Rocket® COBOL

Problem: Many developers find that older COBOL applications or those written for other COBOL compilers like WANG or DEC, demonstrate numeric entry that seems simpler than what Micro Focus COBOL expects.  Fewer keystrokes are needed to complete the entry and decimal alignment of edited numeric fields doesn't require the entry of a final period (.) in order to complete the ACCEPT command.  Here's a trick that works for all versions of Micro Focus COBOL, whether  you are using UNIX products like Server Express or Object COBOL Developer Suite or the PC products like Net Express or the older COBOL Workbench. Resolution: Using this short demonstration example:        Program-ID.  Numtest.        WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.        01 MY-NUMBER       PIC 9(09).     

Problem: Net Express 3.0 installation on Windows 2000 service pack 3, Error duing installation of service pack 1, error 255 when trying to install compiler fixpack. Resolution: Uninstall  Net Express 3.0 and prepare machine for reinstall. Suggest installing Net Express 3.0 into a folder with no spaces, for example-> c:\\ne30 step 1) uninstall Net Express 3.0, retain license step 2) make sure no folders exist from previous installation attempts step 3) set tmp and temp environment variables in both system variables and user                      variables  to c:\\temp             How to set temp and tmp:             goto My Computer and right mouse click and select properties      &nbs

Problem: Session Recorder enables the recording of all keystrokes and screen images during the execution of a COBOL program. This was available in the old Micro Focus Workbench. Resolution: Session Recorder is not available in Net Express. Note: this feature is however available in the Micro Focus Object Cobol or Micro Focus Server Express on Unix. Old KB# 7123

Problem: Net Express was recently installed on a computer. When trying to run it, a  Semaphore failure error is reported. It is necessary to uninstall Net Express 4.0, clean up registry and previous installed folders, reboot, and reinstall Net Express 4.0 Resolution: step 1) control panel -> administrative tools-> services                stop micro focus directory server              stop micro focus xdb server step 2) control panel  -> add/remove programs and uninstall Micro Focus Net Express 4.0 step 3) start -> run -> regedit             if net express is the only micro focus product you have installed then search and               delete "micro foc

Problem: Is it possible to load multiple COBOL source files in to the same instance of the Net Express IDE by double clicking on files in Explorer? Resolution: It is not possible to configure the Net Express IDE in this manner.  It would require Micro Focus to add a DDE/OLE interface layer and this is something that is not currently present. Alas, it is not the sort of functionality that will be added given our strategy of further Visual Studio integration in the future. Old KB# 7121

Problem: Can I specify Microsoft's linker options like -version:<major>.<minor> using CBLLINK? Resolution: No, CBLLINK does not forward options to Microsoft's link.exe. The options  -version:<major>.<minor> can be specified by a different syntax in a .RC file, which can be included into the link process after being compiled to a .RES file. Alternatively start CBLLINK using options -V and -K -V means 'verbose' -K means  'keep temporary linker files' Rerun the link.exe with additional parameter -version:<major>.<minor> Old KB# 7095

Problem: ODBC errors when accessing data using Intelliview and an XDB ODBC Driver Resolution: These errors are caused by having the "XDB" check box option set in the ODBC Server configuration. Changing this to DB2 resolves the problem. The XDB is for use with old versions of the XDB Server. Old KB# 7125

Problem: Compiler error "unknown class" when building a .NET project that references classes in another project. Resolution: If you reference a class that exists outside the project you are building, be sure to include the namespace for the class being referenced in the repository.  In Net Express with .NET, there is a "Default Namespace" under the "Common Properties"..."General" area. You can see the project properties by right-clicking on the project name in the Solution Explorer window and choosing "Properties" from the pop-up menu. The namespace will default to the project name. If you blank-out this name, you don't have to prefix the class name with a namespace in the repository. As an example, if I defined a class called "MyClass" in the "MyProject" project with a default namespace of "MyProject", then you would reference this class in the repository as: REPO

Problem: How to use the data file editor for files with non DAT extensions? Resolution: The extensions must be added before the file is added to the project. If you have a data file with an extension of XYZ that you would like to use the data file editor within a Net Express project you will need to set the extension XYZ to data. PROJECT menu      Extensions           Add               XYZ                Data Select the OK button and then the Close button Now, by adding the file to the project, it will be setup as a data file. Old KB# 7090

Problem: When attempting to create a window that has 3 fields that occur 7 times per line for 20 lines the following message is reported: "You have attempted to add more than 255 gadgets to a window". Can a window contain more than 255 gadgets? Resolution: The answer is that a window cannot contain more that 255 gadgets. There is a limit in Dialog System that prohibits more than 255 objects (or gadgets) PER window.  This is documented under Dialog System Limits in the Dialog System Help or just type "limits" from the Help Index and double-click on the "Limits" topic. That would show the Dialog System Limits. Old KB# 7138

Problem: Is there a variable (or function), similar to file status code, that can be queried to find out if a file was opened for input / i-o etc ? Resolution: You can use the "fcdreg" compiler directive, the "FH--FCD" special register and the "xfhfcd.cpy" copy book to gain access to the "fcd" file descriptions compiled into your program. Define your "fcd" in your linkage section (1   myFcd.) followed by a copy statement retrieving the "xfhfcd.cpy" COBOL copy book delivered with your development system. In your procedure division set addressability to your "fcd" in your linkage section with a set statement. Compile your program with the "fcdreg" and "qual" compiler directives. 000010$ set fcdreg qual 000020 file-control. 000030     select myLogicalFile assign 'MYDATA.DAT' ... 000040 linkage section. 000050 1  myfcd. 000060     copy xfhfcd.cpy. 000070 procedure division. 00008

Problem: MQ Series and SQL calls in the same program produce this error: Creating library DEBUG\\MQsqlACD.lib and object DEBUG\\MQsqlACD.exp MQsqlACD.OBJ : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol _ODBCRW32 DEBUG\\MQsqlACD.exe : fatal error LNK1120: 1 unresolved externals Rebuild complete with errors Resolution: Normally MQSeries COBOL programs require the LITLINK directive, however when you use sql you cannot use this directive as it causes link errors.  You need to remove the litlink directive and use a procedure pointer to load the mqseries dll like follows: Use the Procedure-Pointer method, which will permit the same program to be run on a machine running MQSeries Client, or the MQSeries Server.   This does not require the addition of MQMCB32.LIB or MQICCB32.LIB when creating EXE or DLL.        IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.        PROGRAM-ID. 'MQODBC

Problem: This article documents two simple extensions to the Micro Focus Dialog System ListView control/object.  Both new features are implemented by modifying the standard generated ListView control program within Micro Focus Net Express. Resolution: This article covers the ability to change the column headings and to set focus on the ListView control.  This uses a modified version of the standard Micro Focus Dialog System ListView demo to illustrate the extensions detailed in this article.  You may wish to download the attached demo so that you can review the code while reading. Our first addition to the ListView functionality is the ability to change the column headings after the control has been created.  This required us to add a new function (UPDATE-HEADER) to the ListView control program (LVIEWCTL.CBL). Firstly, open the LVIEWCTL.CBL source file within Net Express, and review the new code.  All the

Problem: A non-COBOL program will be passing parameters to a COBOL program, and some of the parameters will be floating point items. Resolution: COMP-1 and COMP-2 are "floating point" numeric USAGE data items. They are defined as follows:        77  single usage comp-1.        77  double usage comp-2. COMP-1 is a "single precision" floating point item. COMP-2 is a "double precision" floating point item. COMP-1 items use four (4) bytes of storage. COMP-2 items use eight (8) bytes of storage. The COMP-2 item's greater precision is a consquence of the additional memory that allows support of larger numbers. These items can be initialized with a "floating point" literal. The literal format is unique.              [sign] mantissa E [sign] exponent The "sig

Problem: A web application may appear to be able to create an output file from the development machine with the Solo webserver. Once deployed on an IIS server, the output file may not be created. Resolution: Make sure the output file is created in a directory where the application has permissions. Since the application in some instances is executed by IIS, which has its own user id to execute the web application or access some allowed resources, make sure it has access to the directory where the appplication will create the file. Old KB# 7126

Problem: When running the dfconv utility I am getting an DFC507 error. Resolution: For numbers above 500, subtract 500 and then look for that number in the RTS Error Messages topic. (9/007) COBRT007 Disk space exhausted (Fatal) The disk is full. Resolution: This error can be trapped, but once it has been reported you must do a STOP RUN immediately to terminate your program's run. When your program has terminated, delete any files that you no longer need. Alternatively, if your operating system supports this, put a new disk in a floppy disk drive and redirect your program's file operations to this. ################################### Check that you have the correct drive, also whether you are pointing to a folder that is read-only Old KB# 7085

Problem: What is the format of the connect statement when using a File DSN? OpenESQL application using a File DSN to CONNECT returns a -19703 SQLCODE. Resolution: The following formats are supported: 1. EXEC SQL        CONNECT USING        'FileDSN=testfile.dsn;UID=user;PWD=passwd'                     END-EXEC                                              2. EXEC SQL        CONNECT USING         'FileDSN=test2file.dsn'         END-EXEC 

Problem: These two errors occur because the programs are linked with different threading models. Runtime DLL 'CBLRTSM', version 3.1, entry point mF_ld_dynlnk_lib_check not recorded in registry, not found or incompatible with requirements of dynamically bound COBOL program. Dynamic binding of RTS requires: Runtime DLL 'CBLRTSS', at least Version 3.1 Runtime DLL 'CBLRTSS', version 3.1, entry point mF_ld_dynlnk_lib_check not recorded in registry, not found or incompatible with requirements of dynamically bound COBOL program. Dynamic binding of RTS requires: Runtime DLL 'CBLRTSM', at least Version 3.1 The version numbers and entry point name will vary depending on the application. Resolution: These errors occur when a calling program has been created with one threading model and the called  DLL has been created with a different threading model. The fix is to rebuild the application programs and use a consistent th

Problem: When attempting to apply the clu01all.exe licensing fix can cause the installation process to hang. Resolution: Occasionally this happens when attempting to apply the fixes from the Net Express 4.0 CD-ROM.  Downloading and running the fix from the Micro Focus Supportline web site (http://supportline.microfocus.com) avoids this problem. Old KB# 7144

Problem: Unable to call a Microsoft C from a COBOL program.  The call never went into the C function. Resolution: This was caused bythe C functon not being exported as an entry point in the DLL.  The simplest mechanism is to add the __declspec( dllexport ) declaration to before the C function.  This specifies that the function is to be made visible in the DLL. Old KB# 7127

Problem: If you want to make an colour expressed in Red Green Blue (as in the GUI Class Library) then you cannot simply subtract a value from each of the RGB values. Resolution: To make an RGB  lighter you first need to convert and RGB value to a H S L value. This is Hue Saturation and Light, and is an alternate way of expressing a colour numerically. The L can then then be altered to lighten the colour, and then HSL can be converted back to RGB. There are well know algorithms to do this, and I have attached a COBOL implementation to this KB Item. Attachments: RGBtoHSL.cbl Old KB# 7080

Problem: In DG COBOL, a file is restricted to 4 alternate keys, what is the maximun number of alternate keys supported by Net Express? Resolution: Net Express allows up to 252 alternate keys in an indexed file. Old KB# 7140#RMCOBOL#netexpress#AcuCobol#ServerExpress#COBOL

Problem: The documentations state the following suggestions: "Provide a login on the UNIX system, and configure the .rhosts file to enable transparent login without requiring a password. See your UNIX documentation for details on how to do this." Resolution: Look at the "Alternative Security Mechanism: SCP Daemon Method" to enhance security. This topic can be found from the Net Express Help at Contents\\Using Net Express\\UNIX Option\\UNIX Option Guide\\A: Installing Samba and SCP\\Configuring SCP\\Alternative Security Mechanism: SCP Daemon Method This will force the user to key in valid user id and password in order to deploy on Unix. It is important that the user who starts the daemon from the Unix side has a root access. Old KB# 7132

Problem: A third party source code control product is installed using the SCCS interface as recommended by Micro Focus. However, after starting Net Express the 'Source control' menu item has not appeared. Resolution: If the 'Source Control' menu has not appeared, the Net Express IDE has failed to load the specified SCCS interface dll. First check that the dll specified in the registry exists. For example: If you have a Merant (Serena) PVCS VM installation, the registry setting is HKLM\\SOFTWARE\\SourceCodeControlProvider\\Data = SOFTWARE\\Merant\\Integrations\\SCC Check what HKLM\\SOFTWARE\\Merant\\Integration\\SCC\\SCCServerPath Data value is. In that case this is set to C:\\program files\\merant\\devint\\vm\\devint\\bin\\pvcs_ifc.dll When you start Net Express, it loads this dll, which is the SCCS interface dll. If the load fails, no 'Source Control' menu will be displayed, and as described above: The re

Problem: What are the steps required to embed a specific icon into an executable? Resolution: To associate an icon to an executable file (.exe or .dll): Have your project open in the release build or at least so you see the executable in the left hand window.  Then: 1. From the tool bar select File > New > Resource 2. Highlight icon, right click and select Import- then browse to your desired  .ico (icon) file and select it 3. Save the resource file created by selecting File > Save 4. Add the rc file to the project source pool (right hand side of project) 5. Drag the rc file to left hand side and make sure it is added under the executable - you should get the message 'would you like to add compiled types to the package' - Answer Yes and select OK (the .res file will now appear under executable) 6. Rebuild project and look at executable in Windows Explorer and it will appear as the specified icon Old KB# 7