PADDING CHARACTER clause

The PADDING CHARACTER clause specifies a character to be used for block padding on sequential files.

data-name-5
Must be defined in the DATA DIVISION as a one-character data item of category alphabetic, alphanumeric, or national, and must not be defined in the FILE SECTION. data-name-5 can be qualified.
literal-2
Must be a one-character alphanumeric literal or national literal.

For external files, data-name-5, if specified, must reference an external data item.

The PADDING CHARACTER clause is syntax checked, but has no effect on the execution of the program.