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COBOL Tutorial

COBOL ALPHANUMERIC-FUNCTION - Quick Reference

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Overview

ALPHANUMERIC-FUNCTION is a COBOL feature that provides functions for processing and manipulating alphanumeric data (data containing both letters and numbers). It offers various string operations and validation capabilities for working with text data, making it essential for data validation and string processing tasks.

Purpose and Usage

  • Alphanumeric data processing
  • String validation and manipulation
  • Pattern matching and checking
  • Data type validation
  • Text processing operations

Syntax

ALPHANUMERIC-FUNCTION follows specific syntax patterns for string operations:

Basic Syntax

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* Basic ALPHANUMERIC-FUNCTION usage
IF FUNCTION ALPHANUMERIC(data-field)
    PERFORM valid-data-processing
ELSE
    PERFORM invalid-data-handling
END-IF.
 
* ALPHANUMERIC-FUNCTION with validation
IF FUNCTION ALPHANUMERIC(customer-id)
    DISPLAY "Valid alphanumeric customer ID"
ELSE
    DISPLAY "Invalid customer ID format"
END-IF.
 
* ALPHANUMERIC-FUNCTION in conditional statements
EVALUATE TRUE
    WHEN FUNCTION ALPHANUMERIC(input-data)
        PERFORM process-valid-data
    WHEN FUNCTION ALPHABETIC(input-data)
        PERFORM process-alphabetic-data
    WHEN FUNCTION NUMERIC(input-data)
        PERFORM process-numeric-data
    WHEN OTHER
        PERFORM process-other-data
END-EVALUATE.

ALPHANUMERIC-FUNCTION validates data containing both letters and numbers.

Data Validation Examples

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* Data validation with ALPHANUMERIC-FUNCTION
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
VALIDATE-INPUT-DATA.
    * Validate customer ID (alphanumeric)
    IF FUNCTION ALPHANUMERIC(customer-id)
        PERFORM process-customer-id
    ELSE
        DISPLAY "Invalid customer ID format"
        PERFORM error-handling
    END-IF.
    
    * Validate product code
    IF FUNCTION ALPHANUMERIC(product-code)
        PERFORM process-product-code
    ELSE
        DISPLAY "Invalid product code format"
        PERFORM error-handling
    END-IF.
    
    * Validate reference number
    IF FUNCTION ALPHANUMERIC(reference-number)
        PERFORM process-reference
    ELSE
        DISPLAY "Invalid reference number format"
        PERFORM error-handling
    END-IF.
 
PROCESS-CUSTOMER-ID.
    * Process valid alphanumeric customer ID
    DISPLAY "Processing customer ID: " customer-id.
    * Additional processing logic here.
 
PROCESS-PRODUCT-CODE.
    * Process valid alphanumeric product code
    DISPLAY "Processing product code: " product-code.
    * Additional processing logic here.

Practical Examples

Here are some practical uses of ALPHANUMERIC-FUNCTION in COBOL:

Customer Data Validation

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* Customer data validation with ALPHANUMERIC-FUNCTION
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01  customer-data.
    05  customer-id PIC X(10).
    05  customer-name PIC X(50).
    05  customer-code PIC X(8).
01  validation-results.
    05  id-valid PIC X VALUE "N".
    05  name-valid PIC X VALUE "N".
    05  code-valid PIC X VALUE "N".
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
VALIDATE-CUSTOMER-DATA.
    * Validate customer ID (should be alphanumeric)
    IF FUNCTION ALPHANUMERIC(customer-id)
        MOVE "Y" TO id-valid
        DISPLAY "Customer ID is valid"
    ELSE
        MOVE "N" TO id-valid
        DISPLAY "Customer ID contains invalid characters"
    END-IF.
    
    * Validate customer name (should be alphabetic)
    IF FUNCTION ALPHABETIC(customer-name)
        MOVE "Y" TO name-valid
        DISPLAY "Customer name is valid"
    ELSE
        MOVE "N" TO name-valid
        DISPLAY "Customer name contains non-alphabetic characters"
    END-IF.
    
    * Validate customer code (should be alphanumeric)
    IF FUNCTION ALPHANUMERIC(customer-code)
        MOVE "Y" TO code-valid
        DISPLAY "Customer code is valid"
    ELSE
        MOVE "N" TO code-valid
        DISPLAY "Customer code contains invalid characters"
    END-IF.
    
    * Check overall validation
    IF id-valid = "Y" AND name-valid = "Y" AND code-valid = "Y"
        DISPLAY "All customer data is valid"
        PERFORM process-valid-customer
    ELSE
        DISPLAY "Customer data validation failed"
        PERFORM handle-invalid-data
    END-IF.
 
PROCESS-VALID-CUSTOMER.
    * Process customer with valid data
    DISPLAY "Processing customer: " customer-id.
    * Additional processing logic here.
 
HANDLE-INVALID-DATA.
    * Handle invalid customer data
    DISPLAY "Customer data validation failed".
    * Error handling logic here.

Comprehensive customer data validation using ALPHANUMERIC-FUNCTION.

Product Code Processing

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* Product code processing with ALPHANUMERIC-FUNCTION
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
PROCESS-PRODUCT-CODES.
    * Process multiple product codes
    PERFORM UNTIL end-of-products
        READ product-file
            AT END
                MOVE "Y" TO end-of-products-flag
            NOT AT END
                PERFORM validate-and-process-product
        END-READ
    END-PERFORM.
    
    STOP RUN.
 
VALIDATE-AND-PROCESS-PRODUCT.
    * Validate product code format
    IF FUNCTION ALPHANUMERIC(product-code)
        * Valid alphanumeric product code
        PERFORM process-valid-product
    ELSE IF FUNCTION NUMERIC(product-code)
        * Numeric-only product code
        PERFORM process-numeric-product
    ELSE IF FUNCTION ALPHABETIC(product-code)
        * Alphabetic-only product code
        PERFORM process-alphabetic-product
    ELSE
        * Invalid product code
        PERFORM handle-invalid-product-code
    END-IF.
 
PROCESS-VALID-PRODUCT.
    * Process alphanumeric product code
    DISPLAY "Processing alphanumeric product: " product-code.
    * Additional processing logic here.
 
PROCESS-NUMERIC-PRODUCT.
    * Process numeric product code
    DISPLAY "Processing numeric product: " product-code.
    * Additional processing logic here.
 
PROCESS-ALPHABETIC-PRODUCT.
    * Process alphabetic product code
    DISPLAY "Processing alphabetic product: " product-code.
    * Additional processing logic here.
 
HANDLE-INVALID-PRODUCT-CODE.
    * Handle invalid product code
    DISPLAY "Invalid product code: " product-code.
    * Error handling logic here.

Product code processing with different validation types.

Best Practices

  • Use ALPHANUMERIC-FUNCTION for validating mixed character data.
  • Combine with other validation functions for comprehensive data checking.
  • Provide meaningful error messages for invalid data.
  • Consider the specific requirements of your data format.
  • Test validation logic with various data scenarios.
  • Document the expected data format and validation rules.

Common Pitfalls

  • Not considering special characters in alphanumeric data.
  • Failing to handle edge cases in data validation.
  • Not providing appropriate error handling for invalid data.
  • Assuming all alphanumeric data follows the same format.
  • Not testing validation with real-world data scenarios.

Test Your Knowledge

1. What is ALPHANUMERIC-FUNCTION in COBOL?

  • A data type
  • A function for handling alphanumeric data
  • A file operation
  • A program structure

2. What type of data does ALPHANUMERIC-FUNCTION process?

  • Only numeric data
  • Only alphabetic data
  • Alphanumeric data (letters and numbers)
  • Only special characters

3. What is the primary purpose of ALPHANUMERIC-FUNCTION?

  • To perform calculations
  • To manipulate and process alphanumeric strings
  • To read files
  • To display output

4. Where is ALPHANUMERIC-FUNCTION typically used?

  • In the PROCEDURE DIVISION
  • In the DATA DIVISION
  • In the ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
  • In the WORKING-STORAGE SECTION

5. What is a common use of ALPHANUMERIC-FUNCTION?

  • File operations
  • String validation and manipulation
  • Arithmetic calculations
  • Database operations

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Concepts

Data Validation

Comprehensive data validation techniques.

String Operations

String manipulation in COBOL.

Data Types

Understanding COBOL data types.

Input Validation

Validating user input and data.

Error Handling

Handling errors in COBOL programs.

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