MVSFORUMS.com

[Pranay]

I have to pass a copybook with size 66k to another program. Is there any way to pass this copybok. I cannot process data unless i receive all the contents of copybook. copybook contains arrays.

Any suggestion on how to pass this copybook w/o using files or DB2.

[semigeezer]

You haven't given much information about what you are trying to do. Why do you think there is a limit? How are you calling the other program? Is this in CICS? Are you starting a new CICS transaction and if so what level of CICS are you running? Or is this just a simple COBOL program that gets parameters from a call statement and if so, I"d ask again why you think there is a limit like that?

If it is a simple program, just pass the structure, or a pointer to the structure.
If it is CICS and you are not starting a new transaction, then same as above.
If it is CICS and you are starting a new transaction, you can't use a commarea but you can use channels if you have CICS TS 3.1.
There are other environments with other restrictions so we'd need much more info.

[Pranay]

I am new to cobol programming. I am have to use pure COBOL batch program. I will be calling module using
"Call prgm name using copybook" syntax.
I havent start coding yet but i learned from my friends that there is a size limit to pass a copybook to a different program.
Lets say Mod 1 have to call Mod 2 with copybook

call mod 2 using copybook
THis copybook has a size of 66k. I heard that u can pass only 32k. is this true?.

[semigeezer]

I don't know COBOL per se, but in general, normally parameter passing is done by just passing a pointer to the storage. The compiler usually does that; you don't have to do it explicitly. So there is no specific limit. I can't see why COBOL would have a limit like that unless it also passes a length and that length must be in 15 or 16 bits, but that would be kinda dumb, but then, COBOL isn't the swiftest kid on the block, so maybe it is possible. In CICS, as I alluded to, there is a 32K limit (really more like 24K) for passing data by a commarea which is an old CICS data passing mechanism, but that is specific to CICS, and is not a limitation in new CICS systems because other means (channels instead of commareas) are available.

I'm sure some of the COBOL experts will chime in here.

[Pranay]

Hey thx.
I coded a sample program to pass a copybook size of greater than 100kb and it did work. I suppose there isnt any logical size limit in passing copybook from one module to another.

[Deepthi]

Hi,

I have a cobol program whereien we have used a logic to check for a particular value in a copybook and populate few values in the output file, provided that value is available in the copybook. Now, we are adding around 10-20 values to this copybook every month or so, and i was jsut wondering if there would be any limit on the number of lines that can be present in a copybook.

Please advise.
_________________
Thanks,
Deepthi.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

[dbzTHEdinosauer]

there is a limit to how much WorkingStorage there is in a COBOL pgm.
It is dependent upon

the COBOL that you are using (VS/OS/ZOS/VM...)
the manual for your COBOL will tell you
your environment
• machine
• site installation parms

since you can't pass more than what you have defined, the answer to the above is the answer to the question, what is that largest Copybook a COBOL pgm can pass.
_________________
Dick Brenholtz
American living in Varel, Germany