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

Data Division
HP NonStop Pathway/iTS SCREEN COBOL Reference Manual—426750-003
5-72
Clauses in Message Description Entry
MESSAGE FORMAT Clause
The MESSAGE FORMAT clause specifies the format of the data in the message. The
MESSAGE FORMAT clause can appear only at the 01 level and determines the format
of the entire record.
FIXED
indicates that the message is fixed length. This is the default format.
DELIMITED
indicates that the message is made up of varying-length fields and that each field
is terminated by a specified delimiter.
FIXED-DELIMITED
indicates that the message is made up of fixed-length fields and that each of these
fields is terminated by a specified delimiter.
VARYING1
indicates that the message is variable length with a one-byte count to specify the
actual number of characters (bytes) it contains. If the count is zero, the message
is empty. The maximum size for a message of VARYING1 format is 255 bytes.
VARYING2
indicates that the message is variable length with a two-byte count that specifies
the actual number of characters (bytes) it contains. If the count is zero, the
message is empty.
The following rules apply:
•
If you omit the MESSAGE FORMAT clause, the message format is FIXED.
•
The format you choose depends on the intelligent device. For instance, some
personal computers expect only fixed-length messages; other devices can handle
variable-length messages.
•
You must specify the maximum length of a variable-length message in the
PICTURE clause for the message.
°
For a single-field message there is only an 01 level data item. The PICTURE
clause in this 01 item specifies the maximum length of the message.
MESSAGE FORMAT [ IS ] { FIXED }
{ DELIMITED }
{ FIXED-DELIMITED }
{ VARYING1 }
{ VARYING2 }