Micropatterns to call Data Elements in the work and linkage areas

These micropatterns are formatted comments that are inserted in the code of a Program, a Screen, a Server, or a Macro. These comments call Data Elements that are to be used in the work and linkage areas. When the Program, Screen, or Server is generated again, these micropatterns are expanded with the Data Element format or usage from the repository.

Input format

You can insert these micropatterns in the WORKING-STORAGE SECTION and LINKAGE SECTION of the COBOL code in the PDP COBOL editor or the COBOL Source tab of the Macro editor.
Note: You can enter the micropatterns in full or use the data entry forms available from the Rational Developer for System z Snippets view, in the RPP snippets category.

You must declare a COBOL data name without any format.

Three types of micropatterns are specified in the same way. Only the micropattern identifier differs (WI, WE, or WS). This identifier determines which of the three Data Element formats is to be fetched upon the next generation.
Note: The following examples contain the WI micropattern but they are also valid for the WE and WS micropatterns.
To call a Data Element as a work or linkage area, you must enter one of the two following groups of lines. Both result in the same generation:
      *!WI
       01      DDSS-DELCO
	             VALUE SPACE.
or
      *!WI
       01      DDSS-DELCO	 VALUE SPACE.
where:
  • *! is the required start tag of the micropattern. The * must be entered in column 7, reserved for the comments in the COBOL code, and the ! must be entered in column 8.
  • WI is the micropattern identifier in the example. You can indicate one of the following identifiers:
    • WI to fetch the Data Element internal format,
    • WE to fetch the Data Element input format,
    • WS to fetch the Data Element output format.
  • 01 is the COBOL level.
    Note: In a Macro, the COBOL level can be parameterized.
  • DDSS-DELCO is the COBOL data name:
    • DD is the Data Structure code,
    • SS is the Segment code,
    • DELCO is the Data Element code, on 6 characters maximum. It must be preceded by a dash and followed by a point or a blank.
Note: In a Macro, you can parameterize the input, except the start and end tags. So for example, you can enter:
      *!WI
       $1
or
      *!WI
       01      DDSS-DEL$1.

Generated result

When the Program, Macro, Screen, or Server is generated again, the micropatterns are expanded with one of the Data Element formats (depending on the micropattern identifier) or usage. The following lines show examples of expanded micropatterns after the generation:
  • For a Data Element whose format is X and usage is D: DISPLAY, the following micropattern is generated:
          *!WI
           01      DDSS-DELCO
                     PICTURE X.
  • For a Data Element whose format is S9(4) and usage is 3: COMPUTATIONAL-3, the following micropattern is generated:
          *!WI
           01      DDSS-DELCO
                     PICTURE S9(4) COMP-3.
  • For a Data Element whose format is not specified and whose usage is J: COMPUTATIONAL-6, the following micropattern is generated:
          *!WI
           01      DDSS-DELCO
                     COMP-6.

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