Module 3: COBOL Program structure
COBOL FIGURATIVE CONSTANTS
- Figurative constants have some fixed names and the compiler has the ability to recognize these names and sets the corresponding values in the object program.
- Example:-
MOVE ZERO TO EMP-COUNT.
- In above example, value ‘0’ will be moved to variable EMP-COUNT as compiler will recognizes ZERO and sets EMP-COUNT to ‘0’.
- Given below are list Figurative constants and their description:-
| Figurative Constants |
Description |
ZERO ZEROS ZEROES |
Denotes value 0, or one or more 0, based on the context |
SPACE SPACES |
Denotes one or more spaces or blanks |
HIGH-VALUE HIGH-VALUES |
Denotes the highest value in the collating sequence |
LOW-VALUE LOW-VALUES |
Denotes the lowest value in the collating sequence |
QUOTE QUOTES |
Denotes one or more single character (‘‘). |
ALL literal |
Denotes one or more of the string characters comprising the literal. |