Preface

This Guide introduces and describes how to use Pro*COBOL Release 8.0 for Windows NT and Windows 95. Specifically, this Guide:

• introduces the Pro*COBOL precompiler
• gives an overview of the Oracle directory structure
• provides installation instructions
• provides information about using the Pro*COBOL programmatic interface under Windows NT and Windows 95

  Additional Information: For general information on using Pro*COBOL under all operating systems, consult the Programmer's Guide to the Oracle Precompilers and the Pro*COBOL Supplement to the Oracle Precompilers Guide.

Audience

This Guide is intended for anyone installing or using Pro*COBOL 8.0 for Windows NT and Windows 95.

Prerequisites

This Guide assumes you:

• can use a COBOL compiler in Windows NT and Windows 95 environments
• are familiar with Windows NT and Windows 95 commands such as deleting and copying files
• have an understanding of the concepts of the search path, configuration files, and directory structure
• are able to use a text editor to make changes to an ASCII text file

Note on Directories and Oracle Home

The installation of Oracle client software establishes the directory structure for your Oracle products. A main directory, referred to as the Oracle Home directory, is created to hold the Oracle subdirectories and files. The default Oracle Home directory is called ORAWIN95 or ORANT. This guide uses ORANT in examples. Substitute the correct Oracle Home directory name to suit your particular situation.

Notational Conventions

Note these typographical conventions when reading this Guide:

Feature	Explanation
All uppercase plain	Indicates command names, SQL reserved words, and keywords as in ALTER DATABASE. All uppercase plain is also used for directory names and file names, such as, ORANT\DATABASE\INITORCL.ORA.
Italic	Indicates a value that you must provide. For example, if a command asks you to type filename, you must type the actual name of the file. Italic is also used for emphasis in the text and to indicate the titles of other manuals.
Horizontal ellipsis . .	Indicate that parts of the statement or command not directly related to the example have been omitted. CHKVAL fieldname value 1 value 2... valueN
Vertical bar |	Represents an \Qor' option between several options. You must enter only one of the options. Do not enter the vertical bar. The set of alternative choices is enclosed by curly braces if one of the items is required, or by square brackets if the item is an optional alternative.
Curly braces {}	Enclose required items. You must choose one of the alternatives. ..DEFINE { macro1 | macro2 }
Square brackets [ ]	Enclose optional items. You can choose one or none of the alternatives. cvtcrt termname [outfile] Square brackets also indicate a function key, for example [Enter].
C:\>	Represents the Windows NT command prompt of the current hard disk drive. Your prompt may differ and may, at times, reflect the subdirectory in which you are working.
Backslash (\) before a directory name	Indicates that the directory is a subdirectory. For example, \DATABASE.
Symbols	Symbols other than brackets and vertical bars must be entered in commands exactly as shown.

How This Guide is Organized

This Guide is composed of the following chapters:

Chapter 1 Introducing Pro*COBOL
Introduces Pro*COBOL for Windows NT and Windows 95 and describes its features.

Chapter 2 Building Pro*COBOL Applications
Explains how to build executable programs.

Related Publications

The following documentation is associated with Pro*COBOL 8.0 for Windows NT and Windows 95:

• PL/SQL User's Guide and Reference
• Programmer's Guide to the Oracle Precompilers
• Pro*COBOL Supplement to the Oracle Precompilers Guide
• Programmer's Guide to the Oracle Call Interfaces

Also see the documentation included with your Micro Focus Software Development Kit (SDK).

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