XML in Cobol

[Bojan Nemec]

Hi,

Is there any software, library or maybe preprocessor or a combination which helps to read/parse XML in Cobol?
I already know about Apache Xerces and Xalan, eXpat but all of these are C or C++ based. So I post this thread before begin to write a Cobol wraper arround one of this products.

Bojan

[David B Sneddon]

Bojan,

We don't use COBOL but do something similar with
BASIC. We had to write wrapper routines in
a combination of BASIC and C. We are using
LIBXML. I don't think you will find any "native"
COBOL software to do this.

Regards
Dave

[Wim Van den Wyngaert]

Check this
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=nl&lr=&ie=UTF-8&threadm=3BFE3D4F.F26319EC%40raincode.com&rnum=2&prev=/groups%3Fnum%3D100%26hl%3Dnl%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26q%3Dcobol%2Bvms%2Bxml

[Kris Clippeleyr]

Bojan,

Take a look at
http://xml4cobol.com/
http://www.xmlbooster.com/

Maybe there you'll find what you're looking for.

Kris

[Antoniov.]

Bojan,
look at here for xml parser over vms http://www.openvms.org/stories.php?story=02/11/17/4219964

In vms cobol access to data is same of other languages; only asciz are different. I use a simple routine to convert asciz string (C/C++) to fixed len string (Cobol) and viceversa.

Antonio Vigliotti

[Willem Grooters]

Bojan,

IIRC there is a package called CXM on the e-business CD (that comes with VMS). This package contains a number of routines for accessing XML mesaages (that is: creating from, and reading into local variables). We use these routines extensively in our communications with external systems.

Willem

[Bojan Nemec]

Willem,

I searched both of the e-business CDs (version 1.5) and I could not find the CXM package. I found only the previous mentioned Apache Xerces and Xalan.

Bojan

[Wim Van den Wyngaert]

Isn't it strange that a search for CXM in hp.com doesn't return anything ?

Wim

[Bojan Nemec]

Thanks for yours replies. I see that the only possible solution is write a wrapper arround one of the products. Probably this will be the eXpat (it is the simpliest and smallest, I have also an operating system version problem - it must work on 6.2).

Willem,

Can you give me a hint where to find the package you mentioned. I will be glad to see this product before I start to write the wraper.

Bojan

[David B Sneddon · Accepted solution]

Bojan,

You might want to consider libxml over expat.
I believe libxml is a validating parser whereas
expat is not -- using a validating parser will
make processing a little easier.

Dave

[Bojan Nemec]

David,

I try to compile libxml2-2.6.13 but I was not succesful. I am stucked with a Jurassic version of C (and I can not upgrade) V4.1. The libxml2 needs almost 5.7 because of long names.

For now a nonvalidating parser will be enough.

Bojan

[Peter Prager]

A fully functional XML handler bidirectional subprogram in native COBOL or C can be created using XML Thunder. Visual design and 100% code generation - free download with fully functional software at http://www.xmlthunder.com.

[Bojan Nemec]

Peter,

Thanks for yours reply, but I have implemented a simple DOM interface using eXpat and VMS descriptors to simplify the programers interface.

Thread closed.

Bojan