COBOL Manual for TNS/E Programs (H06.08+, J06.03+)
More information:
SourcesRecord Levels
Records (page 79)01-49
Descriptions That Rename Items (Level 66)66
Independent Data Item Description Entries and Descriptions of Noncontiguous Elementary
Items (Level 77)
77
Descriptions of Condition-Names for Values (Level 88)88
Independent Data Item Description Entries
An independent data item description entry is a set of one or more data description entries. The
first entry must have level number 77. Each additional entry has either the special level number
88 (to define condition-names associated with values of the level-77 item) or both the level number
77 and the REDEFINES clause (to make it a redefinition of the preceding level-77 item). Level-77
items are discussed at length in Descriptions of Noncontiguous Elementary Items (Level 77).
Example 34 Level-77 Description Entries
77 BUFFER PIC X(132).
77 ARTIFACT PIC X(10).
88 CONTAINER VALUES ARE "JAR" "AMPHORA" "CANISTER".
88 WEAPON VALUES ARE "SPEAR" "BOW" "KNIFE" "MISSILE".
77 LOCATION PIC X(30).
77 OFFICE PIC X(25) REDEFINES LOCATION.
88 LOCAL VALUE IS "HEADQUARTERS".
88 NORTHEAST-USA VALUES ARE "ALLENTOWN" "NEW HAVEN"
"CAPE MAY" "WILMINGTON".
88 SOUTHEAST-USA VALUES ARE "ATLANTA" "MYRTLE BEACH"
There is no difference between a level-77 item and an elementary level-01 item, and the latter is
preferred.
File Section
The File Section defines the characteristics of the program’s files. Every file name described as a
data file (FD) or a sort-merge file (SD) in the File Section must be defined as the same type of file
in a corresponding file-control entry of the Environment Division. Conversely, every data file defined
in a file-control entry of the Environment Division must be described exactly once in an file description
entry of the File Section, and every sort-merge file defined in a file-control entry of the Environment
Division must be described exactly once in an sort-merge file description entry of the File Section.
The storage space in the File Section is limited because it is allocated in the lower 64 KB of user
data space.
154 Data Division