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Q: How to use CONTINUE statement?
Answer:
CONTINUE is a no-operation placeholder. Useful in EVALUATE when certain conditions need no action: WHEN 'X' CONTINUE. In IF: IF condition CONTINUE ELSE action. Maintains structure without dummy statements. Not a GOTO target.
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Q: What is the difference between COND and IF/THEN/ELSE?
Answer:
COND tests return codes to skip steps (negative logic - skips IF true). IF/THEN/ELSE tests conditions to execute steps (positive logic). IF supports complex expressions, COND is simpler but confusing. IF preferred for readability. COND on JOB affects all steps; on EXEC affects that step.
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Q: Explain PERFORM VARYING with example
Answer:
PERFORM VARYING executes a paragraph while incrementing a counter. Syntax: PERFORM para-name VARYING WS-IDX FROM 1 BY 1 UNTIL WS-IDX > 10. The counter is initialized, tested, and incremented automatically. Can have nested VARYING with AFTER clause.
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Q: What is EVALUATE statement and when to use it?
Answer:
EVALUATE is COBOL's case/switch construct. Syntax: EVALUATE TRUE WHEN condition-1 statement WHEN OTHER default END-EVALUATE. More readable than nested IF for multiple conditions. Can evaluate multiple subjects and use THRU for ranges.