Finding the program name and compile time stamp in Enterprise COBOL 5 or 6 programs

You can find the program name (and PPA1) for COBOL 5 or 6 programs at run time.

  1. From the current Register 13, follow the backchain pointer (R13 + 4).
  2. The Entry Point address (EP@) is in the backchain, in the R15 slot (backchain address + 16).
  3. At the EP@, look at the word in EP@+12. An integer is there, which is the offset from the entry point to the PPA1 in this program.
  4. Add this integer to the EP@. This is the PPA1 address.
  5. The program name is in the PPA1. (The first byte in PPA1 times 2 (byte *2) gives the offset of the program name in PPA1.)
  6. The first 2 bytes of the program name are the length of the name, followed by the name.