z/OS ISPF Editor: COLS Command
The COLS Command
New programmers tend to struggle to align code in fixed-column languages. The COLS (or COL) command provides a visual guide for aligning code and data. Both a primary and line command, but there are some differences, and we’ll cover those as we dive more. You can also use the COLS command with the BOUNDS and TABS commands. These are more advanced topics, and we will not cover them today.
Reading the column indicator
A common frustration is understaning how to read the column indicators.
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The COLS Primary Command
The COLS primary command displays a column indicator at the top of the data area. There are a few things of note here. First, you cannot interact with it, like you can with a line command. Second, it is sticky and does not scroll with the data. If you want to hide it, you must issue the COLS command in the command line area. RESET will not work.