Built-in code review rules for PL/I

These rules are built into the Code Review for PL/I component and do not require parameters. You can select these rules from the Naming Conventions, Performance, and Program Structures categories in the software analysis configuration window. For more information about using this window, see Creating a software analysis configuration.

• Naming Conventions:

  Use a level number when declaring data

  Use this rule to flag any declared data item that does not contain a level number.

  Use a main procedure name that matches the source file name

  Use this rule to flag a main procedure whose name does not match the source file name.

• Performance:

  Avoid assigning or comparing two entry variables having different parameter lists

  Use this rule to flag any assign or compare of two ENTRY variables that have different parameter description lists.

  Avoid assigning or comparing two entry variables having different RETURNS attributes

  Use this rule to flag any assign or compare of two ENTRY variables that have different RETURNS attributes.

  Avoid comparisons of BIT strings of different length

  Use this rule to flag any expression that contains a comparison of two BIT strings of unequal lengths.

  This rule applies to bit constants and to data items that are declared with the BIT attribute. It also applies to data items that are declared with the CHARACTER attribute, if the CHARACTER attribute is followed by a VALUE attribute set to a bit constant value. It does not apply to implicitly declared variables or to the results of nested expressions.

  Avoid declaring multiple data items by factoring attributes

  Use this rule to flag data declarations that declare multiple data items by factoring attributes. For example: declare (A,B,C,D) binary fixed (31);

  Avoid FIXED DECIMAL declarations with even precision

  Use this rule to flag any declaration of a FIXED DECIMAL variable that specifies an even number of digits.

  Avoid implicit declarations

  Use this rule to flag references to data items that are not explicitly declared.

  Avoid using data elements of type BIT in arithmetic operations

  Use this rule to flag any data element in an arithmetic expression or built-in arithmetic function that is declared with the BIT attribute.

  Avoid using data elements of type CHARACTER in arithmetic operations

  Use this rule to flag any data element in an arithmetic expression or built-in arithmetic function that is declared with the CHARACTER attribute.

  Avoid using the PROCESS directive

  Use this rule to flag a PROCESS directive.

  Declare a single variable in an IF, WHILE, UNTIL, or WHEN clause as BIT(1) NONVARYING

  Use this rule to flag any IF, WHILE, UNTIL, or WHEN clause that consists of a single variable that is not declared as BIT(1) NONVARYING.

  EXEC SQL: Avoid SELECT *

  Use this rule to flag EXEC SQL statements that contain SELECT *.

  EXEC SQL: Use unqualified table names

  Use this rule to flag any EXEC SQL statement that contains a table name that is qualified or that is not explicitly specified.

  Use a loop control variable that is FIXED BINARY, FLOAT, ORDINAL, HANDLE, POINTER, or OFFSET

  Use this rule to flag any loop condition whose loop variable is not FIXED BINARY, FLOAT, ORDINAL, HANDLE, POINTER, or OFFSET.

  Use INITIAL with STATIC data declarations

  Use this rule to flag data declarations that contain the STATIC attribute but not the INITIAL attribute.

• Program Structures:

  Avoid assigning a value to an INONLY or NONASSIGNABLE parameter

  Use this rule to flag any statement that assigns a value to an INONLY or NONASSIGNABLE procedure parameter.

  Avoid ending a comment after column 72

  Use this rule to flag any comment that contains a line that extends past column 72.

  Avoid GO TO statements that specify a label in another block

  Use this rule to flag all GO TO statements that specify a label in another block.

  Avoid GO TO statements that specify a label variable

  Use this rule to flag any GO TO statement that specifies a label variable.

  Avoid most GO TO statements

  Use this rule to flag all GO TO statements, except GO TO statements that transfer control out of a begin-block.

  Avoid SELECT statements without OTHERWISE branch

  Use this rule to flag any SELECT statement or SELECT directive that does not contain an OTHERWISE branch.

  Avoid STOP statements

  Use this rule to flag all STOP statements.

  Avoid using characters except for sequence numbers after column 72

  Use this rule to flag any line that contains characters after column 72 that are not sequence numbers.

  EXEC CICS®: Use DFHRESP to check the return value

  This rule applies to data items that are used as the RESP or RESP2 parameter of an EXEC CICS command.

  Use this rule to flag a comparison between such a data item and anything other than the return value of a DFHRESP function call. This rule applies to comparisons in the following contexts:

  • In any relation condition
  • In any WHEN unit of a SELECT statement in which the data item is the selection subject

  EXEC CICS: Use the RESP option

  Use this rule to flag EXEC CICS commands that do not include the RESP option.

  This rule examines all EXEC CICS blocks and checks that a RESP() option is present. If no option is present, the block is flagged as a violation.

  Initialize locator variables used for based storage

  Use this rule to flag all references to a based data item for which the locator variable might not be initialized.

  This rule concludes that the locator variable might not be initialized if all the following conditions are true:

  • An INIT attribute is not specified for the locator variable, or INIT(NULL) or INIT(SYSNULL) is specified.
  • No assignment statement sets the value of the locator variable.
  • No allocate statement explicitly or implicitly sets the value of the locator variable.
  • No allocate statement sets the value for any data item that uses the locator variable as a base.

  This rule does not flag a reference to the based data that is an input parameter of the SIZE or STORAGE built-in function.

  Use a label with procedure END statements

  Use this rule to flag a procedure END statement that does not have a label or that has a null label. This rule applies to both nested and unnested procedures.

  Use a SELECT statement rather than ELSE-IF

  Use this rule to flag any IF statement that contains an ELSE unit in which ELSE is immediately followed by another IF statement.

  The IF statement is not flagged if it is contained within another IF statement that is already flagged for a rule violation.

  Use dot qualified references to structure members that are not level 1

  Use this rule to flag non-dot-qualified references to structure members that are not level 1.