A STRUCTURE field description  statement  defines  a  field  that  is
 divided into one or more subordinate fields.

Additional information available:

Syntax RulesUsage NotesExample

  o  The field name you assign can be up to 31 characters from the set
     A-Z,  0-9,  _,  and $.  The first character must be a letter from
     A-Z, and the last character can not be _ or $.  You can use 8-bit
     alphabetic characters in field names.

  o  If you use an asterisk (*) instead of a field-name, you create an
     unnamed field.

  o  If you do not specify a data type for  the  STRUCTURE,  the  CDDL
     assigns it the UNSPECIFIED data type.

  o  Subordinate  field  description  statements  describe  contiguous
     portions of the field described by the STRUCTURE.

  o  There  must  be  at  least  one  subordinate  field   description
     statement.    A   subordinate  field  can  be  an  elementary,  a
     STRUCTURE, a COPY, or a VARIANTS field.

  o  CDDL accepts the keyword GROUP as a synonym  for  STRUCTURE,  but
     the compiler issues a warning when you use GROUP.

  o  You must terminate the STRUCTURE  and  the  END  statements  with
     periods.

  o  Unnamed fields are similar to FILLER fields in  VAX  COBOL.   You
     can  use  them  to  format print records or to reserve space in a
     record for future additions.

  o  In a STRUCTURE field, you can use  any  field  attribute  clauses
     allowed in an elementary field.  However, if you use the DATATYPE
     field description statement, you cannot create subordinate fields
     that exceed the length of the structure field.

  o  A STRUCTURE field cannot contain the VIRTUAL FIELD datatype.

  o  Although the CDDL compiler accepts data type  specifications  for
     STRUCTURE  fields,  the  feature  can  not  be  supported  by the
     language or language processor you use with the CDD.   Make  sure
     the  definitions  you  store  in the dictionary are valid for the
     processor that will use them.

  o  All fields, except BIT fields, begin on the first byte  following
     the  preceding  field.   BIT  fields begin on the bit immediately
     following the preceding field.   You  can  modify  this  starting
     position with the ALIGNED clause.

 You can nest STRUCTURE field description statements.   The  STRUCTURE
 field  ADDRESS,  for  example,  has  a  subordinate  STRUCTURE field,
 ZIP_CODE.

 ADDRESS STRUCTURE.
     STREET                    DATATYPE IS TEXT
                               SIZE IS 30 CHARACTERS.
     CITY                      DATATYPE IS TEXT
                               SIZE IS 30 CHARACTERS.
     STATE                     DATATYPE IS TEXT
                               SIZE IS 2 CHARACTERS.
     ZIP_CODE STRUCTURE.
         NEW                   DATATYPE IS UNSIGNED NUMERIC
                               SIZE IS 4 DIGITS
                               BLANK WHEN ZERO.
         OLD                   DATATYPE IS UNSIGNED NUMERIC
                               SIZE IS 5 DIGITS.
     END ZIP_CODE STRUCTURE.
 END ADDRESS STRUCTURE.