How to treat the first line of a file differently in COBOL?

Question

In COBOL i want to read a line sequential file. The first line occurs one time. The second and the thirth line can be repeated multiple (unknown) times. I really don't know how to do it.

I think the file description is something like this:

01 DBGEGEVENS            PIC X(200).
01 PROJECT. (occurs unknown times)
   03 PROJECTCODE        PIC X(10).
   03 CSVPAD             PIC X(200).

Answer 1

It depends on the file format

Do you want a VB file format ???? then

   FILE-CONTROL.
       SELECT In-File ASSIGN .....
   DATA             DIVISION.
   FILE             SECTION.
   FD  Comp-File.
    01  DBGEGEVENS            PIC X(200).
    01  PROJECT. 
        03 PROJECTCODE        PIC X(10).
        03 CSVPAD             PIC X(200).

with

    Read In-File
    Read In-File
    Read In-File

You would use DBGEGEVENS for the first record and project for secon or subsquent records

For Fixed width file format

   FILE-CONTROL.
       SELECT Comp-File ASSIGN .....
   DATA             DIVISION.
   FILE             SECTION.
   FD  Comp-File.
   01  input-record.

   WORKING-STORAGE  SECTION.
    01  DBGEGEVENS            PIC X(200).
    01  PROJECT. 
        03 PROJECTCODE        PIC X(10).
        03 CSVPAD             PIC X(200).

with

    Read In-File into DBGEGEVENS
    Read In-File into PROJECT.
    Read In-File into PROJECT.

Either should work, depending on which file format you use