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COBOL NATIONAL-EDITED Data Type - Quick Reference

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Overview

The NATIONAL-EDITED data type is used in COBOL for handling international character data (Unicode) with editing capabilities. It enables proper formatting, alignment, and display of text in various languages and writing systems while maintaining editing features.

Purpose and Usage

  • International support - Handle Unicode characters from various languages
  • Editing capabilities - Format and align international text
  • Multi-language display - Support different writing systems
  • Locale-specific formatting - Adapt to different cultural conventions
  • Character alignment - Handle right-to-left and complex scripts

International Character Support

English: "Hello World"
Chinese: "你好世界"
Japanese: "こんにちは世界"
Arabic: "مرحبا بالعالم"
Thai: "สวัสดีโลก"
All supported by NATIONAL-EDITED

NATIONAL-EDITED supports characters from virtually all writing systems.

Syntax and Usage

NATIONAL-EDITED fields are declared using the PIC G clause and can include editing characters for formatting international text data.

Basic Syntax

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* Basic NATIONAL-EDITED syntax
level-number data-name PIC G(length) [editing-characters].
 
* Examples
01  INTERNATIONAL-NAME    PIC G(30).
01  CURRENCY-AMOUNT       PIC G(15) VALUE "1,234.56".
01  FORMATTED-DATE        PIC G(10) VALUE "2024-01-15".
01  PHONE-NUMBER          PIC G(15) VALUE "+1-555-123-4567".
 
* Complete example
01  INTERNATIONAL-DATA.
    05  CUSTOMER-NAME     PIC G(50).
    05  ADDRESS-LINE1     PIC G(60).
    05  ADDRESS-LINE2     PIC G(60).
    05  CITY-NAME         PIC G(30).
    05  COUNTRY-NAME      PIC G(30).
    05  CURRENCY-FIELD    PIC G(20) VALUE "€1,234.56".
    05  FORMATTED-PHONE   PIC G(20) VALUE "+33 1 23 45 67 89".

NATIONAL-EDITED uses PIC G for Unicode character data with editing.

Complete Example

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* Complete example using NATIONAL-EDITED
       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
       PROGRAM-ID. INTERNATIONAL-DEMO.
       
       DATA DIVISION.
       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  INTERNATIONAL-FORM.
           05  FORM-HEADER      PIC G(50) VALUE "International Customer Form".
           05  CUSTOMER-INFO.
               10  NAME-LABEL   PIC G(20) VALUE "Customer Name:".
               10  CUSTOMER-NAME PIC G(50).
               10  ADDR-LABEL   PIC G(20) VALUE "Address:".
               10  ADDRESS-LINE PIC G(60).
               10  CITY-LABEL   PIC G(20) VALUE "City:".
               10  CITY-NAME    PIC G(30).
               10  COUNTRY-LABEL PIC G(20) VALUE "Country:".
               10  COUNTRY-NAME PIC G(30).
           05  FINANCIAL-INFO.
               10  AMOUNT-LABEL PIC G(20) VALUE "Amount:".
               10  CURRENCY-AMOUNT PIC G(20).
               10  CURRENCY-SYMBOL PIC G(5).
       
       01  SAMPLE-DATA.
           05  ENGLISH-NAME     PIC G(50) VALUE "John Smith".
           05  CHINESE-NAME     PIC G(50) VALUE "张三".
           05  JAPANESE-NAME    PIC G(50) VALUE "田中太郎".
           05  ARABIC-NAME      PIC G(50) VALUE "أحمد محمد".
           05  THAI-NAME        PIC G(50) VALUE "สมชาย ใจดี".
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
       MAIN-LOGIC.
           * Display international form
           DISPLAY FORM-HEADER
           DISPLAY NAME-LABEL CUSTOMER-NAME
           DISPLAY ADDR-LABEL ADDRESS-LINE
           DISPLAY CITY-LABEL CITY-NAME
           DISPLAY COUNTRY-LABEL COUNTRY-NAME
           
           * Display sample international names
           DISPLAY "Sample Names:"
           DISPLAY ENGLISH-NAME
           DISPLAY CHINESE-NAME
           DISPLAY JAPANESE-NAME
           DISPLAY ARABIC-NAME
           DISPLAY THAI-NAME
           
           STOP RUN.

This example shows how to use NATIONAL-EDITED for international data.

Editing Characters

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* NATIONAL-EDITED with editing characters
01  FORMATTED-FIELDS.
    05  CURRENCY-DISPLAY    PIC G(15) VALUE "€1,234.56".
    05  PHONE-DISPLAY       PIC G(20) VALUE "+1-555-123-4567".
    05  DATE-DISPLAY        PIC G(10) VALUE "2024-01-15".
    05  TIME-DISPLAY        PIC G(8) VALUE "14:30:25".
    05  PERCENTAGE-DISPLAY  PIC G(10) VALUE "25.5%".
    05  SCIENTIFIC-NUMBER   PIC G(15) VALUE "1.23E+04".
 
* Editing character examples
01  EDITING-EXAMPLES.
    05  BLANK-INSERTION    PIC G(10) VALUE "Hello   World".
    05  ZERO-INSERTION     PIC G(10) VALUE "000123456".
    05  SLASH-INSERTION    PIC G(10) VALUE "2024/01/15".
    05  MINUS-SIGN         PIC G(10) VALUE "-123.45".
    05  PLUS-SIGN          PIC G(10) VALUE "+123.45".
    05  CREDIT-INDICATOR   PIC G(10) VALUE "123.45CR".
    05  DEBIT-INDICATOR    PIC G(10) VALUE "123.45DB".

Editing characters provide formatting capabilities for international text.

Common Use Cases

NATIONAL-EDITED is essential in various scenarios where international character support and formatting are required for global applications.

International User Interfaces

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* International user interface with NATIONAL-EDITED
       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
       PROGRAM-ID. INTERNATIONAL-UI.
       
       DATA DIVISION.
       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  UI-ELEMENTS.
           05  MENU-HEADER     PIC G(50) VALUE "International Banking System".
           05  MENU-OPTIONS.
               10  OPTION-1    PIC G(30) VALUE "1. 查看账户 (View Account)".
               10  OPTION-2    PIC G(30) VALUE "2. 转账 (Transfer)".
               10  OPTION-3    PIC G(30) VALUE "3. 支付账单 (Pay Bills)".
               10  OPTION-4    PIC G(30) VALUE "4. 退出 (Exit)".
           05  PROMPT-MESSAGE  PIC G(50) VALUE "请选择选项 (Please select option):".
           05  ERROR-MESSAGE   PIC G(60) VALUE "无效选择，请重试 (Invalid choice, please try again)".
       
       01  USER-INPUT         PIC X(1).
       01  SELECTED-OPTION    PIC 9(1).
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
       MAIN-LOGIC.
           * Display international menu
           DISPLAY MENU-HEADER
           DISPLAY MENU-OPTIONS
           DISPLAY PROMPT-MESSAGE
           
           * Get user input
           ACCEPT USER-INPUT
           MOVE USER-INPUT TO SELECTED-OPTION
           
           * Process selection
           EVALUATE SELECTED-OPTION
               WHEN 1
                   PERFORM VIEW-ACCOUNT
               WHEN 2
                   PERFORM TRANSFER-FUNDS
               WHEN 3
                   PERFORM PAY-BILLS
               WHEN 4
                   STOP RUN
               WHEN OTHER
                   DISPLAY ERROR-MESSAGE
           END-EVALUATE.
       
       VIEW-ACCOUNT.
           DISPLAY "查看账户功能 (View Account Function)".
       
       TRANSFER-FUNDS.
           DISPLAY "转账功能 (Transfer Function)".
       
       PAY-BILLS.
           DISPLAY "支付账单功能 (Pay Bills Function)".

International UIs use NATIONAL-EDITED for multi-language display.

International Reports

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* International reports with NATIONAL-EDITED
       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
       PROGRAM-ID. INTERNATIONAL-REPORT.
       
       DATA DIVISION.
       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  REPORT-HEADER.
           05  REPORT-TITLE    PIC G(60) VALUE "International Sales Report".
           05  REPORT-DATE     PIC G(20) VALUE "2024年1月15日".
           05  REPORT-TIME     PIC G(20) VALUE "14:30:25".
       
       01  REPORT-DATA.
           05  REGION-HEADER   PIC G(40) VALUE "Region (地区)".
           05  SALES-HEADER    PIC G(30) VALUE "Sales (销售额)".
           05  CURRENCY-HEADER PIC G(20) VALUE "Currency (货币)".
       
       01  SALES-RECORDS.
           05  ASIA-RECORD.
               10  ASIA-REGION PIC G(20) VALUE "Asia (亚洲)".
               10  ASIA-SALES  PIC G(15) VALUE "¥1,234,567".
               10  ASIA-CURR   PIC G(10) VALUE "CNY".
           05  EUROPE-RECORD.
               10  EUR-REGION  PIC G(20) VALUE "Europe (欧洲)".
               10  EUR-SALES   PIC G(15) VALUE "€987,654".
               10  EUR-CURR    PIC G(10) VALUE "EUR".
           05  AMERICA-RECORD.
               10  AMR-REGION  PIC G(20) VALUE "America (美洲)".
               10  AMR-SALES   PIC G(15) VALUE "$2,345,678".
               10  AMR-CURR    PIC G(10) VALUE "USD".
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
       MAIN-LOGIC.
           * Display report header
           DISPLAY REPORT-HEADER
           DISPLAY REPORT-DATE
           DISPLAY REPORT-TIME
           
           * Display report data
           DISPLAY REGION-HEADER SALES-HEADER CURRENCY-HEADER
           DISPLAY ASIA-RECORD
           DISPLAY EUROPE-RECORD
           DISPLAY AMERICA-RECORD
           
           STOP RUN.

International reports use NATIONAL-EDITED for multi-language content.

Data Validation

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* Data validation with NATIONAL-EDITED
       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
       PROGRAM-ID. INTERNATIONAL-VALIDATION.
       
       DATA DIVISION.
       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  VALIDATION-MESSAGES.
           05  SUCCESS-MSG     PIC G(50) VALUE "数据验证成功 (Validation successful)".
           05  ERROR-MSG       PIC G(50) VALUE "数据验证失败 (Validation failed)".
           05  NAME-ERROR      PIC G(60) VALUE "姓名不能为空 (Name cannot be empty)".
           05  EMAIL-ERROR     PIC G(60) VALUE "邮箱格式不正确 (Invalid email format)".
       
       01  INPUT-DATA.
           05  CUSTOMER-NAME   PIC G(50).
           05  EMAIL-ADDRESS   PIC G(50).
           05  PHONE-NUMBER    PIC G(20).
       
       01  VALIDATION-FLAGS.
           05  NAME-VALID      PIC X(1) VALUE "N".
           05  EMAIL-VALID     PIC X(1) VALUE "N".
           05  PHONE-VALID     PIC X(1) VALUE "N".
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
       MAIN-LOGIC.
           * Get input data
           DISPLAY "请输入客户姓名 (Enter customer name):"
           ACCEPT CUSTOMER-NAME
           DISPLAY "请输入邮箱地址 (Enter email address):"
           ACCEPT EMAIL-ADDRESS
           DISPLAY "请输入电话号码 (Enter phone number):"
           ACCEPT PHONE-NUMBER
           
           * Validate data
           PERFORM VALIDATE-NAME
           PERFORM VALIDATE-EMAIL
           PERFORM VALIDATE-PHONE
           
           * Display results
           IF NAME-VALID = "Y" AND EMAIL-VALID = "Y" AND PHONE-VALID = "Y"
               DISPLAY SUCCESS-MSG
           ELSE
               DISPLAY ERROR-MSG
           END-IF
           
           STOP RUN.
       
       VALIDATE-NAME.
           IF CUSTOMER-NAME = SPACES
               DISPLAY NAME-ERROR
           ELSE
               MOVE "Y" TO NAME-VALID
           END-IF.
       
       VALIDATE-EMAIL.
           * Email validation logic here
           MOVE "Y" TO EMAIL-VALID.
       
       VALIDATE-PHONE.
           * Phone validation logic here
           MOVE "Y" TO PHONE-VALID.

Data validation uses NATIONAL-EDITED for international error messages.

Best Practices and Tips

Following these best practices ensures effective use of NATIONAL-EDITED in international COBOL applications.

NATIONAL-EDITED Best Practices

  • Use appropriate field lengths - Account for variable character widths
  • Consider text direction - Handle right-to-left languages properly
  • Test with multiple languages - Verify display with various scripts
  • Use consistent encoding - Ensure consistent Unicode handling
  • Plan for sorting - Consider collation rules for different languages
  • Document language support - Document which languages are supported

Language Support Considerations

Language TypeConsiderationsExample
Left-to-RightStandard alignmentEnglish, Spanish, French
Right-to-LeftReverse alignment neededArabic, Hebrew
Complex ScriptsCharacter combination rulesThai, Hindi, Korean
IdeographicVariable character widthChinese, Japanese
Mixed ScriptsBidirectional text handlingArabic with Latin numbers

Performance Considerations

  • Unicode processing overhead - More complex than single-byte characters
  • Storage requirements - Typically 2 bytes per character
  • Sorting complexity - Language-specific collation rules
  • Display performance - Rendering complex scripts
  • Memory usage - Larger memory footprint
  • I/O operations - Unicode-aware file handling

When to Use NATIONAL-EDITED

Use CaseNATIONAL-EDITED SuitabilityReasoning
International applicationsExcellentEssential for global support
Multi-language UIsExcellentProper display of various scripts
International reportsExcellentFormatted multi-language output
English-only applicationsPoorUse ALPHANUMERIC-EDITED instead
Numeric dataPoorUse numeric data types

NATIONAL-EDITED Quick Reference

UsageSyntaxExample
Basic declaration01 data-name PIC G(length)01 NAME PIC G(50)
With editing01 data-name PIC G(length) editing-chars01 AMOUNT PIC G(15) VALUE "€1,234.56"
International text01 text-field PIC G(length) VALUE "text"01 CHINESE-NAME PIC G(20) VALUE "张三"
Formatted display01 display-field PIC G(length) VALUE "formatted"01 PHONE PIC G(20) VALUE "+1-555-123-4567"
Multi-language01 multi-lang PIC G(length) VALUE "text"01 MESSAGE PIC G(50) VALUE "Hello 你好"

Test Your Knowledge

1. What is the primary purpose of the NATIONAL-EDITED data type in COBOL?

  • To perform arithmetic operations
  • To handle international character data with editing capabilities
  • To control file operations
  • To manage memory allocation

2. What character encoding does NATIONAL-EDITED typically use?

  • ASCII encoding
  • Unicode encoding (UTF-16)
  • EBCDIC encoding
  • Binary encoding

3. How is NATIONAL-EDITED different from ALPHANUMERIC-EDITED?

  • They are exactly the same
  • NATIONAL-EDITED supports Unicode while ALPHANUMERIC-EDITED supports ASCII/EBCDIC
  • NATIONAL-EDITED is for numbers only
  • ALPHANUMERIC-EDITED is for international data

4. Which of the following is a common use case for NATIONAL-EDITED?

  • Simple arithmetic calculations
  • International text display and formatting
  • File I/O operations
  • Data validation

5. How do you declare a NATIONAL-EDITED field in COBOL?

  • Using PIC N
  • Using PIC G
  • Using PIC X
  • Using PIC 9

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Concepts

NATIONAL Data Type

Understanding the NATIONAL data type for Unicode support.

ALPHANUMERIC-EDITED

Understanding ALPHANUMERIC-EDITED for traditional character editing.

Internationalization

Complete guide to internationalization in COBOL.

Data Types

Understanding COBOL data types and their usage.

Character Encoding

Understanding character encoding in COBOL.

MODULENATIVE_BINARY