Re: [open-cobol-list] IS "PIC -.99999999E-99" invalid picture string for OpenCOBOL?

[John R. Culleton]

On Monday 07 November 2005 10:31 pm, henry wang wrote:
> Hi OpenCOBOL developers,
>
> I use a float variable. This COBOL program can be
> compiled with Fujitsu COBOL, but with OpenCOBOL  there
> is compiling error for "04 FM0009-M PIC
> -.99999999E-99. "
> test3.cob:7: Error: invalid picture string
>
> How can I work it around?
> Or may be it will be supported later?
>  Kind regards,
>  Henry

Two possiblities:

First, you need to specify the usage of the numeric field. AFAIK
just adding a -E99 does not turn it into a COMPUTATIONAL item. I
have not seen this kind of notation before. But I don't deal
with scientific notation in COBOL.

Second, the picture field may exceed the limits of COBOL insofar
as the number of places to the right of the decimal point.

Going to the larger uestion of your aplicaiton, I think you are
spinning your wheels trying to make a free version of COBOL
act like C. Perhaps you would be better off simply converting
the data files to a format that C can handle through a one-time
conversion program, and then programming the application in a
language you are comfortable with. 

In your earlier answer you stated that the COBOL program needed
to call other programs or functions. I still do not have any
feel of the nature of the application. Is it a typical
accounting or inventory program? Statistical analysis of sales? 
In other words what do the programs do?

-- 
John Culleton
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