Learn Introductory Programming With COBOL

Name: Learn Introductory Programming With COBOL
Rating: 4.0 (25 reviews)

Sixty Years And Going Strong

Created byCraig Kaercher

Last updated 5/2021

English

What you'll learn

Learn the introductory concepts of programming using the COBOL language.

Course content

13 sections • 36 lectures • 4h 20m total length

A Few Things About COBOL5:59
This lecture describes COBOL, where it is used, and why it is still a very good language to learn.
What The Course Covers5:39
Learn what this course will cover and what it will not cover.
Setting Up The Test Environment9:01
It is essential to set up your environment so you can start coding. See how to do this. DO NOT GO FURTHER UNTIL YOU GET THE SOFTWARE WORKING!

Variables In A COBOL Program8:26
After completing this lecture you should have an overview of variables and their data types.
The Basics Of How A COBOL Program Is Set Up9:12
COBOL is a very 'structured' language. Learn the main divisions and sections necessary for even a basic COBOL program.
COBOL Variables8:38
All programming languages have variables which are used to store values for use later in the program. See the basic types of variables in COBOL.
Organizing Your Data Division9:53
This is how to set up your DATA Division in an organized manner to make your program easier to maintain.

Comments8:57
Comments are necessary in all programming languages. Basically they are text the compiler ignores but the programmer uses to document how things work in the program. They are a kind of pseudo-code.
COBOL Copylibs2:51
How copylibs work in a COBOL program.
Debugging A COBOL Program9:52
'Debug' is the term used for being able to step through a program line by line, look at variable values, and see where your program went wrong. Again, this is common to all languages and environments.

The DISPLAY Statement9:45
The first thing you want to do is be able to write output to the terminal. In COBOL that is done with a DISPLAY statement. See how it is used in a COBOL program.
Continue Output Using DISPLAY8:36
More examples of the DISPLAY statement and how it is used.
The ACCEPT Statement5:48
The second thing you want to do after being able to write out is the ability to read in. In COBOL, that is done via the ACCEPT statement. This will show you examples of how the ACCEPT works.
Verifying Data Is Numeric4:16
As with all programming languages, if it is expecting a numeric but gets an alpha and tries to use it like a number, it blows up. Rather than blowing up, most other programming languages have a 'try-catch' statement to handle the error rather than blow up. In COBOL you use the redefines and numeric check to accomplish the same thing.

How A Conditional i.e. if/then Works In General And In COBOL10:00
How the conditional, otherwise known as 'if/then', works in a COBOL program.
Nested Conditional Structures8:17
The concept of a 'nested' IF is common in all programming languages. Learn what nesting means, how it is applied, and when it is necessary.
The EVALUATE Statement - A Nicer Form of If/Then6:30
How to use the EVALUATE statement in a COBOL program.

Loops - The Two Kinds And How To Do Them In COBOL4:39
How a loop that executes an indefinite number of times works in COBOL.
Program Example For Indefinite Loops7:03
How A Loop That Executes An Exact Number Of Times Works In COBOL5:49
Describes how a loop that executes an exact number of times, normally called a FOR loop in other programming languages, works in COBOL.
An Example Program Using The FOR Loop Equivalent9:36
This is an example program showing how to do the FOR loop equivalent.

COBOL Tables9:42
A program showing how tables are defined in a COBOL program, how they are like arrays, and how they are used.
COBOL Linear Search5:46
An example of how a COBOL program does a linear search against a table.
COBOL Binary Search0:56
A binary search is a special kind of search normally reserved for searching large tables. If this were a data structure you would probably have to create some algorithm to do it. In COBOL, the binary search is coded in one statement.

Creating An Output Report File From An Input File5:50
This section shows how to create a report in COBOL. It is more advanced than our previous programs with many sections, loops, an input and output file, and report statements. There are a LOT of COBOL reporting programs out there. If you can follow this you are doing well.
Creating The Report Part 29:56
This is a continued explanation of our COBOL report.
Creating The Report Part 39:44
The finale of the COBOL report program now looking at the output file and showing how the COBOL print lines and report lines match up.

Requirements

None. It might be helpful to have some basic coding experience in another language only because I mention differences between them, but it is not necessary to have any coding experience.

Description

This course teaches the basics of programming using the COBOL language. Introductory programming concepts can be shown in practically all programming languages but are rarely done in COBOL. Some people do not consider it a 'modern' language, however COBOL is still being used(I am still using it). The same things that are taught in Python or C in an introductory programming class exist in COBOL and I should know because I have been teaching introductory programming courses in multiple languages for almost twenty years. This class works through the normal progression of programming. First you have to set up the software. Then you write your first 'Hello World' program to show how to print output. After learning how to write out you have to learn how to read in data from the terminal. After being able to read and write, you get into more details and data types. Once you have a clear understanding of that, you go into the common programming structures: if/then, loops, and tables/arrays. Once you understand them, you have to start breaking up your program into sections/functions. This is probably the most important concept in all of beginning programming. COBOL does not have parameters and arguments like other programming languages but I show how COBOL does use the Linkage Sections to accomplish the same thing. The class will then show how COBOL is used on the mainframe, the most common home of COBOL coding. I also give an example of a COBOL report program, which is another very common use for a COBOL program. This will cover everything and introductory class plus some, plus you learn a language that is not commonly taught., Whether you have an interest in programming or just an interest in COBOL, I believe this will be a very informative class.

Who this course is for:

Curious beginner programmers or experienced programmers who would like to learn COBOL.

Learn Introductory Programming With COBOL

What you'll learn

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Course content

Introduction3 lectures • 21min

More On The OpenCOBOL IDE And Running Programs2 lectures • 12min

COBOL Program Structure4 lectures • 36min

Other COBOL Concepts3 lectures • 22min

Basic Input And Output From The Screen4 lectures • 28min

Conditionals i.e. If/Then3 lectures • 25min

Loops - Just Like All Languages There's Only Two Kinds4 lectures • 27min

Tables And Arrays3 lectures • 16min

Breaking Up Code Into Sections / Paragraphs2 lectures • 16min

Working With Files3 lectures • 26min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: