Rocket® COBOL

Problem: RTS166 Erorr when using an Iterator on a Dictionary Object When using the DO method on a Dictionary collection it results in a RTS 166 Recursive Call Error. Resolution: This is due to the callback method being used with an alternate ENTRY point in the program. When the iterator calls the entry point it detects a recursive call and terminates with an RTS 166 error. To use Iterators with an entry point you must have a "local-storage section" in the program. It does not need any data. It just enables the program to be called recursively. Old KB# 1434

Problem: Any non-local location is considered as not trusted location by Microsoft Visual .NET Framework. Resolution: Microsoft explains how to make a location as a trusted location at the following link: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bs2bkwxc(VS.80).aspx Old KB# 1448

Problem: In a COBOL Application can you add an icon to the Windows system tray. Resolution: Attached is an  example that shows how you can add an icon to the Windows System Tray  and trap mouse events on it. The demo works by creating a Hidden window to receive the mouse button events on the icon. The hidden window is a custom class that intercepts the Windows messages by overriding the "windowProc" method. Attachments: SysTraySBar.zip Old KB# 1442

Problem: The following code causes the second print line to overlay the first:        select pfile assign printer            organization line sequential.        fd  pfile.        01  pf-record                   pic x(60).        working-storage section.        01  report-line1                pic x(60) value            "Report Line 1".        01  report-line2          &nb

Problem: Will ADIS support be pulled from NX 5.0? Resolution: No, the character-based ADIS user interface will not be pulled from NX 5.0. It is fully retained and supported in both NetExpress 5.0 and 5.1 (even though .NET & web services are not designed for, or compatible with purely character-based applications). Old KB# 1460

Problem: Why didn't the ".mod" modules go to the Debug folder with the ".gnt" modules? Why did the ".mod" modules get mixed in with every other application member under the Project folder? Is there a way to configure the Build process so that all the ".mod" modules, and any other needed CICS modules, are kept together in a single folder that can be deployed to another server? Resolution: go under project -- build settings and when this opens highlight a bms name, more tabs will appear and you want to go to the bms general tab in the white entry box available labeled " Additional directives" put this: /BINARY=C:\\directoryname\\DEBUG\\ place the drive:\\directoryname\\subdirectory\\ **  make sure you place an ending backslash If you want the the copybooks the bms creates, to go to a special directory here is the copybook directive example. /binary=C:\\MODDIR\\ /Cobol=C

Problem: How do you get the record length when access a variable length Indexed file ? When accessing an Indexed file how can you find our the actual record length of the record that has just been read. The file may contain multiple record types of variable length. Resolution: To get the current record length you need to add a DEPENDING ON clause to an FD defintion:-        FD  TESTFILE            RECORD IS VARYING IN SIZE FROM 40 TO 32000            DEPENDING ON WS-REC-LEN. If access a file using EXTFH calls directly then the record length is returned in fcd-current-rec-len on exit from a READ op call. Old KB# 1514#RMCOBOL#COBOL#netexpress#ServerExpress#AcuCobol

Problem: Compiling with Cobsql returns CSQL-F-013 against COBPUB.CBL Compiling DB2 application cannot locate sql.cbl Compiling Sybase application cannot locate cobpub.cbl Compiling Oracle application cannot locate sqlca.cob This article also relates to Server Express on UNIX platforms. Resolution: When using third party (RDBMS) COBOL precompilers, you need to ensure that the precompiler option for specifying include directories, and/or the COBCPY environment variable setting, are set correctly for locating copy files supplied by the RDBMS vendor. For example, with DB2 applications, the copy files are located under $DB2DIR/include/cobol_mf (UNIX) or �2DIR%\\include\\cobol_mf (Windows), so the COBCPY environment variable needs to include that directory.. Old KB# 1473

Problem: When using remote desktop and all that can be seen is the desktop on the task manager applications. Resolution: CNTL ALT DEL will not get you the task manager for the remote system. CNTL ALT END will give you the task manager of the remote testop connection. CNTL ALT INS will give you the task manager of a VMWare machine.   Old KB# 1425

Problem: After installing the WrapPack 4 for Net Express 5.0: NXP3250040063.msp Starting Dialog System from the Net Express 5.0 IDE or as DSWIN.exe in a command prompt results in a message: Cannot initialise DSRUN, error code 00003, 00057, 00018 Resolution: Please install the attached HotFix which corrects this. Attachments: NXP325004006300015-HOTFIX-1439.msp Old KB# 1495

Problem: When setting MFCSCFG to a path that contains spaces, mfclient does not seem to find the configuration file. Resolution: Long directory name is not supported even if it is quoted. Use the short name instead, e.g. "C:\\Program Files" --> "C:\\Progra~1" You may want to look at a demo (longname.zip), which shows how to return a short filename (or directory name) from a long file name under COBOL using the WIN 32 APIs. Demos can be found at the Example & Utilities page from the Micro Focus SupportLine site (http://supportline.microfocus.com) Old KB# 1417

Problem: Release 5.0: After installing Net Express 5.0 and trying to run an application compiled within the IDE as well it seems this F5 key does not work as expected, because CTRL F12 binds the run functionality now. Also, the tooltip for the "Run"ner button shows CTRL F12. What to do getting back this F5 keystroke to "Run" an application? Resolution: To resolve this issue take a look here: Net Express 5.0 IDE-> Options -> Customize IDE... -> Keyboard Configuration -> Load Scheme Binding "Run" to F5 is related to this MS.KEY file covering Microsoft's scheme, and picked up from the Net Express installation here: ..\\Net Express 5.0\\Base\\bin\\MS.KEY Old KB# 1498

Problem: Compile fails with RTS114 in prexml.gnt when building .NET console application with a web reference Resolution: Compile fails with RTS114 especially when a web service is included and "p(prexml) endp" is set in the COBOL settings. The Preprocessor should only be called to parse XML source file only. Remove "p(prexml) endp" from the global setting and set it instead at the beginning of the COBOL file that contains XML syntax:       $set p(prexml) endp The XML pre-processor and .NET web services can exist in the same project as long as the preprocessor is not being used to parse source file that has non-supported syntax. The pre-processor does not support classes and .NET codes. Old KB# 1414

Problem: was trying to generate clients and gets compile problems when doing a generte web service client - the generation recompiles the program - Resolution: The problem here was that the project is a mainframe migration project using pcommain that was setting mainframe dialect(entcobol)  - It may compile clean when just compiling from the project window - because it does not know you are going to make a web service from it. when generating a client from the Open Services Interface window it recompiles the program this is where it will not accept the mainframe dialects. Web Services cannot use entcobol - 2 options: create a separate project for programs that will be web services and do not use pcommain -or- find the programname.dir and place a &space at the beginning of the line for directves not to be used (making the directive comments) - so it will not be used Old KB# 1441

Problem: The demonstration attached uses the Microsoft APIs to ' I-O'  on named pipes Microsoft URL / named pipes:       http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/Aa365590.aspx Microsoft URL / named pipes->PipeReference->Pipe Functions :      http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa365781.aspx Resolution: A .ZIP is attached. For the simplest, 1) Unzip the attachment on a working directory 2) Open a Net Express command prompt 3) Compile the sources files, just launch DOcl.bat 4) Open another  Net Express command prompt session, just type start in the 1st DOS session 5) Launch the PIPE server in DOS session 1 ( run STARTpipeserver ) this 'PIPE' server will create a named pipe and wait for incoming requests from 'PIPE clients' 6) Launch a "PIPE client   in DOS session 2.  ( run MSG2pipeserver ) Th

Problem: Release 4.0/5.0: Das nachfolgende Programm laesst sich fehlerfrei uebersetzen, obwohl Anweisungen, wie z.B. DISPLAY "Hallo Welt", nicht im Bereich B (ab Spalte 12) beginnen! Es sollen aber Standards bei der Codierung eingehalten werden und der Compiler sollte deshalb beim Umwandeln feststellen, ob gegen Regeln verstossen wird.  Es wird die beiliegende COBOL.DIR eingesetzt : CONFIRM SEQUENTIAL"LINE" RECMODE"V" CHARSET"ASCII" ANS85 REMOVE"name" NOSPZERO BOUND DIALECT"BS2000" 1234567A9..B               IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.               PROGRAM-ID. X230B01P.                         /      &

Problem: If a very large MFEXTMAP is used, you may experience strange behaviour during Compile or Animate. Environment variables are not resolved, or accept environment-value will not get a value. Any start of Animate may end in a Load failure 198. Alternatively an entry point failure in cblrtss can appear. Resolution: A reason for such errors are too many entries in MFEXTMAP.DAT. The maximum number is 1286 different entries. Old KB# 1478

Problem: Demo- People don't know how to use prototyping in COBOL which can significantly reduce the number of run-time errors thet occur. Resolution: ===========================================================                               Micro Focus                           N E T E X P R E S S       ===========================================================                        PROJECT TESTPROTO                       ======

Problem: Is it possible to read the value of the MY DOCUMENTS folder in Windows? Resolution: The simplest method is to read the HOMEPATH environment variable from within your COBOL program as follows:      working-storage section.      01  ws-env-value                     pic x(255).      procedure division.          display "HOMEPATH" upon environment-name.          accept ws-env-value from environment-value             on exception                display "HOMEPATH environment variable not found.".    &

Problem: Running with excel odbc databases.When opening an excel spreadsheet, user receives an error stating the program was unable to find the ODBC driver dll.  The error received is the following:  application was unable to load msaccess.  User is also receiving a -19703 error. Resolution: This problem was fixed by running a "Detect and Repair" on the Microsoft Office software.  Once that was done, the dlls were updated and working properly.Old KB# 1475

Problem: Error 114 (RST114) is occurring when a Cobol program calls a Panels. Resolution: Make sure the application is linked with PANELS.OBJ. Old KB# 1459

Problem: Cannot find the runtime. Unable to find cblrtss, when running program on the server where Application Server for Net Express (runtime) is installed. The runtime license database has been activated with runtime licenses. Resolution: When building exes or dlls, must make sure of the following before deploying. In the Project, for Type of Build Highlight the programname.exe Next, at the top of the IDE select Project ->  Build Settings Click on the Link tab Under Run time library when you select  Shared, make sure  Dynamic is also checked. The default is that  Dynamic is not checked. For all exes and dlls make sure the above is done, then do a Rebuild all of the Project. Now , deploy exes and dlls to the machine where the Application Server for Net Express (runtime) is installed. Old KB# 1494

Problem: Is it possible to access the mainframe using Mainframe Access (MFA) with Net Express and Server Express, i.e. to access data files on the mainframe? Resolution: In migration projects we recommend that customers buy and use Mainframe Express Enterprise Edition (MFE EE) that includes MFA to download everything from the mainframe and test the application the first time. Once the application works on MFE, there is a tool part of the Migration Toolkit that will create the Net Express project from the MFE project. The migration toolkit can also be used to pass the project to Server Express. Once the application is on Enterprise Server there are different ways to access the mainframe... - you can run a remote CICS transaction on the mainframe. This doesn't require MFA. - if you are using UDB (remember that XDB used by MFE is not a production system) you can have remote databases on the mainframe, but this is all done using IBM's tools. - if

Problem: Can you share a Database Connection between .Net Languages (VB and C#) and COBOL. In the scenario C# would create a connection and pass that to COBOL. COBOL would then use the connection and issue its Embedded SQL on the same connection. Is this possible ? Resolution: Yes using ADO.Net you can pass a connection object from C# to the COBOL. The COBOL then can use EXEC ADO BIND to  specify that the C# connection is to be used when executing embedded SQL. Attached to this article is some example code showing how to do this. Attachments: DNSharedConnection.zip Old KB# 1505

Problem: This is a demo program that shows how to share files between different instances of the same class. Many people are confused as to where file definitions should reside in an OO COBOL program. Resolution:    ===========================================================                                               Micro Focus                                          N E T E X P R E S S       ===========================================================    &nb