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

delim-2

is the identifier of an alphanumeric data item or an alphanumeric literal. If it is a figurative

constant, it must represent a single character.

The delimiter delim-2 marks the end of a portion of the value of source. The value that the

unstring operation stores into a result item does not include the value of delim-2.

result-list

result

specifies the identifier of an alphanumeric, alphabetic, or numeric DISPLAY elementary

data item into which the unstring operation copies characters from source. If result

identifies a numeric data item, the PICTURE clause that describes it cannot contain any P

result cannot reference a special register.

An UNSTRING statement can have at most 127 result fields.

delimstore

is the identifier of an alphanumeric data item. You can only use the DELIMITER phrase when

you also use the DELIMITED phrase. The unstring operation copies the character or characters

of source that matched the delimiter specified in the DELIMITED phrase to delimstore.

delimstore cannot reference a special register.

count

is the identifier of an integer data item. You can only use the COUNT phrase when you

also use the DELIMITED phrase. The unstring operation stores in count the number of

characters it moved to result. If it did not move any characters, the unstring operation

does not alter the value of count, so you must initialize count to a known value if you

want to use it to determine whether the UNSTRING statement moved any characters to

result.

When the character-string from source is longer than result, the unstring operation

truncates it to fit into result, and stores into count the length source had before it

was truncated.

pointer

is the identifier of an integer data item. When you omit this phrase, the unstring operation

begins at the first character of the source data item. When you include this phrase, the

integer value in pointer specifies the position in the source data item where the unstring

operation begins. When the unstring operation completes, the integer value in pointer

specifies the position just beyond the last character processed by the unstring operation (delimiter

or portion copied to a result data item).

pointer must reference a data item that is capable of containing a numeric value equal to

one plus the size of the item referenced by source. pointer cannot reference a special

476 Procedure Division Verbs