Rocket® ACUCOBOL®

This article explains how to avoid having ENTRY-FIELD controls drawn incorrectly in a screen section. Problem: Starting with version 7.2.2 it is possible for ENTRY-FIELDS to be incorrectly displayed without an upper boarder. This behavior is caused by the combination of three events: The upgrade to runtime 7.2.2 from a previous version. A vertical size (LINES property) of the ENTRY-FIELD that is very thin (for example, less than 0,75 pixel or less than 1,10 cells). The ENTRY-FIELD is right justified using RIGHT property or using JUSTIFY_NUM_FIELDS environment variable set to TRUE. Resolution: There are several solutions to avoiding this behavior. One solution is to modify the code by resizing all the involved ENTRY-FIELDs. The amount of work that would be required in some cases may make this a non-viable solution. Another approach depends on whether or not the code can be recompiled. If recompiling is an option then use the -C71 com

This article explains how to resolve error 93 when accessing a file. Problem: When opening a file an error 93 is encountered saying: File locked by another user Resolution: There are three main causes of this error: Ungraceful exits. If the runtime exits in a manner that doesn't send a message to release the lock, the operating system will hold the lock until rebooted. On Windows Servers you can use the Administrative Tools > Computer Management > Shared Folders > Open Files to try to release locks on shared files. On UNIX/Linux copy the locked file to a different location, rename or delete the locked file and move the copied file back. For example: cp myfile ../myfile rm myfile mv ../myfile myfile Permissions problem. If the user has read-only permissions and the file is opened i-o this can cause the error 93. Other software having the file locked such as anti-virus or backup software. Inciden

The ACUCOBOL-GT runtime can manage different character sets other than the common Western European. Problem: Is it possible to use different character sets other than Western European in a COBOL graphical environment? Resolution: Yes, the ACUCOBOL-GT runtime enables you to change the locale of an application at runtime. When changing the character set, it is possible to accept and write into a Vision file characters that belong to different languages, such as Russian (Cyrillic), Greek, Turkish, Arabic and Hebrew. The attached program shows how to do this. Incident Number: 2351489 Attachments http://community.microfocus.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-wikis-components-files/00-00-00-01-22/0755.International.zip  Old KB# 14588

This article explains how to send a fax programmatically from a COBOL source program. Problem: Is it possible to send a fax directly from a COBOL program? Resolution: Yes. The attachment to this article includes a sample that explains how to feed a Windows Fax service with an addressee's information and fax number directly from a COBOL program. The sample then demonstrates sending the document to the fax queue. Requirements: Minimum Operating Systems are Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 Windows Fax service can be installed from the “Windows Components Wizard” interface panel (Control Panel / Add or Remove Programs / Add Remove Windows Components / Fax Services) This sample has been tested successfully with ACUCOBOL-GT runtimes 7.2.2 and 8.1.0 without any particular compiler options or runtime switches. Incident Number: 2283068 Attachments fax-from-cobol.zip Old KB# 14449

This article explains what to do when AcuXDBC gives the wrong date for a date mask that specifies only the year and month, YYYYMM. Problem: AcuXDBC supports incomplete date types. This feature is documented in Section 3.3.4 of the AcuXDBC User’s Guide as: "It is sometimes desirable to have incomplete date types, for example to have YYYYMM to simply store the year and month. AcuXDBC defaults the month and day to 1, so that incomplete types will be valid. Note that AcuXDBC can handle incomplete date types, but if you have a complete type and invalid date data, AcuXDBC cannot handle the date." However, if only a partial date mask is specified, the unspecified portion does not default to the correct value. For example, with a date mask of YYYYMM and data of 200810, the field might assume the value 2008-OCT-00 (which is not a valid date) instead of the correct value of 2008-OCT-01. Resolution: This is a known issue and has been fixed in Ver

This article describes how to use the WHEN directive to address this issue. Problem: A FILE SECTION field that is redefined by another field that is specified as a key, or part of a key, is not being added as a column in database tables. As an example, in the following FD the t_cod_tra and t_cgc_tra fields do not get created as table columns: fd trans_fil. 01 reg_tra. 05 t_cod-tra pic 9(03). 05 xt_cod_tra redefines t_cod_tra pic x(03). 05 t_nom_tra pic x(40). 05 t_end_tra pic x(40). 05 t_bai_tra pic x(25). 05 t_cep_tra pic 9(08). 05 t_mun_tra pic x(25). 05 t_uf_tra pic x(02). 05 t_tel_tra pic x(11). 05 t_col_tra pic x(11). 05 t_con_tra pic x(20). 05 t_mai_tra pic x(50). 05 t_cgc_tra

This article describes a possible computational error when using fractional exponents and describes a potential work around. Problem: Upgrading to version 7.x uncovered a computational error that occurs when executing iterative mathematical statements that involve exponentiation with fractional powers, such as square root. For example, executing the following statement in a loop 50 times could cause the resultant value of MY-CALC-INT-A to equal 1 instead of the correct value of 3. COMPUTE MY-CALC-INT-A ROUNDED = 9 ** 0.5 Resolution: Upgrade to version 8.x or higher. A potential work around is available, but requires code modifications to the existing COBOL program source. To utilize this work around, an ON SIZE ERROR phrase may be added to the COMPUTE statement. For example: COMPUTE MY-CALC-INT-A ROUNDED = 9 ** 0.5 ON SIZE ERROR … Incident Number: 2264802 Old KB# 14459

This article explains how to use the C$SOCKET routine to connect to a Network Time Protocol (NTP) server and obtain a Universal Time. Problem: Sometimes it is useful to know the Universal Time so that the exact time and date can be provided to an application (for example to check license expirations). Resolution: The Universal Time is available from the internet thanks to NTP servers. The attached program shows how to use the C$SOCKET library routine to get information from one of these servers. Incident Number: 2284151 Old KB# 14461

Compiling using the --netdll flag on Windows 7 generates a CreateProcess failed error. Problem: Take a sample program (such as calc3.cbl), use the .Net interoperability compiler option --netdll. Compile with the following options:-o .\\object\\@.acu -x --netdll:2.0 The following error message is returned: CreateProcess failed for C:\\Windows\\Microsoft.NET\\Framework\\v2.0.50727\\AL.EXE \\target:lib \\v:1.0.0.0 \\embed:".\\object\\ACU.acu",AcuNet \\out:".\\object\\ACU.dll" ".\\object\\ACU.NETModule" ACU.acu - Completed: 0 Error(s), 0 Warning(s). This works on XP and Vista machines. Resolution: al.exe is part of the Microsoft .Net framework SDK. al.exe is not included with the Windows 7 OS, you must download and install the .Net framework SDK. Old KB# 14511

This article explains what to do if AcuXDBC sends you the error message “Too many columns NNN (max: 256)." Problem: When trying to access a VISION file through AcuXDBC that has more than 256 fields (columns) — the default maximum number of columns allowed — a user receives a “Too many columns NNN (max: 256)” error message. Resolution: The user can change the default of 256 columns in the “Advanced” tag of the data source name (DSN). The Maximum Columns field on this tag can be set to up to 8191. Incident Number: 2284263 Old KB# 14471

This article explains what to do if OEM font special characters don't display correctly in Microsoft Access or Excel. Problem: When reading from a file in which data was written using OEM font information (usually from an old DOS character-based system), special characters like $ and £ do not display correctly in Microsoft Access and Excel. The special characters display correctly, however, when using the AcuXDBC utilities asql or odbcsql. Previously, AcuODBC had an option that allowed the character set to be chosen (ANSI or OEM); this option is not available in AcuXDBC. Resolution: AcuXDBC does not have the character map functionality that AcuODBC had. The resolution to this issue is to convert the OEM font data to ANSI font data, which will display correctly in Windows-based business intelligence tools. Old KB# 14512

This article provides information about the implementation date for the configuration variable A4GL-WHERE-CONSTRAINT. Problem: Although the Micro Focus Database Connectors User’s Guide documents the availability of the A4GL-WHERE-CONSTRAINT, it has not yet been fully implemented. Resolution: Currently, the full implementation of the A4GL-WHERE-CONSTRAINT is scheduled for version 5.1 WebSync 4 (WS4). Incident Number: 2285746 Old KB# 14493

This article provoide more information about the Database Connectors Error. Problem: I can be difficult to determine from the file status the reason why an error has occurred. How can I get more information on a problem. Resolution: The Database Connector has been enabled for CTF (Consolidated Trace Facility). To obtain additional output you need to add the eprintf entry as a trace entry. An example trace config file that is enabled for the Database Connectors component is: mftrace.level=info mftrace.emitter.textfile#location=c:\\temp\\logs mftrace.emitter.TEXTFILE#FORMAT=$(TIME) $(COMPONENT) $(THREAD) $(EVENT) $(LEVEL)$(DATA) ## Component Run-time System mftrace.level.mf.rts=INFO mftrace.comp.mf.rts#all=false mftrace.comp.mf.rts#eprintf=true mftrace.comp.mf.rts#memory=false To enable CTF you need to add an environment variable MFTRACE_CONFIG that points to the config file. Incident Number: 2266679 Old KB# 14482

This article provides step-by-step instructions for setting up AcuXDBC Server on a UNIX operating system. Problem: This article clarifies the documentation with specific instructions for setup, testing, and implementation of AcuXDBC Server on UNIX systems with Windows clients. Resolution: AcuXDBC/AcuXDBCS Installation on UNIX The installation should look like this — ensure that all of these files are in the /bin directory (dates and permissions vary): $ ls -latotal 35664drwxr-xr-x 2 techsup staff 4096 May 14 06:20 .drwxr-xr-x 7 techsup staff 256 May 13 11:15 ..-rwxr-xr-x 1 techsup staff 286332 May 13 10:32 activator-rwxr-xr-x 1 techsup staff 1078462 May 13 10:32 acurcl-rwxr-xr-x 1 techsup staff 843430 May 13 10:32 acuserve-rwxr-xr-x 1 techsup staff 416882 May 13 10:32 acushare-rwxr-xr-x 1 techsup staff 667958 May 13 10:32 acusort-rwxr-xr-x 1 techsup staff 671442 May 13 10:32 acusql-r

This article describes how to use AcuXDBC to connect a string from an ASP project. Problem: Using AcuXDBC to connect a string from an ASP project sometimes generates the following error message: "Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers error '80004005'[TOD][ODBC Driver]VISION: 'GENESIS_HOME' environment variable not found." Resolution: The key points to success in this process are the following: The installer sets the GENESIS_HOME variable in the USER environment, not the SYSTEM; you need to manually set GENESIS_HOME as a SYSTEM variable (copy it from the USER variable). Create a System DSN, using the AcuXDBC driver; name it “MY_DSN," and leave all options at their default settings, including configuration files set to “acuxdbc.cfg.” Create a virtual directory within IIS, leaving all defaults except "Execute Permissions:"; set this to "Scripts only".In that direc

This article describes a potential solution for the error ORA-01000. Problem: A COBOL program that performs numerous file operations (OPEN, READ, WRITE, DELETE, REWRITE, CLOSE, and so on) has the potential to create a large number of cursors if no COBOL COMMIT exists in the program code. If left unmanaged, it is possible to run out of cursors and receive an Oracle error "ORA-01000: maximum open cursors exceeded" as shown in the run-time trace below. 23:35:50.384 0 MF.RTS 51 1 : "ERROR CODE = [1000]"23:35:50.384 0 MF.RTS 51 1 : "ORA-01000: maximum open cursors exceeded" Resolution: There are two ACUFH configuration variables that may be helpful in managing cursors counts. Note: Both of these variables may require some experimentation and discussion with your Database Administrator to determine what works best for your application and system. The first variable is A_ORA_MAX_FILE_CURSORS, which by default is set to “0

This article provides information on the location of the vutil error code table and an example of using the table in problem resolution. Problem: When performing a file operation using vutil or vutil32, an error may be encountered. For example, the following vutil command vutil -info MYFILE may result in the following error: MYFILE: File broken (code 69) Understanding what “code 69” means would be helpful in resolving this error. Resolution: Vutil error codes are the same as the Vision file secondary error codes for error 98. The list of error codes may be found in the ACUCOBOL-GT Appendices Version 8.1, Appendix E: File Status Codes, E.3 Vision Secondary Error Codes for Error 98s. For this example, the entry in the list of errors would be: 69 A Vision 4 or 5 index segment is not found during an open. This error code is specific to Vision 4 or 5 files that consist of two parts, a data segment and an index segment. T

This article describes a possible reason for the run-time system error 9/107 and a potential work around. Problem: COBOL programs were compiled using the CREATEXFD and CALLFH (ACUFH) directives as required for Database Connectors. An XFD file was generated. The database being accessed was Oracle 10g.The program received a 9/107 error on OPEN OUTPUT, but a table was created in the database. The Consolidated Trace Facility (CTF) log (rts32.textfile.PID.log) revealed the following generated SQL: CREATE TABLE ... succeedsALTER TABLE MYTABLE ADD CONSTRAINT iMYTABLE_0 PRIMARY KEY () ... fails: ORA-00936: missing expression Resolution: Examining the COBOL program source revealed that the VAR-LENGTH XFD directive had been misplaced, causing the Compiler to generate an invalid XFD file. Note the difference in the position of the VAR-LENGTH directive in the examples below. Example 2 shows the correct location. Example 1 03 MY-SERVICE REDEFINES MY

This article describes a scenario that uses the XFD_MAP variable and provides an example for using one XFD for more than one file or table. Problem: In this scenario, the use of a single XFD is desired rather than many XFDs, one for each of several different tables. The table names have the pattern "???MYHIS" where each "?" represents a variable character in the table name. However, putting "*MYHIS=[abcmyhis.xfd]" in the ACUFH configuration file (mfdbc.conf) does not work. What values should be in the SELECT for the ASSIGN TO and the $XFD FILE= directive in the FD for this to work properly? Resolution: The following is a step-by-step explanation: The program has a SELECT for a file ABCMYHIS, with a variable assigned, something like this:SELECT ABCMYHIS ASSIGN TO WS-ABCMYHIS-NAME ... Immediately before the FD, there is an XFD FILE directive, which is required because of the variable ASSIGN:$XFD FILE= ABCMYHI

This article describes what to do if your bitmap buttons show poorly when disabling them. Problem: You have a program with bitmap buttons that display as expected, but they display poorly when disabling them. Resolution: When you disable a button, Windows will turn most of the colored area of the bitmap gray. A clearly defined button with clear cut lines and colors will turn into gray nicely. However, if you have lots of loose points that define colors and depth you risk having a very big gray area without form. In this case, clean the bitmap and define a clear form with a straight outside color. Additionally, you can read and apply the principles found in the ACUCOBOL-GT User Interface Programming manual, chapter 3, section 3.7.1 Drawing the Image. Incident Number: 2263605 Old KB# 14425

Acushare will not allow new runtimes to start and behaves incorrectly when commands are issued. Problem: When starting a program, a message that "Acushare 7.0 or later not running" is received.The Unix command “ps -ef | grep acu” reports that no runtime processes running. “acushare –start” returns "already running", and “acushare –kill” reports "failed to connect to server". Resolution: Typically this indicates that Acushare was terminated abnormally (kill -9, which it can't catch,) or it crashed. Should acushare terminate unexpectedly, its master shared memory segment may be left behind. Before restarting acushare, you should use the "acushare -clean" command to remove the stranded memory segment. $ ./acushare acushare: failed to connect to server $ ./acushare -clean acushare: shared memory segment removed $ ./acushare -start acushare: ope

This error occurs running a sample program from the addpack for ACU DataConnect Problem: When running a sample program from the addpack for ACU DataConnect using the following sequence of events, a 173 Called program file not found in drive/directory error can occur. This can be the results of the following sequence of events: The sample program is copied from the COBDIR directory using the following command: cp $COBDIR/sample/acu4gl/demo.cbl to a /tmp or user directory Use the following command to compile the program: cob -v demo.cbl Use the following command to run the program: cobrun demo The following error occurs:Load error : file 'acufh'error code: 173, pc=804, call=1, seg=0173 Called program file not found in drive/directory This error occurs because of the following $set statement: demo.cbl: $set callfh(acufh) The actual file is ACUFH that is, the file name is upper case on disk. Resolution:

Read-only entry fields no longer change background/foreground colors with 8.1.0. They are shown only in gray. Problem: Read-only Entry Fields used to allow their foreground or background colors to be modified. The Runtime version 8.1.0 stops this behavior, and leaves the read-only field gray. Resolution: This change was made to follow Windows standards and was implemented with ECN-3699 released in 8.1.0. You can turn this behavior off so that your applications will not be affected by this change. Set the following configuration variable in cblconfi: ECN-3699 0 The value "0" turns the ECN off, value "1" activates the ECN and entry-fields remain gray. This configuration variable has been introduced in ECN-3848, available in the future release of ACUCOBOL-GT 9.0. Incident Number: 2131301 Old KB# 14428

This article describes how to get information about the Operating System when an ACUCOBOL-GT runtime is executed on a Linux server Problem: How to get information about the Operating System when an ACUCUBOL-GT runtime is executed on a Linux server. Resolution: Usually, you can use ACCEPT from SYSTEM-INFO on Windows environments, but this returns only "Unix" when the server is non-Windows. To get more information from a Linux server, use code like this: identification division.program-id. prog.author.remarks. environment division.input-output section.file-control. select myfile assign to "-p uname -a" organization line sequential file status fs. data division.file section.fd myfile.01 rec pic x(50). working-storage section.01 key-pressed pic 9(4) is special-names crt status.01 fs pic xx.procedure division.main-logic. open input myfile read myfile next at end continue end-read display rec accept omitted

When running a UNIX script (for example acuxdcbs.sh) the user may encounter the “syntax error near unexpected token” error. Problem: When running a script in either a Linux or UNIX environment, the user may encounter the “syntax error near unexpected token” error. Example: $ acuxdbcs.sh -start /acucobol810/bin/acuxdbcs.sh: line 50: syntax error near unexpected token `' /acucobol810/bin/acuxdbcs.sh: line 50: `show_usage ()' Resolution: This is typically caused by editing the file on Windows, or if the file is transferred in binary mode rather than ASCII. Run the dos2unix command on the script and then rerun the script. Example. $dos2unix acuxdbcs.sh dos2unix: converting file acuxdbcs.sh to UNIX format ... Incident Number: 2277959 Old KB# 14294