RE: Passing numeric fields to COBOL program

[PaulMmn <PaulMmn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The last half-byte, the "F," is the sign.  "F" is plus, "D" is negative,
others may occur but usually only in error.

Packed numeric fields -always- have an odd number of digits, even when you
define them as an even number of digits.  The system 'rounds up' to the
nearest whole byte (and stuffs it with a zero if you don't mention it)
(which is why I hate to see a packed field with an even number of digits).

--Paul E Musselman
PaulMmn@ix.netcom.com





>So if I defined the field in my program as packed it HAS to be hex?  This
>may sound like a dumb question but if I key X'0070198F' is the first 0 the
>sign digit?
>
>Gary Lehman
>Programmer Analyst
>Missouri Consolidated Health Care Plan
>
>               -----Original Message-----
>               From:   tuohyp@ibm.net [mailto:tuohyp@ibm.net]
>               Sent:   Tuesday, June 09, 1998 6:35 PM
>               To:     'MIDRANGE-L@MIDRANGE.COM'
>               Subject:        RE: Passing numeric fields to COBOL program
>
>               Gary, does this problem occur when you are passing the
>parameter from a command line? If so, the problem is that the number you are
>passing is signed where as the program is expecting packed, hence you key
>the number as a hex value.
>
>               Paul Tuohy
>
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