COBOL Coding Standards

Coding standards are a set of guidelines that specify how COBOL programs should be written to improve readability, maintainability, and reliability. Adhering to coding standards helps ensure that programs are consistent and easy to understand, even if multiple programmers are working on them. Here are some of the best practices and coding standards that should be followed when writing COBOL programs:

• Naming conventions: Use meaningful names for variables, constants, and other program elements. Variable names should be descriptive and easy to understand, and should follow a consistent naming convention. Typically, variable names are written in all caps with underscores between words. For example:

• Formatting: Use consistent formatting throughout the program. This makes the program easier to read and understand. For example, use proper indentation to show the hierarchy of statements, and use spaces to separate keywords and operators. Also, limit the length of lines to 72 characters or less to ensure that the code is readable on a standard terminal or printer.
• Commenting: Use comments to explain the purpose and functionality of the program and its various sections. Comments should be clear, concise, and should not repeat the code. For example:

• Error handling: Handle errors gracefully, and ensure that the program fails gracefully if an error occurs. For example, use the EXIT statement to terminate the program if an error occurs.

Here's an example COBOL program that follows these coding standards:

In this example, we have followed the recommended coding standards for COBOL programs. We have used meaningful variable names, consistent formatting, and clear comments to make the code easy to read and understand. We have also used proper error handling to ensure that the program fails gracefully if an error occurs.