VMS Help
COBOL, Run-Time Messages
*Conan The Librarian
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This subset of HP COBOL run-time messages includes those that
require additional explanation.
Error during ACCEPT from default input device
Explanation: The data you entered in response to an ACCEPT WITH
CONVERSION statement, which did not include an ON EXCEPTION phrase,
caused a conversion error. The data in question was not properly
formatted for the data type of the data-item you entered.
User Action: If you want your program to handle incorrectly
formatted data, add an ON EXCEPTION phrase to the ACCEPT statement.
When the ON EXECEPTION phrase executes, your application can take
the necessary corrective action.
File is already open
Explanation: The program attempts to open a file on a file
connector that is already open.
User Action: Verify the program logic. If you expect that some
cases will attempt to open a file connector that is already open,
add a declarative procedure to handle this condition.
argument(s) to FUNCTION ANNUITY out of bounds
Explanation: One or both of these rules were violated:
a. Argument-1 must be greater than or equal to zero.
b. Argument-2 must be positive.
User Action: If this is not the desired result, modify the
source program to ensure a valid argument or avoid the
function with an invalid argument.
Internal consistency check failure
Explanation: The system detects a defect in the COBOL Run-time
Library. Under normal operation, this message should never appear.
User Action: Please report the problem via the normal problem
reporting channels and include an example that reproduces the
problem.
Call failed to find program
Explanation: The program specified in the CALL statement is not
part of the run-unit, and the CALL statement does not include an
ON OVERFLOW or ON EXCEPTION phrase.
User Action: You must take one or more of the following actions:
a. If you think that the program specified in the CALL
statement may not be part of the run-unit, add an
ON OVERFLOW or ON EXCEPTION phrase to the CALL
statement.
If the program named in the error message is part of
the run-unit, check the scope of names rules. The
named program may not be in a scope that is visible
to the calling program.
b. Check to see if the DCL LINK command produced any
undefined symbol warnings. Executing a CALL statement
to a program named in an undefined symbol warning
results in the CALL_FAILED error at run time.
c. Check to see if the object file containing the called
program was properly linked into the run-unit. Specify
/MAP/FULL/CROSS with the LINK command to produce a listing
map that shows the object files and the programs within
the object files that are part of the run-unit.
d. Verify the spelling of the named program.
Cancel failed to find program
Explanation: The program specified in the CANCEL statement is not
part of the run-unit.
User Action: You must take one or more of the following actions:
a. If you think that the program specified in the CANCEL
statement may not be part of the run-unit, add an
ON OVERFLOW phrase to the CANCEL statement.
If the program named in the error message is part of
the run-unit, check the scope of names rules. The
named program may not be in a scope that is visible
to the calling program.
b. Check to see if the DCL LINK command produced any
undefined symbol warnings. Executing a CANCEL
statement to a program named in an undefined symbol
warning results in the CANCEL_FAILED error at run time.
c. Check to see if the object file containing the called
program was properly linked into the run-unit. Specify
/MAP/FULL/CROSS with the LINK command to produce a listing
map that shows the object files and the programs within
the object files that are part of the run-unit.
d. Verify the spelling of the named program.
argument to FUNCTION CHAR out of bounds
Explanation: Function argument must be greater than zero and
less than or equal to the number of positions in the collating
sequence.
User Action: If this is not the desired result, modify the
source program to ensure a valid argument or avoid the
function with an invalid argument.
Unknown error during CLOSE
Explanation: The system produced an error when closing a file.
No more detailed information is available.
User Action: Use the special symbol RMS-CURRENT-STS to see which
RMS error caused the CLOSE statement to fail.
If the RMS condition is common, please submit a problem report
suggesting that a better message be provided. Be sure to include
the value of RMS-CURRENT-STS in your report.
File was closed with lock
Explanation: The program attempted to perform an OPEN statement
on a file that had been closed with a CLOSE WITH LOCK statement.
User Action: Check the program logic. The WITH LOCK phrase
indicates that the specified file connector cannot be used
in a subsequent OPEN statement for the duration of the execution
of the run-unit. The WITH LOCK phrase has no relation to the
ALLOWING NO OTHERS file sharing option.
argument to FUNCTION DATE-OF-INTEGER out of bounds
Explanation: Function argument must be greater than zero.
User Action: If this is not the desired result, modify the
source program to ensure a valid argument or avoid the
function with an invalid argument.
argument to FUNCTION DAY-OF-INTEGER out of bounds
Explanation: Function argument must be greater than zero.
User Action: If this is not the desired result, modify the
source program to ensure a valid argument or avoid the
function with an invalid argument.
Error during DELETE on file
Explanation: The system produced an error when executing a DELETE
statement. No more detailed information is available.
User Action: Use the special symbol RMS-CURRENT-STS to see which
RMS error caused the DELETE statement to fail.
If the RMS condition is common, please submit a problem report
suggesting that a better message be provided. Be sure to include
the value of RMS-CURRENT-STS in your report.
Error during DISPLAY on file
Explanation: This error indicates an unexpected error condition
during the execution of a DISPLAY statement. Under normal
operation, this message should never appear.
User Action: Check to see if there is any external interference
with the display device. For all device types, possible problems
may include a device that is off line or a user who does not have
the necessary privileges to write to a display device. If the
device is a file, possible problems may include a full disk or
disk quota exceeded.
Divide by zero; execution continues
Explanation: The program executed a DIVIDE operation with the
value zero for the divisor, and the statement does not contain an
ON SIZE ERROR clause. Execution continues with undefined results.
User Action: You must take one of the following actions:
a. Check the program logic. If you expect that your program
may attempt to divide by zero, add an ON SIZE ERROR clause
to the DIVIDE statement.
b. If this error occurs in the context of an expression that
cannot include an ON SIZE ERROR clause, such as an IF
statement, evaluate the expression in a DIVIDE or COMPUTE
statement with an ON SIZE ERROR clause, storing the result
in a temporary variable. Use that variable in the expression
context.
argument to FUNCTION FACTORIAL out of bounds
Explanation: Function argument must be in the range of 0
through 33.
User Action: If this is not the desired result, modify the
source program to ensure a valid argument or avoid the
function with an invalid argument.
File attributes not matched
Explanation: The file organization of the file on the disk does not
match the organization specified in the file connector.
User Action: You must take the following actions:
a. Check the program logic, and verify that the file you
specified is the one you intended.
b. Use the DCL command DIRECTORY/FULL to check the file
organization of the file.
File is locked by another program
Explanation: The specified disk file has already been opened by
another file connector, using file sharing options that prohibit
the current program from opening the same file. The program that
successfully opened the file could be part of the same run-unit,
or it could belong to a different person running another program.
User Action: You must take the following actions:
a. Check the program logic, and verify that the file
being opened is the one you intended.
b. If you expect that some cases will attempt to open a
file that is already open, add a declarative procedure
to handle this condition.
c. If the file should be available for sharing, use the
DCL command SHOW DEVICE /FILES to find the process that
has the file open and locked. In a clustered environment,
perform this DCL command on each node in the cluster.
d. Once you have identified the process, use the DCL command
SHOW PROCESS /CONTINUOUS to find the program that is being
executed.
e. Check the program logic and the file sharing options for
the program that has the file locked.
File not found
Explanation: The specified file is not present.
User Action: You must take the following actions:
a. Check the spelling of the filename. If the name looks
correct, examine any logical names that are part of the
name.
b. Use the DCL command DIRECTORY to see if the file exists
and in which directory it is located.
GO TO with no preceding ALTER
Explanation: The program executed a GO TO statement with no target.
An example is a GO TO statement whose target is altered by one or
more ALTER statements, but the program executes the GO TO statement
before executing any of the ALTER statements.
User Action: You must take either of the following actions:
a. Modify the GO TO statement in the source file to include an
initial target.
b. Check the program logic to ensure that the program
executes ALTER statements before it executes the
referenced GO TO statements.
Failed to allocate virtual memory
Explanation: The COBOL Run-time Library attempted to allocate
virtual memory using the HP C routine malloc() or LIB$GET_VM.
The virtual memory allocation failed. Under normal operation,
this message should never appear.
User Action: You must take the following actions:
a. If the program is large, raise the virtual memory
parameters. You can determine the current virtual memory
usage from the "virtual pages" item of the display
from the DCL command SHOW PROCESS/CONTINUOUS.
b. Use the AUTHORIZE utility to check the page file quota
(Pgflquo).
c. Use the SYSGEN utility to check the parameter VIRTUALPAGECNT.
argument to FUNCTION INTEGER-OF-DATE out of bounds
Explanation: Function argument must be an integer of the form
YYYYMMDD. One or more of these rules were violated:
a. YYYY must be greater than 1600 and less than or equal to
9999
b. MM must be in the range of 1 through 12.
c. DD must be in the range of 1 through 31 and valid for
the particular month and year combination.
User Action: If this is not the desired result, modify the
source program to ensure a valid argument or avoid the
function with an invalid argument.
argument to FUNCTION INTEGER-OF-DAY out of bounds
Explanation: Function argument must be an integer of the form
YYYYDDD. One or more of these rules were violated:
a. YYYY must be greater than 1600 and less than or equal to
9999
b. DDD must be in the range of 1 through 366 and valid for
the year specified.
User Action: If this is not the desired result, modify the
source program to ensure a valid argument or avoid the
function with an invalid argument.
Filename is too long or otherwise invalid
Explanation: There is a syntax error in the specified filename, or
the filename is too long.
User Action: Check the spelling of the filename, including any
punctuation characters. For VMS systems, make sure that the file
name, file type, and each piece of the directory specification are
each less than 39 characters long. The total length of the filename
string cannot exceed 255 characters.
Invalid footing specified on file
Explanation: The FOOTING clause in the FD must specify a value
larger than zero and less than the pagesize specified by the LINAGE
clause.
User Action: Check the program logic to ensure that the above
conditions are met.
Invalid external switch value
Explanation: The logical COB$SWITCHES does not specify a valid
list of switches. The logical must translate to a comma-separated
list of numbers from 1 to 16.
User Action: Check the value of logical COB$SWITCHES using the
DCL command SHOW LOGICAL COB$SWITCHES.
argument to one of the following FUNCTIONs is out of bounds:
ACOS, ASIN, LOG, LOG10, SQRT.
Explanation: Function argument must be as follows:
ACOS, ASIN: Function argument must be greater than or
equal to -1 and less than or equal to 1.
LOG, LOG10: Function argument must be greater than 0.
SQRT: Function argument must be greater than or
equal to 0.
User Action: If this is not the desired result, modify the
source program to ensure a valid argument or avoid the
function with an invalid argument.
Invalid decimal data
Explanation: A numeric data-item declared as USAGE IS DISPLAY, or
with an implied declaration of USAGE IS DISPLAY, contains characters
that are not digits or the sign position does not contain a valid sign
representation.
User Action: You must determine how invalid characters are being
stored in the variable. Some possible reasons why this can occur
are as follows:
a. The variable in question is a parameter in a CALL statement
and the called routine treats the variable as an alphanumeric
field.
b. The variable in question participates in a REDEFINES operation
with an alphanumeric variable.
c. The variable is defined as an element of a record, and
alphanumeric data is moved to a group item that contains that
variable.
If the invalid data is caused by numeric data-items that contain
leading blank characters instead of leading zeros, recompile the
program specifying /CONVERT=LEADING_BLANKS.
Open I-O on non-mass storage device
Explanation: The program attempted to execute an OPEN statement for
random or dynamic access on a file that is not a disk file. Non-disk
files cannot perform random access.
User Action: You must take the following actions:
a. Check the program logic, and verify that the file being
opened is the one you intended.
b. Change the access mode to sequential, or move the file to a
disk device.
Attempting to open indexed file whose actual keys do not match
those declared
Explanation: The program specified more keys for a file than had
been defined for that file.
User Action: You must take the following actions:
a. Check that the file being specified is the one you intended.
b. Check the number of keys for the file using the DCL command
DIRECTORY/FULL.
c. Use the CONVERT utility to add key definitions to the file.
Attempting to open indexed file whose actual keys do not match
those declared
Explanation: The program specified different datatype and key
positions than had been defined for that file.
User Action: You must take the following actions:
a. Check that the file being specified is the one you intended.
b. Check the type and position of keys using the DCL command
ANALYZE/RMS.
Record locked by another user; not available
Explanation: The system attempted to perform an operation on a
record that was already locked by another file connector or program.
User Action: You must take the following actions:
a. In a file sharing environment, this condition is expected
to occur from time to time. Add a declarative procedure to
trap this error.
b. If your program does not require sharing that file, remove
the ALLOWING clause from the OPEN statement and the APPLY
LOCK-HOLDING clause in the ENVIRONMENT DIVISION (if present).
Record locked by another user; available
Explanation: While executing a START or READ statement with a
REGARDLESS phrase, the system encountered a locked record. The
record is available in the record area.
User Action: In a file sharing environment, this condition is
expected when using the REGADARDLESS phrase. Add a declarative
procedure to handle this condition.
FUNCTION LOWER-CASE argument length cannot be zero.
Explanation: A group consisting solely of a variable-length
table was used as an argument to LOWER-CASE and its current
lowbound was 0.
User Action: If this is not the desired result, modify the
source program to ensure a valid argument or avoid the
function with an invalid argument.
argument to FUNCTION MOD out of bounds.
Explanation: The second argument to FUNCTION MOD cannot be
zero.
User Action: If this is not the desired result, modify the
source program to ensure a valid argument or avoid the
function with an invalid argument.
Nesting error for PERFORM
Explanation: The last statement the program executed was a PERFORM
statement whose range was exited in an order that violates the rules
for nesting PERFORM statements in COBOL programs. PERFORM statement
ranges must be exited in reverse order from the order in which they
are activated.
User Action: Check the program logic of the PERFORM range nesting
to ensure that the program exits from nested PERFORM ranges in the
reverse order in which they are activated.
No current record, no previous READ
Explanation: The program executed a REWRITE or DELETE statement
for a file in sequential access mode when there was no current
record. The I-O operation immediately before the REWRITE or DELETE
must be a READ statement. This rule applies to indexed files with
duplicate primary keys that are opened in dynamic access mode.
User Action: Check the program logic to ensure that no I-O statement
executes between the READ and REWRITE or DELETE statements.
No next logical record exists
Explanation: The program attempted a sequential READ after the
first such READ failed with an end of file error, or after a failed
START statement.
User Action: Verify the program logic. If you expect that your
program will attempt a sequential READ in one of these situations,
add a declarative procedure to handle this condition.
No file space on device
Explanation: The OPEN statement failed because the device is full.
User Action: You must take the following actions:
a. Verify the device where the file resides.
b. Delete unneeded files to free more space.
File not open, or incompatible open mode
Explanation: The program attempted to execute a READ statement on
a file connector that was not opened, or not opened in the correct
mode.
User Action: You must take the following actions:
a. Verify the program logic, paying particular attention
to the open mode. Consult the description of the valid
open modes for the READ statement, based on file
organization and access mode. Refer to the table under
the OPEN statement in the COBOL Reference Manual for
this information.
b. Verify that the OPEN operation was successful.
File not open, or incompatible open mode
Explanation: The program attempted to execute a REWRITE or a DELETE
statement on a file connector that was not opened, or not opened in
the correct mode.
User Action: You must take the following actions:
a. Verify the program logic, paying particular attention
to the open mode. Consult the description of the valid
open modes for the REWRITE or DELETE statement, based on
file organization and access mode. Refer to the table
under the OPEN statement in the COBOL Reference Manual
for this information.
b. Verify that the OPEN operation was successful.
Previous indexed START or READ did not lock record
Explanation: When your program executes a REWRITE or DELETE statement
for a file in sequential access mode, the current record must be locked.
This message indicates that, for an indexed file, this condition was
not met.
User Action: You must take the following actions:
a. Verify that the previous START or READ statement that
established the current record did not include an
ALLOWING UPDATERS file sharing option. This option does
not lock the record.
b. Check the program logic to ensure that there are no UNLOCK
statements that unlocked the current record.
Previous relative START or READ did not lock record
Explanation: When your program executes a REWRITE or DELETE statement
for a file in sequential access mode, the current record must be locked.
This message indicates that, for a relative file, this condition was
not met.
User Action: You must take the following actions:
a. Verify that the previous START or READ statement that
established the current record did not include an
ALLOWING UPDATERS file sharing option. This option does
not lock the record.
b. Check the program logic to ensure that there are no UNLOCK
statements that unlocked the current record.
Open on unknown or non-mass storage device
Explanation: The specified device is not a valid device.
User Action: You must take the following actions:
a. Check the spelling of the filespec.
b. If the spelling is correct, verify that any logicals used
in the name are properly defined.
c. Use the DCL command DIRECTORY to verify that the device
exists.
File not open, or incompatible open mode
Explanation: The program attempted to execute a CLOSE statement on
a file connector that was not opened, or not opened in the correct
mode.
User Action: You must take the following actions:
a. Verify the program logic, paying particular attention
to the open mode. Consult the description of the valid
open modes for the CLOSE statement, based on file
organization and access mode. Refer to the table under
the OPEN statement in the COBOL Reference Manual for
this information.
b. Verify that the OPEN operation was successful.
c. If you expect that your program may attempt to close
unopened files, add a declarative procedure to handle
this condition.
File not open, or incompatible open mode
Explanation: The program attempted to execute a WRITE statement
on a file connector that was not opened, or not opened in the correct
mode.
User Action: You must take the following actions:
a. Verify the program logic, paying particular attention
to the open mode. Consult the description of the valid
open modes for the WRITE statement, based on file
organization and access mode. Refer to the table under
the OPEN statement in the COBOL Reference Manual for
this information.
b. Verify that the OPEN operation was successful.
argument to FUNCTION NUMVAL or NUMVAL-C is invalid.
Explanation: The argument does not conform to an allowable
format (see Reference Manual for format).
User Action: If this is not the desired result, modify the
source program to ensure a valid argument or avoid the
function with an invalid argument.
Error during OPEN on file
Explanation: The system produced an error when executing an OPEN
statement. No more detailed information is available.
User Action: Use the special symbol RMS-CURRENT-STS to see which
RMS error caused the OPEN statement to fail.
If the RMS condition is common, please submit a problem report
suggesting that a better message be provided. Be sure to include
the value of RMS-CURRENT-STS in your report.
Error during open of multifile tape
Explanation: The system produced an error when attempting to open
a file that is present on a multiple file tape.
User Action: You must take the following actions:
a. Check that the correct tape is in the tape drive.
b. For files opened for input, check that the file indicated
by its position exists on the tape. Use the DCL command
DIRECTORY and count the files that are displayed.
c. For files opened for output, verify that the file position
specified in the APPLY clause makes the file the last one
on the tape and that all previous files exist.
the length of the argument to FUNCTION ORD is not one character
Explanation: Function argument must be one charcter in length.
User Action: If this is not the desired result, modify the
source program to ensure a valid argument or avoid the
function with an invalid argument.
Invalid pagesize specified on file
Explanation: The specified pagesize is zero.
User Action: Change the pagesize to a non-zero value.
Unknown permanent error
Explanation: The system produced an unspecified error during an
I-O operation. Under normal operation, this message should never
appear.
User Action: Use the special symbol RMS-CURRENT-STS to see which
RMS error caused the statement to fail.
Please submit a problem report suggesting that a better message
be provided. Be sure to include the value of RMS-CURRENT-STS in
your report.
argument to FUNCTION PRESENT-VALUE out of bounds.
Explanation: The first argument to FUNCTION PRESENT-VALUE
must be greater than -1.
User Action: If this is not the desired result, modify the
source program to ensure a valid argument or avoid the
function with an invalid argument.
argument to FUNCTION RANDOM out of bounds.
Explanation: The argument to FUNCTION RANDOM must be greater
than or equal to zero.
User Action: If this is not the desired result, modify the
source program to ensure a valid argument or avoid the
function with an invalid argument.
Error during READ on file
Explanation: The system produced an error when attempting to read
from a file. No more detailed information is available.
User Action: Use the special symbol RMS-CURRENT-STS to see which
RMS error caused the read operation to fail.
If the RMS condition is common, please submit a problem report
suggesting that a better message be provided. Be sure to include
the value of RMS-CURRENT-STS in your report.
Recursize activation of PERFORM
Explanation: The program attempted to execute a PERFORM statement
that has the same end paragraph or section as a currently active
PERFORM statement. Recursive activation of PERFORM statements
violates the rules for nesting PERFORM statements in COBOL programs.
PERFORM statements with the same end paragraph or section cannot be
active at the same time.
User Action: Check the program logic of the PERFORM statements to
ensure that the program exits from the first PERFORM statement before
attempting to execute a subsequent PERFORM statement with the same
end paragraph or section.
argument to FUNCTION REM out of bounds.
Explanation: The 2nd argument to FUNCTION REM cannot be zero.
User Action: If this is not the desired result, modify the
source program to ensure a valid argument or avoid the
function with an invalid argument.
FUNCTION REVERSE argument length cannot be zero.
Explanation: A group consisting solely of a variable-length
table was used as an argument to REVERSE and its current
lowbound was 0.
User Action: If this is not the desired result, modify the
source program to ensure a valid argument or avoid the
function with an invalid argument.
Error during REWRITE on file
Explanation: The system produced an error when attempting to
update a file. No more detailed information is available.
User Action: Use the special symbol RMS-CURRENT-STS to see which
RMS error caused the REWRITE statement to fail.
If the RMS condition is common, please submit a problem report
suggesting that a better message be provided. Be sure to include
the value of RMS-CURRENT-STS in your report.
Attempt to rewrite a different record size
Explanation: The record size specified for a REWRITE statement
was less than the minimum or greater than the maximum record size
specified for the file.
User Action: Verify the program logic, paying particular attention
to the variables used in OCCURS DEPENDING ON phrases.
Size of rewritten record changed
Explanation: For a file with sequential file organization, the
REWRITE statement must not change the record size.
User Action: Verify the program logic, paying particular attention
to the variables used in OCCURS DEPENDING ON phrases.
Error during SORT or MERGE on SD
Explanation: The program produced an unknown error during a
sort operation.
User Action: Check the secondary status displayed with the error
message. Consult the VMS documentation on SORT/MERGE for more
information about specific SORT errors.
Error during START
Explanation: The system produced an error while attempting to
execute a START statement. No more detailed information is
available.
User Action: Use the special symbol RMS-CURRENT-STS to see which
RMS error caused the START statement to fail.
If the RMS condition is common, please submit a problem report
suggesting that a better message be provided. Be sure to include
the value of RMS-CURRENT-STS in your report.
SET external switch statement failed
Explanation: The system produced an error when attempting to change
the switch setting. Under normal operation, this error should not
occur.
User Action: Check to see that the logical name tables have not
overflowed. If the problem is reproducible, please submit a problem
report along with sample code demonstrating the problem.
Attempting undefined exponentiations; Execution continues
Explanation: The system produced a size error when attempting to
perform an undefined exponentiation operation whose associated
statement does not include a SIZE ERROR clause.
User Action: Add an ON SIZE ERROR or a NOT ON SIZE ERROR clause to
the statement in your program that causes the error.
Error during UNLOCK
Explanation: The system produced an error while executing an
UNLOCK statement. No more detailed information is available.
User Action: Use the special symbol RMS-CURRENT-STS to see which
RMS error caused in the UNLOCK statement to fail.
If the RMS condition is common, please submit a problem report
suggesting that a better message be provided. Be sure to include
the value of RMS-CURRENT-STS in your report.
UNLOCK on file that is not open
Explanation: The program attemped to execute an UNLOCK statement
on a file connector that was not open.
User Action: Verify the program logic, paying particular attention
to areas where the program opens and closes the specified file
connector.
FUNCTION UPPER-CASE argument length cannot be zero.
Explanation: A group consisting solely of a variable-length
table was used as an argument to UPPER-CASE and its current
lowbound was 0.
User Action: If this is not the desired result, modify the
source program to ensure a valid argument or avoid the
function with an invalid argument.
Error during WRITE
Explanation: The program produced an error while executing a
WRITE statement. No more detailed information is available.
User Action: Use the special symbol RMS-CURRENT-STS to see which
RMS error caused the WRITE statement to fail.
If the RMS condition is common, please submit a problem report
suggesting that a better message be provided. Be sure to include
the value of RMS-CURRENT-STS in your report.
Attempt to write a different record size
Explanation: The program attempted to write a record that was less
than the minimum or greater than the maximum record size specified
for the file.
User Action: Verify the program logic, paying particular attention
to the variables used in DEPENDING ON phrases.