Flag options

COBOL for Linux® supports a number of common conventional flag options that are used on Linux systems. Flag options are case-sensitive and they apply to the cob2 invocation command.

COBOL for Linux also supports flags that are directed to other programming tools and utilities (for example, the scu command).

Some flag options have arguments that form part of the flag. For example:
cob2 stem.cbl -F/home/tools/test3/new.cfg:cob2
where new.cfg is a custom configuration file.
You can specify flags that do not take arguments in one string. For example:
cob2 -ocv file.cbl
cob2 -o -c -v file.cbl
A flag option that takes arguments can be specified as part of a single string, but you can only use one flag that takes arguments, and it must be the last option specified. For example, you can use the -o flag (to specify a name for the executable file) together with other flags, only if the -o option and its argument are specified last. For example:
cob2 -ocv test test.cbl
has the same effect as:
cob2 -o -c -vtest test.cbl

Most flag options are a single letter, but some are two letters. Take care not to specify two or more options in a single string if there is another option that uses that letter combination.