Rocket® COBOL

Problem: Unable to open files that have embedded colons (:) in the filename when assigning these files via an environment variable. The SELECT phrase assigns the file names as EXTERNAL and they are set via an environment variable to point to the physical file. This used to work fine in OCDS v4.1 but now fails in Server Express. Resolution: The problem is that we treat the colon as a multi-path separator.  If the colon would be in a working-storage variable instead of an environment variable, this would work. This work-around will work for assinging these filenames via an environment variable: So lets say you set an environment variable called INFILE: INFILE=abc:def.dat In the program you use to have: SELECT BLABLA ASSIGN TO EXTERNAL INFILE You would change the SELECT statement as follows instead: SELECT BLABLA ASSIGN TO DYNAMIC WS-INFILE You would then add these 2 lines before you open the file for the first time (this will read th

Problem: Cannot proceed with installation according to the instructions.  Instructions say to run "setup.sh" but no file by that name appears.  Instead it appears as "SETUP.SH;1" with a semicolon one at the end. Resolution: This is caused by the way the CD is  mounted.  Refer to the pamphlet included with the media for mounting instructions for the appropriate operating system Old KB# 2241

Problem: Application uses the extfh.cfg file with IDXNAME=0.  The apllication interfaces with a 3rd party vendors application that used MF 5.0 with IDXNAME=1. The 3rd party vendor uses a MF 5.0 Cobol program to create CISAM files.  That program generates cisam files with the format <file name>.DAT and <file name>.DAT.idx. The mainline application uses IDXNAME=0 and creates CISAM files with naming convention of <file name>.DAT and <file name>.idx. What is the proper procedure for making an application that uses IDXNAME=0 call a subprogram from another vendors application that is using IDSNAME=1? Resolution: There are two methods of using files that have been created using differing naming conventions: 1) COPY or rename one of the sets of files to use names and extensions that agree with the naming convention you want to use when the application executes. 2) Dynamically alter the naming convention during pr

Problem: Open input to a file that does not exist continues to the read, without error. Resolution: If the file does not exist, OPEN INPUT causes an error status, unless the file is optional. Defining a file status data item is optional. If a file status data item is not declared and a serious file error occurs, the COBOL run-time system displays an error message and aborts your program. You should check the file status data item after each input/output operation, to see if the operation completed successfully. For example, when your program is writing to disk, there might not be enough disk space to complete the WRITE operation. If you have not defined a file status data item and you run out of disk space, the run-time system displays an error number and aborts the program. If you have a file status data item defined (for the file you are writing), it is updated and the program continues to run. The program can then check the file status data item, det

Problem: Some projects may tend to crash when working with the IDE, e.g. when deleting some files on the right site of the project. Resolution: A first crash of the IDE may corrupt the project file *.APP, e.g. when debugging. The Net Express project files are Micro Focus ISAM IDXFORMAT"8" files. The rebuild.exe tool can be used to test or repair corrupted *.APP files. For testing, please try from a Net Express Command Prompt: REBUILD.exe MyProject.APP /f:c10d5 For repairing: REBUILD.exe MyOldProject.APP,MyNewProject.APP When the reason for the crash is a corrupted *.APP file, this repair will help and improve the stability of the IDE. Old KB# 1552

Problem: If you want to store the date in the DATE-COMPILED paragraph of COBOL source then specify the DATE directive when compiling. Resolution: Specifying the "DATE" compiler directive will put the date in the DATE-COMPILED paragraph and at the top of each page of the listing.  The sytax is as follows:    DATE "string"    DATE                            (with no string)    NODATE The "string" is an alphanumeric literal The date and time, available from the operating system, are automatically inserted when you specify DATE. You can, however, enter the date yourself as the parameter. With NODATE, the paragraph is left unaltered. With DATE, the operating system date or the string you enter appears at the top of each page of the

Problem: Displaying Compiler Directives to the Screen Resolution: When compiling a COBOL program, compiler directives will be displayed on the screen when specifying the CONFIRM  compiler directive.  The syntax is as follows:     cob -C CONFIRM . . . .  program-name.cbl Old KB# 2002

Problem: How can one access locale date/time within Cobol? Resolution: This demo demonstrates using strftime to format the local time in the default representation for the current locale:        $set sourceformat(free) mf working-storage section.     01 time-parameters.        03 time-now          pic x(4) comp-5.     01 localtime-parameters.        03 localtime-tm      pointer.     01 strftime-parameters.        03 locale-time       pic x(60).        03 buffer-size       pic x(4) comp-5.        03 format-string     pic xxx value z"%c&quot

Problem: ccitcp2 is not installed when one opts to install Enterprise Server during the Server Express Install procedure. Resolution: If one installs Application Server or a Server Express development system without accepting the Enterprise Server (ES) option, ccitcp2 is installed. If one responds 'yes' to installing ES or installs a stand-alone ES, ccitcp2 is replaced with a script that runs mfds. Old KB# 1994

Problem: ======== FOR INDexed files, You can get the number of records using the FCD-RELATIVE-KEY of  the structure File Control Description (FCD). You can have the FCD on-line in your prog: or assigning the FCD in your program using the FCDREG compiler directive or using the EXTFH function x"0006" == File Information ======== For Line Sequential files, you can use the UNIX command wc-l , using a PIPE to retrieve the output of this command ======== Resolution: The content of the  File Control Description (FCD) is documented in Micro Focus products ......................... The program RCCOUNT.cbl uses the FCDREG compiler directive and assigns the FCD for a file . ......................... The program EXTFHINFO uses -- the EXTFH function FileInformation  function x"0006" to retrieve various informations for a specific file ( INDexed and SEQUENTIAL Variable Length )... --the UNIX command wc -l to retrieve the number of records of a Line Sequential fi

Problem: When opening an APP file in Net Express by double clicking on it in Windows Explorer it caused Net Express to crash with a runtime error 114. Resolution: This was caused by a Drive Encryption utility that had been installed by the laptop manufacturer. Removing this utility resolved the problem. Old KB# 1612

Problem: How to convert a given UTC time  into a local time using Net Express functions ? Resolution: This intrinsic function CURRENT-DATE delivers the difference back inbetween GMT (Greenwich Mean Time => UTC => Universal Time, coordinated) and the time running onto a local machine. For example: 01 myDateTime pic x(21). . move function CURRENT-DATE to myDateTime . Positions 17 up to 21 from myDateTime having included a content of: 0100 onto a local machine running under Central European Time (CET), means UTC 1 hour. Net Express documentation files: All details can be found  here: Help -> Index -> CURRENT-DATE function -> COBOL Language Old KB# 1588

Problem: When installing an agent on a machine using the Discovery Wizard in Microsoft's System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) problems may occur due to network settings. One such error is: The MOM Server failed to open service control manager on computer machinename.domainname. Therefore, the MOM Server cannot complete configuration of agent on the computer. Operation: Agent Install Install account: SCOM_server Error Code: 800706BA Error Description: The RPC server is unavailable. Resolution: The first step is to ensure that the system running the Discovery Wizard can ping the target system using the fully qualified machine name, i.e. machinename.domainname.  If it cannot then the network settings on the client should be checked. On the target system for the agent go to the Advanced TCP/IP Settings, DNS tab of the appropriate connection and ensure that the domain name is entered correctly in the to the "DNS suffi

Problem: On UNIX the file name default is file-base-name for the data portion aand file-base-name.idx for the index portion of a file.  The following explains how to change these default naming converntions.  If you want to change the filename typeu Resolution: In the extfh.cfg configuration file you can specify the option IDXNAMETYPE.  The IDXNAMETYPE option specifies the format of the filename type for both the data file and index file,present. if presnet. IDXNAMETYPE={0|1|2} where the parameters specify how the the name of the index file (if present) is derived from that of the data file: 0 By discarding any extension and adding the extension .idx 1 By simply adding the extension .idx 2 Like 1 except that the data file name is modified by adding the extension .dat For example, if the data file name presented to the File Handler is abc.def, the options shown above give the following data and index file names: 0&nbs

Problem: Will previous versions of Visual Studio be overwritten by the NetExpress 5.0 installation? Resolution: No.  The Micro Focus NetExpress 5.0 installation will detect and preserve installed, previous versions of Microsoft Visual Studio (ex: Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition) and will not install the Visual Studio 2005 Standard edition that ships with the product.  Full functionality of the pre-existing Visual Studio will be retained. Old KB# 1559

Problem: What is Micro Focus' position vis-a-vis iSeries support? Resolution: Server Express 2.2 could be used on AS/400 via a PASE interface. Although IBM still support PASE, it incompatible with the Enterprise Server technology which was introduced in Server Express 4.0. Support for AS/400 (iSeries) therefore disappeared when Server Express 2.2 was sundowned in December 2005. Old KB# 2069

Problem: If Net Express 4.0 and Net Express 5.0 are installed on the same computer is there the capability of using either 4.0 or 5.0 of Net Express.   The customer develops and distributes runtime executables, that need to run with Application Server 4.0 but would also like to use 5.0 for the clients that have upgraded to 5.0 Will the executable developed with 5.0 work with Application Server 4.0? When Net Express is opened for a compile, Net Express 5.0 comes up.   Resolution: It is possible to have both Net Express 4.0 and Net Express 5.0 installed on the same computer without a problem as long as the PATH, COBDIR etc., environment variables are set so that the desired compiler folder will appear first within the environment variables folder list. If a shortcut is created on the desktop which will point to either the BIN folder of Net Express 4.0 or 5.0 as desired then it should start the correct version. These are all comp

Problem: The user event triggered by      POST-USER-EVENT $NULL 32001 $NULL programmed in Dialog System seems to be suppressed to Windows Vista. Resolution: The number 32001 seems to be too small for a Vista operating system - and might also be too small for XP and Windows 2000. A larger event number should be used, e.g. greater 45000. Old KB# 1581

Problem: Release 5.0 WebSync 5: After installing Net Express 5.0 WebSync 5 and compiling / rebuilding a project there will be shown a linker warning LNK4044. What to do to prevent this? msvcrt.lib(crtmanifest.obj) : warning LNK4044: unrecognized option "manifestdependency:type='win32' name='Microsoft.VC80.CRT' version='8.0.50727.762' processorArchitecture='x86' publicKeyToken='1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b'"; ignored Starting rebuild Rebuilding         C:\\SOURCE\\P760CDIN\\p760cdin.cbl Rebuilding         C:\\SOURCE\\P760CDIN\\PAID10U.cbl Rebuilding         C:\\SOURCE\\P760CDIN\\PAID28U.cbl Rebuilding         C:\\SOURCE\\P760CDIN\\PAID40X.cbl Rebuilding         C:\\SOURCE\\P760CDIN\\PAID41U.cbl Rebuil

Problem: How are EBCDIC files read from the mainframe, using I/O stream? Resolution: When building .exe executibles in NetExpress that read mainframe EBCDIC files, make sure to include the following two Micro Focus system OBJ files in the project: 1.)  _codeset.obj  and  2.) CS0437.obj - and be sure to link them with the .exe being built. Old KB# 1557

Problem: Is FORMDEF supported in JCL in Net Express? Resolution: FORMDEF is supported in JCL as from Net Express 5.0 WrapPack4. Old KB# 1621

Problem: Do DECLARATIVES override the RETRYLOCK directive? Resolution: With the standard Micro Focus COBOL directives a DECLARATIVES section does not OVERRIDE the RETRYLOCK directive.  However, compiling with RM directive will cause control to passed to the DECLARATIVES section despite getting a 9/68 (locked record) error. Old KB# 1583

Problem: The following error might appear when running the cob command: cob32: Can't open message file '/opt/microfocus/cobol/lang/default/cob.msg' Even if your product is not installed in /opt/microfocus/cobol. Resolution: The problem is that the COBDIR environment variable is not set and the system cannot find the error message file to display a proper error message. Old KB# 2080

Problem: There is no property to invoke this piece of code in Visual Basic: Application.ErrorCheckingOptions.BackgroundChecking = False This is not documented in Visual Basic or in msexcel.cpy --> not defined. This attribute turns off the 'Green Triangle Indicator' that one would see in the cell when one put a text in the cell preceded with a single quote symbol as in:  '12/12/04 Manualy, one can click 'Tools....  Options...  Error Checking Tab.'  Then, uncheck 'Enable background error checking'. When recorded under a msexcel macro, one will see the visual basic code above. Resolution: Try the following:        01 errorcheckoptions    object reference.        01 backgroundchecking    object reference.        procedure division. &n

Problem: Is it possible to generate a pdb file for a COBOL DLL ? Resolution: The linker will generate a pdb for a COBOL DLL is the environment variable :- LINK=/debug before the linker is run. Old KB# 1619