1.1.4.2 "COBOL Language Reference" IBM Library Server

1.1.4.2 Numeric Literals

A numeric literal is a character-string whose characters are selected from the digits 0 through 9, a sign character (+ or -), and the decimal point. If the literal contains no decimal point, it is an integer. (In this manual, the word integer appearing in a format represents a numeric literal of nonzero value that contains no sign and no decimal point; any other restrictions are included with the description of the format.) The following rules apply:

One through 18 digits are allowed.
Only one sign character is allowed. If included, it must be the leftmost character of the literal. If the literal is unsigned, it is a positive value.
Only one decimal point is allowed. If a decimal point is included, it is treated as an assumed decimal point (that is, as not taking up a character position in the literal). The decimal point can appear anywhere within the literal except as the rightmost character.

The value of a numeric literal is the algebraic quantity expressed by the characters in the literal. The size of a numeric literal in standard data format characters is equal to the number of digits specified by the user.

X Numeric literals can be fixed-point or floating-point numbers.

Subtopics:

1.1.4.2.1 Rules for Floating-point Literal Values:

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1.1.4.2 Numeric Literals

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