Easytrieve GOTO Statement

Statement Format

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{GOTO | GO TO} {label | JOB | SCREEN}
 
* Skip bad record in batch:
IF PAY-GROSS NOT NUMERIC
  DISPLAY EMP# ' DAMAGED'
  GOTO JOB
END-IF
 
* Branch to a label inside a PROC:
IF CURR-MM NE HIRE-MM
  GOTO QUIT-SERV-CALC
END-IF
...
QUIT-SERV-CALC
* next statements...

Three Targets Compared

Label Rules

A statement label is itself a complete statement. You place it before executable statements such as assignment, CASE, GET, IF, PERFORM, PRINT, READ, STOP, WRITE, and many others listed in the Broadcom GOTO article. Labels may be up to 128 alphanumeric characters, may contain characters other than delimiters, may begin with A–Z, 0–9, or national characters (#, @, $), and must not be all numeric. After GOTO label, processing continues from the labeled point downward—there is no automatic return like PERFORM provides.

GOTO JOB in Detail

GOTO JOB is the standard way to abandon remaining logic for the current automatic input record and fetch the next. It does not include execution of the START procedure. Typical uses: reject non-numeric amounts, skip inactive departments, bypass records outside a date range after DISPLAY of a warning. Inside a START procedure, GOTO JOB terminates START (you are not requesting another full START cycle). Inside FINISH, GOTO JOB terminates FINISH early—usually undesirable if FINISH prints totals, so avoid casual GOTO JOB in FINISH.

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JOB INPUT PERSNL NAME MYPROG
  IF DEPT LT 900
    GOTO JOB
  END-IF
  PRINT RPT
REPORT RPT
  LINE EMP# NAME-LAST DEPT

Records with DEPT less than 900 never reach PRINT. The JOB activity continues until automatic input is exhausted. This is clearer than deeply nested ELSE trees when many independent skip reasons exist—each reason can GOTO JOB after its own message.

GOTO SCREEN in Detail

GOTO SCREEN branches to the top of the current SCREEN activity and runs BEFORE-SCREEN again, but does not run INITIATION. Use it from AFTER-SCREEN or other allowed points when the user must see a rebuilt screen after edits. Restrictions matter:

• Do not code GOTO SCREEN in BEFORE-SCREEN (or procedures performed only from it).
• In INITIATION, GOTO SCREEN terminates INITIATION.
• In TERMINATION, GOTO SCREEN terminates the screen activity.

Confusing GOTO SCREEN with REFRESH or RESHOW causes subtle online bugs—those verbs have their own rules and are also restricted in BEFORE-SCREEN. See BEFORE-SCREEN and AFTER-SCREEN tutorials.

GOTO Label Versus PERFORM

PERFORM name runs a PROC and returns. GOTO label transfers without return. Application Guide samples often GOTO a local label to exit early from a calculation PROC (for example QUIT-SERV-CALC) then fall into END-PROC. That pattern is acceptable when the label sits in the same PROC. Jumping into the middle of another PROC or across JOB activities is not supported—the label must stay in the same activity or procedure. Prefer PERFORM for reusable logic; prefer GOTO JOB for record bypass; use local labels sparingly for early exits inside one PROC.

Structured Programming Guidance

Broadcom structured-programming guidance emphasizes IF/ELSE/ELSE-IF, DO loops, and consistent indentation. GOTO is not banned, but nesting many label jumps makes maintenance hard. A practical beginner policy:

1. Use GOTO JOB freely for skip-to-next-record.
2. Use PERFORM for shared calculations.
3. Limit GOTO label to short early exits inside one PROC.
4. Avoid building a web of labels that mimic assembler spaghetti.

Interaction With IF

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IF PAY-GROSS NOT NUMERIC
  DISPLAY EMP# '  PERSONNEL RECORD IS DAMAGED'
  GO TO JOB
END-IF
IF PAY-GROSS > 500.00
  XMAS-BONUS = PAY-GROSS * 1.03
ELSE
  XMAS-BONUS = PAY-GROSS * 1.05
END-IF

The first IF uses GO TO JOB so damaged records never compute bonuses. Control never returns to the statements after GOTO—exactly what you want for reject paths.

Testing GOTO Behavior

1. Count PRINT lines with and without GOTO JOB skip logic on known test data.
2. Place GOTO JOB in START; confirm START ends and automatic input begins.
3. Attempt GOTO SCREEN in BEFORE-SCREEN; document the diagnostic.
4. GOTO a label past END-PROC accidentally—confirm compile failure.
5. Replace a local GOTO early exit with nested IF and compare readability.

Common GOTO Mistakes

• Expecting GOTO JOB to re-run START initialization.
• GOTO SCREEN inside BEFORE-SCREEN.
• Label in a different activity than the GOTO.
• All-numeric label names.
• Using GOTO when PERFORM should return.
• GOTO JOB in FINISH before totals DISPLAY.

Explain It Like I'm Five

Easytrieve normally reads your instructions from top to bottom like a story. GOTO is a sticky note that says “jump to this page.” GOTO JOB means “skip the rest of this card and take the next card from the deck.” GOTO SCREEN means “draw the online form again from the start of the form loop.” Labels are page bookmarks inside the same chapter—you cannot jump to a bookmark in a different book.

Exercises

1. Write IF validation that DISPLAY then GOTO JOB.
2. Explain START behavior when GOTO JOB executes inside START.
3. List three differences between GOTO JOB and GOTO SCREEN.
4. Create a PROC with a local early-exit label.
5. Refactor one GOTO label into structured IF without changing results.