Build tools: make and cobc flags

A minimal Makefile

A Makefile compiles every source to an object, then links them. GnuCOBOL objects end in .o, and cobc -x links them into one executable:

payroll: main.o pay.o report.o cobc -x -o payroll main.o pay.o report.o %.o: %.cob cobc -c -free -o $@ $<

The flags that matter

-c compiles without linking, -free enables free-format source, -x builds an executable, and -std=mf or -std=cobol2014 selects the standard dialect. -g adds source lines for the debugger:

cobc -c -free -std=cobol2014 -g -o pay.o pay.cob

Compile order

Compile copybook-free sources in dependency order: shared modules first, then programs that CALL them. cobc resolves calls at link time, so every called program must exist as an object before the final link.

Next: Testing COBOL programs

Article author: Arthur Isaev