COBOL interface

The CPI-C-COBOL program interface largely corresponds to the C interface described in section “CPI-C calls in UPIC”. You can therefore consult this description when creating CPI-C programs in COBOL. This section groups together the special features of the COBOL interface which apply for the data structures and CPI-C calls.

COPY element CMCOBOL

The COPY element CMCOBOL, which contains the condition variables and names, is supplied for CPI-C applications in COBOL. After installation of the UPIC carrier system, you will find CMCOBOL

• on Window systems in the file upic-dir\copy-cobol or upic-dir\netcobol directory

• on Unix and Linux systems in the directory upic-dir/copy-cobol85 or

  upic-dir/copy-netcobol

• on BS2000 systems in the library returned by the following SDF-P function

  INSTALLATION-PATH(INSTALLATION-UNIT='UTM-CLIENT',LOGICAL-ID='SYSLIB',DEFAULT-PATH-NAME='*UNKNOWN')

CMCOBOL must be included in the WORKING-STORAGE-SECTION using the COPY statement. The names of constants are derived from the C names only through the use of hyphens instead of underscores, e.g. “CM-SEND-RECEIVED” instead of “CM_SEND_RECEIVED”.

The name TIME-OUT or TIMEOUT is used in CMCOBOL for the CPI-C interface as a result of the CPI-C specification. These words are reserved by Micro Focus, so this name must be modified in the source, for example using the following statement:

COPY-Statement to avoid the keyword TIMEOUT

COPY CMCOBOL REPLACING TIME-OUT BY CPIC-TIMEOUT

CPI-C calls in COBOL

The function names are identical in C and COBOL. The following applies for the parameters of the CPI-C calls:

• As is normal in COBOL, the parameters must be transferred by reference.

• Each variable in the parameter list must begin with the level number 01.

• Numerical data must be in the COMP format that produces the same binary format as with C on the respective machine.

• When using COBOL on Windows systems you must bear in mind the necessary call conventions for the dynamic library (DLL).

Example: Extract from a program with the “Initialize” call:

...
 WORKING-STORAGE-SECTION.
*************************
 COPY CMCOBOL.
...
 PROCEDURE DIVISION.
*************************
...
 CALL "CMINIT" USING CONVERSATION-ID,SYM-DEST-NAME,CM-RETCODE.