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COBOL XML-CODE - Quick Reference

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Overview

XML-CODE in COBOL refers to the XML processing capabilities that allow COBOL programs to parse, generate, and manipulate XML documents. This functionality enables COBOL applications to work with modern data interchange formats and integrate with web services and other XML-based systems.

Key Features

  • XML parsing - Read and extract data from XML documents
  • XML generation - Create XML documents from COBOL data
  • Namespace support - Handle XML namespaces and prefixes
  • Schema validation - Validate XML against XSD schemas

Syntax and Usage

XML processing syntax and usage patterns for different XML operations.

Basic XML Parsing

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       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
       PROGRAM-ID. XML-PARSE-EXAMPLE.
       DATA DIVISION.
       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  XML-DOCUMENT    PIC X(1000) VALUE
           "John Doe12345".
       01  PARSED-DATA.
           05  CUSTOMER-NAME PIC X(30).
           05  CUSTOMER-ID   PIC 9(5).
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
           XML PARSE XML-DOCUMENT
               PROCESSING PROCEDURE PARSE-HANDLER
           END-XML
           STOP RUN.
       
       PARSE-HANDLER.
           * Handle XML parsing events
           EXIT.

Basic XML parsing to extract data from an XML document.

XML Generation

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       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
       PROGRAM-ID. XML-GENERATE-EXAMPLE.
       DATA DIVISION.
       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  CUSTOMER-DATA.
           05  CUSTOMER-NAME PIC X(30) VALUE "John Doe".
           05  CUSTOMER-ID   PIC 9(5) VALUE 12345.
           05  CUSTOMER-EMAIL PIC X(50) VALUE "john@example.com".
       
       01  XML-OUTPUT       PIC X(1000).
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
           XML GENERATE XML-OUTPUT FROM CUSTOMER-DATA
           DISPLAY "Generated XML: " XML-OUTPUT
           STOP RUN.

XML generation to create XML documents from COBOL data structures.

XML with Namespaces

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       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
       PROGRAM-ID. XML-NAMESPACE-EXAMPLE.
       DATA DIVISION.
       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  XML-DOCUMENT    PIC X(1000) VALUE
           "
           John Doe
           12345
           ".
       
       01  NAMESPACE-DATA.
           05  NAMESPACE-PREFIX PIC X(10) VALUE "ns".
           05  NAMESPACE-URI    PIC X(50) VALUE "http://example.com/customer".
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
           XML PARSE XML-DOCUMENT
               PROCESSING PROCEDURE NAMESPACE-HANDLER
               NAMESPACE-PREFIX IS NAMESPACE-PREFIX
               NAMESPACE-URI IS NAMESPACE-URI
           END-XML
           STOP RUN.
       
       NAMESPACE-HANDLER.
           * Handle namespace-aware XML parsing
           EXIT.

XML processing with namespace support for complex XML documents.

XML Operations

XML Parsing

Extract data from XML documents.

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XML PARSE xml-document
PROCESSING PROCEDURE handler-name
END-XML

XML Generation

Create XML from COBOL data.

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XML GENERATE xml-output
FROM data-structure

Namespace Handling

Process XML with namespaces.

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XML PARSE xml-document
NAMESPACE-PREFIX IS prefix
NAMESPACE-URI IS uri

Schema Validation

Validate XML against schemas.

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XML PARSE xml-document
VALIDATING AGAINST schema-file
END-XML

Best Practices

  • Handle errors - Always provide error handling for XML operations
  • Validate input - Validate XML documents before processing
  • Use namespaces - Properly handle XML namespaces when needed
  • Optimize performance - Consider performance implications for large XML documents
  • Document structure - Clearly document XML data structures and mappings

XML-CODE Quick Reference

OperationSyntaxUse Case
XML ParseXML PARSE document PROCESSING PROCEDURE handlerExtract data from XML
XML GenerateXML GENERATE output FROM dataCreate XML documents
NamespaceNAMESPACE-PREFIX IS prefix NAMESPACE-URI IS uriHandle XML namespaces
ValidationVALIDATING AGAINST schemaValidate XML structure

Test Your Knowledge

1. What is the primary purpose of XML-CODE in COBOL?

  • To perform mathematical calculations
  • To process and generate XML documents and data
  • To handle file operations
  • To manage memory allocation

2. Which COBOL standard introduced XML processing capabilities?

  • COBOL-68
  • COBOL-74
  • COBOL-85
  • COBOL 2002/2014

3. What are the main XML operations available in COBOL?

  • Only XML parsing
  • Only XML generation
  • Both XML parsing and generation
  • Only XML validation

4. Which statement is used to parse XML in COBOL?

  • XML PARSE
  • XML READ
  • XML PROCESS
  • XML HANDLE

5. What is the purpose of XML GENERATE in COBOL?

  • To validate XML documents
  • To create XML documents from COBOL data structures
  • To read XML files
  • To delete XML content

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Concepts

XML Processing

XML and JSON processing in COBOL.

Data Interchange

Modern data interchange formats.

Web Services

Integration with web services.

String Operations

String manipulation for XML.

Data Validation

Validate XML data structures.

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