COBOL figurative constants

Figurative constants are reserved words that mean a fixed value: ZEROS, SPACES, HIGH-VALUE, LOW-VALUE, QUOTE, and ALL literal. When you use them with a data item, the compiler uses the right type and repeats the value to match the item’s length. They are handy for initializing, clearing, and comparing without hard‑coding lengths or character codes.

Common figurative constants

Singular and plural forms are equivalent: ZERO/ZEROS/ZEROES, SPACE/SPACES, HIGH-VALUE/HIGH-VALUES, LOW-VALUE/LOW-VALUES, QUOTE/QUOTES.

Using them in VALUE and MOVE

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       01  WS-NAME      PIC X(30) VALUE SPACES.
       01  WS-COUNT     PIC 9(5)  VALUE ZEROS.
       01  WS-SENTINEL  PIC X(10) VALUE HIGH-VALUE.
 
       *> Clear a field at runtime
       MOVE SPACES TO WS-NAME
 
       *> Initialize numeric to zero
       MOVE ZEROS TO WS-COUNT
 
       *> Compare to sentinel
       IF WS-KEY = HIGH-VALUE
           STOP RUN
       END-IF

VALUE SPACES gives WS-NAME 30 spaces. VALUE ZEROS gives WS-COUNT numeric zero. VALUE HIGH-VALUE fills WS-SENTINEL with the high-value character in each position. MOVE SPACES TO clears the receiving field to spaces regardless of its length.

QUOTE and ALL

QUOTE (or QUOTES) is the quotation-mark character. Use it when you need a quote inside a string delimited by quotes. ALL literal repeats the literal to fill the receiving item; e.g. MOVE ALL \"-\" TO WS-LINE fills WS-LINE with dashes. The literal can be one character or a short string; it is repeated until the receiving field is full.

Step-by-step: choosing a constant

• Blanking or clearing text: use SPACES.
• Numeric zero or zero-filled digits: use ZEROS.
• Sentinel or “max” value that sorts last: use HIGH-VALUE.
• Sentinel or “min” value: use LOW-VALUE.
• Including a quote in a string: use QUOTE.
• Filling with one repeated character/string: use ALL literal.

Explain like I'm five

Figurative constants are shortcut names for “all spaces,” “all zeros,” “the biggest character,” and so on. You say SPACES and the computer fills as many spaces as the box needs. You don’t have to count; the compiler does it.

Related concepts