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COBOL Tutorial

COBOL IF and END-IF Statements

The IF and END-IF statements represent the fundamental conditional logic mechanisms within COBOL programming environments, providing sophisticated decision-making capabilities that enable complex business rule implementation, data validation processes, and algorithmic control flow management. These statements embody the core principles of structured programming by supporting nested conditional logic, compound Boolean expressions, and multi-path execution scenarios while maintaining code readability, ensuring logical clarity, and facilitating comprehensive business logic implementation across diverse enterprise applications requiring robust decision-making capabilities, data-driven processing, and maintainable conditional structures.

IF Statement Syntax

IF and END-IF Structure
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*> Basic IF statement syntax
IF condition
   statement-1
   statement-2
END-IF
 
*> IF-ELSE structure
IF condition
   statement-1
ELSE
   statement-2
END-IF
 
*> Complex conditional example
IF field-1 > 0 AND field-2 NOT = SPACES
   PERFORM PROCESS-VALID-DATA
ELSE
   PERFORM HANDLE-INVALID-DATA
END-IF
 
*> Nested IF statements
IF customer-type = "PREMIUM"
   IF order-amount > 1000
      COMPUTE discount = order-amount * 0.15
   ELSE
      COMPUTE discount = order-amount * 0.10
   END-IF
ELSE
   IF order-amount > 500
      COMPUTE discount = order-amount * 0.05
   ELSE
      MOVE 0 TO discount
   END-IF
END-IF
 
*> Multiple conditions with logical operators
IF (salary > 50000 AND department = "IT")
   OR (years-service > 10 AND performance-rating = "EXCELLENT")
   MOVE "ELIGIBLE" TO bonus-status
ELSE
   MOVE "NOT-ELIGIBLE" TO bonus-status
END-IF.
Conditional Logic
Decision Making
Control Flow

Comprehensive IF Examples

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IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. IF-STATEMENT-EXAMPLES.
 
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01 WS-EMPLOYEE-DATA.
   05 WS-EMP-ID          PIC 9(6).
   05 WS-EMP-NAME        PIC X(30).
   05 WS-DEPARTMENT      PIC X(10).
   05 WS-SALARY          PIC 9(6)V99.
   05 WS-YEARS-SERVICE   PIC 9(2).
   05 WS-PERFORMANCE     PIC X(10).
 
01 WS-CALCULATIONS.
   05 WS-BONUS           PIC 9(5)V99.
   05 WS-TAX-RATE        PIC 9V999.
   05 WS-NET-PAY         PIC 9(7)V99.
   05 WS-GRADE-LEVEL     PIC 9(2).
 
01 WS-FLAGS.
   05 WS-ELIGIBLE-FLAG   PIC X.
      88 ELIGIBLE        VALUE 'Y'.
      88 NOT-ELIGIBLE    VALUE 'N'.
   05 WS-ERROR-FLAG      PIC X.
      88 ERROR-FOUND     VALUE 'Y'.
      88 NO-ERROR        VALUE 'N'.
 
01 WS-CONSTANTS.
   05 WS-MIN-SALARY      PIC 9(6)V99 VALUE 30000.00.
   05 WS-MAX-SALARY      PIC 9(6)V99 VALUE 200000.00.
   05 WS-SENIOR-YEARS    PIC 9(2) VALUE 10.
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
MAIN-PROCESSING.
    PERFORM INITIALIZE-DATA
    PERFORM DEMONSTRATE-BASIC-IF
    PERFORM DEMONSTRATE-NESTED-IF
    PERFORM DEMONSTRATE-COMPLEX-CONDITIONS
    PERFORM DEMONSTRATE-DATA-VALIDATION
    PERFORM DEMONSTRATE-BUSINESS-LOGIC
    STOP RUN.
 
INITIALIZE-DATA.
    MOVE 123456 TO WS-EMP-ID
    MOVE "JOHN SMITH" TO WS-EMP-NAME
    MOVE "IT" TO WS-DEPARTMENT
    MOVE 75000.00 TO WS-SALARY
    MOVE 8 TO WS-YEARS-SERVICE
    MOVE "EXCELLENT" TO WS-PERFORMANCE.
 
DEMONSTRATE-BASIC-IF.
    DISPLAY "=== BASIC IF STATEMENT EXAMPLES ==="
    
    *> Simple comparison
    IF WS-SALARY > WS-MIN-SALARY
       DISPLAY "Employee salary is above minimum"
    END-IF
    
    *> IF-ELSE structure
    IF WS-DEPARTMENT = "IT"
       DISPLAY "Employee works in IT department"
    ELSE
       DISPLAY "Employee works in other department"
    END-IF
    
    *> Condition name usage
    IF WS-YEARS-SERVICE >= WS-SENIOR-YEARS
       SET ELIGIBLE TO TRUE
       DISPLAY "Employee is eligible for senior benefits"
    ELSE
       SET NOT-ELIGIBLE TO TRUE
       DISPLAY "Employee is not eligible for senior benefits"
    END-IF
    
    DISPLAY SPACES.
 
DEMONSTRATE-NESTED-IF.
    DISPLAY "=== NESTED IF STATEMENT EXAMPLES ==="
    
    *> Nested salary and performance evaluation
    IF WS-SALARY > 50000
       IF WS-PERFORMANCE = "EXCELLENT"
          COMPUTE WS-BONUS = WS-SALARY * 0.15
          DISPLAY "High performer bonus: $" WS-BONUS
       ELSE
          IF WS-PERFORMANCE = "GOOD"
             COMPUTE WS-BONUS = WS-SALARY * 0.10
             DISPLAY "Good performer bonus: $" WS-BONUS
          ELSE
             COMPUTE WS-BONUS = WS-SALARY * 0.05
             DISPLAY "Standard bonus: $" WS-BONUS
          END-IF
       END-IF
    ELSE
       IF WS-PERFORMANCE = "EXCELLENT"
          COMPUTE WS-BONUS = WS-SALARY * 0.08
          DISPLAY "Entry level excellent bonus: $" WS-BONUS
       ELSE
          COMPUTE WS-BONUS = WS-SALARY * 0.03
          DISPLAY "Entry level standard bonus: $" WS-BONUS
       END-IF
    END-IF
    
    *> Department and grade level determination
    IF WS-DEPARTMENT = "IT"
       IF WS-SALARY > 80000
          MOVE 5 TO WS-GRADE-LEVEL
       ELSE
          IF WS-SALARY > 60000
             MOVE 4 TO WS-GRADE-LEVEL
          ELSE
             MOVE 3 TO WS-GRADE-LEVEL
          END-IF
       END-IF
    ELSE
       IF WS-DEPARTMENT = "FINANCE"
          IF WS-SALARY > 90000
             MOVE 5 TO WS-GRADE-LEVEL
          ELSE
             MOVE 4 TO WS-GRADE-LEVEL
          END-IF
       ELSE
          MOVE 3 TO WS-GRADE-LEVEL
       END-IF
    END-IF
    
    DISPLAY "Employee grade level: " WS-GRADE-LEVEL
    DISPLAY SPACES.
 
DEMONSTRATE-COMPLEX-CONDITIONS.
    DISPLAY "=== COMPLEX CONDITIONAL LOGIC ==="
    
    *> Multiple conditions with AND/OR
    IF (WS-SALARY > 70000 AND WS-YEARS-SERVICE > 5)
       OR (WS-PERFORMANCE = "EXCELLENT" AND WS-YEARS-SERVICE > 3)
       DISPLAY "Employee qualifies for promotion consideration"
    ELSE
       DISPLAY "Employee does not qualify for promotion"
    END-IF
    
    *> Complex business rule
    IF WS-DEPARTMENT = "SALES"
       AND WS-PERFORMANCE = "EXCELLENT"
       AND WS-YEARS-SERVICE >= 2
       COMPUTE WS-BONUS = WS-SALARY * 0.20
       DISPLAY "Sales excellence bonus: $" WS-BONUS
    ELSE
       IF WS-DEPARTMENT = "SALES"
          AND WS-PERFORMANCE = "GOOD"
          AND WS-YEARS-SERVICE >= 1
          COMPUTE WS-BONUS = WS-SALARY * 0.12
          DISPLAY "Sales performance bonus: $" WS-BONUS
       END-IF
    END-IF
    
    *> Tax bracket calculation
    IF WS-SALARY <= 40000
       MOVE 0.12 TO WS-TAX-RATE
    ELSE
       IF WS-SALARY <= 80000
          MOVE 0.22 TO WS-TAX-RATE
       ELSE
          IF WS-SALARY <= 120000
             MOVE 0.32 TO WS-TAX-RATE
          ELSE
             MOVE 0.37 TO WS-TAX-RATE
          END-IF
       END-IF
    END-IF
    
    COMPUTE WS-NET-PAY = WS-SALARY * (1 - WS-TAX-RATE)
    DISPLAY "Tax rate: " WS-TAX-RATE " Net pay: $" WS-NET-PAY
    DISPLAY SPACES.
 
DEMONSTRATE-DATA-VALIDATION.
    DISPLAY "=== DATA VALIDATION WITH IF STATEMENTS ==="
    
    SET NO-ERROR TO TRUE
    
    *> Validate employee ID
    IF WS-EMP-ID = 0 OR WS-EMP-ID > 999999
       DISPLAY "Error: Invalid employee ID"
       SET ERROR-FOUND TO TRUE
    END-IF
    
    *> Validate employee name
    IF WS-EMP-NAME = SPACES
       DISPLAY "Error: Employee name is required"
       SET ERROR-FOUND TO TRUE
    END-IF
    
    *> Validate salary range
    IF WS-SALARY < WS-MIN-SALARY
       DISPLAY "Error: Salary below minimum wage"
       SET ERROR-FOUND TO TRUE
    ELSE
       IF WS-SALARY > WS-MAX-SALARY
          DISPLAY "Error: Salary exceeds maximum limit"
          SET ERROR-FOUND TO TRUE
       END-IF
    END-IF
    
    *> Validate years of service
    IF WS-YEARS-SERVICE < 0 OR WS-YEARS-SERVICE > 50
       DISPLAY "Error: Invalid years of service"
       SET ERROR-FOUND TO TRUE
    END-IF
    
    *> Validate department
    IF WS-DEPARTMENT NOT = "IT"
       AND WS-DEPARTMENT NOT = "FINANCE"
       AND WS-DEPARTMENT NOT = "SALES"
       AND WS-DEPARTMENT NOT = "HR"
       AND WS-DEPARTMENT NOT = "OPERATIONS"
       DISPLAY "Error: Invalid department code"
       SET ERROR-FOUND TO TRUE
    END-IF
    
    *> Validate performance rating
    IF WS-PERFORMANCE NOT = "EXCELLENT"
       AND WS-PERFORMANCE NOT = "GOOD"
       AND WS-PERFORMANCE NOT = "SATISFACTORY"
       AND WS-PERFORMANCE NOT = "NEEDS IMPROVEMENT"
       DISPLAY "Error: Invalid performance rating"
       SET ERROR-FOUND TO TRUE
    END-IF
    
    IF NO-ERROR
       DISPLAY "All data validation passed"
    ELSE
       DISPLAY "Data validation failed - check errors above"
    END-IF
    
    DISPLAY SPACES.
 
DEMONSTRATE-BUSINESS-LOGIC.
    DISPLAY "=== BUSINESS LOGIC IMPLEMENTATION ==="
    
    *> Comprehensive employee benefits calculation
    IF WS-DEPARTMENT = "IT"
       IF WS-SALARY > 80000 AND WS-YEARS-SERVICE > 5
          DISPLAY "Eligible for: Senior IT benefits package"
          DISPLAY "  - 25 vacation days"
          DISPLAY "  - $5000 training budget"
          DISPLAY "  - Stock options"
       ELSE
          IF WS-SALARY > 60000
             DISPLAY "Eligible for: Standard IT benefits"
             DISPLAY "  - 20 vacation days"
             DISPLAY "  - $3000 training budget"
          ELSE
             DISPLAY "Eligible for: Basic IT benefits"
             DISPLAY "  - 15 vacation days"
             DISPLAY "  - $1500 training budget"
          END-IF
       END-IF
    ELSE
       IF WS-DEPARTMENT = "SALES"
          IF WS-PERFORMANCE = "EXCELLENT"
             DISPLAY "Eligible for: Sales excellence package"
             DISPLAY "  - Commission bonus eligibility"
             DISPLAY "  - Company car allowance"
             DISPLAY "  - Premium health insurance"
          ELSE
             DISPLAY "Eligible for: Standard sales benefits"
             DISPLAY "  - Base commission structure"
             DISPLAY "  - Standard health insurance"
          END-IF
       ELSE
          DISPLAY "Eligible for: Standard employee benefits"
          DISPLAY "  - 15 vacation days"
          DISPLAY "  - Standard health insurance"
          DISPLAY "  - 401k matching"
       END-IF
    END-IF
    
    *> Performance improvement plan determination
    IF WS-PERFORMANCE = "NEEDS IMPROVEMENT"
       IF WS-YEARS-SERVICE < 1
          DISPLAY "Action: Extended probation period"
       ELSE
          IF WS-YEARS-SERVICE < 3
             DISPLAY "Action: 90-day improvement plan"
          ELSE
             DISPLAY "Action: Formal review process"
          END-IF
       END-IF
    END-IF
    
    DISPLAY SPACES.
 
*> Advanced conditional patterns
ADVANCED-CONDITIONAL-PATTERNS.
    *> Range checking with multiple conditions
    IF WS-SALARY >= 25000 AND WS-SALARY <= 35000
       DISPLAY "Salary range: Entry level"
    ELSE
       IF WS-SALARY >= 35001 AND WS-SALARY <= 55000
          DISPLAY "Salary range: Mid level"
       ELSE
          IF WS-SALARY >= 55001 AND WS-SALARY <= 85000
             DISPLAY "Salary range: Senior level"
          ELSE
             IF WS-SALARY > 85000
                DISPLAY "Salary range: Executive level"
             ELSE
                DISPLAY "Salary range: Below standard"
             END-IF
          END-IF
       END-IF
    END-IF
    
    *> Complex eligibility determination
    IF (WS-DEPARTMENT = "IT" AND WS-SALARY > 70000)
       OR (WS-DEPARTMENT = "FINANCE" AND WS-SALARY > 65000)
       OR (WS-DEPARTMENT = "SALES" AND WS-PERFORMANCE = "EXCELLENT")
       IF WS-YEARS-SERVICE >= 3
          DISPLAY "Eligible for leadership development program"
       ELSE
          DISPLAY "Meets criteria but needs more experience"
       END-IF
    ELSE
       DISPLAY "Does not meet leadership program criteria"
    END-IF.

IF Statement Features

Logical Operators
  • • AND: Both conditions must be true
  • • OR: Either condition can be true
  • • NOT: Negates the condition
  • • Parentheses for grouping operations
Comparison Operators
  • • = or EQUAL: Equal to
  • • > or GREATER: Greater than
  • • < or LESS: Less than
  • • >=, <=, NOT =: Other comparisons

Interactive Tutorial

Hands-On Exercise: Conditional Logic
Practice using IF statements for business logic implementation

Exercise 1: Grade Calculation

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01 STUDENT-DATA.
   05 STUDENT-SCORE    PIC 9(3).
   05 STUDENT-GRADE    PIC X.
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
CALCULATE-GRADE.
   IF STUDENT-SCORE >= 90
      MOVE "A" TO STUDENT-GRADE
   ELSE
      IF STUDENT-SCORE >= 80
         MOVE "B" TO STUDENT-GRADE
      ELSE
         IF STUDENT-SCORE >= 70
            MOVE "C" TO STUDENT-GRADE
         ELSE
            IF STUDENT-SCORE >= 60
               MOVE "D" TO STUDENT-GRADE
            ELSE
               MOVE "F" TO STUDENT-GRADE
            END-IF
         END-IF
      END-IF
   END-IF.

Exercise 2: Shipping Cost Calculator

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01 ORDER-INFO.
   05 ORDER-WEIGHT     PIC 9(3)V99.
   05 ORDER-TOTAL      PIC 9(5)V99.
   05 CUSTOMER-TYPE    PIC X(10).
   05 SHIPPING-COST    PIC 9(3)V99.
 
CALCULATE-SHIPPING.
   IF CUSTOMER-TYPE = "PREMIUM"
      IF ORDER-TOTAL > 100
         MOVE 0 TO SHIPPING-COST
      ELSE
         COMPUTE SHIPPING-COST = ORDER-WEIGHT * 0.50
      END-IF
   ELSE
      IF ORDER-TOTAL > 75
         COMPUTE SHIPPING-COST = ORDER-WEIGHT * 0.75
      ELSE
         COMPUTE SHIPPING-COST = ORDER-WEIGHT * 1.00
      END-IF
   END-IF.

Best Practices

Knowledge Check

Test Your Understanding

Question 1: Syntax

When is END-IF required in COBOL?

Answer: END-IF is always recommended for clarity and is required when using nested IF statements or when the IF statement contains multiple statements or ELSE clauses.

Question 2: Logical Operators

How do you combine multiple conditions in an IF statement?

Answer: Use logical operators: AND (both conditions true), OR (either condition true), NOT (negates condition). Use parentheses to group complex expressions.

Related Concepts

Conditional Logic

Decision-making and branching in programs

Logical Operators

AND, OR, NOT operators for complex conditions

Control Flow

Program flow control and execution paths

Related Pages