Thread: COBOL

INLINE vs out-of-line PERFORM - team argument

Started by Marty • user4 replies195 viewsLast activity 1 month ago
Post #1
0 votes
Marty
Reputation
412
Posts: 58
Joined: Aug 12, 2024, 9:14 AM
Posted: Jul 15, 2026, 10:33 AM

Code review fight. Junior wrote a 40-line INLINE PERFORM. I asked for a paragraph. They said IBM modern style prefers inline.

I care about being able to jump to the logic from the cross-ref. Where does your shop draw the line?

Post #2
1 votes
James
Reputation
524
Posts: 30
Joined: May 2, 2024, 8:00 AM
Posted: Jul 15, 2026, 1:33 PM

Inline for 5-15 lines that are used once. Named paragraph once it needs a comment header or shows up in more than one place. 40 lines inline is just hiding a section.

Post #3
0 votes
Anita
Reputation
118
Posts: 23
Joined: May 29, 2025, 12:45 PM
Posted: Jul 15, 2026, 7:33 PM

As the junior-ish person: named paragraphs are easier when someone says "fix 2200-CALC-TAX" in a ticket. Inline is fine for tiny guards.

Post #4
0 votes
Marty
Reputation
412
Posts: 58
Joined: Aug 12, 2024, 9:14 AM
Posted: Jul 16, 2026, 12:33 PM

Ended up with a paragraph. Review comment stayed polite. Mostly.

You must be signed in to reply to this thread