User:SemperBlotto/COBOL
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This appendix contains lists of reserved words, statements, functions, commands, and similar terminology used in COBOL programs, and whose presence in Wiktionary is not universally accepted.
Note: in older versions of COBOL, all terms are written in capital letters.
- identification division
- program-id - specifies the external name of the program
- environment division
- configuration section
- source-computer - used only as a comment
- object-computer - specifies the computer architecture that the compiled code will run on
- input-output section
- file-control - associates a file with an external medium
- select - specifies the files logical name
- assign - specifies a reference to its external name
- organization - specifies that the file is either sequential or indexed
- file-control - associates a file with an external medium
- configuration section
- data division
- procedure division
- accept - used to read data from the operator's keyboard (or similar device)
- add - arithmetic operator used to sum two numeric operands and store the result
- alter - changes the target location of a go to statement
- call - used to pass control temporarily to a subroutine
- close - closes an external file after use
- commit - makes changes to a database permanent
- compute - evaluates an arithmetical expression and stores the result
- continue - part of an if statement that specifies no action; a synonym of next sentence
- copy - used at compile time to copy code from an external template
- date - returns the current date in a variety of formats
- delete - removes a record from an indexed file
- display - writes text to the operator's console or to a printer etc
- divide - arithmetic division operator
- else - part of the if construction
- entry - establishes an entry point of a called subroutine
- evaluate - a multi-condition case statement
- exhibit - a form of display statement
- exit - returns control from a called subroutine
- function - describes a function (that can be called)
- goback - equivalent to exit in a subroutine or to stop in a main program
- if - establishes conditional programming sequences
- initialize - sets data fields to specified values
- inspect - a string function that tallies or replaces characters
- merge - merges two files according to key values
- move - a general-purpose assignment statement
- multiply - arithmetic multiplication operator
- open - opens an external file for use
- perform - transfers control temporarily to a named part of the same program
- read - transfers a record from an external file to an area in the data division
- return - transfers control back from a sort or merge statement
- rewrite - replaces a record in an external file
- rollback - cancels uncommited changes made to a database
- search - searches a table based on a specified index key
- set - assignes a value to an index
- sort - sorts the records of one or more external files
- start - positions an indexed file for subsequent data retrieval
- stop - halts program execution
- subtract - arithmetic subtraction operator
- unstring - separates data into multiple fields
- write - writes a logical record to a file