COBOL: How to Use INDEXED BY Clause

Can you pass an Index to another COBOL Program – via the LINKAGE SECTION?
No. Since INDEX is not a working storage area, an Index is maintained by the System. Indexes you cannot pass to another program. Subscripts you can pass. Because a subscript has a working storage definition. You can pass a Subscript to another COBOL Program.

Table of contents

1. COBOL Indexed By Best Example
2. The Code is Explained

COBOL Indexed By Best Example

05  A-TABLE.                                   
    10  A-TABLE-LIST OCCURS 10 TIMES INDEXED BY A-IDX. 

        15  FILLER              PIC X(7) VALUE '<TEST>'. 
        15  A-LIST-VALUE        PIC X(30).                
        15  FILLER              PIC X(8) VALUE '</TEST>'.

The next he did as below:

SET A-IDX  to 1.
MOVE 'XYZ' to A-LIST-VALUE(A-IDX).

The index value is set to ‘1’. The value you can increment or decrement using ‘UP’ or ‘DOWN” statements and PERFORM statements. Here is helpful example.

The Code is Explained

>>> He displayed A-TABLE-LIST data, and it populates as ‘XYZ—————————‘

>>> The first field is FILLER, so all are spaces even if you define value.

>>> Second field, when you issue ‘MOVE’. The first 3 bytes occupy XYZ and the rest of all spaces

>>> The third field is FILLER, so all are spaces, even if you define value.

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