made between these operands:
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Two index-names
The result is the same as if the corresponding occurrence numbers were
compared.