MainframeMaster

COBOL Tutorial

COBOL JUST and JUSTIFIED

The JUST and JUSTIFIED keywords represent specialized data alignment specifications within COBOL data definition environments, providing sophisticated right-alignment capabilities for alphanumeric fields that enable precise text positioning, formatted output generation, and controlled data presentation. These alignment modifiers embody advanced formatting principles by ensuring consistent text positioning, supporting legacy system requirements, and maintaining compatibility with external interfaces while facilitating professional report formatting, standardized data layout patterns, and comprehensive text manipulation across enterprise applications requiring precise field alignment and sophisticated data presentation capabilities with reliable formatting consistency and optimized display characteristics.

JUSTIFIED Syntax and Usage

Data Definition with Alignment
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*> Basic JUSTIFIED syntax
01 field-name PIC X(n) JUSTIFIED.
01 field-name PIC X(n) JUST.        *> JUST is equivalent to JUSTIFIED
 
*> Examples of JUSTIFIED fields
01 WS-RIGHT-ALIGNED-NAME     PIC X(20) JUSTIFIED.
01 WS-ACCOUNT-CODE           PIC X(10) JUST.
01 WS-FORMATTED-TEXT         PIC X(30) JUSTIFIED.
 
*> Without JUSTIFIED (default left alignment)
01 WS-LEFT-ALIGNED-NAME      PIC X(20).
 
*> Demonstration of alignment differences
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
    *> Left-aligned field (default)
    MOVE "SMITH" TO WS-LEFT-ALIGNED-NAME
    *> Result: "SMITH               " (left-aligned with trailing spaces)
    
    *> Right-aligned field (JUSTIFIED)
    MOVE "SMITH" TO WS-RIGHT-ALIGNED-NAME  
    *> Result: "               SMITH" (right-aligned with leading spaces)
    
    *> Account code right-aligned
    MOVE "ABC123" TO WS-ACCOUNT-CODE
    *> Result: "    ABC123" (right-aligned)
 
*> JUSTIFIED only applies to alphanumeric fields
01 WS-VALID-JUSTIFIED        PIC X(15) JUSTIFIED.     *> Valid
01 WS-INVALID-JUSTIFIED      PIC 9(5) JUSTIFIED.      *> Compilation error
 
*> Group items cannot be JUSTIFIED
01 WS-GROUP-ITEM JUSTIFIED.                           *> Invalid
   05 WS-FIELD1              PIC X(10).
   05 WS-FIELD2              PIC X(10).
Data Alignment
Text Formatting
Field Positioning

Comprehensive JUSTIFIED Examples

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IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. JUSTIFIED-DEMONSTRATION.
 
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
*> Comparison of aligned and non-aligned fields
01  ALIGNMENT-DEMO-FIELDS.
    05  WS-STANDARD-NAME       PIC X(25).
    05  WS-JUSTIFIED-NAME      PIC X(25) JUSTIFIED.
    05  WS-STANDARD-CODE       PIC X(12).
    05  WS-JUSTIFIED-CODE      PIC X(12) JUSTIFIED.
    05  WS-STANDARD-ADDRESS    PIC X(40).
    05  WS-JUSTIFIED-ADDRESS   PIC X(40) JUSTIFIED.
 
*> Report formatting fields
01  REPORT-FIELDS.
    05  WS-REPORT-TITLE        PIC X(50) JUSTIFIED.
    05  WS-PAGE-NUMBER         PIC X(10) JUSTIFIED.
    05  WS-DATE-STAMP          PIC X(15) JUSTIFIED.
    05  WS-COLUMN-HEADER       PIC X(20) JUSTIFIED.
 
*> Financial data formatting
01  FINANCIAL-FIELDS.
    05  WS-ACCOUNT-NUMBER      PIC X(15) JUSTIFIED.
    05  WS-ROUTING-NUMBER      PIC X(12) JUSTIFIED.
    05  WS-BANK-NAME           PIC X(30) JUSTIFIED.
    05  WS-CUSTOMER-ID         PIC X(10) JUSTIFIED.
 
*> Form layout fields
01  FORM-LAYOUT-FIELDS.
    05  WS-LABEL-FIELD         PIC X(20) JUSTIFIED.
    05  WS-VALUE-FIELD         PIC X(30).
    05  WS-SIGNATURE-LINE      PIC X(40) JUSTIFIED.
    05  WS-DATE-LINE           PIC X(12) JUSTIFIED.
 
*> Demonstration arrays
01  EMPLOYEE-NAMES.
    05  WS-STANDARD-NAMES OCCURS 5 TIMES PIC X(20).
    05  WS-JUSTIFIED-NAMES OCCURS 5 TIMES PIC X(20) JUSTIFIED.
 
01  TEST-DATA-TABLE.
    05  WS-TEST-ENTRIES OCCURS 10 TIMES.
        10  WS-ENTRY-ID        PIC X(8) JUSTIFIED.
        10  WS-ENTRY-DESC      PIC X(25).
        10  WS-ENTRY-CODE      PIC X(6) JUSTIFIED.
 
*> Working variables
01  WS-COUNTERS.
    05  WS-NAME-COUNT          PIC 9(2) VALUE 0.
    05  WS-DEMO-COUNT          PIC 9(2) VALUE 0.
    05  WS-FIELD-LENGTH        PIC 9(2).
 
01  WS-SAMPLE-DATA.
    05  FILLER                 PIC X(100) VALUE
        "JOHN    JANE    MICHAEL SARAH   DAVID   ".
    05  WS-SAMPLE-NAMES REDEFINES FILLER.
        10  WS-SAMPLE-NAME OCCURS 5 TIMES PIC X(8).
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
MAIN-PROCESSING.
    PERFORM DEMONSTRATE-BASIC-ALIGNMENT
    PERFORM DEMONSTRATE-REPORT-FORMATTING
    PERFORM DEMONSTRATE-FINANCIAL-FORMATTING
    PERFORM DEMONSTRATE-FORM-LAYOUTS
    PERFORM DEMONSTRATE-ARRAY-PROCESSING
    PERFORM DEMONSTRATE-BUSINESS-APPLICATIONS
    STOP RUN.
 
DEMONSTRATE-BASIC-ALIGNMENT.
    DISPLAY "=== BASIC ALIGNMENT DEMONSTRATION ==="
    
    *> Test various name lengths
    MOVE "SMITH" TO WS-STANDARD-NAME
    MOVE "SMITH" TO WS-JUSTIFIED-NAME
    
    DISPLAY "Standard Name  : '" WS-STANDARD-NAME "'"
    DISPLAY "Justified Name : '" WS-JUSTIFIED-NAME "'"
    DISPLAY SPACES
    
    *> Test shorter names
    MOVE "DOE" TO WS-STANDARD-NAME
    MOVE "DOE" TO WS-JUSTIFIED-NAME
    
    DISPLAY "Standard Name  : '" WS-STANDARD-NAME "'"
    DISPLAY "Justified Name : '" WS-JUSTIFIED-NAME "'"
    DISPLAY SPACES
    
    *> Test longer names (truncation)
    MOVE "VERY-LONG-EMPLOYEE-NAME-EXAMPLE" TO WS-STANDARD-NAME
    MOVE "VERY-LONG-EMPLOYEE-NAME-EXAMPLE" TO WS-JUSTIFIED-NAME
    
    DISPLAY "Standard Name  : '" WS-STANDARD-NAME "'"
    DISPLAY "Justified Name : '" WS-JUSTIFIED-NAME "'"
    DISPLAY SPACES
    
    *> Test codes
    MOVE "A123" TO WS-STANDARD-CODE
    MOVE "A123" TO WS-JUSTIFIED-CODE
    
    DISPLAY "Standard Code  : '" WS-STANDARD-CODE "'"
    DISPLAY "Justified Code : '" WS-JUSTIFIED-CODE "'"
    DISPLAY SPACES.
 
DEMONSTRATE-REPORT-FORMATTING.
    DISPLAY "=== REPORT FORMATTING WITH JUSTIFIED ==="
    
    *> Format report headers
    MOVE "MONTHLY SALES REPORT" TO WS-REPORT-TITLE
    MOVE "Page 1" TO WS-PAGE-NUMBER
    MOVE "12/31/2024" TO WS-DATE-STAMP
    
    DISPLAY "=================================================="
    DISPLAY WS-REPORT-TITLE
    DISPLAY "Page: " WS-PAGE-NUMBER "                    Date: " WS-DATE-STAMP
    DISPLAY "=================================================="
    
    *> Format column headers
    MOVE "Employee Name" TO WS-COLUMN-HEADER
    DISPLAY "Left Header    : '" WS-COLUMN-HEADER "'"
    
    MOVE "Sales Amount" TO WS-COLUMN-HEADER
    DISPLAY "Right Header   : '" WS-COLUMN-HEADER "'"
    
    MOVE "Department" TO WS-COLUMN-HEADER  
    DISPLAY "Center-ish     : '" WS-COLUMN-HEADER "'"
    DISPLAY SPACES.
 
DEMONSTRATE-FINANCIAL-FORMATTING.
    DISPLAY "=== FINANCIAL DATA FORMATTING ==="
    
    *> Format banking information
    MOVE "123456789012345" TO WS-ACCOUNT-NUMBER
    MOVE "021000021" TO WS-ROUTING-NUMBER
    MOVE "FIRST NATIONAL BANK" TO WS-BANK-NAME
    MOVE "CUST001" TO WS-CUSTOMER-ID
    
    DISPLAY "BANK ACCOUNT INFORMATION"
    DISPLAY "========================"
    DISPLAY "Account Number: " WS-ACCOUNT-NUMBER
    DISPLAY "Routing Number: " WS-ROUTING-NUMBER
    DISPLAY "Bank Name     : " WS-BANK-NAME
    DISPLAY "Customer ID   : " WS-CUSTOMER-ID
    
    *> Demonstrate check formatting
    DISPLAY SPACES
    DISPLAY "CHECK FORMAT EXAMPLE:"
    DISPLAY "----------------------------------------"
    DISPLAY "                    " WS-DATE-STAMP
    DISPLAY "PAY TO THE ORDER OF: JOHN SMITH"
    DISPLAY "AMOUNT: $1,234.56   " WS-ACCOUNT-NUMBER
    DISPLAY "                    " WS-BANK-NAME
    DISPLAY "----------------------------------------"
    DISPLAY SPACES.
 
DEMONSTRATE-FORM-LAYOUTS.
    DISPLAY "=== FORM LAYOUT FORMATTING ==="
    
    *> Create form-like layout
    MOVE "Name:" TO WS-LABEL-FIELD
    MOVE "John Smith" TO WS-VALUE-FIELD
    DISPLAY WS-LABEL-FIELD " " WS-VALUE-FIELD
    
    MOVE "Address:" TO WS-LABEL-FIELD
    MOVE "123 Main Street" TO WS-VALUE-FIELD
    DISPLAY WS-LABEL-FIELD " " WS-VALUE-FIELD
    
    MOVE "Phone:" TO WS-LABEL-FIELD
    MOVE "555-123-4567" TO WS-VALUE-FIELD
    DISPLAY WS-LABEL-FIELD " " WS-VALUE-FIELD
    
    *> Signature section
    MOVE "X" TO WS-SIGNATURE-LINE
    MOVE "Date" TO WS-DATE-LINE
    
    DISPLAY SPACES
    DISPLAY "Signature: " WS-SIGNATURE-LINE
    DISPLAY "     Date: " WS-DATE-LINE
    DISPLAY SPACES.
 
DEMONSTRATE-ARRAY-PROCESSING.
    DISPLAY "=== ARRAY PROCESSING WITH JUSTIFIED ==="
    
    *> Initialize arrays with sample data
    PERFORM VARYING WS-NAME-COUNT FROM 1 BY 1 UNTIL WS-NAME-COUNT > 5
        MOVE WS-SAMPLE-NAME(WS-NAME-COUNT) TO WS-STANDARD-NAMES(WS-NAME-COUNT)
        MOVE WS-SAMPLE-NAME(WS-NAME-COUNT) TO WS-JUSTIFIED-NAMES(WS-NAME-COUNT)
    END-PERFORM
    
    DISPLAY "Standard Names (Left-aligned):"
    PERFORM VARYING WS-NAME-COUNT FROM 1 BY 1 UNTIL WS-NAME-COUNT > 5
        DISPLAY WS-NAME-COUNT ". '" WS-STANDARD-NAMES(WS-NAME-COUNT) "'"
    END-PERFORM
    
    DISPLAY SPACES
    DISPLAY "Justified Names (Right-aligned):"
    PERFORM VARYING WS-NAME-COUNT FROM 1 BY 1 UNTIL WS-NAME-COUNT > 5
        DISPLAY WS-NAME-COUNT ". '" WS-JUSTIFIED-NAMES(WS-NAME-COUNT) "'"
    END-PERFORM
    
    DISPLAY SPACES.
 
DEMONSTRATE-BUSINESS-APPLICATIONS.
    DISPLAY "=== BUSINESS APPLICATION EXAMPLES ==="
    
    PERFORM INVENTORY-REPORT-FORMATTING
    PERFORM CUSTOMER-STATEMENT-FORMATTING
    PERFORM EMPLOYEE-DIRECTORY-FORMATTING.
 
INVENTORY-REPORT-FORMATTING.
    DISPLAY "Inventory Report Formatting:"
    DISPLAY "----------------------------"
    
    *> Product information with right-aligned codes
    MOVE "WIDGET-A" TO WS-JUSTIFIED-CODE
    DISPLAY "Product Code: " WS-JUSTIFIED-CODE "  Description: Premium Widget"
    
    MOVE "TOOL-B" TO WS-JUSTIFIED-CODE  
    DISPLAY "Product Code: " WS-JUSTIFIED-CODE "  Description: Professional Tool"
    
    MOVE "PART-C" TO WS-JUSTIFIED-CODE
    DISPLAY "Product Code: " WS-JUSTIFIED-CODE "  Description: Replacement Part"
    
    DISPLAY SPACES.
 
CUSTOMER-STATEMENT-FORMATTING.
    DISPLAY "Customer Statement Formatting:"
    DISPLAY "------------------------------"
    
    *> Statement header with right-aligned information
    MOVE "STMT-001" TO WS-CUSTOMER-ID
    MOVE "12/31/2024" TO WS-DATE-STAMP
    
    DISPLAY "CUSTOMER STATEMENT"
    DISPLAY "Statement ID: " WS-CUSTOMER-ID
    DISPLAY "Date        : " WS-DATE-STAMP
    DISPLAY "                              "
    DISPLAY "Customer: ACME Corporation"
    DISPLAY "Account : " WS-ACCOUNT-NUMBER
    
    DISPLAY SPACES.
 
EMPLOYEE-DIRECTORY-FORMATTING.
    DISPLAY "Employee Directory Formatting:"
    DISPLAY "------------------------------"
    
    *> Directory entries with consistent alignment
    MOVE "EMP001" TO WS-ENTRY-ID(1)
    MOVE "John Smith" TO WS-ENTRY-DESC(1)
    MOVE "IT" TO WS-ENTRY-CODE(1)
    
    MOVE "EMP002" TO WS-ENTRY-ID(2)
    MOVE "Jane Doe" TO WS-ENTRY-DESC(2)
    MOVE "HR" TO WS-ENTRY-CODE(2)
    
    MOVE "EMP003" TO WS-ENTRY-ID(3)
    MOVE "Bob Johnson" TO WS-ENTRY-DESC(3)
    MOVE "FIN" TO WS-ENTRY-CODE(3)
    
    PERFORM VARYING WS-DEMO-COUNT FROM 1 BY 1 UNTIL WS-DEMO-COUNT > 3
        DISPLAY WS-ENTRY-ID(WS-DEMO-COUNT) " | " 
                WS-ENTRY-DESC(WS-DEMO-COUNT) " | " 
                WS-ENTRY-CODE(WS-DEMO-COUNT)
    END-PERFORM
    
    DISPLAY SPACES.
 
*> Additional demonstrations for advanced JUSTIFIED usage
ADVANCED-JUSTIFIED-TECHNIQUES.
    DISPLAY "=== ADVANCED JUSTIFIED TECHNIQUES ==="
    
    PERFORM DEMONSTRATE-MIXED-ALIGNMENT
    PERFORM DEMONSTRATE-DYNAMIC-FORMATTING
    PERFORM DEMONSTRATE-LEGACY-INTERFACE.
 
DEMONSTRATE-MIXED-ALIGNMENT.
    01 WS-MIXED-RECORD.
       05 WS-LEFT-FIELD      PIC X(15).
       05 WS-RIGHT-FIELD     PIC X(15) JUSTIFIED.
       05 WS-CENTER-FIELD    PIC X(15).
    
    DISPLAY "Mixed Alignment in Records:"
    
    MOVE "LEFT" TO WS-LEFT-FIELD
    MOVE "RIGHT" TO WS-RIGHT-FIELD
    MOVE "CENTER" TO WS-CENTER-FIELD
    
    DISPLAY "Left  : '" WS-LEFT-FIELD "'"
    DISPLAY "Right : '" WS-RIGHT-FIELD "'"
    DISPLAY "Center: '" WS-CENTER-FIELD "'"
    DISPLAY SPACES.
 
DEMONSTRATE-DYNAMIC-FORMATTING.
    01 WS-FORMAT-FIELDS.
       05 WS-DYNAMIC-FIELD   PIC X(20) JUSTIFIED.
       05 WS-INPUT-DATA      PIC X(50).
       05 WS-PROCESSED-DATA  PIC X(20).
    
    DISPLAY "Dynamic Content Formatting:"
    
    MOVE "Short" TO WS-DYNAMIC-FIELD
    DISPLAY "Content: '" WS-DYNAMIC-FIELD "'"
    
    MOVE "Medium Length" TO WS-DYNAMIC-FIELD
    DISPLAY "Content: '" WS-DYNAMIC-FIELD "'"
    
    MOVE "Very Long Content Text" TO WS-DYNAMIC-FIELD
    DISPLAY "Content: '" WS-DYNAMIC-FIELD "'"
    DISPLAY SPACES.
 
DEMONSTRATE-LEGACY-INTERFACE.
    01 WS-LEGACY-RECORD.
       05 WS-LEGACY-ID       PIC X(8) JUSTIFIED.
       05 WS-LEGACY-NAME     PIC X(25) JUSTIFIED.
       05 WS-LEGACY-CODE     PIC X(6) JUSTIFIED.
    
    DISPLAY "Legacy System Interface:"
    
    MOVE "12345" TO WS-LEGACY-ID
    MOVE "CUSTOMER NAME" TO WS-LEGACY-NAME
    MOVE "ABC" TO WS-LEGACY-CODE
    
    DISPLAY "Legacy Format:"
    DISPLAY "ID  : '" WS-LEGACY-ID "'"
    DISPLAY "Name: '" WS-LEGACY-NAME "'"  
    DISPLAY "Code: '" WS-LEGACY-CODE "'"
    DISPLAY SPACES.
 
FORMATTING-BEST-PRACTICES.
    DISPLAY "=== FORMATTING BEST PRACTICES ==="
    
    *> Demonstrate proper field sizing
    01 WS-PROPER-SIZING.
       05 WS-SHORT-FIELD     PIC X(10) JUSTIFIED.
       05 WS-MEDIUM-FIELD    PIC X(20) JUSTIFIED.
       05 WS-LONG-FIELD      PIC X(40) JUSTIFIED.
    
    DISPLAY "Field Sizing Guidelines:"
    
    MOVE "ABC" TO WS-SHORT-FIELD
    MOVE "MEDIUM CONTENT" TO WS-MEDIUM-FIELD
    MOVE "THIS IS A LONGER FIELD WITH MORE CONTENT" TO WS-LONG-FIELD
    
    DISPLAY "Short : '" WS-SHORT-FIELD "'"
    DISPLAY "Medium: '" WS-MEDIUM-FIELD "'"
    DISPLAY "Long  : '" WS-LONG-FIELD "'"
    
    *> Demonstrate consistent formatting
    DISPLAY SPACES
    DISPLAY "Consistent Report Formatting:"
    DISPLAY "=============================="
    
    MOVE "REPORT TITLE" TO WS-REPORT-TITLE
    MOVE "Page 1 of 10" TO WS-PAGE-NUMBER
    MOVE "Generated 12/31/2024" TO WS-DATE-STAMP
    
    DISPLAY WS-REPORT-TITLE
    DISPLAY WS-PAGE-NUMBER "     " WS-DATE-STAMP
    DISPLAY "=============================="
    DISPLAY SPACES.
 
COMMON-PITFALLS-AND-SOLUTIONS.
    DISPLAY "=== COMMON PITFALLS AND SOLUTIONS ==="
    
    *> Demonstrate truncation issues
    01 WS-TRUNCATION-DEMO.
       05 WS-SHORT-JUSTIFIED PIC X(8) JUSTIFIED.
       05 WS-LONG-SOURCE     PIC X(20) VALUE "VERY LONG TEXT STRING".
    
    DISPLAY "Truncation Demonstration:"
    MOVE WS-LONG-SOURCE TO WS-SHORT-JUSTIFIED
    DISPLAY "Original: '" WS-LONG-SOURCE "'"
    DISPLAY "Result  : '" WS-SHORT-JUSTIFIED "'"
    
    *> Demonstrate spacing issues
    01 WS-SPACING-DEMO.
       05 WS-SPACED-FIELD    PIC X(15) JUSTIFIED.
    
    DISPLAY SPACES
    DISPLAY "Spacing Considerations:"
    MOVE "A B C" TO WS-SPACED-FIELD
    DISPLAY "Spaced Text: '" WS-SPACED-FIELD "'"
    
    MOVE " LEADING SPACE" TO WS-SPACED-FIELD
    DISPLAY "Leading Spc: '" WS-SPACED-FIELD "'"
    
    MOVE "TRAILING SPACE " TO WS-SPACED-FIELD
    DISPLAY "Trailing Sp: '" WS-SPACED-FIELD "'"
    DISPLAY SPACES.

JUSTIFIED Characteristics

Alignment Behavior
  • • Right-alignment for alphanumeric data
  • • Leading spaces for shorter values
  • • Truncation from left for longer values
  • • Preserves trailing spaces in source
Usage Restrictions
  • • Only for alphanumeric (PIC X) fields
  • • Not applicable to numeric fields
  • • Cannot be used with group items
  • • Elementary items only

Interactive Tutorial

Hands-On Exercise: Report Formatting
Practice using JUSTIFIED for professional report layouts

Exercise 1: Employee Report Header

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01 REPORT-LAYOUT.
   05 WS-COMPANY-NAME    PIC X(40) JUSTIFIED.
   05 WS-REPORT-NAME     PIC X(30) JUSTIFIED.
   05 WS-PAGE-INFO       PIC X(15) JUSTIFIED.
   05 WS-DATE-INFO       PIC X(12) JUSTIFIED.
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
PRINT-HEADER.
    MOVE "ACME CORPORATION" TO WS-COMPANY-NAME
    MOVE "EMPLOYEE LISTING" TO WS-REPORT-NAME
    MOVE "Page 1 of 5" TO WS-PAGE-INFO
    MOVE "12/31/2024" TO WS-DATE-INFO
    
    DISPLAY "=========================================="
    DISPLAY WS-COMPANY-NAME
    DISPLAY WS-REPORT-NAME
    DISPLAY WS-PAGE-INFO "          " WS-DATE-INFO
    DISPLAY "=========================================="
    .

Exercise 2: Invoice Detail Formatting

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01 INVOICE-LAYOUT.
   05 WS-ITEM-CODE       PIC X(10) JUSTIFIED.
   05 WS-DESCRIPTION     PIC X(25).
   05 WS-QUANTITY        PIC X(8) JUSTIFIED.
   05 WS-UNIT-PRICE      PIC X(10) JUSTIFIED.
   05 WS-TOTAL-AMOUNT    PIC X(12) JUSTIFIED.
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
FORMAT-INVOICE-LINE.
    MOVE "ABC123" TO WS-ITEM-CODE
    MOVE "Premium Widget Set" TO WS-DESCRIPTION
    MOVE "5" TO WS-QUANTITY
    MOVE "$49.99" TO WS-UNIT-PRICE
    MOVE "$249.95" TO WS-TOTAL-AMOUNT
    
    DISPLAY WS-ITEM-CODE " | " WS-DESCRIPTION " | " 
            WS-QUANTITY " | " WS-UNIT-PRICE " | " WS-TOTAL-AMOUNT
    .

Best Practices

Common Use Cases

Report Headers
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01 HEADER-FIELDS.
   05 WS-TITLE    PIC X(30) JUSTIFIED.
   05 WS-PAGE     PIC X(10) JUSTIFIED.
   05 WS-DATE     PIC X(12) JUSTIFIED.
Account Numbers
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01 ACCOUNT-FIELDS.
   05 WS-ACCOUNT-NUM PIC X(15) JUSTIFIED.
   05 WS-ROUTING-NUM PIC X(12) JUSTIFIED.
   05 WS-CHECK-NUM   PIC X(8) JUSTIFIED.

Knowledge Check

Test Your Understanding

Question 1: Basic Concept

What does JUSTIFIED do to alphanumeric data?

Answer: JUSTIFIED right-aligns alphanumeric data within the field. If the data is shorter than the field, leading spaces are added. If longer, data is truncated from the left.

Question 2: Field Types

Can JUSTIFIED be used with numeric fields?

Answer: No, JUSTIFIED can only be used with alphanumeric (PIC X) fields. It cannot be applied to numeric fields, group items, or other data types.

Question 3: Synonyms

Is there a shorter form of JUSTIFIED?

Answer: Yes, JUST is the abbreviated form of JUSTIFIED. Both keywords are functionally identical and can be used interchangeably.

Related Concepts

Data Alignment

Field positioning and data justification

PICTURE Clause

Data format and field specifications

Data Movement

MOVE operations and data formatting

Related Pages