When your run-time system or linked executable starts up, it attempts to read the run-time configuration file. The run-time configuration file specifies values for the run-time configurables. It is shared by all users of this product.
The run-time configuration file is a text file, which you can edit with your standard text editor. It is an optional file (no error will be issued if it does not exist) with the default name $COBDIR/etc/cobconfig. You can specify a filename for the configuration file by setting the environment variable COBCONFIG; for example:
COBCONFIG=$HOME/myconfig export COBCONFIG
Each run-time configurable appears on a new line. Blank lines are ignored. A comment line starts with a #; however, as the configuration file is processed at run time, we advise that you limit your comments, in order to keep to a minimum the time it takes to process it. The maximum number of characters permitted in a comment line is 80, including any new-line or carriage return characters that may be placed at the end of the line by some editors.
You can use the configuration file to: