Problem:
We downloaded some source from our host and noticed that Mainframe Express processed INCLUDE statements from Panvalet even though there was an asterisk ( * ) in column 7.
Resolution:
This is actually normal, expected behavior.
Panvalet on the host also processes the lines marked with an asterisk in column 7 as if there were no Cobol comment markings.
This is deliberate behavior added by RPI 700995 (MFE v1.1). It explains that numerous people have tested on the mainframe and confirmed that the Panvalet preprocessor does not respect Cobol comments and simply processes the INCLUDE anyway.
Here is the description of our old RPI implementing this behavior:
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RPI 700995:
* INCLUDE in COBOL program is taken as a comment in MFE. On the host
the INCLUDE is still processed by Panvalet
Customer has numerous occurrences of * INCLUDE in his COBOL source.
On the host, the '*' in column 7 is ignored by Panvalet, and the include
is processed as if it were not commented out. They have come to expect
this behavior. MFE changes the line to a comment, and the INCLUDE
is ignored. Customer wants the same behavior as on the host.
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