Digits and decimal points

The picture characters 9 and V are used in numeric character specifications that represent fixed-point decimal values.

9

Specifies that the associated position in the data item contains a decimal digit. (Note that the 9 picture specification character for numeric character data is different from the specification for character data because the corresponding character cannot be a blank for character data.)

A string of n 9 picture characters specifies that the item is a nonvarying character-string of length n, each of which is a digit (0 through 9). See the following example:

  dcl digit picture'9',
      Count picture'999',
      XYZ picture '(10)9';

An example of use is shown below:

  dcl 1 Record,
        2 Data char(72),
        2 Identification char(3),
        2 Sequence pic'99999';
  dcl Count fixed dec(5);
⋮
  Count=Count+1;
  Sequence=Count;
  write file(Output) from(Record);

V

Specifies that a decimal point is assumed at this position in the associated data item. However, it does not specify that an actual decimal point or decimal comma is inserted. The integer value and fractional value of the assigned value, after modification by the optional scaling factor F(±x), are aligned on the V character. Therefore, an assigned value can be truncated or extended with zero digits at either end. (If significant digits are truncated on the left, the result is undefined and the SIZE condition is raised if enabled.)

If no V character appears in the picture specification of a fixed-point decimal value (or in the first field of a picture specification of a floating-point decimal value), a V is assumed at the right end of the field specification. This can cause the assigned value to be truncated, if necessary, to an integer.

The V character cannot appear more than once in a picture specification.

Consider the following example:

  dcl Value picture 'Z9V999';
  Value = 12.345;
  dcl Cvalue char(5);
  Cvalue = Value;

Cvalue, after assignment of Value, contains '12345'.

Table 1 shows examples of digit and decimal point characters.