HP OpenVMS Systems Documentation

HP COBOL
User Manual

The following list summarizes the specifications and restrictions for the HP COBOL compiler. The compiler issues diagnostic messages whenever you exceed its design parameters.

• Run-time storage (generated object code and data) for COBOL programs cannot exceed 2,147,483,647 bytes.
• The length of an FD's record cannot exceed 32,767 bytes for a sequential file, 32,234 bytes for an indexed file, or 32,255 bytes for a relative file. For SD records, the length cannot exceed 32,759 bytes for a sequential file, 32,226 bytes for an indexed file, or 32,247 bytes for a relative file.
• On OpenVMS, bucket size for relative and indexed files cannot be greater than 63.
• A sequential disk file's multiblock count cannot be greater than 127.
• The physical block size for a sequential tape file must be from 20 to 65,532 bytes, inclusively. <>
• Run-time storage for an indexed file's RECORD KEY or ALTERNATE RECORD KEY data item must not be greater than:
  • 255 bytes on OpenVMS systems
  • 120 bytes on Tru64 UNIX systems
• The number of bytes in the string making up a VALUE OF ID file name or data name must not exceed 255.
• The number of indexed file RECORD KEY and ALTERNATE RECORD KEY data items must not exceed 255 per file.
• The maximum number of segments in a segmented key is eight.
• The number of literal phrases specified to define an alphabet in an ALPHABET clause of the SPECIAL-NAMES paragraph must not be greater than 256.
• The value of a numeric literal in a literal phrase of an ALPHABET clause must not be greater than 255.
• The value of a switch number in the SWITCH clause of the SPECIAL-NAMES paragraph must be from 1 to 16, inclusively.
• The value of a numeric literal in the SYMBOLIC CHARACTERS clause must be from 1 to 256, inclusively.
• On OpenVMS, the value of an integer in the EXTENSION option of the APPLY clause must be from 0 to 65,535, inclusive.
• The value of an integer in the WINDOW option of the APPLY clause must be from 0 to 127, inclusive, or equal to 255.
• The value of the integer in the RESERVE AREAS clause must not be greater than 127.
• If a data item is allocated more than 268,435,455 bytes, a COBOL program cannot reference it except with INITIALIZE and CALL BY REFERENCE.
• Alphanumeric or numeric edited picture character-strings cannot represent more than 255 standard data format characters.
• Alphanumeric or alphabetic picture character-strings cannot represent more than 268,435,455 standard data format characters.
• A nonnumeric literal cannot be greater than 256 characters.
• A hexadecimal literal cannot be greater than 256 hexadecimal digits.
• A PICTURE character-string cannot contain more than 256 characters.
• The number of operands in the USING phrase of a CALL statement cannot be greater than 255.
• The number of USING files in a SORT or MERGE statement cannot exceed 10.
• On OpenVMS, the maximum number of characters in a subschema pathname specification is 256. <>
• The maximum static nesting depth of contained programs is 256.
• The maximum number of characters in a user-word in HP COBOL is 31. The maximum number of characters allowed in a user-word as defined by the ANSI COBOL standard is 30. The compiler issues an informational diagnostic if you use 31-character user-words. The maximum number of characters in an external report file name is 30.
• On OpenVMS, the maximum number of strings associated with the /AUDIT command line qualifier is 64.
• The maximum number of characters in a Oracle CDD/Repository pathname specification is 256.
• The maximum number of levels in a database subschema record definition supported by HP COBOL is 49.
• The maximum number of digits in a numeric database data item supported by HP COBOL is 31 for Alpha and I64 and 18 for VAX.
• The maximum number of standard data format characters in a character-type database data item is 65,535. <>
• The maximum number of digits in a picture character string describing fixed-point numeric and numeric-edited data items is 31 for Alpha and I64 and 18 for VAX.
• The maximum number of digits in numeric literals is 31 for Alpha and I64 and 18 for VAX.
• The maximum number of characters in a picture character string is 50.
• The maximum number of digits supported in most intrinsic functions is 31 for Alpha and I64 and 18 for VAX.
• The maximum number of digits in numeric SORT/MERGE keys is 31 for Alpha and I64 and 18 for VAX.
• The maximum number of digits in PACKED-DECIMAL (COMP-3) numeric and unsigned DISPLAY numeric ISAM keys is 31 for Alpha and I64 and 18 for VAX.
• The SORT-32 (available on OpenVMS) record size limit is 65,535 bytes.
• The SORT-32 key size limit is 65,529 bytes. <>
• The Hypersort (available on Alpha and I64) key size limit is 65,535 bytes. <>
• If a file is assigned to magnetic tape media and you use the BLOCK CONTAINS clause in the associated file description, the number of characters in a physical block determined from the BLOCK CONTAINS clause must be an even multiple of 8.
• If a file is assigned to a disk medium and you use the BLOCK CONTAINS clause in the associated file description, the BLOCK CONTAINS value must be an even multiple of 1024.
• The maximum number of lines in any report file is 999,998,000,001.
• The maximum subscript value for any subscript or index name is 2,147,483,647.
• In the OCCURS n TIMES clause of a Data Description entry, the maximum allowable value for n is 2,147,483,647.
• On OpenVMS, the maximum static scoping depth of database USE procedures is 84.
• The maximum number of operands in a given COBOL DML statement
  is 255. <>
• In a PERFORM n TIMES statement, the maximum allowable value for n is 2,147,483,647.
• The maximum static nesting depth of nested IF statements is 64.
• The maximum number of levels for subscripts is 48.
• The maximum number of files in a MULTIPLE FILE TAPE clause is 255.
• For files assigned to magnetic tape, the record size for variable-length record files cannot exceed 9995 characters.
• For files assigned to magnetic tape, the block size must be from 20 to 999,999 characters, inclusive.
• For files assigned to magnetic tape, the number of files in a given volume set cannot exceed 9999 files.
• The number of magnetic tapes spanned by a single file cannot exceed 9999 tapes.