INSPECT in COBOL

INSPECT reads or rewrites characters in place: count the DOTs, then patch the tape.

IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. INSPECT-TALLYING.
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01 SIGNAL-TAPE  PIC X(20) VALUE "DOT DASH DOT DOT PAD".
01 DOT-COUNT    PIC 99 VALUE 0.
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
*> INSPECT counts or rewrites characters in place.
    INSPECT SIGNAL-TAPE TALLYING DOT-COUNT FOR ALL "DOT"
    DISPLAY "DOT appears " DOT-COUNT " times"
    INSPECT SIGNAL-TAPE REPLACING ALL "PAD" BY "END"
    DISPLAY "Tape now: " SIGNAL-TAPE
    STOP RUN.

How it works

1. TALLYING DOT-COUNT FOR ALL "DOT" counts every occurrence into a field.
2. The count arrives without a loop — one verb scans the whole field.
3. REPLACING ALL "PAD" BY "END" edits the tape where it sits.

Keywords and builtins used here

• DATA
• DISPLAY
• DIVISION
• IDENTIFICATION
• INSPECT
• PROCEDURE
• SECTION
• STOP

The run, in numbers

Lines

13

Characters to type

440

Tokens

53

Three-star pace

40 tpm

At the three-star pace of 40 tokens a minute, this run takes about 80 seconds.

Type this snippet

Step 3 of 3 in Tables & strings, step 21 of 27 in Language basics.

← Previous Next →