Structure

A screen description entry is similar to a data description entry. Just as a record's data description typically consists of:

• a level number
• a data-name
• a Picture Clause

so a screen description entry typically consists of:

• a level number
• a screen-name
• a Picture Clause

Because the programmer decides how many fields to group together, the screen-name may not actually refer to a full screen of data items. It might refer to a single field, a few fields, or an entire screen. In any case, each group or subgroup must be given a screen-name.

To place a screen or form on the terminal and receive data into that form, you need two different COBOL statements. The literals in a screen description entry are displayed by a DISPLAY Statement.

These are the prompting words that guide the end user. The information entered into the data items is accepted from the keyboard by an ACCEPT Statement. So, first you DISPLAY the screen, and then you ACCEPT the end user's entries for that screen.