Sorry if this is dumb. Coming from Python where you just write x = 5.
Where do variables go in COBOL and what is PIC supposed to mean? I keep seeing stuff like:
01 WS-COUNT PIC 9(3).
Do I put that in WORKING-STORAGE? And what is the 01 for?
Yes, WORKING-STORAGE SECTION under DATA DIVISION.
PIC (PICTURE) describes the shape: 9 = digit, X = any character. 9(3) means three digits. 01 is the level number for a top-level item.
Example:
01 WS-NAME PIC X(20).
01 WS-COUNT PIC 9(3) VALUE 0.
I had the same confusion week one. Think of PIC as the type + length stuck together. Not separate like int count = 0.
Ok that clicked. So PIC X(10) is basically a 10-char string. Thanks.
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