 New
in: |
|
Feature Summary |
|
Detail of Feature |
|
Benefit of Feature |
| V1
|
 |
Syntax support |
|
NetCOBOL
for .NET supports:
Most of COBOL 85, 89 addendum
Object-Oriented COBOL
.NET-supporting extensions
CBL_ Routines
|
|
You
can use your existing COBOL code.
You can apply your COBOL skills in the .NET environment.
Provides greater compatibility with Micro Focus COBOL programs.
|
| V2 |
|
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Ability to define enumerations
Ability to define interfaces
Specify access attributes (PRIVATE, PROTECTED, PUBLIC) on fields
Compare Boolean types
New BINARY- data types (SHORT, LONG and DOUBLE)
Supports nested programs |
|
NET
concepts/objects/ abilities that can be useful to the COBOL programmer.
Provide compatibility with .NET short, long and double types.
Enables use of new or existing code that uses this COBOL 85 feature
|
| V3 |
|
|
|
Referencing
generic types - Allows the types of parameters to be defined at
run-time – so a method can be defined and coded using a “generic”
type, a type that isn’t precisely defined, and at run time
when objects are instantiated the actual types are specified.
|
|
Provides
more flexible coding options. |
| V3 |
|
|
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Static
constructors can be defined in COBOL |
|
Fills
out the functionality of NetCOBOL
|
| V3 |
|
|
|
TRY-CATCH-FINALLY
statement added as new option for exception handling |
|
Provides
style of exception handling similar to that provided in C#.
|
| V3 |
|
|
|
PERFORM
VARYING-THRU format provides iteration of code through the members
of a collection class object.
|
|
Useful
construct for working with collection classes |
| V3 |
|
|
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Ability
to define assembly custom attributes in COBOL. |
|
Fills
out the functionality of NetCOBOL
|
| V3 |
|
|
|
Special
subroutines for converting between different formats of included
signs in zoned (display) decimal items extended to include Micro
Focus formats. New subroutines called
• #DECFJTOMF
• #DECMFTOFJ
• #DEC88TOMF
• #DECMFTO88
|
|
Helps
communicate zoned decimal data between different systems, if you
have a need to do so.
Helps support a COBOL migration to NetCOBOL. |
| V3.1 |
|
|
|
SYNCHRONIZED clause allowed on group items. |
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Convenience in specifying SYNCHRONIZED for many items.
|
| V3.1 |
|
|
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RESUME statement added to support transfer of control from USE AFTER EXCEPTION procedures to specified procedures outside DECLARATIVES. |
|
Greater control when recovering from exceptions. |
 |
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| |
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RDBMS access |
|
You
can use embedded SQL to access the following databases:
SQL Server, Oracle, Informix, Sybase
Any ODBC-compliant database
Extensive setup instructions
|
|
Access your company's data without complex database
conversions.
Improves the performance of embedded SQL by as much as 30%. |
| V3 |
|
|
|
Supports
creation of code for the SQL common language runtime (CLR) enabling
the creation of stored procedures, user-defined functions and triggers. |
|
Use
type-safe code in stored procedures to make certain database queries
more efficient and have the option of directly migrating mainframe
applications that include stored procedures.
|
| V3 |
|
|
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Embedded
SQL can work with ADO.NET
|
|
Improves
the performance of embedded SQL by as much as 30%.
|
| V3 |
|
|
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Trace
output of user-defined messages when using an ADO.NET connection.
|
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Helps
monitor/debug user-defined messages.
|
| V3 |
|
|
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Retrieve
return values of stored procedures. |
|
Important
when using stored procedures in databases.
|
| |
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| |
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COBOL File Handling |
|
Supports all COBOL file types (sequential, line sequential,
relative and indexed). Provides fast, reliable file handling.
|
|
You
can rely on the integrity of your data and give great response
times to your users. |
| V2.1 |
|
|
|
Provides option to use the Btrieve file handler
provided with the Pervasive.SQL product. |
|
Rtrieve
can support larger indexed files and can offer transaction support
when used with NeoKicks.
|
| V3 |
|
|
|
Append
data to an existing record-sequential file using standard COBOL
I/O |
|
Useful
additional option when working with record sequential files. |
V3 |
|
|
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Concatenate
multiple record sequential files to be used as a single input file
to COBOL |
|
Useful
additional option when working with record sequential files. |
| |
|
| V1.1 |
|
Pointer items |
|
Support for USAGE POINTER data items for handling dynamic
memory within the NetCOBOL environment. |
|
Enables migration of code that has extensive use of pointers
to NetCOBOL for .NET.
|
| |
|
| V1.1 |
|
Large sequential files |
|
With Fujitsu's BSAM module, allows sequential files
to grow to 4GB and higher. |
|
Removes limitation present in earlier releases.
|
| |
|
| V1.1 |
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External file handler |
|
Standard
COBOL I/O statements (OPEN, READ, WRITE etc) can generate calls
to an external file handler (one other than the regular NetCOBOL
file handler). The external file handler interface is compatible
with that defined for Micro Focus COBOL.
|
|
Of
greatest benefit to those emulating other systems where programs
other than COBOL programs might access files. |
| |
|
| V2 |
|
Verifiable
code |
|
Option
to have compiler generate verifiable (memory safe) code. |
|
For
applications that may be downloaded over the Internet having verifiable
code can be an important feature.
|
| |
|
| V2 |
|
Print
files |
|
Both
COBOL “ASSIGN TO PRINTER” and PowerFORM print files
supported. |
|
Adds
ability to print from .NET applications.
|
| |
|
| V2 |
|
Sort/Merge |
|
COBOL
SORT and MERGE statements supported. |
|
Enables
execution of sort and merge applications under .NET. |
| |
|
V2
+V2.1
+V2.1
V3.1
|
|
Unicode
and ACP support |
|
COBOL
intrinsic functions to convert between ANSI Code Page (ACP) encoding
to Unicode (either UTF-8 or UCS-2 depending on context):
ACP-OF
UNICODE-OF
NATIONAL-OF
DISPLAY-OF
NATIONAL
CAST-ALPHANUMERIC
NATIONAL function extended to convert between UTF-8 and UCS-2 when executing with COBOL alphanumeric data in the UTF-8 code set.
|
|
Provides
more coding options for working with ACP applications or data files.
|
| V2.1 |
|
|
|
Support
provided for compiling programs in ACP or Unicode runtime data modes.
Alphanumeric items are stored using ACP or UTF-8 depending on the
mode.
|
|
Greatly
eases the COBOL migration of programs/data coming from single byte
encoding environments, such as EBCDIC or ACP (usually thought of
as ASCII) systems, as the lengths of alphanumeric items can be left
as they are when using the ACP mode.
|
| V2.1 |
|
|
|
Ability
to configure whether the message output file and SYSOUT files are
written in ACP or Unicode.
|
|
Provides
flexibility to choose the appropriate character encodings for these
files within your organization.
|
| V2.1 |
|
|
|
Ability
to check for differences in the runtime code set for data or files
with the EXTERNAL attribute.
See white paper for more details
on using Unicode
|
|
Ensures
EXTERNAL items are not inadvertently shared by programs using different
code sets. |
| |
|
| V2 |
|
Hexadecimal
numeric literals |
|
Supports
numeric literals in the form:H”XXXX” where the X’s
represent hexadecimal digits. |
|
Convenient
format for specifying numeric values when those values are most
meaningfully expressed in hexadecimal. |
| |
|
| V2 |
|
CONSTANT
SECTION |
|
Fujitsu
extension used for defining constant values. |
|
Useful
extension for giving names to constants.
|
| |
|
| V2 |
|
Source
code |
|
Sources
files can be encoded in UTF-8 as well as ACP.
|
|
Provides
a Unicode-compatible source file encoding.
|
| |
|
| V2 |
|
Compiler
options |
|
AUTO option added to ALPHAL to provide better case-insensitive
coding support.
FLAGSW, SHREXT and XREF directives (available in NetCOBOL for
Windows and other products) implemented.
|
|
Removes
the need to be aware of case-sensitivity issues in most situations.
|
| V2.0 |
|
|
|
CHECK
option provides ability to check for runtime data errors and subscripts
going out of range. |
|
Useful
option during testing to alert you to errors that might otherwise
go unnoticed.
|
| V3 |
|
|
|
/platform
option indicates the target processor for which the code should
be generated:
- anycpu - for any processor
- x86 – for 32-bit and WOW64
- x64 – for AMD64 or EM64T
- Itanium – for 64-bit Itanium
|
|
Allows
users to specify the platform on which their application may run |
| V3 |
|
|
|
DECIMAL
option provides the ability to choose the convention used for storing
included signs in zoned (display) decimal items:
• FJ – Fujitsu convention
• MF – Micro Focus convention
• 88 – 88 Consortium convention (values resulting from
EBCDIC to ASCII conversion)
|
|
Provides
easier COBOL migration options for those coming to NetCOBOL from
the mainframe or Micro Focus COBOL. |
| V3 |
|
|
|
INITONLY,
SQLSCOPE options support SQL CLR requirements
|
|
Make
it possible to write COBOL code for SQL Server 2005’s SQL
CLR. |
| |
|
| V3 |
|
Runtime
options |
|
Ability
to configure a runtime date that is different from the system date
using the @CBR_JOBDATE environment variable |
|
Allows
code to be written so that operators can specify the effective run
date. |
| |
|
| V3.1 |
|
Application execution |
|
Support for side-by-side execution of multiple versions of applications or components on the same computer |
|
Gives greater flexibility in upgrading groups or individuals to new versions of applications.
|
| V3.1 |
|
|
|
Prototypes provided for the special subroutines, JMPCINT2, JMPCINT3, used for calling NetCOBOL for Windows programs from .NET languages. |
|
Eases the process of calling NetCOBOL for Windows programs. |
| |
|
| V2.1 |
|
Application
configuration file |
|
All
runtime environment settings can be specified in the application's
".config" file and can be entered and edited using the Runtime Environment
Setup Utility.
|
|
Simplifies
deployment with all runtime settings stored in the standard .NET,
XML application configuration file that is given the appropriate
name and copied to the output folder at build time.
|
| "+Vn" in the "New in:" column indicates a feature that contains
new or improved elements as well as existing elements. When "+Vn"
is in Italics, it refers to the italicized detail items. The number
n indicates the release in which the new feature was introduced.
|
