Code to read Cobol data files

[none]

Hi,
Any one know of some code to read cobol data files....

thanks
timb

 

[Al Christians]

Hi,
Any one know of some code to read cobol data files....

thanks
timb

I posted some here maybe 5+ years ago that would convert COBOL comp-3,
comp-4, and comp-5 fields (as from Realia) to whatever. I suppose you
can still find it in google somewhere.

There was some help for cracking one of the other COBOL file formats at
a site called Wotsit's file formats or something like that. This helped
me access data out of ISAM files from one of the non-Realia desktop
COBOLs. It was one of the more popular COBOL versions way back in the
1980's, but I don't recall anymore which one it was, but I'd guess RM
Cobol if I had to.

COBOL has/had an indexed file type defined in the language, and the
COBOL vendors each implemented it independently, I think. So there are
variations in both the coding of various field/record types and the way
that the files are put together. But Python can handle it if you can
figure out the rules.


Al

 

[Dennis Lee Bieber]

Hi,
Any one know of some code to read cobol data files....

That's a rather open-ended question...

What compiler system created them? BCD or binary (I believe there
are two or three common methods of handling decimal and sign markers in
BCD)... EBCDIC or ASCII?

{Unfortunately, I've never successfully finessed the installer from my
Y2K COBOL text -- it had a learning edition of 32-bit Fujitsu COBOL 4
with a GUI capability and IDE; the installer doesn't like anything newer
than W9x}
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