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COBOL Tutorial

COBOL END-EVALUATE Clause - Quick Reference

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Overview

The END-EVALUATE clause marks the end of an EVALUATE statement block. It is a required terminator that ensures proper structure and prevents compilation errors in COBOL programs.

Purpose and Usage

  • Block termination - End EVALUATE statement blocks
  • Structure control - Maintain proper program structure
  • Compilation requirement - Required for successful compilation
  • Nesting support - Enable nested EVALUATE statements
  • Flow control - Define program execution boundaries

EVALUATE Block Structure

EVALUATE condition
WHEN value1
statements...
WHEN value2
statements...
WHEN OTHER
statements...
END-EVALUATE ← Terminator
Proper block structure with termination

END-EVALUATE marks the end of the EVALUATE block structure.

Syntax

The END-EVALUATE clause follows specific syntax patterns and is required to properly terminate EVALUATE statement blocks.

Basic Syntax

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* Basic END-EVALUATE syntax
EVALUATE condition
    WHEN value1
        statements...
    WHEN value2
        statements...
    WHEN OTHER
        statements...
END-EVALUATE
 
* Simple example
EVALUATE WS-STATUS
    WHEN "A"
        DISPLAY "Active"
    WHEN "I"
        DISPLAY "Inactive"
    WHEN OTHER
        DISPLAY "Unknown"
END-EVALUATE
 
* With multiple conditions
EVALUATE TRUE
    WHEN WS-AGE < 18
        DISPLAY "Minor"
    WHEN WS-AGE >= 18 AND WS-AGE < 65
        DISPLAY "Adult"
    WHEN WS-AGE >= 65
        DISPLAY "Senior"
END-EVALUATE

END-EVALUATE is required to terminate every EVALUATE statement block.

EVALUATE vs IF Structure

FeatureEVALUATEIF
StartEVALUATEIF
ConditionsWHEN clausesELSE IF
DefaultWHEN OTHERELSE
EndEND-EVALUATEEND-IF
Use caseMulti-way branchingSimple conditions

Nested EVALUATE Structure

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* Nested EVALUATE with proper END-EVALUATE
EVALUATE WS-CATEGORY
    WHEN "A"
        EVALUATE WS-SUBTYPE
            WHEN "X"
                DISPLAY "Category A, Subtype X"
            WHEN "Y"
                DISPLAY "Category A, Subtype Y"
            WHEN OTHER
                DISPLAY "Category A, Unknown subtype"
        END-EVALUATE  * Inner EVALUATE
    WHEN "B"
        DISPLAY "Category B"
    WHEN OTHER
        DISPLAY "Unknown category"
END-EVALUATE  * Outer EVALUATE
 
* With comments for clarity
EVALUATE WS-STATUS
    WHEN "ACTIVE"
        PERFORM PROCESS-ACTIVE
    WHEN "PENDING"
        EVALUATE WS-PRIORITY
            WHEN "HIGH"
                PERFORM PROCESS-HIGH-PRIORITY
            WHEN "LOW"
                PERFORM PROCESS-LOW-PRIORITY
        END-EVALUATE  * Priority EVALUATE
    WHEN OTHER
        PERFORM PROCESS-UNKNOWN
END-EVALUATE  * Status EVALUATE

Each EVALUATE must have its own END-EVALUATE terminator.

Practical Examples

These examples demonstrate how to use the END-EVALUATE clause effectively in different conditional logic scenarios.

Basic Status Evaluation

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IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. BASIC-EVALUATE-EXAMPLE.
 
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01  WS-STATUS         PIC X(10).
01  WS-MESSAGE        PIC X(50).
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
MAIN-PROCESS.
    * Set status for testing
    MOVE "ACTIVE" TO WS-STATUS
    
    * Evaluate status with proper END-EVALUATE
    EVALUATE WS-STATUS
        WHEN "ACTIVE"
            MOVE "System is active and running" TO WS-MESSAGE
            DISPLAY WS-MESSAGE
        WHEN "INACTIVE"
            MOVE "System is inactive" TO WS-MESSAGE
            DISPLAY WS-MESSAGE
        WHEN "ERROR"
            MOVE "System error detected" TO WS-MESSAGE
            DISPLAY WS-MESSAGE
        WHEN OTHER
            MOVE "Unknown system status" TO WS-MESSAGE
            DISPLAY WS-MESSAGE
    END-EVALUATE
    
    * Continue with program logic
    DISPLAY "Processing complete"
    STOP RUN.

Basic EVALUATE structure with proper END-EVALUATE termination.

Complex Conditional Logic

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IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. COMPLEX-EVALUATE-EXAMPLE.
 
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01  WS-AGE            PIC 9(3).
01  WS-INCOME         PIC 9(8).
01  WS-CATEGORY       PIC X(20).
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
MAIN-PROCESS.
    * Set test values
    MOVE 25 TO WS-AGE
    MOVE 50000 TO WS-INCOME
    
    * Complex evaluation with multiple conditions
    EVALUATE TRUE
        WHEN WS-AGE < 18
            MOVE "Minor" TO WS-CATEGORY
        WHEN WS-AGE >= 18 AND WS-AGE < 25
            IF WS-INCOME < 30000
                MOVE "Young Adult - Low Income" TO WS-CATEGORY
            ELSE
                MOVE "Young Adult - High Income" TO WS-CATEGORY
            END-IF
        WHEN WS-AGE >= 25 AND WS-AGE < 65
            EVALUATE WS-INCOME
                WHEN 0 THRU 30000
                    MOVE "Working Adult - Low Income" TO WS-CATEGORY
                WHEN 30001 THRU 75000
                    MOVE "Working Adult - Middle Income" TO WS-CATEGORY
                WHEN 75001 THRU 999999
                    MOVE "Working Adult - High Income" TO WS-CATEGORY
                WHEN OTHER
                    MOVE "Working Adult - Very High Income" TO WS-CATEGORY
            END-EVALUATE  * Income evaluation
        WHEN WS-AGE >= 65
            MOVE "Senior" TO WS-CATEGORY
        WHEN OTHER
            MOVE "Unknown Category" TO WS-CATEGORY
    END-EVALUATE  * Age evaluation
    
    DISPLAY "Category: " WS-CATEGORY
    STOP RUN.

Complex nested EVALUATE with proper END-EVALUATE termination for each level.

Error Handling with EVALUATE

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IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. ERROR-HANDLING-EVALUATE.
 
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01  WS-ERROR-CODE     PIC X(2).
01  WS-ERROR-MESSAGE  PIC X(100).
01  WS-ACTION         PIC X(20).
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
MAIN-PROCESS.
    * Simulate different error codes
    MOVE "01" TO WS-ERROR-CODE
    
    * Handle errors with EVALUATE
    EVALUATE WS-ERROR-CODE
        WHEN "01"
            MOVE "File not found - Check file path" TO WS-ERROR-MESSAGE
            MOVE "RETRY" TO WS-ACTION
        WHEN "02"
            MOVE "Invalid data format - Verify input" TO WS-ERROR-MESSAGE
            MOVE "VALIDATE" TO WS-ACTION
        WHEN "03"
            MOVE "Permission denied - Check access rights" TO WS-ERROR-MESSAGE
            MOVE "CONTACT_ADMIN" TO WS-ACTION
        WHEN "04"
            MOVE "Network timeout - Check connection" TO WS-ERROR-MESSAGE
            MOVE "RETRY" TO WS-ACTION
        WHEN "05"
            MOVE "Memory allocation failed - System overloaded" TO WS-ERROR-MESSAGE
            MOVE "WAIT" TO WS-ACTION
        WHEN OTHER
            MOVE "Unknown error - Contact system administrator" TO WS-ERROR-MESSAGE
            MOVE "CONTACT_SUPPORT" TO WS-ACTION
    END-EVALUATE
    
    * Process the error
    DISPLAY "Error: " WS-ERROR-MESSAGE
    DISPLAY "Action: " WS-ACTION
    
    * Take action based on error type
    EVALUATE WS-ACTION
        WHEN "RETRY"
            DISPLAY "Attempting to retry operation"
        WHEN "VALIDATE"
            DISPLAY "Validating input data"
        WHEN "CONTACT_ADMIN"
            DISPLAY "Contacting system administrator"
        WHEN "WAIT"
            DISPLAY "Waiting for system resources"
        WHEN "CONTACT_SUPPORT"
            DISPLAY "Contacting technical support"
        WHEN OTHER
            DISPLAY "Taking default action"
    END-EVALUATE
    
    STOP RUN.

Error handling using nested EVALUATE statements with proper END-EVALUATE termination.

Menu System with EVALUATE

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IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. MENU-SYSTEM-EVALUATE.
 
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01  WS-MENU-CHOICE    PIC 9(1).
01  WS-CONTINUE       PIC X(1) VALUE "Y".
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
MAIN-PROCESS.
    PERFORM UNTIL WS-CONTINUE = "N"
        * Display menu
        DISPLAY "=== MENU SYSTEM ==="
        DISPLAY "1. Add Record"
        DISPLAY "2. Update Record"
        DISPLAY "3. Delete Record"
        DISPLAY "4. View Records"
        DISPLAY "5. Exit"
        DISPLAY "Enter choice (1-5): "
        
        ACCEPT WS-MENU-CHOICE
        
        * Process menu choice with EVALUATE
        EVALUATE WS-MENU-CHOICE
            WHEN 1
                DISPLAY "Adding new record..."
                PERFORM ADD-RECORD
            WHEN 2
                DISPLAY "Updating record..."
                PERFORM UPDATE-RECORD
            WHEN 3
                DISPLAY "Deleting record..."
                PERFORM DELETE-RECORD
            WHEN 4
                DISPLAY "Viewing records..."
                PERFORM VIEW-RECORDS
            WHEN 5
                DISPLAY "Exiting program..."
                MOVE "N" TO WS-CONTINUE
            WHEN OTHER
                DISPLAY "Invalid choice. Please try again."
        END-EVALUATE
        
        * Ask if user wants to continue
        IF WS-CONTINUE = "Y"
            DISPLAY "Continue? (Y/N): "
            ACCEPT WS-CONTINUE
        END-IF
    END-PERFORM
    
    STOP RUN.
 
ADD-RECORD.
    DISPLAY "Record added successfully".
 
UPDATE-RECORD.
    DISPLAY "Record updated successfully".
 
DELETE-RECORD.
    DISPLAY "Record deleted successfully".
 
VIEW-RECORDS.
    DISPLAY "Records displayed successfully".

Menu system using EVALUATE with proper END-EVALUATE termination.

Best Practices and Considerations

Understanding best practices ensures proper EVALUATE block structure and program flow.

END-EVALUATE Best Practices

  • Always include END-EVALUATE - Required for every EVALUATE block
  • Use proper indentation - Makes nested structures clear
  • Add comments for clarity - Mark which END-EVALUATE belongs to which EVALUATE
  • Test all WHEN paths - Ensure all conditions are properly handled
  • Include WHEN OTHER - Handle unexpected values

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

PitfallProblemSolution
Missing END-EVALUATECompilation errorAlways include END-EVALUATE
Mismatched nestingLogic errorsUse proper indentation and comments
Missing WHEN OTHERUnexpected behaviorInclude WHEN OTHER clause
Poor structureHard to maintainUse consistent formatting
Complex nestingDifficult to debugLimit nesting depth

Structure Guidelines

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* Good structure with comments
EVALUATE WS-STATUS
    WHEN "ACTIVE"
        PERFORM PROCESS-ACTIVE
    WHEN "INACTIVE"
        PERFORM PROCESS-INACTIVE
    WHEN OTHER
        PERFORM PROCESS-UNKNOWN
END-EVALUATE  * Status evaluation
 
* Nested structure with clear marking
EVALUATE WS-CATEGORY
    WHEN "A"
        EVALUATE WS-SUBTYPE
            WHEN "X"
                PERFORM PROCESS-AX
            WHEN "Y"
                PERFORM PROCESS-AY
        END-EVALUATE  * Subtype evaluation
    WHEN "B"
        PERFORM PROCESS-B
END-EVALUATE  * Category evaluation
 
* Avoid excessive nesting
* Use separate procedures instead of deep nesting

Proper structure and commenting make EVALUATE blocks easier to understand and maintain.

END-EVALUATE Clause Quick Reference

UsageSyntaxExample
Basic terminationEVALUATE...END-EVALUATEEVALUATE WS-VALUE WHEN 1...END-EVALUATE
With WHEN OTHEREVALUATE...WHEN OTHER...END-EVALUATEEVALUATE WS-STATUS WHEN "A"...WHEN OTHER...END-EVALUATE
Nested structureEVALUATE...EVALUATE...END-EVALUATE...END-EVALUATEEVALUATE A...EVALUATE B...END-EVALUATE...END-EVALUATE
Multiple WHENEVALUATE...WHEN...WHEN...END-EVALUATEEVALUATE WS-CHOICE WHEN 1...WHEN 2...END-EVALUATE
With commentsEND-EVALUATE * CommentEND-EVALUATE * Status evaluation

Test Your Knowledge

1. What is the primary purpose of the END-EVALUATE clause in COBOL?

  • To start an EVALUATE statement
  • To terminate an EVALUATE statement block
  • To evaluate conditions
  • To define variables

2. Which statement does END-EVALUATE terminate?

  • IF statement
  • EVALUATE statement
  • PERFORM statement
  • READ statement

3. What happens if you forget to include END-EVALUATE?

  • The program crashes
  • Compilation error occurs
  • The EVALUATE block continues indefinitely
  • Nothing happens

4. Can you nest EVALUATE statements?

  • No, never
  • Yes, but only two levels deep
  • Yes, with proper END-EVALUATE termination
  • Only in certain COBOL versions

5. What comes after END-EVALUATE?

  • Another EVALUATE statement
  • A period (.)
  • Any valid COBOL statement
  • Only STOP RUN

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Concepts

EVALUATE Statement

EVALUATE statement for multi-way conditional logic.

WHEN Clause

WHEN clause for conditional execution in EVALUATE.

IF Statement

IF statement for simple conditional logic.

Conditional Execution

Conditional execution and control flow in COBOL.

Program Structure

Program structure and organization in COBOL.

EJECTEND-INVOKE