COBOL 66 Level Number - Renaming Entire Group Example

Data Item Declaration Tutorial   

Scenario - Renaming the entire source variable.

Code -

----+----1----+----2----+----3----+----4----+----5----+
       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
       PROGRAM-ID. RENAMEEG.
       AUTHOR. MTH. 

       DATA DIVISION.
       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.

       01 WS-VAR1.
          02 WS-GRP-ITEM1.
              05 WS-VAR11      PIC X(10) VALUE "MAINFRAMES". 
              05 FILLER        PIC X(01). 
              05 WS-VAR12      PIC X(03) VALUE "ARE".        
              05 FILLER        PIC X(01).
              05 WS-VAR13      PIC X(10) VALUE "LEGENDARY".  
              05 FILLER        PIC X(01). 
              05 WS-VAR14      PIC X(10) VALUE "SYSTEMS".    
      * Renaming WS-GRP-ITEM3
          66 WS-GRP-ITEM2      RENAMES WS-GRP-ITEM1.

       PROCEDURE DIVISION.

           DISPLAY "Group Item1: " WS-GRP-ITEM1. 
           DISPLAY "Group Item2: " WS-GRP-ITEM2.

           STOP RUN.

Output -

Group Item1: MAINFRAMES ARE LEGENDARY  SYSTEMS
Group Item2: MAINFRAMES ARE LEGENDARY  SYSTEMS

Explaining Example -

In the above example:

  • WS-GRP-ITEM1 is a group item with multiple elementary variables. WS-GRP-ITEM2 is renaming the entire group (WS-GRP-ITEM1). So, WS-GRP-ITEM2 points the data in WS-GRP-ITEM1 and displays the same.