COBOL Tutorial

COBOL LC_TIME - Locale Time Formatting

Progress0 of 0 lessons

What is LC_TIME?

LC_TIME is a locale category in COBOL that controls how dates, times, and calendar information are formatted and displayed. Think of it as a "cultural translator" for date and time information - it ensures that when your COBOL program displays dates and times, they appear in a format that makes sense to users in different countries and cultures.

🌍 Real-World Example

Imagine you're building a banking application that will be used worldwide:

United States: "12/25/2023" (Month/Day/Year)
United Kingdom: "25/12/2023" (Day/Month/Year)
Japan: "2023年12月25日" (Year Month Day)
Germany: "25.12.2023" (Day.Month.Year)

LC_TIME automatically handles these differences so your program displays the correct format for each user.

What LC_TIME Controls

Date formats - How dates are displayed (MM/DD/YYYY, DD/MM/YYYY, etc.)
Time formats - 12-hour vs 24-hour clock, time zone display
Day names - Monday, Tuesday vs Lundi, Mardi (French)
Month names - January, February vs Janvier, Février (French)
Calendar conventions - First day of week, date separators
AM/PM indicators - AM/PM vs AM/PM in different languages

How to Use LC_TIME in COBOL

Using LC_TIME is straightforward - you simply set it to the desired locale, and then all date/time formatting functions will automatically use that locale's conventions.

Basic LC_TIME Setup

cobol

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
* Setting up LC_TIME for different locales
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. LOCALE-EXAMPLE.
 
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
CONFIGURATION SECTION.
SPECIAL-NAMES.
    * Set locale for date/time formatting
    LOCALE LC_TIME IS "en_US".  * English, United States
 
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01  CURRENT-DATE    PIC X(10).
01  CURRENT-TIME    PIC X(8).
01  FORMATTED-DATE  PIC X(20).
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
    * Display date in US format
    DISPLAY "US Format: " CURRENT-DATE
    
    * Change to French locale
    SET LC_TIME TO "fr_FR"
    DISPLAY "French Format: " CURRENT-DATE
    
    * Change to German locale  
    SET LC_TIME TO "de_DE"
    DISPLAY "German Format: " CURRENT-DATE
    
    STOP RUN.

This example shows how to set different locales and see how date formatting changes.

Common Locale Values

Locale	Language/Country	Date Format	Example
en_US	English, United States	MM/DD/YYYY	12/25/2023
en_GB	English, United Kingdom	DD/MM/YYYY	25/12/2023
fr_FR	French, France	DD/MM/YYYY	25/12/2023
de_DE	German, Germany	DD.MM.YYYY	25.12.2023
ja_JP	Japanese, Japan	YYYY年MM月DD日	2023年12月25日
es_ES	Spanish, Spain	DD/MM/YYYY	25/12/2023

Practical Examples

Let's look at some real-world examples of how LC_TIME is used in COBOL applications.

International Banking Report

cobol

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
* Banking application with international date formatting
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. BANK-REPORT.
 
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
CONFIGURATION SECTION.
SPECIAL-NAMES.
    LOCALE LC_TIME IS "en_US".
 
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01  CUSTOMER-COUNTRY    PIC X(2).
01  TRANSACTION-DATE    PIC X(10).
01  FORMATTED-DATE      PIC X(20).
01  REPORT-LINE         PIC X(80).
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
    * Read customer country from database
    MOVE "FR" TO CUSTOMER-COUNTRY
    
    * Set locale based on customer country
    EVALUATE CUSTOMER-COUNTRY
        WHEN "US" SET LC_TIME TO "en_US"
        WHEN "FR" SET LC_TIME TO "fr_FR"
        WHEN "DE" SET LC_TIME TO "de_DE"
        WHEN "JP" SET LC_TIME TO "ja_JP"
        WHEN OTHER SET LC_TIME TO "en_US"
    END-EVALUATE
    
    * Format transaction date according to locale
    MOVE FUNCTION FORMAT-DATE(TRANSACTION-DATE) TO FORMATTED-DATE
    
    * Generate report line with localized date
    STRING "Transaction Date: " DELIMITED BY SIZE
           FORMATTED-DATE DELIMITED BY SPACE
           INTO REPORT-LINE
    
    DISPLAY REPORT-LINE
    STOP RUN.

This example shows how a banking application automatically formats dates based on customer location.

Multi-Language Date Display

cobol

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
* Display dates in multiple languages
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. MULTI-LANG-DATES.
 
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01  SAMPLE-DATE     PIC X(10) VALUE "2023-12-25".
01  FORMATTED-DATE  PIC X(20).
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
    DISPLAY "=== Date Formats by Locale ==="
    
    * English (US)
    SET LC_TIME TO "en_US"
    MOVE FUNCTION FORMAT-DATE(SAMPLE-DATE) TO FORMATTED-DATE
    DISPLAY "US English: " FORMATTED-DATE
    
    * French
    SET LC_TIME TO "fr_FR"
    MOVE FUNCTION FORMAT-DATE(SAMPLE-DATE) TO FORMATTED-DATE
    DISPLAY "French: " FORMATTED-DATE
    
    * German
    SET LC_TIME TO "de_DE"
    MOVE FUNCTION FORMAT-DATE(SAMPLE-DATE) TO FORMATTED-DATE
    DISPLAY "German: " FORMATTED-DATE
    
    * Japanese
    SET LC_TIME TO "ja_JP"
    MOVE FUNCTION FORMAT-DATE(SAMPLE-DATE) TO FORMATTED-DATE
    DISPLAY "Japanese: " FORMATTED-DATE
    
    STOP RUN.

This program demonstrates how the same date appears in different locales.

Advanced LC_TIME Features

LC_TIME offers advanced features for handling complex internationalization requirements.

Dynamic Locale Switching

cobol

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
* Dynamically switch locales based on user preferences
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. DYNAMIC-LOCALE.
 
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01  USER-PREFERENCE    PIC X(10).
01  CURRENT-LOCALE     PIC X(10).
01  DATE-TO-FORMAT     PIC X(10) VALUE "2023-12-25".
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
    * Get user preference (from database, config file, etc.)
    MOVE "GERMAN" TO USER-PREFERENCE
    
    * Set locale based on user preference
    EVALUATE USER-PREFERENCE
        WHEN "AMERICAN" 
            SET LC_TIME TO "en_US"
            MOVE "en_US" TO CURRENT-LOCALE
        WHEN "BRITISH"
            SET LC_TIME TO "en_GB" 
            MOVE "en_GB" TO CURRENT-LOCALE
        WHEN "GERMAN"
            SET LC_TIME TO "de_DE"
            MOVE "de_DE" TO CURRENT-LOCALE
        WHEN "FRENCH"
            SET LC_TIME TO "fr_FR"
            MOVE "fr_FR" TO CURRENT-LOCALE
        WHEN OTHER
            SET LC_TIME TO "en_US"
            MOVE "en_US" TO CURRENT-LOCALE
    END-EVALUATE
    
    * Format date with current locale
    DISPLAY "Current Locale: " CURRENT-LOCALE
    DISPLAY "Formatted Date: " FUNCTION FORMAT-DATE(DATE-TO-FORMAT)
    
    STOP RUN.

This example shows how to dynamically change locales based on user preferences.

Date Parsing with Locale

cobol

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
* Parse dates from user input using locale
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. DATE-PARSER.
 
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01  USER-INPUT        PIC X(20).
01  PARSED-DATE       PIC 9(8).
01  VALID-DATE        PIC X VALUE "N".
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
    * Set locale for date parsing
    SET LC_TIME TO "en_US"
    
    * Get date from user (in US format)
    DISPLAY "Enter date (MM/DD/YYYY): "
    ACCEPT USER-INPUT
    
    * Parse date according to current locale
    MOVE FUNCTION PARSE-DATE(USER-INPUT) TO PARSED-DATE
    
    * Validate the parsed date
    IF PARSED-DATE > 0
        MOVE "Y" TO VALID-DATE
        DISPLAY "Valid date: " PARSED-DATE
    ELSE
        DISPLAY "Invalid date format for current locale"
    END-IF
    
    STOP RUN.

This example shows how to parse user-entered dates according to the current locale.

Best Practices and Tips

Following these best practices will help you use LC_TIME effectively in your COBOL applications.

LC_TIME Best Practices

Set locale early - Set LC_TIME at the beginning of your program or before any date/time operations
Use standard locale names - Stick to standard locale names like "en_US", "fr_FR", etc.
Handle locale changes carefully - Remember that locale changes affect the entire program from that point forward
Test with multiple locales - Always test your application with different locales to ensure proper formatting
Provide fallback options - Have a default locale (usually "en_US") for cases where the requested locale is not available
Document locale requirements - Document which locales your application supports

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake	Problem	Solution
Using non-standard locale names	Program may not work or use default locale	Use standard format: language_COUNTRY
Changing locale in the middle of date operations	Inconsistent formatting within the same program	Set locale once at the beginning
Not testing with different locales	Application may fail for international users	Test with all supported locales
Assuming all locales use the same date format	Incorrect date parsing and display	Always use locale-aware date functions

LC_TIME Quick Reference

Action	Syntax	Example
Set locale in configuration	LOCALE LC_TIME IS "locale"	LOCALE LC_TIME IS "en_US"
Change locale at runtime	SET LC_TIME TO "locale"	SET LC_TIME TO "fr_FR"
Format date with locale	FUNCTION FORMAT-DATE(date)	FUNCTION FORMAT-DATE("2023-12-25")
Parse date with locale	FUNCTION PARSE-DATE(string)	FUNCTION PARSE-DATE("12/25/2023")
Get current locale	FUNCTION CURRENT-LOCALE	FUNCTION CURRENT-LOCALE

Test Your Knowledge

1. What is the primary purpose of LC_TIME in COBOL?

To set system time
To format dates and times according to locale conventions
To measure program execution time
To schedule batch jobs

2. Which of the following is NOT controlled by LC_TIME?

Date format (MM/DD/YYYY vs DD/MM/YYYY)
Time format (12-hour vs 24-hour)
Day and month names
Currency symbols

3. How do you set LC_TIME for French locale in COBOL?

SET LC_TIME TO "FR"
SET LC_TIME TO "fr_FR"
SET LC_TIME TO "French"
SET LC_TIME TO "FRANCE"

4. What happens if LC_TIME is not set in a COBOL program?

The program will not compile
The program will use system default locale
The program will crash
The program will use English locale

5. Which function is commonly used with LC_TIME for date formatting?

FORMAT-DATE
DATE-FORMAT
LOCALE-DATE
All of the above

COBOL Tutorial

COBOL LC_TIME - Locale Time Formatting

What is LC_TIME?

🌍 Real-World Example

What LC_TIME Controls

How to Use LC_TIME in COBOL

Basic LC_TIME Setup

Common Locale Values

Practical Examples

International Banking Report

Multi-Language Date Display

Advanced LC_TIME Features

Dynamic Locale Switching

Date Parsing with Locale

Best Practices and Tips

LC_TIME Best Practices

Common Mistakes to Avoid

LC_TIME Quick Reference

Test Your Knowledge

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Concepts

Internationalization in COBOL

Date and Time Handling

Locale Categories

String Formatting

User Interface Design

Related Pages

COBOL Tutorial

COBOL LC_TIME - Locale Time Formatting

What is LC_TIME?

🌍 Real-World Example

What LC_TIME Controls

How to Use LC_TIME in COBOL

Basic LC_TIME Setup

Common Locale Values

Practical Examples

International Banking Report

Multi-Language Date Display

Advanced LC_TIME Features

Dynamic Locale Switching

Date Parsing with Locale

Best Practices and Tips

LC_TIME Best Practices

Common Mistakes to Avoid

LC_TIME Quick Reference

Test Your Knowledge

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between LC_TIME and other locale categories?

Can I use LC_TIME in batch COBOL programs?

How do I handle multiple locales in the same COBOL program?

What are the most common LC_TIME locale values?

How does LC_TIME affect date arithmetic in COBOL?

Related Concepts

Internationalization in COBOL

Date and Time Handling

Locale Categories

String Formatting

User Interface Design

Related Pages