COBOL SPECIAL-NAMES Clause - Quick Reference

The SPECIAL-NAMES clause in COBOL is used to define special names, conditions, alphabet names, class names, and currency symbols. It provides a way to customize system-specific features and create mnemonic names for various COBOL elements.

Primary Use

Define special names and system features

Division

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION

Section

CONFIGURATION SECTION

Status

Optional clause

Overview

The SPECIAL-NAMES clause is part of the CONFIGURATION SECTION in the ENVIRONMENT DIVISION. It allows you to define custom names for various system features, conditions, and special identifiers. This includes alphabet names for custom character sets, class names for data validation, condition names for system status, and currency symbols for international applications.

Syntax

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ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
CONFIGURATION SECTION.
SPECIAL-NAMES.
    [ALPHABET alphabet-name IS {STANDARD-1 | STANDARD-2 | NATIVE | literal-1}]
    [CLASS class-name IS {literal-2 | THROUGH | THRU literal-3}]
    [CONDITION condition-name IS {mnemonic-name | ON STATUS IS condition-1 | OFF STATUS IS condition-2}]
    [CURRENCY SIGN IS literal-4]
    [DECIMAL-POINT IS COMMA]
    [SYMBOLIC CHARACTERS {symbolic-character-1 | symbolic-character-2} IN alphabet-name].
 
* Examples:
SPECIAL-NAMES.
    ALPHABET CUSTOM-ALPHABET IS "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ".
    CLASS VALID-NUMBERS IS "0" THROUGH "9".
    CONDITION FILE-ERROR IS "30" ON STATUS IS 30.
    CURRENCY SIGN IS "$".
    DECIMAL-POINT IS COMMA.

Practical Examples

Basic SPECIAL-NAMES Usage

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* Basic SPECIAL-NAMES clause example
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. SPECIAL-NAMES-EXAMPLE.
 
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
CONFIGURATION SECTION.
SPECIAL-NAMES.
    CURRENCY SIGN IS "$"
    DECIMAL-POINT IS COMMA.
 
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01  WS-AMOUNT           PIC 9(7)V99 VALUE 1234567,89.
01  WS-CURRENCY-FIELD   PIC $9(7),99.
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
MAIN-LOGIC.
    DISPLAY "Amount: " WS-AMOUNT
    DISPLAY "Currency: " WS-CURRENCY-FIELD
    DISPLAY "Decimal point is comma"
    DISPLAY "Currency sign is $"
    STOP RUN.

Explanation: This example demonstrates basic usage of the SPECIAL-NAMES clause. The program defines a custom currency sign ($) and decimal point (comma) for European-style number formatting. The CURRENCY SIGN IS "$" allows the $ symbol to be used in PICTURE clauses, and DECIMAL-POINT IS COMMA changes the decimal separator from period to comma for display purposes.

Alphabet and Class Definitions

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* SPECIAL-NAMES with alphabet and class definitions
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. ALPHABET-CLASS-EXAMPLE.
 
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
CONFIGURATION SECTION.
SPECIAL-NAMES.
    ALPHABET CUSTOM-ALPHABET IS "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ"
    CLASS VALID-NUMBERS IS "0" THROUGH "9"
    CLASS VALID-LETTERS IS "A" THROUGH "Z".
 
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01  WS-INPUT-FIELD      PIC X(10).
01  WS-NUMERIC-FIELD    PIC 9(5).
01  WS-ALPHA-FIELD      PIC A(10).
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
MAIN-LOGIC.
    MOVE "ABC123XYZ" TO WS-INPUT-FIELD
    
    * Check if field contains only numbers
    IF WS-INPUT-FIELD IS NUMERIC
        DISPLAY "Field contains only numbers"
    ELSE
        DISPLAY "Field contains non-numeric characters"
    END-IF
    
    * Check if field contains only letters
    IF WS-INPUT-FIELD IS ALPHABETIC
        DISPLAY "Field contains only letters"
    ELSE
        DISPLAY "Field contains non-alphabetic characters"
    END-IF
    
    * Use custom alphabet for comparison
    IF WS-INPUT-FIELD IS CUSTOM-ALPHABET
        DISPLAY "Field matches custom alphabet"
    ELSE
        DISPLAY "Field does not match custom alphabet"
    END-IF
    
    STOP RUN.

Explanation: This example shows how to define custom alphabets and classes using SPECIAL-NAMES. The CUSTOM-ALPHABET defines a specific character set, while VALID-NUMBERS and VALID-LETTERS define classes for numeric and alphabetic validation. These definitions can be used in conditional statements to validate data content and perform custom character set comparisons.

Condition Names and Status Codes

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* SPECIAL-NAMES with condition names and status codes
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. CONDITION-NAMES-EXAMPLE.
 
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
CONFIGURATION SECTION.
SPECIAL-NAMES.
    CONDITION FILE-ERROR IS "30" ON STATUS IS 30
    CONDITION FILE-NOT-FOUND IS "35" ON STATUS IS 35
    CONDITION FILE-ACCESS-DENIED IS "37" ON STATUS IS 37.
 
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01  WS-FILE-STATUS      PIC XX.
01  WS-ERROR-MESSAGE    PIC X(50).
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
MAIN-LOGIC.
    * Simulate different file status conditions
    MOVE "30" TO WS-FILE-STATUS
    PERFORM CHECK-FILE-STATUS
    
    MOVE "35" TO WS-FILE-STATUS
    PERFORM CHECK-FILE-STATUS
    
    MOVE "37" TO WS-FILE-STATUS
    PERFORM CHECK-FILE-STATUS
    
    STOP RUN.
 
CHECK-FILE-STATUS.
    EVALUATE TRUE
        WHEN FILE-ERROR
            MOVE "File error occurred" TO WS-ERROR-MESSAGE
            DISPLAY "Status: " WS-FILE-STATUS " - " WS-ERROR-MESSAGE
        WHEN FILE-NOT-FOUND
            MOVE "File not found" TO WS-ERROR-MESSAGE
            DISPLAY "Status: " WS-FILE-STATUS " - " WS-ERROR-MESSAGE
        WHEN FILE-ACCESS-DENIED
            MOVE "File access denied" TO WS-ERROR-MESSAGE
            DISPLAY "Status: " WS-FILE-STATUS " - " WS-ERROR-MESSAGE
        WHEN OTHER
            DISPLAY "Unknown file status: " WS-FILE-STATUS
    END-EVALUATE.

Explanation: This example demonstrates how to define condition names for file status codes using SPECIAL-NAMES. The condition names FILE-ERROR, FILE-NOT-FOUND, and FILE-ACCESS-DENIED are mapped to specific status codes (30, 35, 37). This makes the code more readable and maintainable by using descriptive names instead of numeric codes. The EVALUATE statement can then use these condition names for clearer error handling.

International Currency and Decimal Handling

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* SPECIAL-NAMES for international applications
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. INTERNATIONAL-EXAMPLE.
 
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
CONFIGURATION SECTION.
SPECIAL-NAMES.
    CURRENCY SIGN IS "€"
    DECIMAL-POINT IS COMMA
    ALPHABET EUROPEAN-ALPHABET IS "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZÄÖÜß".
 
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01  WS-EURO-AMOUNT      PIC €9(7),99 VALUE 1234567,89.
01  WS-GERMAN-TEXT      PIC X(20) VALUE "Müllerstraße".
01  WS-FRENCH-AMOUNT    PIC 9(7),99 VALUE 9876543,21.
 
01  WS-FORMATTED-OUTPUT.
    05  WS-CURRENCY-LINE    PIC X(30) VALUE "Amount: €".
    05  WS-AMOUNT-DISPLAY   PIC €9(7),99.
    05  WS-DECIMAL-NOTE     PIC X(20) VALUE " (comma decimal)".
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
MAIN-LOGIC.
    * Display European currency format
    MOVE WS-EURO-AMOUNT TO WS-AMOUNT-DISPLAY
    DISPLAY WS-CURRENCY-LINE WS-AMOUNT-DISPLAY WS-DECIMAL-NOTE
    
    * Display German text with special characters
    DISPLAY "German text: " WS-GERMAN-TEXT
    
    * Check if text uses European alphabet
    IF WS-GERMAN-TEXT IS EUROPEAN-ALPHABET
        DISPLAY "Text uses European alphabet characters"
    ELSE
        DISPLAY "Text contains non-European characters"
    END-IF
    
    * Display French amount format
    DISPLAY "French amount: " WS-FRENCH-AMOUNT
    
    DISPLAY "International formatting complete"
    STOP RUN.

Explanation: This example shows SPECIAL-NAMES usage for international applications. The program defines a Euro currency symbol (€), uses comma as decimal point for European number formatting, and creates a custom alphabet that includes German umlauts and special characters. This allows the program to handle European-style currency display, number formatting, and text validation with special characters commonly used in European languages.

Best Practices and Considerations

Important Considerations

SPECIAL-NAMES is optional and can be omitted if not needed
Use consistent naming conventions for custom definitions
Consider portability when defining system-specific features
Test alphabet and class definitions thoroughly
Document custom currency and decimal point definitions

Advantages

Provides customization for system-specific features
Enables internationalization support
Improves code readability with mnemonic names
Supports custom character sets and validation
Allows flexible currency and decimal handling

Limitations

Optional clause that may be omitted
System-specific features may not be portable
Requires careful testing of custom definitions
May not be supported in all COBOL implementations
Can add complexity to program maintenance

Best Practices

• Use descriptive names for custom definitions
• Document all SPECIAL-NAMES definitions
• Test custom alphabets and classes thoroughly
• Consider portability when defining system features
• Use consistent naming conventions

Test Your Knowledge

1. What is the primary purpose of the SPECIAL-NAMES clause in COBOL?

To define program variables
To define special names, conditions, and system-specific features
To specify file names
To define data types

2. In which COBOL division is the SPECIAL-NAMES clause typically used?

IDENTIFICATION DIVISION
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
DATA DIVISION
PROCEDURE DIVISION

3. What can be defined using the SPECIAL-NAMES clause?

Only variable names
Only file names
Special names, conditions, alphabet names, class names, and currency symbols
Only procedure names

4. What is the purpose of defining alphabet names in SPECIAL-NAMES?

To create new programming languages
To define custom character sets and collating sequences
To name variables
To define file names

5. Can SPECIAL-NAMES be used to define currency symbols?

No, it is not possible
Yes, it can define currency symbols and decimal point characters
Only in some implementations
Only for international programs

COBOL Tutorial

COBOL SPECIAL-NAMES Clause - Quick Reference

Primary Use

Division

Section

Status

Overview

Syntax

Practical Examples

Basic SPECIAL-NAMES Usage

Alphabet and Class Definitions

Condition Names and Status Codes

International Currency and Decimal Handling

Best Practices and Considerations

Important Considerations

Advantages

Limitations

Best Practices

Test Your Knowledge

Related Concepts

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION

CONFIGURATION SECTION

SOURCE-COMPUTER

OBJECT-COMPUTER

Data Validation

Related Pages

COBOL Tutorial

COBOL SPECIAL-NAMES Clause - Quick Reference

Primary Use

Division

Section

Status

Overview

Syntax

Practical Examples

Basic SPECIAL-NAMES Usage

Alphabet and Class Definitions

Condition Names and Status Codes

International Currency and Decimal Handling

Best Practices and Considerations

Important Considerations

Advantages

Limitations

Best Practices

Test Your Knowledge

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Concepts

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION

CONFIGURATION SECTION

SOURCE-COMPUTER

OBJECT-COMPUTER

Data Validation

Related Pages