Using the Program Flow Graph

Program Flow Graph lets you understand the structure of a COBOL program by showing what calls are made to and from sections and paragraphs.

The call directions are represented by arrows that have different colors depending on the type of call, for example goto statements, call statements, external references, etc. You can customize the colors from Tools > Options > Environment > Fonts and Colors. If you want to change the colors only for the current graph, use the Legend menu at the top.

If you make changes to the source code after showing a Program Flow Graph, the information in the graph will be outdated and a banner at the top of the graph will alert you to this. To re-draw the graph, click Update graph.

The following list shows some of the different operations that you can perform from the Program Flow Graph view:

Navigate to the code

Double-click a node to navigate to that line in the source code in the editor.

Display a code preview tooltip

Hover over a node or link.

Change focus mode

Use to switch to focus mode in which only a node you select will be highlighted together with its related nodes.

Link with editor

Use to link the code with the nodes in your graph.

Displaying a new graph for a node in the current graph

Right-click a node and select New Graph from Selection.

Change the layout of the graph

From the Layout menu you select various layout options such as display the graph from top to bottom or from bottom to top, from left to right or from right to left. You can also zoom in and zoom out the graph.

Find a paragraph or section in the graph

Use the button.

Merge Duplicate Links

Click and inMicro Focus > Code Analysis > Program Flow Graph check Merge Duplicate Links.

Copy, save or share the graph

Use the Share menu.