Easytrieve DRAW Reserved Word

Definition and Purpose in the Language

In Broadcom Symbols and Reserved Words, DRAW is marked reserved (R). It sits in the alphabetical keyword list between DO and DUPLICATE alongside statement vocabulary such as DISPLAY, DEFINE, and DELETE. The 11.6 Language Reference alphabetical statements summary does not publish a dedicated DRAW statement page comparable to EXECUTE or SCREEN. Practical purpose for maintainers today is migration safety: treat DRAW as off limits for identifiers and expect future or platform-specific syntax to use the token without conflicting with your field names.

Shops migrating from 6.4 should not assume DRAW is unused because their source never coded a DRAW verb. The collision is at the identifier level—DEFINE DRAW W 10 A is enough to fail.

Version Introduced

Broadcom knowledge article 55109 states that words previously classified as future reserved words became active in release 11.x, including DRAW. The New Reserved Words migration topic lists DRAW explicitly next to EXECUTE, GRAPH, SET, and SYSUSERID. Plan scans as part of function mode cutover, not as an optional cleanup.

Can DRAW Be Used as a Variable Name?

No on modern function mode compile. Rename before migration. Typical legacy uses include engineering drawing numbers, plotter flags, or abbreviated status codes. Replacement patterns: WS-DRAWING-NO, FL-GRAPHIC-IND, DOC-DRAW-NUM, or enterprise dictionary codes that avoid the bare token DRAW. Update all copybooks in the same release—mixed modules cause link-edit success with wrong offsets if only some members rename.

How Screen Lines and Borders Actually Work

Beginners searching for draw screen may expect a DRAW command. Easytrieve instead declares a SCREEN activity, then positions literals and fields with ROW and COL. TITLE places header text. KEY assigns PF keys. BORDER on the SCREEN statement requests a screen border using SINGLE, DOUBLE, WIDE, or a border literal, with optional ATTR for color and intensity. SHADOW may add depth on supported terminals. This declarative model separates layout from procedure logic in BEFORE-SCREEN and AFTER-SCREEN.

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DEFINE WS-REPLY  W 1 A
 
SCREEN NAME MAIN-MENU BORDER DOUBLE ROWCOUNT 24 LINESIZE 80
  TITLE 'Employee File Main Menu'
  ROW  6 COL 10 'Type an option, then press Enter.'
  ROW  8 COL 10 'Option ===>' WS-REPLY VALUE ('V' 'E' 'D' 'X')
  KEY F3 NAME 'Exit' EXIT
  KEY F12 NAME 'Cancel' EXIT IMMEDIATE

No DRAW keyword appears. Attribute changes during runtime may use the SET statement on supported releases—SET is separately reserved; see the SET reserved word page when published. Dynamic highlighting is not the same as reserving the DRAW identifier for your data.

DRAW Versus GRAPH

Both DRAW and GRAPH appear on the same 11.x activation list. Neither should be used as field names after migration. GRAPH may relate to graphical or extended reporting features on some platforms; DRAW may have been reserved for similar presentation-layer expansion. Until your site manual documents a statement, assume both are identifier collisions only and keep business data names prefixed.

Migration Scan Checklist

1. Search source libraries for DEFINE DRAW and FILE definitions containing DRAW as a field token.
2. Check SQL view and copybook imports for column aliases named DRAW.
3. Review report masks and HEADING literals—literals in quotes are safe; field names are not.
4. Recompile with function mode option in test before production bind.
5. Log any site-specific DRAW statement usage discovered in local macros to your research log.

Compiler Error Patterns

Errors vary by context: DEFINE line may flag reserved word; references may parse as incomplete statements if the compiler expects a DRAW phrase in future grammar. Do not workaround with quotes around the field name—rename instead. If your vendor macro library injects DRAW, patch the macro or delay function mode until vendor ships 11.6-safe version.

Common DRAW Mistakes

• Assuming DRAW is harmless because no DRAW statement was ever coded.
• Looking for DRAW instead of BORDER when building menu frames.
• Renaming only one copybook in a multi-module application.
• Confusing DRAW with DISPLAY—DISPLAY prints lines; DRAW is not a display verb.
• Using DRAW in a procedure label name.

Explain It Like I'm Five

DRAW is a word the Easytrieve robot saved for itself. You cannot name your crayon box DRAW anymore. If you want to put a frame around your computer menu, you ask for a BORDER when you build the SCREEN, and you put words on each ROW—like writing on ruled lines. The robot did not forget how to draw boxes; it just uses different command words than the short name DRAW on your old toy label.

Exercises

1. Find three alternative field names to replace DEFINE DRAW W 8 A.
2. Add BORDER DOUBLE to a minimal SCREEN menu skeleton.
3. List five screen definition statements that replace a hypothetical DRAW command.
4. Explain why quoted literal DRAW in a TITLE is safe but a field named DRAW is not.
5. Add DRAW to a migration scan checklist for your shop.