Pathway/iTS SCREEN COBOL Reference Manual (H06.10+, J06.03+)

Data Division
HP NonStop Pathway/iTS SCREEN COBOL Reference Manual—426750-003
5-48
Field-Characteristic Clauses
character-string
can take the same form as that described in the data description entry with the
following exceptions:
•
The symbol S cannot appear in the picture.
•
Numeric edited forms and alphanumeric edited forms are allowed.
The maximum size allowed by the compiler is 255 bytes.
Generally, screen field input is edited in a manner that is inverse to normal editing
functions implied by the PICTURE clause. The input editing always correctly
reconverts a value, using the same PICTURE clause for input and output.
The input editing process is different for the two classes of the input item:
•
Alphanumeric input—Only the left-hand portion of the picture corresponding to
the actual number of input characters must be matched. The remaining portion
of the picture is ignored.
•
Numeric input—Leading and trailing spaces and fill characters are first
removed from the input data string. If there are only spaces in the input string
(this can occur when a terminal operator simply tabs from one field to the next),
the string is considered to indicate the value 0. Otherwise an attempt is made
to match each character in the picture with a character in the input data,
proceeding from right to left. If no match is made, the data is considered to be
in error.
Some picture symbols are special in that the positions they represent might be
omitted from the input data string. Symbols that can be included in this category
are Z, comma, multiple plus and minus signs, CR, DB, and multiple currency signs.
If a mismatch occurs with an input character of this type, and if a space would be
acceptable at that point in the input string, the data is not considered in error; the
picture symbol is replaced by a space, and the TCP attempts to match the input
character with the next picture symbol. Table 5 - 5
gives the description of these
character-string symbols.
Table 5-5. Screen Description Entry PICTURE Character-String
Symbols (page1of3)
Symbol Meaning
A Represents a character position for a letter of the alphabet or a space character.
If the character is not a letter or a space, it is flagged as an error.
B Represents a character position where a space must occur in the input. The
space is deleted during conversion into its associated data item. This character
should not be used as the rightmost character of a numeric picture because
trailing spaces are removed before conversion.
N Represents a double-byte character and is valid only in program units that
specify the KANJI-KATAKANA keyword in the CHARACTER-SET clause of the
OBJECT-COMPUTER paragraph in the Environment Division.