Integrated CICS translator
When you compile a COBOL program using the CICS
compiler
option, the COBOL compiler works with the integrated CICS® translator to handle both native COBOL
and embedded CICS statements
in the source program.
When the compiler encounters CICS statements,
and at other significant points in the source program, the compiler
interfaces with the integrated CICS translator. All text between EXEC CICS
and END-EXEC
statements
is passed to the translator. The translator takes appropriate
actions and then returns to the compiler, typically indicating which
native language statements to generate.
Although you can still translate embedded CICS statements separately, it is recommended that you use the integrated CICS translator instead. Certain restrictions that apply when you use the separate translator do not apply when you use the integrated translator, and using the integrated translator provides several advantages:
- You can use Debug Tool to debug the original source instead of the expanded source that the separate CICS translator generates.
- You do not need to separately translate the
EXEC CICS
orEXEC DLI
statements that are in copybooks. - There is no intermediate data set for a translated but not compiled version of the source program.
- Only one output listing instead of two is produced.
- Using nested programs that contain
EXEC CICS
statements is simpler.DFHCOMMAREA
andDFHEIBLK
are generated with theGLOBAL
attribute in the outermost program. You do not need to pass them as arguments on calls to nested programs or specify them in theUSING
phrase of thePROCEDURE DIVISION
header of nested programs. - You can keep nested programs that contain
EXEC CICS
statements in separate files, and include those nested programs by usingCOPY
statements. REPLACE
statements can affectEXEC CICS
statements.- You can compile programs that contain CICS statements in a batch compilation (compilation of a sequence of programs).
- Because the compiler generates binary fields in CICS control blocks with format
COMP-5
instead ofBINARY
, there is no dependency on the setting of theTRUNC
compiler option. You can use any setting of theTRUNC
option in CICS programs, subject only to the requirements of the application logic and use of user-defined binary fields.
EXCI
translator option is not supported
for programs compiled with the integrated CICS translator, but CICS has reversed this position. You can now
compile with the EXCI
translator option and ignore
the warning message DFH7006I.