ACCEPT Statement

The input data received from a device by using a Format 1 ACCEPT statement can include DBCS. All DBCS data must be identified by the proper syntax. The input data, excluding shift control characters, replaces the existing contents of a DBCS data item. The shift control characters are included in the contents of the mixed data items. COBOL does not perform special editing or error checking on the data.

If you use the Format 3 ACCEPT statement to get OPEN-FEEDBACK information about a file, that information includes a field showing whether the file has DBCS or mixed data.

Information received from the local data area by a Format 4 ACCEPT statement can include DBCS or mixed character strings. Information received replaces the existing contents. COBOL does not perform any editing or checking for errors. This also applies to information received from the PIP data area by a Format 5 ACCEPT statement, and from a user defined data area by a Format 9 ACCEPT statement.

Using the Format 6 ACCEPT statement, you can get the attributes of a workstation display and its keyboard. For display stations that can display DBCS characters, the system sets the appropriate value in the ATTRIBUTE-DATA data item. You cannot use DBCS characters to name a device.

If you use an extended (Format 7) ACCEPT statement for field-level workstation input, you must ensure that DBCS data is not split across lines. COBOL does not perform any checking for errors or editing, except for the removal of shift in and shift out characters when necessary.