I completely agree this was at best a hidden error previously
My question was not so much how to work around it but whether there were other 
similar nuggets with COBOL 6.2


Sent from my iPhone

> On Jul 21, 2017, at 11:48 AM, Bernd Oppolzer <[email protected]> 
> wrote:
> 
> This has already been brilliantly explained by Frank Swarbrick;
> 
> the new COBOL compiler version has a new INITIALIZE statement
> which is able to INITIALIZE variables of the LINKAGE SECTION,
> so that the VALUEs coded there are not comments any more,
> but instead the have a meaning !!
> 
> In the past, when they were comments, there was a warning,
> regardless if they were coded right or wrong.
> 
> Now, when they are no comments any more, they may be coded right:
> RC = 0
> or wrong:
> RC = 12
> as in your case
> 
> This is, IMO, a "hidden syntax error", which was not visible in the past,
> because the old compiler treated the VALUE clause as a comment in
> the linkage section; now it is visible, and you have to change your
> sources due to this compiler release change. Perfectly normal.
> 
> Kind regards
> 
> Bernd
> 
> 
> 
>> Am 21.07.2017 um 17:20 schrieb Cameron Conacher:
>> Here is a snippet from someone else's observations:
>> Hi
>> Just wondering has anyone confronted this compile issue stated for COBOL 6.1?
>>  Version 6.1
>>    COBOL source code differences in Enterprise COBOL Version 6
>>  In Enterprise COBOL V5 and earlier versions, a non-88 level VALUE clause in 
>> the
>> LINKAGE SECTION or FILE SECTION was treated as a comment. However,
>> starting in Enterprise COBOL V6.1, the VALUE clause for LINKAGE SECTION and
>> FILE SECTION items is now syntax checked and has meaning. This means that a
>> program that is compiled with RC=0 with COBOL V5 could get RC=12 with
>> COBOL V6.
>>  For example, with Enterprise COBOL V5 and earlier versions:
>> 000224 LINKAGE SECTION.
>> 000225 01 ALPH-ITEM PIC X(4) VALUE 1234.
>>    ==000225==> IGYDS1158-I A non-level-88 "VALUE" clause was found in the
>> "FILE SECTION" or "LINKAGE SECTION". The "VALUE" clause was treated as 
>> comments.
>>  With Enterprise COBOL V6:
>>  000224 LINKAGE SECTION.
>> 000225 01 ALPH-ITEM PIC X(4) VALUE 1234.
>>  ==000225==> IGYGR1080-S A "VALUE" clause literal was not compatible with 
>> the data
>> category of the subject data item. The "VALUE" clause was discarded.
>> 
>> 
>> Hope that helps
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
> 
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