Parameter attribute

A parameter is contextually declared with the parameter attribute by its specification in a PROCEDURE or ENTRY statement.

The parameter should be explicitly declared with appropriate attributes. The PARAMETER attribute can also be specified in the declaration. If attributes are not supplied in a DECLARE statement, default attributes are applied. The parameter name must not be subscripted or qualified.

Table 2, and the following discussion, describe the attributes that can be declared for a parameter.

A parameter always has the INTERNAL attribute.

If the parameter is a structure or union, it must specify the level-1 name.

A parameter cannot have any storage class attributes except CONTROLLED. A controlled parameter must have a controlled argument, and can also have the INITIAL attribute.

Parameters used in record-oriented input/output, or as the base variable for DEFINED items, must be in connected storage. The CONNECTED attribute must be specified both in the declaration in the procedure and in the descriptor list of the procedure entry declaration.