cob2 syntax and options

If you specify cob2 without any options or input files, the compiler manual page will be displayed.

-bxxx

Passes the string xxx to the linker as parameters. xxx is a list of linker options in name=value format, separated by commas. You must spell out both the name and the value in full (except for the special cases noted below). The name and value are case insensitive. Do not use any spaces between -b and xxx.

If you do not specify a value for an option, a default value of YES is used except for the following options, which have the indicated default values:

• LIST=NOIMPORT
• ALIASES=ALL
• COMPAT=CURRENT
• DYNAM=DLL

One special value for xxx is dll, which specifies that the executable module is to be a DLL. This string is not passed to the linker.

-c

Compiles programs but does not link them.

-comprc_ok=n

Controls cob2 behavior on the return code from the compiler. If the return code is less than or equal to n, cob2 continues to the link step or, in the compile-only case, exits with a zero return code. If the return code returned by the compiler is greater than n, cob2 exits with the same return code. When the c89 command is implicitly invoked by cob2 for the link step, the exit value from the c89 command is used as the return code from the cob2 command.

The default is -comprc_ok=4.

-dbrmlib=xxx

Specifies the location to be used for the generated database request module (DBRM). Only valid when the SQL compiler option is also specified.

• When xxx is not specified, the DBRM is written to a z/OS UNIX file. If the input file for the compile operation is named file.cbl, then the DBRM file will be named file.dbrm.
• When xxx is specified, xxx represents the name of an existing data set that will hold the generated DBRM. Note that the provided name xxx is used as-is with no extra qualification performed.

-e xxx

Specifies the name of the program to be used as the entry point of the module. The program must be one of the programs that will be included in the module. If you do not specify -e, the default entry point is the first program (file.cbl) or object file (file.o) that you specify as a file name on the cob2 command invocation.

-g

Prepares the program for debugging. Equivalent to specifying the TEST option with no suboptions.

-help

Displays the manual page of the compiler. If you specify cob2 -help, regardless of whether you provide input files, the compiler manual page is displayed and the compilation stops. This option has the same effect as -?.

-Ixxx

Adds a path xxx to the directories to be searched for copybooks for which you do not specify a library-name.

To specify multiple paths, either use multiple -I options, or use a colon to separate multiple path names within a single -I option value.

For COPY statements in which you have not coded an explicit library-name, the compiler searches for copybooks in the following order:

1. In the current directory
2. In the paths you specify with the -I cob2 option
3. In the paths you specify in the SYSLIB environment variable
4. In the locations specified in instances of the COPYLOC option that use the default library name or specify an explicit library name of SYSLIB

-L xxx

Specifies the directory paths to be used to search for archive libraries specified by the -l operand.

-l xxx

Specifies the name of an archive library for the linker. The cob2 command searches for the name libxxx.a in the directories specified in the -L option, then in the usual search order. (This option is lowercase l, not uppercase I.)

-o xxx

Names the object module xxx. If the -o option is not used, the name of the object module is a.out.

-qxxx

Passes xxx to the compiler, where xxx is a list of compiler options separated by blanks or commas.

Enclose xxx in quotation marks if a parenthesis is part of the option or suboption, or if you use blanks to separate options. Do not insert spaces between -q and xxx.

-v

Displays the generated commands that are issued by cob2 for the compile and link steps, including the options being passed, and executes them. Here is sample output:

cob2 -v -o mini -qssrange mini.cbl
compiler: ATTCRCTL PARM=RENT,TERM,SSRANGE /u/userid/cobol/mini.cbl
PP 5655-EC6 IBM Enterprise COBOL for z/OS  6.3.0 in progress ...
End of compilation 1,  program mini,  no statements flagged.
linker: /bin/c89 -o mini -e // mini.o

-#

Displays compile and link steps, but does not execute them.

-?

Displays the manual page of the compiler. If you specify cob2 -?, regardless of whether you provide input files, the compiler manual page is displayed and the compilation stops. This option has the same effect as -help.