What is new in Enterprise COBOL for z/OS 6.3 and COBOL 6.3 with PTFs installed

AMODE 64 (64-bit) support

You can now develop AMODE 64 (64-bit) applications with Enterprise COBOL.

UTF-8 support

PH47577: When you use the figurative constant HIGH-VALUE in a context that requires UTF-8 characters, its value is UTF-8 character UX'F48FBFBF' corresponding to Unicode code point U+10FFFF, except when HIGH-VALUE is used in a move or compare operation with a fixed byte-length UTF-8 data item that has a length that is not a multiple of 4 bytes. (Using UTF-8-character figurative constants)

Support of 2002 and 2014 COBOL standards

New DYNAMIC LENGTH clause

Use this clause to specify a dynamic-length elementary item. A dynamic-length elementary item is a data item whose length might change at run time. This is part of the 2014 COBOL Standard. (DYNAMIC LENGTH clause)

The REPOSITORY paragraph FUNCTION specifier INTRINSIC

INTRINSIC allows declaration of intrinsic function names that may be used without specifying the word FUNCTION. This is part of the 2002 COBOL Standard. (REPOSITORY paragraph)

PH31047: New date and time intrinsic functions

New date and time intrinsic functions are introduced that support encoding and decoding of date and time information to and from formats specified in ISO 8601, and that support encoding and decoding date and time information to and from integers that are suitable for arithmetic.

Note: COBOL Runtime LE APAR PH31133 must also be applied on all systems where programs that make use of these new date and time intrinsic functions are linked or run.

Support for 2002 COBOL Standard:

• TEST-DATE-YYYYMMDD: Tests whether a date in standard date form (YYYYMMDD) is a valid date in the Gregorian calendar. (TEST-DATE-YYYYMMDD)
• TEST-DAY-YYYYDDD: Tests whether a date in Julian date form (YYYYDDD) is a valid date in the Gregorian calendar. (TEST-DAY-YYYYDDD)

Support for 2014 COBOL Standard:

• COMBINED-DATETIME: Combines a date in integer date form and a time in standard numeric time form into a single numeric item from which both date and time components can be derived. (COMBINED-DATETIME)
• FORMATTED-CURRENT-DATE: Returns a character string that represents the current date and time provided by the system on which the function is evaluated. (FORMATTED-CURRENT-DATE)
• FORMATTED-DATE: Converts a date from its integer date form to the requested format. (FORMATTED-DATE)
• FORMATTED-DATETIME: Uses a combined time and date format to convert and combine a date in the integer date form and a numeric time expressed as seconds past midnight to a formatted date and time representation according to that combined date and time format. (FORMATTED-DATETIME)
• FORMATTED-TIME: Uses a format to convert a value that represents seconds past midnight to a formatted time of day in the requested format. (FORMATTED-TIME)
• INTEGER-OF-FORMATTED-DATE: Converts a date that is in a specified format to an integer date form. (INTEGER-OF-FORMATTED-DATE)
• SECONDS-FROM-FORMATTED-TIME: Converts a time that is in a specified format to a numeric value that represents the number of seconds after midnight. (SECONDS-FROM-FORMATTED-TIME)
• SECONDS-PAST-MIDNIGHT: Returns a value in standard numeric time form that represents the current local time of day provided by the system on which the function is evaluated. (SECONDS-PAST-MIDNIGHT)
• TEST-FORMATTED-DATETIME: Tests whether a data item that represents a date, a time, or a combined date and time is valid according to the specified format. (TEST-FORMATTED-DATETIME)

JSON enhancements

You can watch this video to get an overview of the JSON support in Enterprise COBOL for z/OS V6.

New NAME is OMITTED phrase

PH18641: A new NAME is OMITTED phrase is added to the JSON GENERATE statement to allow generation of an anonymous JSON object, whose top-level parent name is not generated. (JSON GENERATE statement)

New CONVERTING phrase

PH26789: A new CONVERTING phrase is added to the JSON GENERATE and JSON PARSE statements so that you can generate and parse JSON boolean values:

• JSON GENERATE statement
• JSON PARSE statement
• Producing JSON output
• Processing JSON input

Note: COBOL Runtime LE APAR PH26698 must also be applied on all systems where programs that make use of this new feature are linked or run.

New when-phrase and generic-suppression-phrase

PH30975: New when-phrase and generic-suppression-phrase are added to the JSON GENERATE statement so that you can conditionally suppress data items during JSON GENERATE. (JSON GENERATE statement)

Note: COBOL Runtime LE APAR PH31172 must also be applied on all systems where programs that make use of this new feature are linked or run.

Other language element changes

POINTER-32 phrase added to USAGE clause

A POINTER-32 phrase is added to the USAGE clause, which can be used to define pointer data items or data-pointers. (POINTER-32 phrase)

Restored capability of CALL ... USING

PH20724: The use of passing a file-name to a subprogram with the USING phrase of the CALL statement was removed in Enterprise COBOL V6.3, but is restored in Enterprise COBOL V6.3 with PTF for APAR PH20724 installed.

• CALL statement
• Passing data

New UUID4 intrinsic function

• PH20997: The UUID4 intrinsic function is introduced.
  Note: COBOL Runtime LE PTF UI66560(V2R2)/UI66555(V2R3)/UI66557(V2R4) must also be applied on all systems where programs that make use of this new feature are linked or run.
• Runtime APAR PH34885 (V2R3/V2R4): The UUID4 randomness and UUID4 intrinsic function requires significant CPU usage.

(UUID4)

Compiler option changes

New compiler options

LP

Use LP to indicate whether an AMODE 31 (31-bit) or AMODE 64 (64-bit) program should be generated with the related language features enabled. LP(32) is the default. (LP)

TUNE

PH34804: Use TUNE to specify the architecture for which the executable program will be optimized. (TUNE)

INVDATA

PH37328: INVDATA replaces the deprecated ZONEDATA compiler option and provides users fine-grained control over how the compiler generates code to handle USAGE DISPLAY and USAGE PACKED-DECIMAL data items that contain invalid data. (INVDATA)

CONDCOMP

PH49504: CONDCOMP compiler option is introduced to control how conditional code will be displayed in the listing. (CONDCOMP)

LSACHECK

PH63907: Use the LSACHECK option (LSACHECK is short for Linkage Section Addressability Check) to prevent inadvertent use of LINKAGE-SECTION data items prior to establishing addressability. This can prevent problems when migrating to z/OS 2.5 and later. (LSACHECK)

Modified compiler options

ARCH

ARCH(7) is no longer accepted.

A new higher level of ARCH(13) is accepted.

ARCH(8) is the default.

(ARCH)

INITCHECK

PH22581: New suboptions LAX | STRICT are added to control whether the compiler will issue warning messages for data items unless they are initialized on at least one, or on all, logical paths to a statement. (INITCHECK)

NUMCHECK

Regardless of whether NUMCHECK(MSG) or NUMCHECK(ABD) is specified, invalid data found at compile time will produce a compile-time error message and the check will be removed.

PH27536: NUMCHECK(ZON) provides new suboptions LAXREDEF | STRICTREDEF to control whether the compiler will check and issue warning messages for redefined items.

PH29542: NUMCHECK(BIN) provides new suboptions TRUNCBIN| NOTRUNCBIN to control whether the compiler will generate the checking code for binary data items.

PTF UI71591 (no APAR number): NUMCHECK is enhanced with the capability to check alphanumeric senders whose contents are being moved to a numeric receiver. For alphanumeric senders whose contents are being moved to a numeric receiver, the compiler treats the sender as a numeric integer so NUMCHECK generates an implicit numeric class test for each alphanumeric sender.

PH40356: NUMCHECK(ZON(LAX)): When a zoned decimal data item is moved to another zoned decimal data item, NUMCHECK will not check the sender of the move. However, if the sender is subsequently used in a numeric context, it will be checked.

PH49715: NUMCHECK: The NUMCHECK compiler option is updated to avoid generating runtime checking code of zoned-decimal senders in MOVE statements when the receiver is an alphanumeric data item and NUMCHECK(ZON(LAX)) is in effect.

(NUMCHECK)

TEST

Runtime APARs PH29755(V2R3/V2R4) and PH30338(V2R3/V2R4 AMODE 64): New support is added for LLA/VLF managed programs where DWARF diagnostic information is included. (TEST)

RULES

PH33122: New suboptions LAXREDEF | NOLAXREDEF are added to inform users of redefined items with mismatched lengths. (RULES)

SOURCE

PH35643: New suboptions DEC | HEX are added to control whether the generated sequence numbers for the listing of the source are in decimal or hexadecimal format. (SOURCE)

OFFSET

PH35652: The OFFSET option behavior is changed. If there are multiple blocks of instructions for a single line of COBOL code, multiple entries will be generated for those instructions in the OFFSET table. (OFFSET)

Deprecated compiler options

ZONEDATA

PH37328: This compiler option is deprecated but tolerated and is automatically mapped to an equivalent form of the new INVDATA compiler option. (ZONEDATA)

NUMCHECK(ZON(LAXREDEF|STRICTREDEF))

PH40356: LAXREDEF|STRICTREDEF option is deprecated but is tolerated for compatibility, and it is replaced by the LAX|STRICT option. (NUMCHECK)

Runtime changes

PERFORM … UNTIL EXIT support

PH47372: You can specify EXIT in place of a condition in a PERFORM statement. If the UNTIL phrase with the EXIT reserved word is specified, execution proceeds exactly as if the same PERFORM statement were coded with condition-1 specified, except that condition-1 never evaluates as true. (PERFORM with UNTIL phrase)

VSAM dynamic access optional logic path

PH56036 and PH56037: An optional alternate logic path is introduced for VSAM files that use the ACCESS IS DYNAMIC mode. The alternate logic path uses a direct read-by-key request instead of a point to a record by key. (VSAM dynamic access optional logic path)

New runtime options

PH56036 and PH56037: The following COBOL runtime options are added:

• VSAMDYNAMICDIR: Changes the dynamic access method of VSAM to a direct read-by-key request. (VSAMDYNAMICDIR)
• DISABLEUOPTREPORT: Suppresses the COBOL runtime options report. (DISABLEUOPTREPORT)

New runtime messages

Runtime APARs PH63898 (for 31-bit/AMODE31) and PH63939 (for 64-bit/AMODE64) provide new runtime messages for ABENDs due to LSACHECK to better explain the 0C4 ABEND. (LSACHECK)

Migration assistance

New runtime option IGZCOMPAT for MERGE statement

Runtime APARs PH20569(V2R2) and PH21261(V2R3/V2R4): A new runtime option IGZCOMPAT for MERGE statement is introduced to obtain support for DFSORT option NOBLKSET and the conventional merge method for Enterprise COBOL V5 or later versions.

• Sorting and merging files
• Using DFSORT option NOBLKSET

New option QSAMBUFFINITCHAR added to IGZUOPT module

Runtime APAR PH25917: A new option QSAMBUFFINITCHAR is added to the IGZUOPT module that allows you to control the initial character used for QSAM buffer initialization. (Controlling initialization of QSAM buffer)

Listing changes

• Listing terminologies change as follows:
  • Static Map is changed to INITIAL HEAP STORAGE MAP. (Example: initial heap storage map)
  • Writeable static area (WSA) is changed to storage. (Reading LIST output)
  • WSA24 is changed to BELOW THE LINE STORAGE. (Example: initial heap storage map)
  • Automatic Map is changed to STACK STORAGE MAP. (Example: DSA memory map (stack storage map))
• PH40562: A new signature information byte is added for the DECIMAL-POINT IS COMMA clause so that the compiler can indicate to the debugger when COBOL programs have the DECIMAL-POINT IS COMMA clause. (Signature information bytes)

Installation customization changes

• The installation customization for placing compiler phases into shared storage is removed.
• PH37331: Adds support for diagnosing miscoded options or options coded as OPTION() instead of OPTION= in the COBOL customization macro. (Changing the defaults for compiler options)

Compiler message changes

New messages

• IGYCB7315-W: A reference modifier with a non-positive value was found. (IGYCB7315-W)
• IGYCB7316-W: A reference-modification length with a non-positive value was found. (IGYCB7316-W)
• IGYCB7317-W: A reference-modification length value caused reference to be made beyond the rightmost character of &1. (IGYCB7317-W)
• IGYCB7318-W: A reference-modifier start value exceeded the number of characters in &1. (IGYCB7318-W)

Changed messages

PH42280: The following messages are updated to report additional information and return codes:

• IGYSI5305-U (IGYSI5305-U)
• IGYSI5306-U (IGYSI5306-U)

Removed messages

• IGYPS0212-S

COBOL/JNI interface enhancement

Runtime APAR PH37101(V2R3/V2R4): An enhancement is made to assist COBOL programs running in AMODE 31 to interact with Java™ programs in AMODE 64. (COBOL programs in AMODE 31 interacting with Java programs in AMODE 64)

Debugging enhancement

Runtime APAR PH61133 (V2R4 or later): You can use ddname IGZPROUT at the run step of your JCL to generate a report of all COBOL 5 or later programs that are called dynamically, statically, and via DLL linkage. (Generating a report of dynamically called COBOL programs)

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