i'm new at programming in COBOL so I tried to make a sample calculator, but I couldn't make it work. The calc enter in an infinite loop and I didn't find the reason, I even tried to copy a similar code and didn't work. So, is it a OpenCobolIDE problem or it's the code?
Code:
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. Loops.
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
77 WSS-FIRSTOP PIC S9(05)V9(04).
77 WSS-SECONDOP PIC S9(05)V9(04).
77 WSS-RESULT PIC S9(10)V9(04).
77 WSS-OPERATOR PIC A(01).
77 WSS-CHOICE PIC X(01).
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
LOOP SECTION.
PERFORM 0001-STARTCALC UNTIL WSS-CHOICE = 2.
STOP RUN.
STARTING SECTION.
0001-STARTCALC.
DISPLAY "1.- CALCULATOR, 2.- EXIT".
DISPLAY "ENTER:", ACCEPT WSS-CHOICE.
IF WSS-CHOICE = 1
PERFORM 0002-DATAREQUEST
PERFORM 0003-OPERATIONS
ELSE IF WSS-CHOICE = 2
STOP RUN
ELSE
DISPLAY "ERROR. INVALID OPTION.".
0002-DATAREQUEST.
CHOICE SECTION.
DISPLAY "CALCULATOR 1.0".
DISPLAY "ENTER 1ST OPERATOR:".
ACCEPT WSS-FIRSTOP.
DISPLAY "ENTER 2ND OPERATOR".
ACCEPT WSS-SECONDOP.
DISPLAY "CHOOSE OPERATION TO PERFORM:".
DISPLAY "A: ADD, S: SUBTRACT, M: MULTIPLY, D: DIVISION".
ACCEPT WSS-OPERATOR.
0003-OPERATIONS.
OPERATIONS SECTION.
IF WSS-OPERATOR = "A"
ADD WSS-FIRSTOP TO WSS-SECONDOP GIVING WSS-RESULT
DISPLAY "ADDITION RESULT: ", WSS-RESULT
ELSE IF WSS-OPERATOR = "S"
SUBTRACT WSS-FIRSTOP FROM WSS-SECONDOP GIVING WSS-RESULT
DISPLAY "SUBTRACTING RESULT: ", WSS-RESULT
ELSE IF WSS-OPERATOR = "M"
MULTIPLY WSS-FIRSTOP BY WSS-SECONDOP GIVING WSS-RESULT
DISPLAY "MULTIPLYING RESULT: ", WSS-RESULT
ELSE IF WSS-OPERATOR = "D"
DIVIDE WSS-SECONDOP INTO WSS-FIRSTOP GIVING WSS-RESULT
DISPLAY "DIVIDING RESULT: ", WSS-RESULT
ELSE
DISPLAY "INVALID OPERATOR. CHECK".
The calc enter in an infinite loop [...], is it a OpenCobolIDE problem or it's the code?
I think it is both. The main reason for an infinite loop that may happens without any display is very likely that OCIDE does not have an appropriate terminal. Running the same on a separate terminal should lead at least to an display + accept before you get to the loop. If I remember correctly there are options in OCIDE's preferences to adjust the way the terminal behaves.
The reason that the code "looks" like an infinite loop is (as @bruce-martin mentioned) the wrong use of paragraphs and sections. If you want to keep both, you need to place the section headers before a paragraph as the paragraph ends if either a new paragraph is defined or a section is defined.
Note: The use of sections and paragraphs is often company-/team-defined: if it isn't (as in any programming language) and you edit an existing program: use whatever the old code does - for new code: do as you like. (My personal preference is to only use paragraphs when I want to GOTO them and to always use EXIT SECTION to leave a section instead of a GOTO mysec-end)
To solve possible issues: use either literals '1' or a numeric WSS-CHOICE PIC 9 [for a terminal i/o I'd always prefer alphanumic + literal]. As you've mentioned you're looking at COBOL the first time: definitely check out EVALUATE WSS-OPERATOR.