In COBOL programming, handling strings is a fundamental aspect of data manipulation. Understanding how to work with strings efficiently is crucial for developing robust and maintainable COBOL applications. This tutorial will explore various string handling techniques in COBOL, including string manipulation, concatenation, and searching.
Prerequisites
Before diving into this tutorial, you should have a basic understanding of COBOL programming concepts, including data types, variables, and basic syntax.
String Manipulation in COBOL
String manipulation involves performing operations such as extracting substrings, converting case, and reversing strings. COBOL provides several intrinsic functions and language features to facilitate these tasks.
Example: Extracting Substrings
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. SubstringExample.
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01 Original-String PIC X(20) VALUE "Hello, World!".
01 Substring PIC X(10).
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
MOVE FUNCTION SUBSTRING(Original-String, 1, 5) TO Substring.
DISPLAY "Substring: " Substring.
STOP RUN.In this example, the SUBSTRING function is used to extract the first five characters from the Original-String.
Example: Converting Case
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. CaseConversion.
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01 Input-String PIC X(20) VALUE "Hello, World!".
01 Output-String PIC X(20).
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
MOVE FUNCTION LOWER-CASE(Input-String) TO Output-String.
DISPLAY "Lowercase: " Output-String.
MOVE FUNCTION UPPER-CASE(Input-String) TO Output-String.
DISPLAY "Uppercase: " Output-String.
STOP RUN.In this example, the LOWER-CASE and UPPER-CASE functions are used to convert the case of the Input-String.
String Concatenation in COBOL
Concatenation involves joining two or more strings together. COBOL provides the STRING statement and the CONCATENATE intrinsic function for concatenating strings.
Example: Using STRING Statement
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. StringConcatenation.
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01 First-String PIC X(10) VALUE "Hello".
01 Second-String PIC X(10) VALUE "World!".
01 Result-String PIC X(20).
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
STRING First-String " " Second-String INTO Result-String.
DISPLAY "Concatenated String: " Result-String.
STOP RUN.In this example, the STRING statement is used to concatenate First-String and Second-String with a space in between.
String Searching in COBOL
Searching involves locating a substring within a larger string. COBOL provides the INSPECT statement and the SEARCH verb for string searching.
Example: Using INSPECT Statement
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. StringSearch.
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01 Main-String PIC X(20) VALUE "Hello, World!".
01 Search-String PIC X(5) VALUE "World".
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
INSPECT Main-String TALLYING WS-COUNT FOR ALL Search-String.
DISPLAY "Occurrences of 'World': " WS-COUNT.
STOP RUN.In this example, the INSPECT statement is used to count the occurrences of the Search-String within the Main-String.
Conclusion
Mastering string handling in COBOL is essential for building efficient and reliable applications. By understanding the techniques covered in this tutorial, you can manipulate, concatenate, and search strings effectively in your COBOL programs. Experiment with these examples and explore additional features to enhance your COBOL string handling skills.
