COBOL Manual for TNS/E Programs (H06.08+, J06.03+)

If the value of pointer is not NULL and is not the address of memory obtained by ALLOCATE,
execution terminates with an error.
Usage Considerations:
• Use only when the STANDARD 2002 directive is in effect.
• Freeing memory addressed by a BASED item
The ALLOCATE statement can assign an address to either the implicit pointer of a BASED item
or a USAGE POINTER item. The FREE statement can free memory only from a USAGE POINTER
data item. To free memory addressed only by a BASED item, you must first transfer the address
to a USAGE POINTER item using the SET statement.
• Compatible with the malloc() function
The FREE statement is compatible with the C Run-Time Library function malloc() and related
functions. A pointer to memory allocated by a C-language routine calling malloc() can be
passed to the FREE statement to release the memory.
GO TO
One of several procedures, depending on the value of a variable data item
Unconditional GO TO
Unconditional GO TO passes control to the beginning of a paragraph or section in the current
program.
procedure-name
is the name of the procedure (paragraph or section) to which the process transfers control. If
no procedure-name is present, the process must execute an ALTER statement naming the
procedure before it executes the GO TO statement to set the destination procedure-name.
NOTE: The 1985 COBOL standard classifies ALTER as obsolete, so you are advised not to
use it, and therefore, not to use unconditional GO TO without procedure-name.
Usage Considerations:
• Declarative and Nondeclarative Procedures
A GO TO statement in a declarative procedure (a procedure in the Declaratives Portion of
the Procedure Division) cannot refer to a nondeclarative procedure (a procedure in the other
portion of the Procedure Division). A GO TO statement in a nondeclarative procedure cannot
refer to a declarative procedure.
• Debugging and Nondebugging Declarative Procedures
A GO TO statement in a debugging declarative procedure (a declarative procedure introduced
by a USE DEBUGGING statement) cannot refer to a nondebugging declarative procedure. A
GO TO statement in a nondebugging declarative procedure cannot refer to a debugging
declarative procedure.
334 Procedure Division Verbs