Rocket® COBOL

Problem: Release: 3.1   Each COPY statement in your program identifies a copyfile to be copied.  If the filename in the COPY statement is incomplete, because it lacks either an extension or a path, the Compiler searches for it as follows: Resolution: 1. In the directory given by the COPY library-name. Note that if the name of the copy file is a qualified filename, that is, it     includes the path or directory, the Compiler searches that directory only 2. In the directory containing the main source program being compiled 3. In any directories listed in the COBCPY environment variable, in the order specified If the COPY statement does not give the extension of the copyfile's filename, the Compiler searches for files with extensions given by the directives OSEXT and COPYEXT. You can set the COBCPY environment variable from each project as follows: 1. Go to Project > Properties > Environment&#3

Problem: File error when using UNC path names Resolution: Release: 3.1   need to specify \\\\server\\path  in the program, not just the directory path Old KB# 6827

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: Release: 3.1   The definitive answer the question  is yes, external names are case sensitive. Resolution: Example: CLASS-ID. classa AS "ClassA". *> "ClassA" is the external name REPOSITORY.     CLASS myclass AS "myClass" *> "myClass" is the external name.     CLASS classB *> No AS clause "CLASSB" is the external name.    .     CLASS classa *> external name taken from CLASS-ID clause, "ClassA"     . Old KB# 6857

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: 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: How to use Fileshare as a Windows Service Resolution: Release: 3.1   You can only have one copy of Fileshare running as a NT service. If you wish to have a number of FileShare servers running to split up the file access then you will have to load them as separate processes.  Running them on different physical machines on the network would give you your best performance benefit. Attachments: - Old KB# 6809#AcuCobol#ServerExpress#netexpress#COBOL#RMCOBOL

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: 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: 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: How to link to the shared runtime from the command line? Resolution: Release: 3.1   Open a Net Express Command Prompt and execute CBLLINK from the command line. This will display all options that can be used with the CBLLINK utility. Using the -F option to link with the shared runtime system will imply that the users will have to make sure the runtime files are in the current directory or the PATH and COBDIR environment varialbes are pointing to the runtime files prior to run the user's application. On the other hand, the -R option is to link the user's application with the dynamically bound shared runtime. The Applicaiton Server or Net Express runtime system are automatically located by looking them up in the Windows registry. Old KB# 6859

Problem: PC_PRINTER_INFO routine does not return the printer name correctly. Resolution: Release: 3.1  The problem has been addressed and the fix released in FixPack rts03n31for Net Express and aps05n31 for Application Server. Old KB# 6840

Problem: Compatibility with Net Express v2.0 & v3.0 Resolution: Release: 3.0   There's an online book called Migration Cookbook for some reference, regarding features that could have been omitted or changed from previous compilers (like Object Cobol, Workbench, Net Express 2.0 products). However, we recommend that you recompile all your programs, initially, using REBUILD ALL.   Then when given new amended source codes/patches, just do a REBUILD for those files.   Only the parts of your project that have changed (including files that are dependent upon changed files) are rebuilt. Old KB# 6855

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: 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: Get 173 error when calling 16-bit DLLs from a 32-bit EXE Resolution: Release: 3.1    Get RTS error: 173 Called program file not found in drive/directory It is not possible to call 16-bit COBOL DLLs from a 32-bit EXE. You will need to recompile all in 16-bit or all in 32-bit. Old KB# 6871

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: How to package Dialog System ".s" screenset files as part of an executable? Resolution: The only way to package the screensets so that you do not need to send each one out to the other sites individually would be to add them to a Micro Focus LBR library file. Attachments: smime.p7s Old KB# 6863

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: 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: INTERNAL ERROR PLEASE RESTART MACHINE Resolution: Release: 3.1   Spelled out procedure: 1) uninstall 2) reinstall 3) apply clu01n31.exe 4) start Net Express. etc. Old KB# 6830

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: 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: 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