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Calling using intrinsic functions as parameters

  • 1.  Calling using intrinsic functions as parameters

    Posted Mon April 03, 2023 12:54 AM

    None of the following work, and I think they should all be made to work (regardless of the COBOL standard, which I've not checked in this case).

    CALL 'mysubr1' USING BY CONTENT FUNCTION LENGTH(my-field)
    (You CAN use the LENGTH OF special register in this context)

    CALL 'mysubr2' USING BY CONTENT FUNCTION TRIM(my-field) FUNCTION LENGTH(FUNCTION TRIM(my-field))

    Additionally, you should also be able to do a CALL RETURNING in to an ADDRESS OF special register. 
    CALL 'subr-returning-pointer' RETURNING ADDRESS OF my-based-field

    And, while I don't have Enterprise COBOL v6.4 yet, also allow the result of a function to go in to ADDRESS OF.  Maybe that one is already allowed.
    SET ADDRESS OF my-based-field TO FUNCTION func-returning-pointer()

    Passing function results BY VALUE should also be similarly allowed.

    Would you vote yes for an official request of the above?



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    Frank Swarbrick
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  • 2.  RE: Calling using intrinsic functions as parameters

    Posted Tue April 04, 2023 02:20 AM
    Edited by Denis FALLAI Tue April 04, 2023 03:00 AM

    Hi Franck,

    Same problem exists also for some intrinsic functions and MOVE statement and can only be used in a COMPUTE statement : they can't be used as a sending operand of a MOVE statement. 

    From COBOL Language Reference:

    Numeric functions

    A numeric function can be used only where an arithmetic expression can be specified.
    A numeric function can be referenced as an argument for a function that allows a numeric argument.
    A numeric function cannot be used where an integer operand is required, even if the particular reference would yield an integer value. The INTEGER or INTEGER-PART functions can be used to force the type of a numeric argument to be an integer.

    Table of returned value by FUNCTION: https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/cobol-zos/6.4?topic=functions-function-definitions


    FUNCTION LENGTH returns an integer, so should be authorized to be an operand of a CALL.

    FUNCTION TRIM as no explicit length, so I unterstand it cannot be used as an operand of a CALL.

    ADDRESS OF is a special register and as a type and a length, (4 for LP32 or 8 bytes for LP64), so should be authorized to be an operand of a RETURNING clause.



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    Denis FALLAI
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Calling using intrinsic functions as parameters

    Posted Wed April 05, 2023 01:22 AM

    Hi Denis, 

    There is no check of length in a call. So the normal approachen of parsing both the length and the string, would  add the problem of a need to call TRIM twice. An alternative could be that TRIM returns a dynamic and we could  parse that to a sub-module.  So yet another wish for enhancement :).  



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    Per Trangbæk
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Calling using intrinsic functions as parameters

    Posted Wed April 05, 2023 01:00 AM

    Hi Frank

    I think it is a stretch to call it a FUNCTION, if it can not be placed everywhere where the return type can be placed.

    You have my vote!



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    Per Trangbæk
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Calling using intrinsic functions as parameters

    Posted Wed April 05, 2023 02:30 AM

    I don't plan to add additional requests to my original request, but the ideas sound good and others are welcome to do so.  Or I may request them separately.
    Does anyone have any recommendation on how to word my original request(s)?



    ------------------------------
    Frank Swarbrick
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Calling using intrinsic functions as parameters

    Posted Wed April 05, 2023 02:33 AM

    By the way, TRIM does seem to have a (dynamic) length.  The following works (FUNCTION keyword omitted):
    COMPUTE FIELD-LEN = LENGTH(TRIM(EDIT-SQLCODE LEADING))



    ------------------------------
    Frank Swarbrick
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Calling using intrinsic functions as parameters

    Posted Wed April 05, 2023 03:11 AM

    You may be right, I'm unsure how the internal works. The manual (6.3) just state it is a string returned, not if it is a dynamic. If you are right, it should be even easier for the compiler people to fix :) 

    You omitting the keyword FUNCTION show how annoying it is and is yet another good enhancement request.

    By the way, I measured a few metodes to find the length of a string, minus leading spaces. Under some circumstances your method was the fastes.  



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    Per Trangbæk
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    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Calling using intrinsic functions as parameters

    Posted Wed April 05, 2023 05:37 AM
    Edited by Frank Swarbrick Wed April 05, 2023 10:13 AM

    You can already omit the FUNCTION keyword (in COBOL 6.3 and later, at least; not sure about earlier) by using a REPOSITORY paragraph:

     

    ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.

    CONFIGURATION SECTION.

    REPOSITORY.

        FUNCTION ALL INTRINSIC.

     

    By doing this you no longer need the word FUNCTION elsewhere.


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    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Calling using intrinsic functions as parameters

    Posted Tue April 18, 2023 12:26 AM

    This really shows I should spend some more time reading the manual! Thanks.



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    Per Trangbæk
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    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Calling using intrinsic functions as parameters

    Posted Wed April 05, 2023 10:22 AM
    Edited by Frank Swarbrick Wed April 05, 2023 10:38 AM

    Here's a somewhat OK workaround using a dynamic length string.  This is an actual usage, not just an example.

    77  EDIT-SQLCODE                PIC +++999. 
    77  DYNLEN-STRING               PIC X DYNAMIC.
        [...]
        MOVE LS-SQLCODE TO EDIT-SQLCODE                     
        MOVE TRIM(EDIT-SQLCODE LEADING) TO DYNLEN-STRING    
        CALL 'INSERT-MSG-DATA'                              
             USING SQL-INFO-TOKEN                           
                   CONTENT DYNLEN-STRING AS FIXED LENGTH 254
                   VALUE LENGTH OF DYNLEN-STRING            
                         1                                  

    where INSERT-MSG-DATA is defined as the following:

     id division.                                             
     program-id. 'INSERT-MSG-DATA'.                           
                                                              
     data division.                                           
     local-storage section.                                   
     01  isrtdata.                                            
         05  isrt_len                pic s9(4) comp-5.        
         05  isrt_txt.                                        
             10  pic x occurs 0 to 254 depending on isrt_len. 
                                                              
     linkage section.                                         
     01  condtok                     pic x(12).               
     01  isrt-no                     pic s9(9) comp-5.        
     01  isrt-len                    pic s9(9) comp-5.        
     01  isrt-text.                                           
         05  pic x occurs 0 to 254 depending on isrt-len.     
                                                              
     procedure division using condtok isrt-text               
                              by value isrt-len isrt-no.      
         compute isrt_len = isrt-len                          
         move isrt-text to isrt_txt                           
         call 'CEECMI' using condtok isrt-no isrtdata omitted 
         goback.                                              
                                                              
     end program 'INSERT-MSG-DATA'.                           



    ------------------------------
    Frank Swarbrick
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    Original Message


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