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Focal Point    Focal Point Forums  Hop To Forum Categories  WebFOCUS/FOCUS Forum on Focal Point     Help me in converting a FOCUS program to COBOL program

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Help me in converting a FOCUS program to COBOL program
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Silver Member
posted
Do any one help me in converting a FOCUS program to COBOL program.
How to define the structure of FOCUS in COBOL program?
Is there any parent-child retrieval in COBOL?

Can any one send me the procedure and sample for converting a FOCUS to COBOL program??
 
Posts: 38 | Registered: November 20, 2007Report This Post
Virtuoso
posted Hide Post
rb

Would you please update your signature so we know what system and version you are using.

Can you perhaps explain why you want to do this.
cobol? isn't that something from the old days?

Webfocus is a reporting tool, that works on a database, cobol is a programming tool.
What should this program to do.




Frank

prod: WF 7.6.10 platform Windows,
databases: msSQL2000, msSQL2005, RMS, Oracle, Sybase,IE7
test: WF 7.6.10 on the same platform and databases,IE7

 
Posts: 2387 | Location: Amsterdam, the Netherlands | Registered: December 03, 2006Report This Post
Expert
posted Hide Post
rb,

Boy, I hardly know what to say. Unless FOCUS is going away, I can't imagine why anyone would want to do this. Nor is there a cookbook that describes exactly what to do.

But here are some ideas.

First, print out the master file description and access file if there is one and identify the data source. If the file is a FOCUS file (and based on your comments, I suspect it is), you are going to have to convert it to something else. The only truly mainframe hierarchical data base is IMS. Otherwise you will have to put each segment in its own file and join them.

Next, identify the business logic in the focexec. That will be found in the DEFINE, COMPUTE, and WHERE statements in the program.

Then, run the FOCUS program and look at the format of the output.

That should give you a good idea as to how to write the COBOL program (with many many lines) to reproduce the function of the few lines of FOCUS code in the focexec.

Good luck!


Ginny
---------------------------------
Prod: WF 7.7.01 Dev: WF 7.6.9-11
Admin, MRE,self-service; adapters: Teradata, DB2, Oracle, SQL Server, Essbase, ESRI, FlexEnable, Google
 
Posts: 2723 | Location: Ann Arbor, MI | Registered: April 05, 2006Report This Post
Virtuoso
posted Hide Post
rb

I was searching here on the site for something and I stumbled upon this item you may like Cobol

I hope this helps a bit.




Frank

prod: WF 7.6.10 platform Windows,
databases: msSQL2000, msSQL2005, RMS, Oracle, Sybase,IE7
test: WF 7.6.10 on the same platform and databases,IE7

 
Posts: 2387 | Location: Amsterdam, the Netherlands | Registered: December 03, 2006Report This Post
<SomeUsr>
posted
Are you looking to do this with Core FOCUS or WebFOCUS?

I believe what you are looking for is documentation on the FOCUS Host Language Interface (HLI). Have you downloaded the HLI User Manual for your platform from the Tech support site?
 
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Expert
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Unless IBI has changed the pricing structure for FOCUS, HLI is not free.

rb, could you give us some response on the ideas that have been posted here? We are poking around in the dark trying to give you ideas when we are not exactly sure what you are trying to do.


Ginny
---------------------------------
Prod: WF 7.7.01 Dev: WF 7.6.9-11
Admin, MRE,self-service; adapters: Teradata, DB2, Oracle, SQL Server, Essbase, ESRI, FlexEnable, Google
 
Posts: 2723 | Location: Ann Arbor, MI | Registered: April 05, 2006Report This Post
Platinum Member
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rb4u,

I have the same question as FerankDutch. Why do this?

If you truly want/need to convert a *.fex into a stand-alone COBOL program, I can post a bit more guidance as to where in COBOL you'd have to code the major parts of a *.fex process (DEFINEs, COMPUTEs, TABLE FILE, BYs, WHEREs, ON TABLes, STYLEs, etc.)

After 30 years of working with ALGOL, PL/1, Fortran and COBOL I appreciate the ease with which one can code processes in the FOCEXEC language. You must have a very good reason (or a Political/Policy need) to even consider retrofiting back to a COBOL process.

Now that I'm an 'ol f..t, I finally understand what my Dad ment when he said "These young'ens never know how good they got it!"

C. Burtt


WIN/2K running WF 7.6.4
Development via DevStudio 7.6.4, MRE, TextEditor.
Data is Oracle, MS-SQL.
 
Posts: 154 | Location: NY | Registered: October 27, 2005Report This Post
Gold member
posted Hide Post
Wow, do you mean the other way around, Cobol to Focus conversion?

First I heard of this.
 
Posts: 61 | Location: New York City | Registered: July 20, 2006Report This Post
Expert
posted Hide Post
Don't tell me "****" is a word we can't use on the interwebs Smiler


Francis


Give me code, or give me retirement. In FOCUS since 1991

Production: WF 7.7.05M, Dev Studio, BID, MRE, WebSphere, DB2 / Test: WF 8.1.05M, App Studio, BI Portal, Report Caster, jQuery, HighCharts, Apache Tomcat, MS SQL Server
 
Posts: 10577 | Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Registered: April 27, 2005Report This Post
Expert
posted Hide Post
f*rt got censored!


Francis


Give me code, or give me retirement. In FOCUS since 1991

Production: WF 7.7.05M, Dev Studio, BID, MRE, WebSphere, DB2 / Test: WF 8.1.05M, App Studio, BI Portal, Report Caster, jQuery, HighCharts, Apache Tomcat, MS SQL Server
 
Posts: 10577 | Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Registered: April 27, 2005Report This Post
Virtuoso
posted Hide Post
rb4u - Seems to have left the building.

Interesting I learned FOCUS in 1993. I was handed a manual and asked to convert 200 COBAL reports to FOCUS. Can't imagine in 2007 having to go backwards.


In Focus since 1993. WebFOCUS 7.7.03 Win 2003
 
Posts: 1903 | Location: San Antonio | Registered: February 28, 2005Report This Post
Silver Member
posted Hide Post
hi friends
thanks for all your replies
sorry for not replying for your messages i am engaged with some other work.

i like to introduce my self
I am Revathi from India
currently working in mainframe domain

the need for this issue that we have many reports already generated in FOCUS (core), as FOCUS is out of reach for many people , we try to generate those reports using COBOL instead FOCUS.

if you have any suggestion regarding this issue, please guide me.


Focus Core 7.1.1 & 7.6.4
XP
MainFrames
 
Posts: 38 | Registered: November 20, 2007Report This Post
Virtuoso
posted Hide Post
Kind of odd that COBOL would be more "within reach" than FOCUS generated reports. Hmm


Regards,

Darin



In FOCUS since 1991
WF Server: 7.7.04 on Linux and Z/OS, ReportCaster, Self-Service, MRE, Java, Flex
Data: DB2/UDB, Adabas, SQL Server Output: HTML,PDF,EXL2K/07, PS, AHTML, Flex
WF Client: 77 on Linux w/Tomcat
 
Posts: 2298 | Location: Salt Lake City, Utah | Registered: February 02, 2007Report This Post
Virtuoso
posted Hide Post
So you DO have Webfocus 2.1...wow - I don't even know what that does...
When you say out of reach,...you mean to run them...or just recieve them? Seems it would be easier to make a front end for them to run..then convert them to COBOL. Is a WebFocus upgrade out of the question?


In Focus since 1993. WebFOCUS 7.7.03 Win 2003
 
Posts: 1903 | Location: San Antonio | Registered: February 28, 2005Report This Post
Virtuoso
posted Hide Post
BTW, I don't think there ever was a WF version of 2.1. It started in the 3.x range. You would think that's odd, but if you've followed IBI's product numbering schema for many years, it's no surprise at all. Smiler


Regards,

Darin



In FOCUS since 1991
WF Server: 7.7.04 on Linux and Z/OS, ReportCaster, Self-Service, MRE, Java, Flex
Data: DB2/UDB, Adabas, SQL Server Output: HTML,PDF,EXL2K/07, PS, AHTML, Flex
WF Client: 77 on Linux w/Tomcat
 
Posts: 2298 | Location: Salt Lake City, Utah | Registered: February 02, 2007Report This Post
Virtuoso
posted Hide Post
I was thinking that....but you never know.


In Focus since 1993. WebFOCUS 7.7.03 Win 2003
 
Posts: 1903 | Location: San Antonio | Registered: February 28, 2005Report This Post
Virtuoso
posted Hide Post
There is more than only WebFocus created by IBI.
if you search "Software Focus" you will find several, one is used on ibm mainframe systems.




Frank

prod: WF 7.6.10 platform Windows,
databases: msSQL2000, msSQL2005, RMS, Oracle, Sybase,IE7
test: WF 7.6.10 on the same platform and databases,IE7

 
Posts: 2387 | Location: Amsterdam, the Netherlands | Registered: December 03, 2006Report This Post
Guru
posted Hide Post
Okay, I'm not really sure if I'm interpreting this right, but I think he may mean that the developers in his company are Cobol programmers and the company is not going to provide training for these programmers to learn Focus, so it would be easier to convert the Focus programs to Cobol. If I am correct, then man, somebody from IBI need to talk to that company...


WF 8.1.05 Windows
 
Posts: 333 | Location: Orlando, FL | Registered: October 17, 2006Report This Post
Guru
posted Hide Post
P.S. rb4u, tell your company to outsource the conversion to someone like... uhm, ME. hah hah. Or tell your boss to at least pay for one person to get basic training that way, you can have that one person interpret the Focus program into business case that you can then give to the cobol programmers to write.


WF 8.1.05 Windows
 
Posts: 333 | Location: Orlando, FL | Registered: October 17, 2006Report This Post
Silver Member
posted Hide Post
Hi friends
thanks for ur suggestions and guidance

i want to discuss another issue with you all

currently we have the FOCUS version 7.3

we want it to upgrade the version from 7.3 to 7.6

do any one done this upgradation ???

can anyone suggest me with all the upgradation that are possible, not possible, and issues regarding this upgradation!


Focus Core 7.1.1 & 7.6.4
XP
MainFrames
 
Posts: 38 | Registered: November 20, 2007Report This Post
Expert
posted Hide Post
To answer your last question (both parts!)
quote:
can anyone suggest me with all the upgradation that are possible, not possible, and issues regarding this upgradation!

I would suggest that your local IB branch should be able to tell you what upgrade options are possible and also suitable for your current platfrom and configuration. (Z/OS with Unix partition, WebSphere etc. etc. etc.)

They should also be able to supply you with a list of current known problems with the release to which you intend to upgrade.

As for the horror stories, I'm sure if folks have encountered any, you'll soon see them posting.

T



In FOCUS
since 1986
WebFOCUS Server 8.2.01M, thru 8.2.07 on Windows Svr 2008 R2  
WebFOCUS App Studio 8.2.06 standalone on Windows 10 
 
Posts: 5694 | Location: United Kingdom | Registered: April 08, 2004Report This Post
Virtuoso
posted Hide Post
So which version are you REALLY on? FOCUS 7.3 or WF 2.1 (even though there is no 2.1) and if you have WF and/or FOCUS, why are you wanting to convert reports to COBOL? And if you're moving your reports to COBOL, why are you upgrading your FOCUS version?
It's kind of hard to determine what you're asking for here--


Regards,

Darin



In FOCUS since 1991
WF Server: 7.7.04 on Linux and Z/OS, ReportCaster, Self-Service, MRE, Java, Flex
Data: DB2/UDB, Adabas, SQL Server Output: HTML,PDF,EXL2K/07, PS, AHTML, Flex
WF Client: 77 on Linux w/Tomcat
 
Posts: 2298 | Location: Salt Lake City, Utah | Registered: February 02, 2007Report This Post
Expert
posted Hide Post
it appears to me that this request comes from a outsource location itself, an offshore programming contract, where the offshore programmer just contacts the onshore volunteers to do the work. hmm. alot of that going on lately.




In Focus since 1979///7706m/5 ;wintel 2008/64;OAM security; Oracle db, ///MRE/BID
 
Posts: 3811 | Location: Manhattan | Registered: October 28, 2003Report This Post
Virtuoso
posted Hide Post
Time for that head spinning smiley that Susannah has requested before.


In Focus since 1993. WebFOCUS 7.7.03 Win 2003
 
Posts: 1903 | Location: San Antonio | Registered: February 28, 2005Report This Post
Expert
posted Hide Post
lets make one up
lets call it "linda blair"
maybe {LB}




In Focus since 1979///7706m/5 ;wintel 2008/64;OAM security; Oracle db, ///MRE/BID
 
Posts: 3811 | Location: Manhattan | Registered: October 28, 2003Report This Post
Silver Member
posted Hide Post
Hi Darin

Thanks for ur response. As you said Curently we are using the Focus core 7.3, and we want the version upgradation from 7.3 to 7.6.
Friends do anyone had done this version upgradation before..., or else do you have any idea what are the major and minor changes that we face after the upgradation in programming point of view.
i would appreciate if anyone gives me the details regarding this.


Focus Core 7.1.1 & 7.6.4
XP
MainFrames
 
Posts: 38 | Registered: November 20, 2007Report This Post
Expert
posted Hide Post
Contact your local IB support desk, they should be able to tell you of any known problems with this upgrade path.

T



In FOCUS
since 1986
WebFOCUS Server 8.2.01M, thru 8.2.07 on Windows Svr 2008 R2  
WebFOCUS App Studio 8.2.06 standalone on Windows 10 
 
Posts: 5694 | Location: United Kingdom | Registered: April 08, 2004Report This Post
Virtuoso
posted Hide Post
Actually WebFOCUS did start with a 1.0 if I remember correctly. I believe it came out in 1996. I was working for IBI at the time contracted to the US Postal Service. Folks from NY came down to Washington DC to install it at the Postal Service. I never actually touched it and don't know if the USPS ever used it it but I know it was installed there.


Thanks!

Mickey

FOCUS/WebFOCUS 1990 - 2011
 
Posts: 995 | Location: Gaithersburg, MD, USA | Registered: May 07, 2003Report This Post
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