Support for PL/I data description entries

In the PL/I data description entries specified in a copybook, FM/Db2 supports:

• PL/I data attributes VARYING and VARYINGZ for single and double-byte character strings.
• PL/I bit variables including the VARYING attribute.
• Binary, decimal, floating point and numeric picture data (excluding symbols).
• REFER variables for array extents. Both upper and lower bound array elements may be declared for each dimension. The number of extents for each dimension is always:

  upper bound - lower bound + 1

  Note: A zero extent is not allowed for a PL/I dimension. If a bound is not specified PL/I assumes a value of 1.
• REFER variable to declare the length of a string variable, character (AN), varying-length character (VC) or zero-terminated character string (ZC) in bytes.
• FM/Db2 also supports PL/I double-byte character variables (DB), varying-length double-byte character (VD) and zero-terminated double-byte characters (Z2) as byte pairs. FM/Db2 also supports bit strings (BT) and varying bit string (VB) variables.
• REFER variables can be declared as integer, fixed binary, packed decimal, floating point, or character string variables.
• UNION declarations at any level which can have varying length (REFER string length or REFER array extents).
  Note: UNIONS can contain overlays of different data types, which may require template workbench record selection criteria or SHOW control if data is not displayable.

FM/Db2 ignores:

• INIT data values
• REFER start expression, for example,

  VAR(, expr Refer abc, )  or
  CHAR(expr Refer abc).

• EXTERNAL attributes
• DEFINED structure overlays
• LIKE structure attributes