With so many features it is not practical to give you a detailed guide through all of NetCOBOL's features and qualities. For example, you need to experience the reliability of the code for yourself, and the only valid test of a compiler's performance is how fast it executes your code. The guided tours in the following sections therefore aim to give you a quick, get-started overview of COBOL Project Manager, then go into depth in just three of the feature areas, namely debugging, configuration management and OO COBOL.
The guided tours will show you the following functions:
Using COBOL Project Manager
Quick tour, showing how to access and use most of the functions in COBOL Project Manager.
Using a project - opening projects, understanding the project tree, and building trees.
Editing code - invoking the editor, editing free-format COBOL source, and aids to code readability.
Building - building, executing, and setting compile and link options.
Maintaining data files - pointers to, and descriptions of, the data maintenance functions.
Debugging
Preparing for debugging - setting compiler options and building.
Invoking the debugger - options available in setting the debugging environment.
Controlling execution - description of execution control functions and how to access them.
Breaking execution - setting simple breakpoints, breaking on change of data, and breaking on a condition.
Monitoring and changing data values - datatips, watching data, and the detailed data dialog.
Tracing execution path - overview of switching on recording and exploring the execution path.
Using the recording and playback functions - step-by-step instructions for recording and playing back debugging commands or sessions.
Debugging with Visual Basic - walk through a dual language debugging session.
Using the configuration management functions
Overview of PowerGEM structures - context setting for the configuration management environment.
How to set up a PowerGEM library - step-by-step instructions for setting up a PowerGEM library.
Using the configuration management functions from Project Manager - how to check-out and check-in files, the effects of check-out, and overview of other CM functions.
Working with OO COBOL
Brief introduction to OO COBOL - concepts supported and a description of the major constituents of OO COBOL.
Guided tour of an OO COBOL application - an OO COBOL application viewed from the Project Manager, COBOL editor, Project Browser and Class Browser.
