Re: [Tiny-cobol-users] STRING problem (DELIMITED BY SPACES)

[David E. <de...@us...>]

Carlos Gomes wrote:

 > In the test program above, the second display (results of String verb
 > using DELIMITED BY SPACES) generate a strange output. DEMILITED BY
 > SPACES in the fourth string causes a truncation in the first string
 > (by default DEMILITED BY SIZE).
 > DISPLAY 3, including DELIMITED BY SIZE explicity in the first string,
 > generates the expected output.

If I understand you correctly, the second display is generating this output,

2-INSERT,999,12345);

and should be generating this output,

2-INSERT INTO TEST ,999,12345);

correct ?

I've looked at the COBOL 1989 (draft) standard, and I think TC is
generating the correct output '2-INSERT,999,12345);', for the following
reasons.

The figurative constant SPACES (literal) is equivalent to " " (single
space).
Thus the phrase 'DELIMITED BY SPACES' is equivalent to
'DELIMITED BY " "'.
And the literal 'INSERT INTO TEST ' gets truncated to 'INSERT'.

BTW, what are other commercial compilers generating ?


Syntax:
STRING {
{identifier-1 | literal-1}...
DELIMITED [BY]
{identifier-2 | literal-2 | SIZE }
}...
INTO identifier-3

COBOL standard:
14.10.39 STRING statement
...
14.10.39.3 General rules
...
3) When a figurative constant is specified as literal-1 or literal-2, it
refers to an implicit one character data item whose usage shall be the
same as the usage of identifier-3, either display or national.