COBOL/400 Language Help


INTO identifier-1

The RETURN INTO statement is equivalent to the statements:

     RETURN file-name-1
     MOVE record-name TO identifier-1

The moving of the current record from the record area to the area specified by identifier-1 takes place according to the rules for the MOVE statement without the CORRESPONDING phrase. Any subscripting, indexing, or reference modification associated with identifier-1 is evaluated after the record has been returned and immediately before it is moved to identifier-1. (Click here for information about reference modification.)

You can specify the INTO phrase in a RETURN statement if one or both of the following are true:

  1. Only one record description is subordinate to the sort-merge file description entry
  2. All record-names associated with file-name-1 and the data item referenced by identifier-1 describe a group item, a numeric-edited item, or an elementary alphanumeric item.

The record areas associated with file-name-1 and identifier-1 must not be the same storage area.


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