Sequential file output computing GPA - cobol

Question

I need help on some COBOL homework. I've made a few attempts and they don't seem to be working as I would hope.
I need to make a program that reads an input file with some student info, then output it to the terminal and an output file.
I also need to calculate the GPA based on the hours and quality points earned.
I am currently having issues with creating column headers, and also adding values to get the cumulative values to get the GPA, among some other things. I have the input file and the code I have so far attached.
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. TEST3.
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
INPUT-OUTPUT SECTION.
FILE-CONTROL.
SELECT StudentFile ASSIGN TO "P2In.dat"
ORGANIZATION IS LINE SEQUENTIAL.
SELECT OutputFile ASSIGN TO "Report.dat"
ORGANIZATION IS LINE SEQUENTIAL.
DATA DIVISION.
FILE SECTION.
FD StudentFile.
*>Student details will only be printed once
01 StudentDetails.
05 STUDENT-NAME PIC X(16).
05 STUDENT-ID PIC X(9).
*>Semester info that will be on one line and not repeated
01 SemesterDetails.
05 SEMESTER PIC X(9).
*> Details in the class that need to be seperate
01 ClassDetails.
05 CLASS-NAME PIC X(32).
05 GRADE PIC X(2).
05 HOURS PIC X(4).
05 POINTS PIC X(2).
*>values that need to be calculated
01 CalculatedValues.
05 CUMULATIVE-GPA-IN PIC 99v99 VALUE ZERO.
05 CUMULATIVE-QP-IN PIC 99v99 VALUE ZERO.
05 CUMULATIVE-HOURS-IN PIC 99v99 VALUE ZERO.
FD OutputFile.
01 PrintLine PIC X(70).
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01 SWITCHES.
05 EOF-SWITCH PIC X VALUE "N".
01 COUNTERS.
05 REC-COUNTER PIC 9(3) VALUE 0.
01 CUMULATIVE.
05 CUMULATIVE-QP PIC ZZ.99.
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
*>main paragraph, everything starts here
Main.
PERFORM Begin.
PERFORM ProcessData.
PERFORM PrintLines
UNTIL EOF-SWITCH = "Y".
*>opening read
Begin.
OPEN INPUT StudentFile
OPEN OUTPUT OutputFile
READ StudentFile
AT END
MOVE "Y" TO EOF-SWITCH
NOT AT END
COMPUTE REC-COUNTER = REC-COUNTER + 1
END-READ.
ProcessData.
READ StudentFile
AT END
MOVE "Y" TO EOF-SWITCH
NOT AT END
IF GRADE = 'A'
COMPUTE CUMULATIVE-QP = CUMULATIVE-QP + 4
ELSE
IF GRADE = 'B'
COMPUTE CUMULATIVE-QP = CUMULATIVE-QP + 3
ELSE
IF GRADE = 'C'
COMPUTE CUMULATIVE-QP = CUMULATIVE-QP + 2
ELSE
IF GRADE = 'D'
COMPUTE CUMULATIVE-QP = CUMULATIVE-QP + 1
END-IF.
*>printing out our lines to terminal
PrintLines.
READ StudentFile
AT END
MOVE "Y" TO EOF-SWITCH
NOT AT END
DISPLAY CUMULATIVE-QP
END-READ.
And the input file looks like this
TERRY ETHELBERT W1234567 FALL2014 CMPS161 ALGORITHM DSGN/IMPLMNT A 3.00 12.00
TERRY ETHELBERT W1234567 FALL2014 CMPS280 ALGORITHM DSGN/IMPLMNTII B 3.00 9.00
TERRY ETHELBERT W1234567 FALL2014 CMPS431 OPERATING SYSTEMS C 3.00 6.00
TERRY ETHELBERT W1234567 FALL2014 ENG322 TECHNICAL WRITING A 3.00 12.00
TERRY ETHELBERT W1234567 SPNG2015 MATH380 STATISTICS B 3.00 9.00
TERRY ETHELBERT W1234567 SPNG2015 HIST202 HISTORY B 3.00 9.00
TERRY ETHELBERT W1234567 SPNG2015 BIOL152 GENERAL BIOLOGY A 3.00 12.00
TERRY ETHELBERT W1234567 SPNG2015 MATH200 CALCULUS I C 5.00 10.00
A place to start would be nice.

Answer 1

First issue is to get your input record correct. The FD must match the line layout, so it should be something like
01 StudentDetails.
05 STUDENT-NAME PIC X(16).
05 STUDENT-ID PIC X(9).
*> Details in the class that need to be seperate
*01 ClassDetails.
05 CLASS-NAME PIC X(32).
05 GRADE PIC X(1).
05 FILLER PIC X(1).
05 HOURS.
07 HOURS-9 PIC 9.99.
05 FILLER PIC X(2).
05 POINTS.
07 POINTS-X PIC X(1) OCCURS 5.
05 POINTS-9-99 REDEFINES POINTS.
07 POINTS-9-99 PIC 9.99.
05 POINTS-99-99 REDEFINES POINTS.
07 POINTS-99-99 PIC 99.99.
Note that GRADE is an X(1) and is followed by a FILLER also X(1) to represent the space that follows the grade-letter.
HOURS is implicitly a X(4); HOURS-9 allows that field to be read as a 9.99
Then there are 2 spaces - another filler
Finally, there are POINTS. This is a 5-character field with 2 layouts. We van determine which of the layouts to use (POINTS-9-99 or POINTS-99-99) by looking at POINTS-X(2) - a dot means use POINTS-9-99, otherwise use POINTS-99-99.
I've no idea what Semesterdetails are.
Your Calculatedvalues are supposed to be in WORKING-STORAGE; you can't have a VALUE clause in an FD.
Next, you should think through your process. Think Michael Jackson. Seriously. Oh - not the singer, the computer scientist.
Your process:
Start with a CURRENT-STUDENT containing SPACES.
Read each record. If the STUDENT-NAME is not equal to CURRENT-STUDENT, (and also AT END) then (produce a report line, zero your accumulators and store STUDENT-NAME into CURRENT-STUDENT.) and use the fields in the current record to accumulate the required data.
Note that producing your report line is simply a matter of building the various accumulated fields into the output record and doing a little mathematical gymnastics to calculate averages. Naturally, don't bother if the CURRENT-STUDENT contains SPACES.
So, the essentials are
READ studentfile
at end perform write-report-line
not at end
if student-name is not equal to current-student
perform write-report-line
end-if
perform accumulate-data.
and the write-report-line paragraph is
if current-student is not equal to spaces
calculate and move name, average, etc. to output-record
and write it
end-if
move student-name to current-student
move zero to rec-counter etc, etc.

Answer 2

As Magoo has pointed out, you need to get your record-definition straight. You defined separate records when you defined each logical block as a separate 01-level. This does not match your data (which for the moment we assume is correct). It is unclear what POINTS is, but your definition doesn't match the data.
01 RecordDetails.
03 StudentDetails.
05 STUDENT-NAME PIC X(16).
05 STUDENT-ID PIC X(9).
03 SemesterDetails.
05 SEMESTER PIC X(9).
03 ClassDetails.
05 CLASS-NAME PIC X(32).
05 GRADE PIC X(2).
05 HOURS PIC X(4).
05 POINTS PIC X(2).
This you've define subordinate to the FD, so it as a record on your file:
01 CalculatedValues.
05 CUMULATIVE-GPA-IN PIC 99v99 VALUE ZERO.
05 CUMULATIVE-QP-IN PIC 99v99 VALUE ZERO.
05 CUMULATIVE-HOURS-IN PIC 99v99 VALUE ZERO.
That is probably not what you want.
Look at the documentation and understand what using FILE STATUS on the SELECT gets you. Every IO should have it's (separate per file) FILE STATUS field checked. You can then use the FILE STATUS field (via an 88-level with a value of "10") to check for end-of-file, cutting the tortuous use of READ ... AT END ... NOT AT END ....
88's are good for your grades as well, rather than literals. Note that if adding "4" it is better to add a well-named field with a VALUE of 4, so that the reader knows what is being added (what the 4 means).
Unless you have a complex calculation, you may want to prefer ADD 1 TO field-name over COMPUTE field-name = field-name + 1.
If you have your grade tests, you'll find EVALUATE much clearer to use than nested- or sequential-IFs.
You don't have any output yet, either file or screen. Look around here and elsewhere for examples and see how that goes. Best to ask a new question if you get stuck with that, else the answers become too complex. One thing at a time.