Sub-commands and Arguments

Common arguments to all sub-commands:

• -q or --quiet Set verbosity level to 0

• -v or --verbose Increase verbosity level

Overview of sub-commands:

check syntax
  Check the syntax of a Cobol file

ebcdic translate
  Convert to or from EBCDIC

env
  Generate commands to set environment variables to use the specified switch

indent file
  Indentation

json vscode
  parse VSODE JSON files or generate package.json

lsp
  run LSP server

pp
  Preprocess a list of COBOL files, generating a preprocessed file with extension .i for each of them

project config
  Print current project configuration in TOML format

project init
  Project initialization

snapshot
  Manage environment snapshots

switch
  Print current switch

switch add
  Add a directory as a switch

switch build
  Configure, build, install GnuCOBOL and add a switch

switch config
  Change the current config

switch env
  Generate commands to set environment variables to use the specified switch

switch import
  Import existing GnuCOBOL installations as switches

switch list
  List known switches

switch set
  Set the current default switch

texi2rst
  build .texi documentation from gnucobol-docs

util detect cycle
  Detect a cycle of lines in a file

util wc
  Stats on file of lines (without taking UTF8 chars into account)

main.exe check syntax

Check the syntax of a Cobol file

DESCRIPTION

USAGE

main.exe check syntax FILE [OPTIONS]

Where options are:

• FILE Cobol file to check

• -D VAR=VAL Define a pre-processor variable VAR, with value VAL

• -I DIR Add DIR to library search path

• --conf CONF_FILE Set the configuration file to be used

• --dialect DIALECT or --std DIALECT Set the dialect to bu used (overriden by –conf if used)

• --ext EXT Add EXT as a filename extension for copybook resolution (default: cpy cbx)

• --free Shorthand for –source-format FREE

• --recovery BOOL Enable/disable parser recovery after syntax errors (default: true)

• --silence STRING Silence specific messages

• --source-format SOURCE_FORMAT Set the format of source code; allowed values are: { FIXED (the default), FREE}

Overrides format from configuration file if present.

main.exe ebcdic translate

Convert to or from EBCDIC

DESCRIPTION

This command translates to or from EBCDIC and ASCII.

USAGE

main.exe ebcdic translate EBCDIC-FILE [OPTIONS]

Where options are:

• EBCDIC-FILE File in EBCDIC format (source or target)

• --colseq FILE Collating sequence file to read from GnuCOBOL

• --from-ascii ASCII-FILE File in ASCII format to translate

• --to-ascii ASCII-FILE File in ASCII format to generate

main.exe env

Generate commands to set environment variables to use the specified switch

DESCRIPTION

This command generates a list of command to set environment variables for an existing switch.

It is usually used as:

# eval $(superbol env)
# cobc --version

The –switch SWITCH option can be used to choose a different switch from the default one. SWITCH should match a sub-string of a switch name. –last can be used to select the most recent switch.

The –global option can be used to generate a file $HOME/.config/superbol/env that can be loaded from shell init scripts, using a symlink to point PATH and LD_LIBRARY_PATH to the current switch at any time. Changing the current switch will then automatically redirect cobc to that new switch.

ABOUT SWITCHES

Switches are used to easily handle multiple GnuCOBOL installations. The section [switches] in the user configuration file $HOME/.config/superbol/config.toml contains several variables:

• • ‘dir’

  The directory where installations should be performed, and switches imported from.

• • ‘current’

  The current switch name to use by default

• • ‘list’

  The list of known switches, with the corresponding installation directory

• • ‘num’

  A counter used to name switches

Switches can be created, imported and used using the following commands:

• superbol env [SWITCH] [–last] [–global] Output a list of shell commands to set the environment variables to use a specific switch

• superbol import [DIRS] [–clear] [–no-set] Scan directories to detect GnuCOBOL installations, and created associated switches

• superbol add DIR [–switch SWITCH] [–no-set] Add a specific GnuCOBOL installation directory as a switch

• superbol build [DIR] [–sudo] [–switch SWITCH] [–no-set] From inside GnuCOBOL sources, configure, build and install and add the corresponding switch

• superbol list List known switches

• superbol set [SWITCH] [–last] Set the current default switch

USAGE

main.exe env SWITCH [OPTIONS]

Where options are:

• SWITCH Switch to use, instead of current

• --global Use global configuration for default switch

• --last Use the latest imported switch

main.exe indent file

Indentation

DESCRIPTION

USAGE

main.exe indent file FILES [OPTIONS]

Where options are:

• FILES Cobol files to indent

• -D VAR=VAL Define a pre-processor variable VAR, with value VAL

• -I DIR Add DIR to library search path

• --conf CONF_FILE Set the configuration file to be used

• --dialect DIALECT or --std DIALECT Set the dialect to bu used (overriden by –conf if used)

• --ext EXT Add EXT as a filename extension for copybook resolution (default: cpy cbx)

• --free Shorthand for –source-format FREE

• --gen-config Generate a config file .superbol-indent in this directory

• --inplace Modify files in place

• --intext For numeric, indentation size is relative to area A

• --lines LINE-LINE Indent only lines between these lines

• --numeric Output indentation size at the beginning of each line

• --recovery BOOL Enable/disable parser recovery after syntax errors (default: true)

• --silence STRING Silence specific messages

• --source-format SOURCE_FORMAT Set the format of source code; allowed values are: { FIXED (the default), FREE}

Overrides format from configuration file if present.

• --suffix EXT Set an extension for the file being generated

main.exe json vscode

parse VSODE JSON files or generate package.json

DESCRIPTION

USAGE

main.exe json vscode FILES [OPTIONS]

Where options are:

• FILES JSON Files to parse

• --gen FILE Generate FILE from current configuration

• --grammar Parse files as syntaxes/*.json files

• --language Parse files as language/configuration *.json files

• --manifest Parse files as package.json files

• --snippets Parse files as snippets/*.json files

• --tasks Parse files as .vscode/tasks.json files

main.exe lsp

run LSP server

DESCRIPTION

Start a COBOL LSP server

USAGE

main.exe lsp [OPTIONS]

Where options are:

• --caching Enable caching (enabled by default)

• --force-syntax-diagnostics Force reporting of syntax error and hint diagnostics for dialects other than COBOL85 (for which they are always enabled)

• --no-caching Disable caching (enabled by default)

• --storage-directory DIR Directory under which to store cache data — prevents the creation of a “_superbol” storage directory at the root of project trees.

main.exe pp

Preprocess a list of COBOL files, generating a preprocessed file with extension .i for each of them

DESCRIPTION

USAGE

main.exe pp FILE [OPTIONS]

Where options are:

• FILE Cobol file to preprocess

• -D VAR=VAL Define a pre-processor variable VAR, with value VAL

• -I DIR Add DIR to library search path

• --check If true, check the output (implies –parse)

• --cobc Activate cobc specific features

• --conf CONF_FILE Set the configuration file to be used

• --dialect DIALECT or --std DIALECT Set the dialect to bu used (overriden by –conf if used)

• --ext EXT Add EXT as a filename extension for copybook resolution (default: cpy cbx)

• --free Shorthand for –source-format FREE

• --output FILE or -o FILE Output File (use ‘-’ for stdout)

• --parse If true, parse the generated cobol before printing

• --recovery BOOL Enable/disable parser recovery after syntax errors (default: true)

• --silence STRING Silence specific messages

• --source-format SOURCE_FORMAT Set the format of source code; allowed values are: { FIXED (the default), FREE}

Overrides format from configuration file if present.

main.exe project config

Print current project configuration in TOML format

DESCRIPTION

This command prints the current project configuration.

USAGE

main.exe project config DIR [OPTIONS]

Where options are:

• DIR Project directory

main.exe project init

Project initialization

DESCRIPTION

This command initializes a default project in a given directory (or the current directory if not provided).

USAGE

main.exe project init DIR [OPTIONS]

Where options are:

• DIR Project directory

main.exe snapshot

Manage environment snapshots

DESCRIPTION

This command can be used to snapshot the environment when a command is called, typically in a test script, to be able to run this command in the same environment from outside the script.

A snapshot typically contains:

• • cmd

  The command to run with its arguments

• • pwd

  The directory where the command should be run

• • env

  The environment variables for the command

Snapshots are stored in $HOME/.config/superbol/snapshots.

SNAPSHOT CREATION

To snapshot a command, use:

# mname tname --save SNAP_ID -- cmd args

The previous command will create a snapshot SNAP_ID, and then run the command cmd args.

You can use –quit if you don’t want to run the command at all (the command will exit with status 2)

SNAPSHOT USAGE

To run a command in a previously created snapshot, use:

# mname tname --load SNAP_ID -- cmd args

The previous command will load the snapshot SNAP_ID, go to its directory, set the environment and then run the command cmd args.

If cmd args is empty, then the snapshot command is run.

The argument –no-cd can be used to run the command in the current directory.

The argument –env VAR=VALUE can be used to add an extra variable to the environment, after the one set by the snapshot.

If a cmd args is provided, the following special items are substituted:

• • __

  is replaced by all the arguments (including the command) from the snapshot

• • _0

  is replaced by the command from the snapshot

• • _1

  is replaced by all the arguments (excluding the commnad) from the snapshot

For example:

# mname tname --load ID -- gdb _0 --args __

will run the command inside gdb with its arguments as provided by the snapshot.

USAGE

main.exe snapshot ARGS [OPTIONS]

Where options are:

• ARGS Command line arguments

• --env VAR=VALUE Set a variable in the environment

• --load ID Load snapshot ID

• --no-cd Do not change directory to run the command

• --quit Do not run the command, just exit

• --save ID Create snapshot ID from state

main.exe switch

Print current switch

DESCRIPTION

This command prints the current default switch.

ABOUT SWITCHES

Switches are used to easily handle multiple GnuCOBOL installations. The section [switches] in the user configuration file $HOME/.config/superbol/config.toml contains several variables:

• • ‘dir’

  The directory where installations should be performed, and switches imported from.

• • ‘current’

  The current switch name to use by default

• • ‘list’

  The list of known switches, with the corresponding installation directory

• • ‘num’

  A counter used to name switches

Switches can be created, imported and used using the following commands:

• superbol env [SWITCH] [–last] [–global] Output a list of shell commands to set the environment variables to use a specific switch

• superbol import [DIRS] [–clear] [–no-set] Scan directories to detect GnuCOBOL installations, and created associated switches

• superbol add DIR [–switch SWITCH] [–no-set] Add a specific GnuCOBOL installation directory as a switch

• superbol build [DIR] [–sudo] [–switch SWITCH] [–no-set] From inside GnuCOBOL sources, configure, build and install and add the corresponding switch

• superbol list List known switches

• superbol set [SWITCH] [–last] Set the current default switch

USAGE

main.exe switch [OPTIONS]

Where options are:

main.exe switch add

Add a directory as a switch

DESCRIPTION

This command adds a new known switch.

ABOUT SWITCHES

Switches are used to easily handle multiple GnuCOBOL installations. The section [switches] in the user configuration file $HOME/.config/superbol/config.toml contains several variables:

• • ‘dir’

  The directory where installations should be performed, and switches imported from.

• • ‘current’

  The current switch name to use by default

• • ‘list’

  The list of known switches, with the corresponding installation directory

• • ‘num’

  A counter used to name switches

Switches can be created, imported and used using the following commands:

• superbol env [SWITCH] [–last] [–global] Output a list of shell commands to set the environment variables to use a specific switch

• superbol import [DIRS] [–clear] [–no-set] Scan directories to detect GnuCOBOL installations, and created associated switches

• superbol add DIR [–switch SWITCH] [–no-set] Add a specific GnuCOBOL installation directory as a switch

• superbol build [DIR] [–sudo] [–switch SWITCH] [–no-set] From inside GnuCOBOL sources, configure, build and install and add the corresponding switch

• superbol list List known switches

• superbol set [SWITCH] [–last] Set the current default switch

USAGE

main.exe switch add DIR [OPTIONS]

Where options are:

• DIR Directory to add

• --no-set Do not set this directory as the current one

• --switch SWITCH Name of switch to add

main.exe switch build

Configure, build, install GnuCOBOL and add a switch

DESCRIPTION

This command will build and install GnuCOBOL and add the corresponding switch. If DIR is specified, the installation directory will be created inside, otherwise the dir user option will be used. The name of the directory and the switch names are generated automatically from the GIT configuration. If –switch SWITCH is provided, it will be used for the switch name. The –sudo option will decide if installation should be performed with sudo. If the installation is successful, the switch is created and automatically set as the default switch, unless –no-set is specified.

ABOUT SWITCHES

Switches are used to easily handle multiple GnuCOBOL installations. The section [switches] in the user configuration file $HOME/.config/superbol/config.toml contains several variables:

• • ‘dir’

  The directory where installations should be performed, and switches imported from.

• • ‘current’

  The current switch name to use by default

• • ‘list’

  The list of known switches, with the corresponding installation directory

• • ‘num’

  A counter used to name switches

Switches can be created, imported and used using the following commands:

• superbol env [SWITCH] [–last] [–global] Output a list of shell commands to set the environment variables to use a specific switch

• superbol import [DIRS] [–clear] [–no-set] Scan directories to detect GnuCOBOL installations, and created associated switches

• superbol add DIR [–switch SWITCH] [–no-set] Add a specific GnuCOBOL installation directory as a switch

• superbol build [DIR] [–sudo] [–switch SWITCH] [–no-set] From inside GnuCOBOL sources, configure, build and install and add the corresponding switch

• superbol list List known switches

• superbol set [SWITCH] [–last] Set the current default switch

USAGE

main.exe switch build DIR [OPTIONS]

Where options are:

• DIR Directory where GnuCOBOL should be installed

• --branch BRANCH Branch name to use instead of git branch (the auto-detected name from git will be 3.x-$DATE-$COMMIT)

• --no-set Do not set this directory as the current one

• --sudo Use sudo for ‘make install’

• --switch SWITCH Name of switch to add

main.exe switch config

Change the current config

DESCRIPTION

This command sets the current default switch.

ABOUT SWITCHES

Switches are used to easily handle multiple GnuCOBOL installations. The section [switches] in the user configuration file $HOME/.config/superbol/config.toml contains several variables:

• • ‘dir’

  The directory where installations should be performed, and switches imported from.

• • ‘current’

  The current switch name to use by default

• • ‘list’

  The list of known switches, with the corresponding installation directory

• • ‘num’

  A counter used to name switches

Switches can be created, imported and used using the following commands:

• superbol env [SWITCH] [–last] [–global] Output a list of shell commands to set the environment variables to use a specific switch

• superbol import [DIRS] [–clear] [–no-set] Scan directories to detect GnuCOBOL installations, and created associated switches

• superbol add DIR [–switch SWITCH] [–no-set] Add a specific GnuCOBOL installation directory as a switch

• superbol build [DIR] [–sudo] [–switch SWITCH] [–no-set] From inside GnuCOBOL sources, configure, build and install and add the corresponding switch

• superbol list List known switches

• superbol set [SWITCH] [–last] Set the current default switch

USAGE

main.exe switch config [OPTIONS]

Where options are:

• --compiler-coverage BOOL Set compiler coverage

• --set-last Use the latest imported switch

• --set-switch SWITCH Switch to use

main.exe switch env

Generate commands to set environment variables to use the specified switch

DESCRIPTION

This command generates a list of command to set environment variables for an existing switch.

It is usually used as:

# eval $(superbol env)
# cobc --version

The –switch SWITCH option can be used to choose a different switch from the default one. SWITCH should match a sub-string of a switch name. –last can be used to select the most recent switch.

The –global option can be used to generate a file $HOME/.config/superbol/env that can be loaded from shell init scripts, using a symlink to point PATH and LD_LIBRARY_PATH to the current switch at any time. Changing the current switch will then automatically redirect cobc to that new switch.

ABOUT SWITCHES

Switches are used to easily handle multiple GnuCOBOL installations. The section [switches] in the user configuration file $HOME/.config/superbol/config.toml contains several variables:

• • ‘dir’

  The directory where installations should be performed, and switches imported from.

• • ‘current’

  The current switch name to use by default

• • ‘list’

  The list of known switches, with the corresponding installation directory

• • ‘num’

  A counter used to name switches

Switches can be created, imported and used using the following commands:

• superbol env [SWITCH] [–last] [–global] Output a list of shell commands to set the environment variables to use a specific switch

• superbol import [DIRS] [–clear] [–no-set] Scan directories to detect GnuCOBOL installations, and created associated switches

• superbol add DIR [–switch SWITCH] [–no-set] Add a specific GnuCOBOL installation directory as a switch

• superbol build [DIR] [–sudo] [–switch SWITCH] [–no-set] From inside GnuCOBOL sources, configure, build and install and add the corresponding switch

• superbol list List known switches

• superbol set [SWITCH] [–last] Set the current default switch

USAGE

main.exe switch env SWITCH [OPTIONS]

Where options are:

• SWITCH Switch to use, instead of current

• --global Use global configuration for default switch

• --last Use the latest imported switch

main.exe switch import

Import existing GnuCOBOL installations as switches

DESCRIPTION

This command will scan the directories, looking for gnucobol-* folders with GnuCOBOL installed, and add them as switches. With no argument, it scans the default installation directory.

ABOUT SWITCHES

Switches are used to easily handle multiple GnuCOBOL installations. The section [switches] in the user configuration file $HOME/.config/superbol/config.toml contains several variables:

• • ‘dir’

  The directory where installations should be performed, and switches imported from.

• • ‘current’

  The current switch name to use by default

• • ‘list’

  The list of known switches, with the corresponding installation directory

• • ‘num’

  A counter used to name switches

Switches can be created, imported and used using the following commands:

• superbol env [SWITCH] [–last] [–global] Output a list of shell commands to set the environment variables to use a specific switch

• superbol import [DIRS] [–clear] [–no-set] Scan directories to detect GnuCOBOL installations, and created associated switches

• superbol add DIR [–switch SWITCH] [–no-set] Add a specific GnuCOBOL installation directory as a switch

• superbol build [DIR] [–sudo] [–switch SWITCH] [–no-set] From inside GnuCOBOL sources, configure, build and install and add the corresponding switch

• superbol list List known switches

• superbol set [SWITCH] [–last] Set the current default switch

USAGE

main.exe switch import DIRS [OPTIONS]

Where options are:

• DIRS Directories to scan

• --clear Clear the list before importing

• --no-set Do not set the last imported directory as the current one

main.exe switch list

List known switches

DESCRIPTION

This command list existing switches.

ABOUT SWITCHES

Switches are used to easily handle multiple GnuCOBOL installations. The section [switches] in the user configuration file $HOME/.config/superbol/config.toml contains several variables:

• • ‘dir’

  The directory where installations should be performed, and switches imported from.

• • ‘current’

  The current switch name to use by default

• • ‘list’

  The list of known switches, with the corresponding installation directory

• • ‘num’

  A counter used to name switches

Switches can be created, imported and used using the following commands:

• superbol env [SWITCH] [–last] [–global] Output a list of shell commands to set the environment variables to use a specific switch

• superbol import [DIRS] [–clear] [–no-set] Scan directories to detect GnuCOBOL installations, and created associated switches

• superbol add DIR [–switch SWITCH] [–no-set] Add a specific GnuCOBOL installation directory as a switch

• superbol build [DIR] [–sudo] [–switch SWITCH] [–no-set] From inside GnuCOBOL sources, configure, build and install and add the corresponding switch

• superbol list List known switches

• superbol set [SWITCH] [–last] Set the current default switch

USAGE

main.exe switch list [OPTIONS]

Where options are:

main.exe switch set

Set the current default switch

DESCRIPTION

This command sets the current default switch.

ABOUT SWITCHES

Switches are used to easily handle multiple GnuCOBOL installations. The section [switches] in the user configuration file $HOME/.config/superbol/config.toml contains several variables:

• • ‘dir’

  The directory where installations should be performed, and switches imported from.

• • ‘current’

  The current switch name to use by default

• • ‘list’

  The list of known switches, with the corresponding installation directory

• • ‘num’

  A counter used to name switches

Switches can be created, imported and used using the following commands:

• superbol env [SWITCH] [–last] [–global] Output a list of shell commands to set the environment variables to use a specific switch

• superbol import [DIRS] [–clear] [–no-set] Scan directories to detect GnuCOBOL installations, and created associated switches

• superbol add DIR [–switch SWITCH] [–no-set] Add a specific GnuCOBOL installation directory as a switch

• superbol build [DIR] [–sudo] [–switch SWITCH] [–no-set] From inside GnuCOBOL sources, configure, build and install and add the corresponding switch

• superbol list List known switches

• superbol set [SWITCH] [–last] Set the current default switch

USAGE

main.exe switch set SWITCH [OPTIONS]

Where options are:

• SWITCH Switch to use

• --last Use the latest imported switch

main.exe texi2rst

build .texi documentation from gnucobol-docs

DESCRIPTION

Build .texi documentation from gnucobol-docs.

USAGE

main.exe texi2rst FILE [OPTIONS]

Where options are:

• FILE .texi file

• -I DIR Add to lookup path for files

• -o DIR Target directory for RST generation

main.exe util detect cycle

Detect a cycle of lines in a file

DESCRIPTION

This command will take a file of lines and detect cycles in the lines, and simplify them.

ABOUT UTILS

This is a list of small sub-commands that may be useful from time to time.

USAGE

main.exe util detect cycle FILES [OPTIONS]

Where options are:

• FILES Files to unrec

main.exe util wc

Stats on file of lines (without taking UTF8 chars into account)

DESCRIPTION

This command will print different statistics on a file of lines. Contrarily to wc, it will not take into account UTF8 chars for the max line length.

ABOUT UTILS

This is a list of small sub-commands that may be useful from time to time.

USAGE

main.exe util wc FILES [OPTIONS]

Where options are:

• FILES Files to wc