Rocket® COBOL

Problem: Sorting on a file and having problems with the size of the file. Resolution: Set the TMP and TEMP environement variables to a location where more disk space is available. Old KB# 6818#ServerExpress#COBOL#netexpress#RMCOBOL#AcuCobol

Problem: Getting an error 173 when calling a .DLL which contains an EXTERNAL file def Resolution: Release: 3.1   Link the modules MFFH.OBJ EXTERNL.OBJ and BSIO.OBJ into the .EXE program. These can be added under Link options Advanced. Attachments: 10517 (Delete Partition) 20081011.zip Old KB# 6829

Problem: Release: 3.1   How to install on client machine from a server using the normal CD-ROM.   Resolution: Introduction to Installing from a Server As system administrator you have two methods of installing this product on users' machines via a server. They are described in separate topics. This topic introduces and compares the two. In one, you install onto the server and then users run Setup to install from the server. This is detailed in the topic Server/Client Install Process. In the other, you copy the product onto the server and then use a third-party software distribution package, such as Microsoft's System Management Server (SMS), to install onto the users' machines. This is detailed in the topic Installing Using a Third-party Software Distribution Package. Both methods give you control of what options the user can install and mean you do not have to send the installation CD to every user, as they inst

Problem: Release: 3.1   Mmmm, always a tricky one this.  Firstly, you will need to have fonts installed on the PC that contain a Euro symbol.  Microsoft have these available for download on their website. Resolution: The next thing is the IDE.  I am not sure if any of the OEM fonts contain the Euro symbol.  If not, then you will need to switch the editor to ANSI mode before you enter the symbol (you might have to do this via the Character Map utility). The next problem is displaying the symbol!  Dialog System runs in ANSI mode so this should not be a problem.  However, the console does not and you may find that you need to convert the strings before you display them (ANSI to OEM APIs).  However, if there is no console font that contains a Euro symbol then you may be stuck! Net Express will display the fonts that it can use in the editor based on the OEM/ANSI setting and m

Problem: Release: 3.1    How to change the format of columns ? Resolution: A data item entry in the Data Block consists of a name up to 30 bytes long, a data type code, and, for data items other than object references which have a fixed size, the number of bytes before and after the decimal point. At run time, all data items can be used or changed by the screenset or the calling program. Data types within the data definition are represented by a code that enables the calling program to determine the data type. Each data item defined must have its type specified. Valid data type codes for a data item are any of the following: X Alphanumeric 9 Numeric A Alphabetic S Signed numeric C Computational (number of bytes must be 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, or 8.0) C5 COMP-5 (number of bytes must be 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, or 8.0) N DBCS (N) (Double-byte Character Set) G DBCS (G) OBJ-REF Object reference Numeric data items have a maximum length of 18 chara

Problem: Release: 3.1   I am afraid there is nothing that Micro Focus can offer above REBUILD. Resolution: REBUILD is a utility which will attempt to restore corrupted files.  As you have found, the success of REBUILD is dependent on the corruption level of the file.  If the file is badly corrupted then it will fail to recover the data. This is why it is very important for Customers to take regular backups of their data files.  If they require the ability to rollback/rollforward then they should also use the transaction processing features within Fileshare. One thing they could do is to use the byte-stream I/O routines to read the file at the lowest level - they may be able to extract more data this way. Attachments: RMW_Close_Function_NonOperative.doc Old KB# 6848#ServerExpress#AcuCobol#netexpress#COBOL

Problem: CONVERT within  a SQL statement is causing a syntax error when defined at the 01 Resolution: Release: 3.1   The latest ESQLv3.1 002 fixpack has SQL TYPE's that can be defined at 01 level o  OpenESQL now supports new "SQL TYPE"s that can be used as host variables        DATE, TIME, TIMESTAMP, DATE-RECORD, TIME-RECORD, TIMESTAMP-RECORD,        CHAR-VARYING, BINARY, VARBINARY, LONG-VARBINARY, AND LONG-VARCHAR. Old KB# 6825

Problem: Release: 3.1  It is not possible to use character tables in dialog system.   Resolution: In order to display lots of information there are two options available, Listview or an ActiveX grid, both have demo's included within the Product.  A listview simply displays information in a list whereas with an ActiveX grid you are able to edit the information within the table. 1.  Listview demo found in \\Net Express\\dialogsystem\\demo\\commoncontrols\\listview 2.  ActiveX grid demo found in \\Net Express\\dialogsystem\\demo\\activex\\custgrid Both examples are attached to this KB. Attachments: LISTVIEW.zip Old KB# 6822

Problem: It is possible to animate COBOL when called from Java, but it is not possible to animate Java when called from COBOL, if COBOL is the main program, but it is possible to animate Java when called from COBOL if Java is the main program: Resolution:   Java ---> Cobol ---> Java This is the case with any mix programming, the reason being that any of the third party debuggers do not have a similar feature to our "CBL_DEBUGBREAK" that allows you to start the debugger at any point of the execution of a COBOL program. So if you want to animate an application where the main program is COBOL that invokes a Java class, then the only way of doing it is creating a dummy Java main program that calls the COBOL main program that has to be linked as a dll instead of an EXE in the following way: 1) create a simple Java program that calls the COBOL DLL e.g.:     import mfcobol.*;     class de

Problem: Error code 119 on EXTSM when calling subroutines that do a SORT Resolution: Release: 3.0   Do not link in the system programs on the DLLs (advanced link option).  Instead link in the system programs on the main EXE and add EXTSM.OBJ as an additional object (advanced link option again. Attachments: Header.rar Old KB# 6845#COBOL#ServerExpress#AcuCobol#RMCOBOL#netexpress

Problem: For Update clause not allowed with declare cursor in SqlServer 7 Resolution: Release: 3.1   fixed in OpenEsql 3.1.001 fixpack dated 14 Feb 2001 Attachments: Data Flow.doc Old KB# 6819

Problem: Are there character display dimensions other than 80X25, 80X43, 80X50? Resolution: The COBOL Text Window will adapt to the standard dimensions, 80X25, 80X43 and 80X50. The operating system may be capable of other dimensions, however, only the standard dimensions are supported. Old KB# 6869

Problem: RTS 119 Name is not unique Resolution: Release: 3.1   Make sure the same module is not linked more than once in the same run unit. In other words, this error occurs if a module has already been loaded in memory and another program tries to load the same memory. Alternatively, make this common module as a DLL. Attachments: Code.zip Old KB# 6849

Problem: Fileshare not working with 2 NIC cards. Resolution: Release: 3.1   Fileshare was designed to work with only one NIC card. Old KB# 6806#ServerExpress#RMCOBOL#netexpress#AcuCobol#COBOL

Problem: How to do a batch compile and link from the command line? Resolution: Release: 3.1   @echo off cls echo. echo This batch file has to be run from a Net Express Command Prompt echo. echo Start - Programs - MERANT Net Express 3.1 - Net Express Command Prompt echo. pause rem set cobcpy=Drive:\\YourDirectory\\YourSubDirectory;%cobcpy% echo. echo The compiler directives in COBOL.DIR will be used echo. pause echo Here are the options for the CBLLINK utility echo. cbllink pause FOR %%I IN (*.CBL) DO CBLLINK -bsf %%I pause echo. echo Deleting the OBJ files ... rem DEL *.OBJ pause echo. echo Moving the EXE files to D:\\Temp ... rem MOVE *.EXE D:\\TEMP pause Attachments: 2957 EFX53.zip Old KB# 6826

Problem: Cannot get the advanced break point to advance on a condition. It wont stop. Resolution: Release: 3.1   The animator will stop at breakpoint-on-condition after 1st stop at breakpoint line Attachments: 2857 EFX114.piz Old KB# 6847

Problem: Problem calling COBOL .DLL from Visual Basic program Resolution: Release: 3.0   If you want to animate the COBOL then the VB files must be copied to the DEBUG directory and then when you start Animating specify the program DEBUG\\DEMO1.EXE. This will start the VB program and then when it calls COBOL the programs will be loaded into the animator. Attachments: DB2TableDefines.piz Old KB# 6842

Problem: Release: 3.1   When you move the source from the right to the left what compile type should you select for an EXE.  You would select OBJECT CODE OBJ. Resolution: Next highlight the OBJ in the left window, right click mouse and select Package Selected files to Executable File (EXE) Now to be able to animate you would want to add the ANIM compiler directive for the compile. Highlight the CBL in the left window, right click mouse and select Build Settings then select the Compile tab. Add the directive ANIM before the semi-collon seperated by a space from the prior directive. Attachments: ABNFIL.cob Old KB# 6831

Problem: Unable to create a directory using UNC with CBL_CREATE_DIR Resolution: Release: 3.1   This does not work if the UNC contains ":" as to refer to a Novell path name. Windows does not allow this character in a path or directory name. This is used only to identify drive letter. Attachments: Brave.zip Old KB# 6841

Problem: How to debug a COBOL program and Dialog System screenset in the same session Resolution: Release: 3.1   -  You can certainly use both the Net Express and Dialog System animators in the same session. To start, you can change in your COBOL code the call to Dialog System using DS instead of DSGRUN. This will always invoke the Dialog System Animator everytime you step to this call from the Net Express Animator. In other words, you can start to step through your COBOL code, and the Dialog System Animator will be invoked when you step the call to Dialog System. That is, I am referring to the following call in your COBOL program: CALL dialog-system USING Ds-Control-Block, Data-Block where dialog-system has the value of DS. Old KB# 6832

Problem: Rebuild Error: IC255-I Error Reading Message file Resolution: Release: 3.1   Extract fttext.lng and idxcheck.lng from mflangdf.lbr and put these files into the same directory as rebuild.exe. To extract the 2 files from the library file, you need run the lmg3setup.exe addpack on the Net Express 3.0 fixpacks page.  Next you'll need to unzip libman.zip to a directory and run the libman.exe file.  This exe uses the library manager API to export and manage library files. Old KB# 6867

Problem: HELP is a module name that is used by Windows. Resolution: Rename the subprogram. Old KB# 6853

Problem: Project file cannot resolve the location of source codes Resolution: Release: 3.1   Just do an Update All Dependencies to resolve all files in the current directory and use the cobcpy environment variable to resolve the location of the copybooks in different directories. Old KB# 6838

Problem: How do you use Active X controls in a Net Express project? Resolution: Release: 3.1   ActiveX/OLE Automation is covered in the Net Express bookshelf/online books topic "Distributed Computing". There are chapters on OLE Automation and DCOM which explain how COBOL programs can take the form of a client or server in the OLE/COM domain. Visual ActiveX components can be used in a COBOL program thru the use of the GUI Object COBOL class library or with Dialog System.  See the OO Class Library Reference in the help or the Dialog System User's Guide (chapter 10: Programming Your Own Controls) in the bookshelf. Old KB# 6861

Problem: Question on ISO2000 support in 4.0 Resolution: Release: 3.1   All the ISO OO syntax will be part of the Micro Focus 'MF' dialect, so one will be able to use normal Micro Focus extensions also. Old KB# 6833