Synthesize a Data Item Using an Internal Function

  1. In the Catalog Explorer, double-click the File Definitions node, then double-click the file definition on which to define the internal function.

    The <file-definition-name> tab is displayed.

  2. Select the data item that forms the first argument for the internal function, then right-click and select Add Function.

    The Add Function dialog box will be displayed:

  3. In the Function field, select the required function.
  4. In the grid, complete the details for each parameter, then click Apply:
    • In the Argument column, select a data item from the FD; or:
    • In the Constant column, enter a constant value.
    Note: If the Optional column contains a tick, the parameter is not required.
  5. Click Save to Catalog.

The new synthesized data item appears in the FD grid with a COBOL name of Func:<FUNCTIONNAME> and a Default Column Name of FunctionName_Of <FirstArgument>. If you are adding multiple internal functions of the same type, be sure edit the Default Column Name to something distinctive so that you can distinguish them later.

Parent topic: Internal Functions