MainframeMaster

COBOL Tutorial

COBOL DEFAULT Clause

The DEFAULT clause in COBOL provides a mechanism for specifying default values and initialization behavior for data items, ensuring predictable initial states and reducing programming errors.

Basic DEFAULT Syntax

The DEFAULT clause can be used in various contexts to specify default values for data items when explicit initialization is not provided.

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DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
 
*> Basic DEFAULT usage
01 WS-COUNTER           PIC 9(3) DEFAULT 0.
01 WS-STATUS-FLAG       PIC X DEFAULT 'N'.
01 WS-AMOUNT            PIC 9(5)V99 DEFAULT 0.00.
01 WS-NAME              PIC X(20) DEFAULT SPACES.
01 WS-DATE              PIC X(8) DEFAULT '00000000'.
 
*> Group items with DEFAULT
01 WS-EMPLOYEE-RECORD   DEFAULT SPACES.
   05 WS-EMP-ID         PIC X(5).
   05 WS-EMP-NAME       PIC X(25).
   05 WS-EMP-SALARY     PIC 9(6)V99 DEFAULT 0.
 
*> Array with DEFAULT
01 WS-MONTHLY-TOTALS    OCCURS 12 TIMES
                        PIC 9(8)V99 DEFAULT 0.
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
MAIN-PROCESSING.
    DISPLAY "Counter: " WS-COUNTER
    DISPLAY "Status: " WS-STATUS-FLAG
    DISPLAY "Amount: " WS-AMOUNT
    DISPLAY "Name: '" WS-NAME "'"
    DISPLAY "Employee ID: '" WS-EMP-ID "'"
    DISPLAY "Monthly Total 1: " WS-MONTHLY-TOTALS(1).

DEFAULT with Different Data Types

Numeric Data Types

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DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
 
*> Integer defaults
01 WS-QUANTITIES.
   05 WS-ITEM-COUNT     PIC 9(4) DEFAULT 0.
   05 WS-TOTAL-ITEMS    PIC 9(6) DEFAULT 0.
   05 WS-ERROR-COUNT    PIC 9(3) DEFAULT 0.
 
*> Decimal defaults
01 WS-FINANCIAL-DATA.
   05 WS-PRICE          PIC 9(6)V99 DEFAULT 0.00.
   05 WS-TAX-RATE       PIC 9V999 DEFAULT 0.000.
   05 WS-DISCOUNT       PIC 9V99 DEFAULT 0.00.
 
*> Signed numeric defaults
01 WS-CALCULATIONS.
   05 WS-BALANCE        PIC S9(8)V99 DEFAULT +0.00.
   05 WS-ADJUSTMENT     PIC S9(6)V99 DEFAULT +0.00.
   05 WS-NET-AMOUNT     PIC S9(8)V99 DEFAULT +0.00.
 
*> Computational defaults
01 WS-COMP-FIELDS.
   05 WS-INDEX          PIC 9(4) COMP DEFAULT 1.
   05 WS-POINTER        PIC 9(8) COMP DEFAULT 0.
   05 WS-BINARY-FLAG    PIC 9 COMP DEFAULT 0.
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
DEMONSTRATE-NUMERIC-DEFAULTS.
    DISPLAY "=== Numeric Defaults Demo ==="
    
    DISPLAY "Item Count: " WS-ITEM-COUNT
    DISPLAY "Price: " WS-PRICE
    DISPLAY "Tax Rate: " WS-TAX-RATE
    DISPLAY "Balance: " WS-BALANCE
    DISPLAY "Index: " WS-INDEX
    
    *> Modify values to show they can be changed
    MOVE 100 TO WS-ITEM-COUNT
    MOVE 25.99 TO WS-PRICE
    COMPUTE WS-BALANCE = WS-PRICE * WS-ITEM-COUNT
    
    DISPLAY "After modifications:"
    DISPLAY "Item Count: " WS-ITEM-COUNT
    DISPLAY "Price: " WS-PRICE
    DISPLAY "Balance: " WS-BALANCE.

Alphanumeric Data Types

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DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
 
*> Character string defaults
01 WS-STRING-FIELDS.
   05 WS-CUSTOMER-NAME  PIC X(30) DEFAULT SPACES.
   05 WS-PRODUCT-CODE   PIC X(10) DEFAULT 'UNKNOWN'.
   05 WS-STATUS-MSG     PIC X(50) DEFAULT 'READY'.
   05 WS-ERROR-MSG      PIC X(80) DEFAULT 'NO ERROR'.
 
*> Fixed-length alphanumeric
01 WS-CODES.
   05 WS-REGION-CODE    PIC X(2) DEFAULT 'XX'.
   05 WS-DEPT-CODE      PIC X(3) DEFAULT '000'.
   05 WS-CLASS-CODE     PIC X(1) DEFAULT 'A'.
 
*> Mixed alphanumeric
01 WS-FORMATTED-FIELDS.
   05 WS-PHONE-NUMBER   PIC X(12) DEFAULT '000-000-0000'.
   05 WS-SSN            PIC X(11) DEFAULT '000-00-0000'.
   05 WS-ZIP-CODE       PIC X(10) DEFAULT '00000-0000'.
 
*> Variable-length handling
01 WS-VARIABLE-DATA.
   05 WS-DESCRIPTION    PIC X(100) DEFAULT SPACES.
   05 WS-COMMENTS       PIC X(200) DEFAULT SPACES.
   05 WS-NOTES          PIC X(500) DEFAULT SPACES.
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
DEMONSTRATE-ALPHA-DEFAULTS.
    DISPLAY "=== Alphanumeric Defaults Demo ==="
    
    DISPLAY "Customer Name: '" WS-CUSTOMER-NAME "'"
    DISPLAY "Product Code: '" WS-PRODUCT-CODE "'"
    DISPLAY "Status Message: '" WS-STATUS-MSG "'"
    DISPLAY "Region Code: '" WS-REGION-CODE "'"
    DISPLAY "Phone Number: '" WS-PHONE-NUMBER "'"
    
    *> Assign new values
    MOVE "JOHN SMITH" TO WS-CUSTOMER-NAME
    MOVE "PROD001" TO WS-PRODUCT-CODE
    MOVE "NY" TO WS-REGION-CODE
    MOVE "555-123-4567" TO WS-PHONE-NUMBER
    
    DISPLAY "After assignments:"
    DISPLAY "Customer Name: '" WS-CUSTOMER-NAME "'"
    DISPLAY "Product Code: '" WS-PRODUCT-CODE "'"
    DISPLAY "Region Code: '" WS-REGION-CODE "'"
    DISPLAY "Phone Number: '" WS-PHONE-NUMBER "'".

DEFAULT with Group Items and Arrays

Group Item Defaults

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DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
 
*> Group with overall default
01 WS-CUSTOMER-RECORD   DEFAULT SPACES.
   05 WS-CUST-ID        PIC X(8).
   05 WS-CUST-NAME      PIC X(25).
   05 WS-CUST-ADDRESS.
      10 WS-STREET      PIC X(30).
      10 WS-CITY        PIC X(20).
      10 WS-STATE       PIC X(2).
      10 WS-ZIP         PIC X(5).
   05 WS-CUST-PHONE     PIC X(12).
 
*> Group with individual defaults
01 WS-ORDER-RECORD.
   05 WS-ORDER-ID       PIC X(10) DEFAULT 'ORD0000000'.
   05 WS-ORDER-DATE     PIC X(8) DEFAULT '00000000'.
   05 WS-ORDER-STATUS   PIC X(1) DEFAULT 'P'.
   05 WS-ORDER-AMOUNT   PIC 9(8)V99 DEFAULT 0.00.
   05 WS-ORDER-ITEMS    OCCURS 10 TIMES.
      10 WS-ITEM-CODE   PIC X(8) DEFAULT SPACES.
      10 WS-ITEM-QTY    PIC 9(3) DEFAULT 0.
      10 WS-ITEM-PRICE  PIC 9(6)V99 DEFAULT 0.00.
 
*> Nested group defaults
01 WS-EMPLOYEE-DATA.
   05 WS-PERSONAL-INFO  DEFAULT SPACES.
      10 WS-FIRST-NAME  PIC X(15).
      10 WS-LAST-NAME   PIC X(20).
      10 WS-MIDDLE-INIT PIC X(1).
   05 WS-JOB-INFO.
      10 WS-DEPT-NUM    PIC 9(3) DEFAULT 0.
      10 WS-JOB-TITLE   PIC X(25) DEFAULT 'UNASSIGNED'.
      10 WS-SALARY      PIC 9(6)V99 DEFAULT 0.00.
      10 WS-HIRE-DATE   PIC X(8) DEFAULT '00000000'.
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
DEMONSTRATE-GROUP-DEFAULTS.
    DISPLAY "=== Group Item Defaults Demo ==="
    
    *> Display initial values
    DISPLAY "Customer ID: '" WS-CUST-ID "'"
    DISPLAY "Customer Name: '" WS-CUST-NAME "'"
    DISPLAY "Street: '" WS-STREET "'"
    
    DISPLAY "Order ID: '" WS-ORDER-ID "'"
    DISPLAY "Order Status: '" WS-ORDER-STATUS "'"
    DISPLAY "Order Amount: " WS-ORDER-AMOUNT
    
    DISPLAY "First Name: '" WS-FIRST-NAME "'"
    DISPLAY "Department: " WS-DEPT-NUM
    DISPLAY "Job Title: '" WS-JOB-TITLE "'"
    
    *> Initialize with specific values
    MOVE "CUST0001" TO WS-CUST-ID
    MOVE "ACME CORPORATION" TO WS-CUST-NAME
    MOVE "123 MAIN ST" TO WS-STREET
    MOVE "ANYTOWN" TO WS-CITY
    MOVE "NY" TO WS-STATE
    MOVE "12345" TO WS-ZIP
    
    MOVE "ORD0000123" TO WS-ORDER-ID
    MOVE "A" TO WS-ORDER-STATUS
    MOVE 1250.75 TO WS-ORDER-AMOUNT
    
    DISPLAY "After initialization:"
    DISPLAY "Customer: " WS-CUST-NAME
    DISPLAY "Address: " WS-STREET ", " WS-CITY ", " WS-STATE " " WS-ZIP
    DISPLAY "Order: " WS-ORDER-ID " Amount: " WS-ORDER-AMOUNT.

Array Defaults

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DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
 
*> Simple array with default
01 WS-MONTHLY-SALES     OCCURS 12 TIMES
                        PIC 9(8)V99 DEFAULT 0.00.
 
*> Multi-dimensional array
01 WS-QUARTERLY-DATA.
   05 WS-QUARTER        OCCURS 4 TIMES.
      10 WS-MONTH       OCCURS 3 TIMES
                        PIC 9(8)V99 DEFAULT 0.00.
 
*> Array of structures with defaults
01 WS-PRODUCT-TABLE.
   05 WS-PRODUCTS       OCCURS 100 TIMES.
      10 WS-PROD-ID     PIC X(8) DEFAULT SPACES.
      10 WS-PROD-NAME   PIC X(30) DEFAULT SPACES.
      10 WS-PROD-PRICE  PIC 9(6)V99 DEFAULT 0.00.
      10 WS-PROD-QTY    PIC 9(4) DEFAULT 0.
      10 WS-PROD-STATUS PIC X(1) DEFAULT 'I'.
 
*> Variable-length table
01 WS-DYNAMIC-TABLE.
   05 WS-TABLE-SIZE     PIC 9(3) DEFAULT 0.
   05 WS-TABLE-ENTRIES  OCCURS 0 TO 999 TIMES
                        DEPENDING ON WS-TABLE-SIZE.
      10 WS-ENTRY-ID    PIC X(10) DEFAULT SPACES.
      10 WS-ENTRY-VALUE PIC 9(8)V99 DEFAULT 0.00.
 
*> Counter and control fields
01 WS-ARRAY-CONTROLS.
   05 WS-CURRENT-INDEX  PIC 9(3) DEFAULT 1.
   05 WS-MAX-ENTRIES    PIC 9(3) DEFAULT 0.
   05 WS-TOTAL-VALUE    PIC 9(10)V99 DEFAULT 0.00.
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
DEMONSTRATE-ARRAY-DEFAULTS.
    DISPLAY "=== Array Defaults Demo ==="
    
    *> Display initial array values
    DISPLAY "Monthly Sales (first 3 months):"
    DISPLAY "  Month 1: " WS-MONTHLY-SALES(1)
    DISPLAY "  Month 2: " WS-MONTHLY-SALES(2)
    DISPLAY "  Month 3: " WS-MONTHLY-SALES(3)
    
    DISPLAY "Product 1 defaults:"
    DISPLAY "  ID: '" WS-PROD-ID(1) "'"
    DISPLAY "  Name: '" WS-PROD-NAME(1) "'"
    DISPLAY "  Price: " WS-PROD-PRICE(1)
    DISPLAY "  Quantity: " WS-PROD-QTY(1)
    DISPLAY "  Status: '" WS-PROD-STATUS(1) "'"
    
    *> Populate some array elements
    MOVE 15000.50 TO WS-MONTHLY-SALES(1)
    MOVE 18750.25 TO WS-MONTHLY-SALES(2)
    MOVE 22100.00 TO WS-MONTHLY-SALES(3)
    
    MOVE "PROD0001" TO WS-PROD-ID(1)
    MOVE "LAPTOP COMPUTER" TO WS-PROD-NAME(1)
    MOVE 1299.99 TO WS-PROD-PRICE(1)
    MOVE 25 TO WS-PROD-QTY(1)
    MOVE "A" TO WS-PROD-STATUS(1)
    
    DISPLAY "After population:"
    DISPLAY "Monthly Sales (first 3 months):"
    DISPLAY "  Month 1: " WS-MONTHLY-SALES(1)
    DISPLAY "  Month 2: " WS-MONTHLY-SALES(2)
    DISPLAY "  Month 3: " WS-MONTHLY-SALES(3)
    
    DISPLAY "Product 1:"
    DISPLAY "  " WS-PROD-ID(1) " " WS-PROD-NAME(1)
    DISPLAY "  Price: " WS-PROD-PRICE(1) " Qty: " WS-PROD-QTY(1)
    
    *> Calculate totals
    PERFORM CALCULATE-TOTALS.
 
CALCULATE-TOTALS.
    MOVE 0 TO WS-TOTAL-VALUE
    PERFORM VARYING WS-CURRENT-INDEX FROM 1 BY 1
            UNTIL WS-CURRENT-INDEX > 12
        ADD WS-MONTHLY-SALES(WS-CURRENT-INDEX) TO WS-TOTAL-VALUE
    END-PERFORM
    
    DISPLAY "Total Sales for Year: " WS-TOTAL-VALUE.

Advanced DEFAULT Techniques

Conditional Defaults

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DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
 
*> Configuration-based defaults
01 WS-CONFIG-FLAGS.
   05 WS-DEBUG-MODE     PIC X(1) DEFAULT 'N'.
   05 WS-TEST-MODE      PIC X(1) DEFAULT 'N'.
   05 WS-PROD-MODE      PIC X(1) DEFAULT 'Y'.
 
01 WS-ENVIRONMENT-DEFAULTS.
   05 WS-LOG-LEVEL      PIC 9(1) DEFAULT 3.
   05 WS-MAX-RETRIES    PIC 9(2) DEFAULT 3.
   05 WS-TIMEOUT-SECS   PIC 9(3) DEFAULT 30.
   05 WS-BATCH-SIZE     PIC 9(4) DEFAULT 1000.
 
*> Business rule defaults
01 WS-BUSINESS-DEFAULTS.
   05 WS-TAX-RATE       PIC 9V999 DEFAULT 0.085.
   05 WS-DISCOUNT-RATE  PIC 9V999 DEFAULT 0.000.
   05 WS-SHIPPING-COST  PIC 9(4)V99 DEFAULT 9.95.
   05 WS-MIN-ORDER      PIC 9(6)V99 DEFAULT 25.00.
 
*> Date and time defaults
01 WS-DATETIME-DEFAULTS.
   05 WS-CURRENT-DATE   PIC X(8) DEFAULT '00000000'.
   05 WS-CURRENT-TIME   PIC X(6) DEFAULT '000000'.
   05 WS-EXPIRY-DATE    PIC X(8) DEFAULT '99999999'.
   05 WS-START-TIME     PIC X(6) DEFAULT '080000'.
   05 WS-END-TIME       PIC X(6) DEFAULT '170000'.
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
APPLY-CONDITIONAL-DEFAULTS.
    DISPLAY "=== Conditional Defaults Demo ==="
    
    *> Apply environment-specific defaults
    IF WS-DEBUG-MODE = 'Y'
        MOVE 1 TO WS-LOG-LEVEL
        MOVE 10 TO WS-MAX-RETRIES
        MOVE 300 TO WS-TIMEOUT-SECS
        DISPLAY "Debug mode defaults applied"
    ELSE IF WS-TEST-MODE = 'Y'
        MOVE 2 TO WS-LOG-LEVEL
        MOVE 5 TO WS-MAX-RETRIES
        MOVE 60 TO WS-TIMEOUT-SECS
        MOVE 100 TO WS-BATCH-SIZE
        DISPLAY "Test mode defaults applied"
    ELSE
        DISPLAY "Production mode defaults in effect"
    END-IF
    
    *> Apply business rule defaults based on conditions
    ACCEPT WS-CURRENT-DATE FROM DATE YYYYMMDD
    
    *> Seasonal discount adjustments
    IF WS-CURRENT-DATE(5:2) = "12"  *> December
        MOVE 0.15 TO WS-DISCOUNT-RATE
        DISPLAY "Holiday discount rate applied: " WS-DISCOUNT-RATE
    ELSE IF WS-CURRENT-DATE(5:2) = "07"  *> July
        MOVE 0.10 TO WS-DISCOUNT-RATE
        DISPLAY "Summer discount rate applied: " WS-DISCOUNT-RATE
    ELSE
        DISPLAY "Standard discount rate: " WS-DISCOUNT-RATE
    END-IF
    
    DISPLAY "Configuration:"
    DISPLAY "  Log Level: " WS-LOG-LEVEL
    DISPLAY "  Max Retries: " WS-MAX-RETRIES
    DISPLAY "  Timeout: " WS-TIMEOUT-SECS " seconds"
    DISPLAY "  Batch Size: " WS-BATCH-SIZE
    DISPLAY "  Tax Rate: " WS-TAX-RATE
    DISPLAY "  Discount Rate: " WS-DISCOUNT-RATE.

Default Validation and Error Handling

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DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
 
01 WS-VALIDATION-FIELDS.
   05 WS-INPUT-VALUE    PIC X(20) DEFAULT SPACES.
   05 WS-NUMERIC-VALUE  PIC 9(8)V99 DEFAULT 0.00.
   05 WS-VALIDATION-FLAG PIC X(1) DEFAULT 'N'.
   05 WS-ERROR-MESSAGE  PIC X(80) DEFAULT SPACES.
 
01 WS-DEFAULT-RANGES.
   05 WS-MIN-VALUE      PIC 9(8)V99 DEFAULT 0.01.
   05 WS-MAX-VALUE      PIC 9(8)V99 DEFAULT 999999.99.
   05 WS-DEFAULT-VALUE  PIC 9(8)V99 DEFAULT 100.00.
 
01 WS-VALIDATION-COUNTERS.
   05 WS-VALID-COUNT    PIC 9(5) DEFAULT 0.
   05 WS-INVALID-COUNT  PIC 9(5) DEFAULT 0.
   05 WS-DEFAULT-COUNT  PIC 9(5) DEFAULT 0.
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
VALIDATE-WITH-DEFAULTS.
    DISPLAY "=== Default Validation Demo ==="
    
    *> Simulate input validation with defaults
    PERFORM TEST-VALIDATION-SCENARIOS.
 
TEST-VALIDATION-SCENARIOS.
    *> Test case 1: Empty input - use default
    MOVE SPACES TO WS-INPUT-VALUE
    PERFORM VALIDATE-INPUT
    
    *> Test case 2: Valid input
    MOVE "250.75" TO WS-INPUT-VALUE
    PERFORM VALIDATE-INPUT
    
    *> Test case 3: Invalid input - use default
    MOVE "INVALID" TO WS-INPUT-VALUE
    PERFORM VALIDATE-INPUT
    
    *> Test case 4: Out of range - use default
    MOVE "9999999.99" TO WS-INPUT-VALUE
    PERFORM VALIDATE-INPUT
    
    DISPLAY "Validation Summary:"
    DISPLAY "  Valid inputs: " WS-VALID-COUNT
    DISPLAY "  Invalid inputs: " WS-INVALID-COUNT
    DISPLAY "  Defaults used: " WS-DEFAULT-COUNT.
 
VALIDATE-INPUT.
    MOVE 'N' TO WS-VALIDATION-FLAG
    MOVE SPACES TO WS-ERROR-MESSAGE
    
    *> Check if input is empty
    IF WS-INPUT-VALUE = SPACES
        MOVE WS-DEFAULT-VALUE TO WS-NUMERIC-VALUE
        MOVE 'Empty input - using default' TO WS-ERROR-MESSAGE
        ADD 1 TO WS-DEFAULT-COUNT
        MOVE 'Y' TO WS-VALIDATION-FLAG
    ELSE
        *> Try to convert to numeric
        IF WS-INPUT-VALUE IS NUMERIC
            MOVE FUNCTION NUMVAL(WS-INPUT-VALUE) TO WS-NUMERIC-VALUE
            
            *> Validate range
            IF WS-NUMERIC-VALUE < WS-MIN-VALUE OR
               WS-NUMERIC-VALUE > WS-MAX-VALUE
                MOVE WS-DEFAULT-VALUE TO WS-NUMERIC-VALUE
                MOVE 'Out of range - using default' TO WS-ERROR-MESSAGE
                ADD 1 TO WS-DEFAULT-COUNT
            ELSE
                MOVE 'Valid input accepted' TO WS-ERROR-MESSAGE
                ADD 1 TO WS-VALID-COUNT
            END-IF
            MOVE 'Y' TO WS-VALIDATION-FLAG
        ELSE
            MOVE WS-DEFAULT-VALUE TO WS-NUMERIC-VALUE
            MOVE 'Invalid format - using default' TO WS-ERROR-MESSAGE
            ADD 1 TO WS-INVALID-COUNT
            ADD 1 TO WS-DEFAULT-COUNT
            MOVE 'Y' TO WS-VALIDATION-FLAG
        END-IF
    END-IF
    
    DISPLAY "Input: '" WS-INPUT-VALUE "' -> " WS-NUMERIC-VALUE
    DISPLAY "Message: " WS-ERROR-MESSAGE.

Best Practices and Guidelines

DEFAULT Best Practices

  • Always provide meaningful default values that make sense for your application
  • Use DEFAULT consistently throughout your program for similar data types
  • Document the reasoning behind specific default values
  • Consider business rules when setting default values
  • Test default value behavior thoroughly in all scenarios
  • Use DEFAULT with OCCURS for consistent array initialization
  • Combine DEFAULT with validation routines for robust data handling

Common Patterns

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*> Standard default patterns
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
 
*> Counters and flags
01 WS-CONTROL-FIELDS.
   05 WS-RECORD-COUNT   PIC 9(6) DEFAULT 0.
   05 WS-ERROR-FLAG     PIC X(1) DEFAULT 'N'.
   05 WS-EOF-FLAG       PIC X(1) DEFAULT 'N'.
   05 WS-PROCESS-FLAG   PIC X(1) DEFAULT 'Y'.
 
*> Business data with safe defaults
01 WS-TRANSACTION-DATA.
   05 WS-TRANS-ID       PIC X(10) DEFAULT 'TRANS00000'.
   05 WS-TRANS-DATE     PIC X(8) DEFAULT '00000000'.
   05 WS-TRANS-AMOUNT   PIC 9(8)V99 DEFAULT 0.00.
   05 WS-TRANS-TYPE     PIC X(1) DEFAULT 'U'.
 
*> Configuration with environment awareness
01 WS-CONFIG-SETTINGS.
   05 WS-ENVIRONMENT    PIC X(4) DEFAULT 'PROD'.
   05 WS-LOG-ENABLED    PIC X(1) DEFAULT 'Y'.
   05 WS-DEBUG-LEVEL    PIC 9(1) DEFAULT 0.
   05 WS-MAX-RECORDS    PIC 9(6) DEFAULT 10000.
 
*> Error handling defaults
01 WS-ERROR-HANDLING.
   05 WS-ERROR-CODE     PIC X(4) DEFAULT '0000'.
   05 WS-ERROR-MESSAGE  PIC X(100) DEFAULT SPACES.
   05 WS-ERROR-SEVERITY PIC X(1) DEFAULT 'I'.
   05 WS-ERROR-COUNT    PIC 9(3) DEFAULT 0.

Related Concepts

Data Initialization

Techniques for initializing data items and variables

Working Storage

Working storage section and variable declarations

Data Types

Understanding COBOL data types and their default values

Memory Management

Memory allocation and variable initialization strategies

Frequently Asked Questions