Rocket® COBOL

Problem: Why is CALL .. ON EXCEPTION not returning a STATUS value? Resolution: The CALL .. ON EXCEPTION statement does not return a STATUS value, but does go to the exception statement, whereas, on a CALL PROGRAM .. ON EXCEPTION statement returns a 3 digit STATUS value. Old KB# 6126

Problem: Is there an example LINAGE clause code? Resolution: See attached example source code. Attachments: linage1.cbl Old KB# 6134

Problem: How can I return a value to the O/S upon termination? Resolution: See the attached source code example. Attachments: returnc.cbl Old KB# 6138

Problem: How do I send control sequences to a printer? Resolution: See attached source code example. Attachments: printest.cbl Old KB# 6137

Problem: Is there a general purpose example of RM/COBOL's built-in line draw facilities? Resolution: See attached source code example. Attachments: lin.cbl Old KB# 6135

Problem: How do Isearch a HEX table? Resolution: See the attached source code example. Attachments: searchx.cbl Old KB# 6143

Problem: Is there an index file handling example? Resolution: See attached source code example. Attachments: ismalt.cbl Old KB# 6132

Problem: How to change the foreground color of a text object Resolution: Net Express Dialog System 2.0 under Windows NT4.0 How to change the foreground color of the text object Description of Problem How to change the foreground color of the text object Solution Text foreground color cannot be changed. Here's what can be done: 1) use an entry field 2) change its properties/options to make it a display field 3) specify initial text 4) then change the color of the text In design mode, it will look like an entry field, but at execution time, the entry field will look like text. Old KB# 6561

Problem: Is there a way to copy a file to/from a UNC path from a COBOL program? Resolution: You could do a CALL "SYSTEM" or use the BinaryFileCopy.zip attached. The library it contains will copy a file from a network UNC to a printer via a UNC from RM/COBOL. The attachment includes the C source, the CodeBridge template and a COBOL example. Disclaimer This is not an official Liant Software Corporation product and is therefore unsupported although enhancements and fixes will be considered time permitting.  Please forward any queries to the London office of Liant Software at support@liant.co.uk.      Attachments: BinaryFileCopy.zip Old KB# 6130

Problem: Is there an example of how to read and write to a device? Resolution: See the attached example source code. Attachments: wrtdev.cbl Old KB# 6148

Problem: On some instances, the focus mark on a radio button is not seen. The radio button can be selected, but the focus mark is not seen. This behavior only occurs in Windows 2000 and Windows XP. Resolution: This is not a bug, but it is actually an operating system setting issue. To be able to see the focus mark on the radio buttons, the "Hide underlined letters for keyboard navigation until I press the Alt key" option must be unchecked from "Display Properties > Appearance > Effects" in Windows XP and from "Display Porperties > Effects" in Windows 2K. You can get to Display Properties by right-clicking on your desktop and clicking on Properties -OR- by going to Start > [Settings] > Control Panel > Display. Old KB# 6571

Problem: How do I print rotated text? Resolution: Use the "P$SetFont" call with the LF-EscapementParam parameter.  See attached example POrient.zip Attachments: POrient.zip Old KB# 6127

Problem: Do you have any split key examples? Resolution: Yes, please see the two attached source code examples. Old KB# 6145

Problem: Is there a C$SCWR example? Resolution: See attached source code example. Attachments: scwrtest.cbl Old KB# 6142

Problem: How do I keep the key combination of Ctrl C or ctrl break from quitting the application? Resolution: If you are using Dialog System character mode screensets, you can move a value of 4 to ds-control-param of the control block. This will keep CtrlC keystrokes from quitting the app. Making a call to X"B0" with function 4 will stop CtrlC from quitting apps that don't use Dialog screensets. Old KB# 6563

Problem: Is there a POP-UP window demo using program and subprogram? Resolution: See the attached source code example. Attachments: windemo.zip Old KB# 6146

Problem: Net Express Dialog System Interrupting loops within Dialog. A Micro Focus COBOL application is using Dialog to display a counter. The Dialog panel displaying the counter has an interrupt button but this does not appear to take effect until the count is complete. The COBOL program executes a Dialog procedure, which refreshes the counter and returns control to the calling program. The interrupt button does not work because Dialog is never given control to process any user events. The loop returns directly to the COBOL program once the Dialog functions have been executed. Resolution: Alter the loop so that Dialog, having updated the counter, is given the opportunity to detect any user events. This is achieved by implementing a TIMEOUT, giving the user 1/100<SUP>th</SUP> of a second to interrupt the loop. When the interrupt button is pressed, the LOOP-INTERRUPTED procedure is executed, disabling the TIMEOUT. This prevents control returnin

Problem: How do I round numeric data? Resolution: See the attached source code example. Attachments: round.cbl Old KB# 6139

Problem: The following message from CCI appears occasionally: Unrecognized CCI session ID - could not disconnect user Stack overflow: PID 64474, proc rts64, addr 0x11f7fdff0 PC 0x3ff800e5d08 /fs_up[5]:64474 Memory fault (coredump) The result is that Fileshare freezes and the session has to be killed and started again. Resolution: The problem seems to be that the fs_up process overflowed its stack, got a SIGSEGV and terminated with a core dump. Increasing the process stack size resource limit may help in resolving the problem. This can be achieved using the ulimit command.  Use 'ulimit -s' to check the current stack size and and 'ulimit -s <size>' to change the size.  This will change the setting of the soft limit for a particular user - i.e. the user who starts Fileshare.  Increasing the soft limit requires root permissions but reducing it does not.  To change the hard limit you would need to edit

Problem: Cannot display list of Windows for screens Resolution: When AUTO RESTART is set to YES (in ds.cfg), Dialog System saves the positions of the Windows list and Controls list in DS configuration file (ds.cfg). If these list windows can't be invoked or displayed on screen: 1. Exit Dialog WB System 2. Edit DS.CFG 3. Delete WindowsList and/or ControlsList lines found in DSINIT section. 4. Save DS.CFG with changes 5. Re-load Dialog WB System When these two lines are deleted, the positions of these windows will be reset to the default positions. Note: When the Windows list is reset to default position (or first time to be set to AUTO RESTART = YES), this window will appear only with the title bar. Just resize to see the whole window... Old KB# 6559

Problem: No Applicaton Server licenses available, but there is an adequate supply of licenses which are not in the "system" (timeout) state. The directory to which COBDIR points is not the actual directory but a soft link to it. Resolution: Although not officially supported, experience has shown that users' COBDIR value may be to a soft link rather than the actual Micro Focus product installation directory.  However, this does not hold true for the license installation via apptrack.  The user who runs apptrack to install the Application Server license(s) must have COBDIR set to the actual directory name, not the name of a soft link. In general, Application Server licenses are bound to the COBDIR-specified directory at the time the licenses are installed.  On systems with multiple product installations, care must be used in the setting of COBDIR relative to the prodoct for which the licenses are intended. &nbsp

Problem: Where to put the Dialog validation error file? Resolution: Here are 2 options for placement of the error file: 1) Do not specify any path with the error file from the resource files for the location error file. This will leave it on the same directory as the screenset -OR- 2) Specify an environment variable with the error file from the resource files for the error file location, save it, then set this environment variable to point to the location of the error file. This is more flexible, since, if the error file is relocated elsewhere, only the value of the environment variable needs to be changed. Example: 1. specify $ENVDserror.err from the resource files options for error file (ENV is an environment variable name which could be any name you choose) 2. save the screenset in runtime format 3. set the environment variable ENV to point to the location of the error file Old KB# 6562

Problem: Dialog System: Use of the Vocabulary features: using "EMBEDDED DIALOG SYSTEM functions " in a COBOL program Resolution: DS online help: ____________________________________________________________________________ 1) Generate the Vocabulary Copybook. ( DS online help: Dialog System Vocabulary-> Using the vocabulary ) From the Dialog System main window, load a screenset, using the Open option from the File menu. Select the Generate option from the File menu, and then select Vocabulary Copybook. This will generate a .cpy file with the same name as the loaded screenset. The vocabulary copybook contains a list of all of the objects within a screenset. Each variable in the copybook is given the same name as the object in the screenset that it represents. ... ____________________________________________________________________________ 2. Add dslang.cpy to the program using the vocabulary. The file dslang.cpy is provided in the sou

Problem: Is there a POP-UP window example? Resolution: See the attached source code example. Attachments: window.cbl Old KB# 6147

Problem: How do I compensate for different printer's printable area's? Resolution: See attached example (POffset.zip) Attachments: POffset.zip Old KB# 6128