CODEWITHSUNDEEP
cobol
Erga Kandly
Erga Kandly

Reputation: 799

Adjust the generated name with XML GENERATE Function

If I have the COBOL structure like this:

(the structure should be like this because I have to convert it using XML Generate Function, the variable name just sample)

01. MyData.
02. Corp-Entity
    03. Corp-Branch1.
        04. Address.
            05. AddressLine1 PIC X(20).
            05. AddressLine2 PIC X(20).
            05. PostalCode   PIC 9(05).
        04. PIC-Entity.
            05. Address.
                06. AddressLine1 PIC X(20).
                06. AddressLine2 PIC X(20).
                06. PostalCode   PIC 9(05).

How to move a value in 05. AddressLine1?

If I write this code:

move valueAddressLine1 to AddressLine1 
                       in Address
                       in Corp-Brach1
                       in MyData

But this code is valid for 06. AddressLine1

move valueAddressLine1 to AddressLine1 
                       in Address
                       in PIC-Entity

Error Message: "AddressLine1 of Address of PIC-Entity" was not a uniquely defined name.
The definition to be used could not be determined from the context. The reference to the name was discarded.

Upvotes: 0

Views: 352

Answers (1)

Simon Sobisch
Simon Sobisch

Reputation: 7297

Pre-notes:

  • That code won't work because of the periods after the level numbers, get rid of these.
  • To have a unique name you don't need the full qualification. For example the following is fine:
            move valueAddressLine1 to AddressLine1 
                                   in PIC-Entity

Answer:

In cases like this: "fix" the COBOL side by using a name that can be accessed uniquely, in most cases by its "parent" items and where this isn't possible like your 04 Address by using a different name (for example 04 corp-address) .

As you want this structure in XML you may use the NAME phrase as IBM's docs XML element name and attribute name formation says:

In the XML documents that are generated from identifier-2, the XML element names and attribute names are obtained from the NAME phrase if specified; otherwise they are derived from the names of the data item specified by identifier-2 and from any eligible data-names that are subordinate to identifier-2.

IBM's docs on XML GENERATE statement have details on this. For the given sample and assumed 2 corp-branches:

           XML GENERATE variable-name
               FROM Corp-Entity
               NAME OF corp-address in corp-branch1 IS 'Address'
                       corp-address in corp-branch2 IS 'Address'

Upvotes: 4

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