Editing COBOL Std 4 Naming Conventions (section)

== 4. Naming Conventions ==

=== 4.1 General Rules ===

* Use hyphens (<code>-</code>) as word separators — never underscores or camelCase.
* Maximum 30 characters for data names; 30 characters for paragraph names.
* COBOL reserved words in ALL CAPS; user-defined names in ALL CAPS (consistent with GnuCOBOL case-insensitivity).
* Names must reflect business purpose; avoid single-letter names and meaningless abbreviations.
* Approved abbreviations are listed in [[#Appendix A — Approved Abbreviations|Appendix A]].

=== 4.2 Working-Storage and Linkage Prefixes ===

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
! Prefix !! Usage !! Example
|-
| <code>WS-</code> || Working-Storage variables || <code>WS-CUSTOMER-ID</code>
|-
| <code>LS-</code> || Linkage-Section parameters || <code>LS-INPUT-RECORD</code>
|-
| <code>FS-</code> || File-Section records || <code>FS-CUSTOMER-FILE</code>
|-
| <code>SW-</code> || Switch / flag fields || <code>SW-END-OF-FILE</code>
|-
| <code>CTR-</code> || Counters || <code>CTR-RECORD-COUNT</code>
|-
| <code>ERR-</code> || Error-handling fields || <code>ERR-MESSAGE-TEXT</code>
|-
| <code>DB-</code> || SQL host variables || <code>DB-CUSTOMER-ROW</code>
|-
| <code>DAL-</code> || Data Access Layer interface || <code>DAL-METHOD-CODE</code>
|-
| <code>UI-</code> || User Interface / output fields || <code>UI-SCREEN-MESSAGE</code>
|-
| <code>DC-</code> || Data-conversion work fields || <code>DC-AMOUNT-WORK</code>
|}

=== 4.3 Paragraph Naming — Numeric Prefix Scheme ===

Paragraphs use a four-digit numeric prefix to indicate their tier and purpose. The prefix creates an implicit call-hierarchy that is visible when reading source or a cross-reference listing.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
! Range !! Section Purpose !! Example
|-
| A000–A999 || Main control / entry point || <code>A000-MAIN-CONTROL</code>
|-
| B000–B999 || Initialisation routines || <code>B000-INITIALISE</code>
|-
| C000–C999 || Main processing || <code>C100-PROCESS-RECORD</code>
|-
| D000–D999 || Validation routines || <code>D000-VALIDATE-INPUT</code>
|-
| E000–E999 || Error handling || <code>E000-HANDLE-ERROR</code>
|-
| R000–R999 || Business logic routines || <code>R080-GET-NEXT-PRIME</code>
|-
| S000–S999 || Database / system routines || <code>S000-DB-CONNECT</code>
|-
| Z000–Z999 || Termination / cleanup || <code>Z000-PROGRAM-END</code>
|}

=== 4.4 Copybook Naming ===

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
! Suffix !! Purpose !! Example
|-
| <code>-REC</code> || Record layouts || <code>CUSTOMER-REC</code>
|-
| <code>-DAL</code> || Data Access Layer interface || <code>PRIMES-DAL</code>
|-
| <code>-UI</code> || User Interface layouts || <code>PRIMES-UI</code>
|-
| <code>-TAB</code> || SQL host-variable table layouts || <code>PRIMES-TAB</code>
|-
| <code>-ERR</code> || Error-code definitions || <code>SYSTEM-ERR</code>
|-
| <code>-SES</code> || Session / orchestration blocks || <code>PRIMES-SES</code>
|}

{{Ambox
| type  = notice
| text  = '''File naming''' — copybook file names must use hyphens, not underscores. The pgcobol project contains both <code>primes-table.cpy</code> and <code>primes_table.cpy</code>; this ambiguity is a known defect and must not be replicated.
}}

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