COBOL Program Communication Statements

Program communication statements manage interactions between program components, different programs, or external entities. They enable structured programming by sharing code and data among different parts of a program or between separate programs.

The program communication statements are –

Statement	Description
CALL Statement Detailed Tutorial	It is used to invoke a subprogram to complete a task. The CALL statement is always coded in the calling or main program and the program name in the CALL statement is called or subprogram.
CANCEL Statement Detailed Tutorial	It is used to release the resources associated with a previously called subprogram. If the subprogram is no longer needed, it is used to free up the resources used by the subprogram.
STOP RUN Detailed Tutorial	It is used to terminate the execution of a program. Once it is executed, control returns to the operating system. It always uses the main or calling program.
EXIT PROGRAM Detailed Tutorial	It marks the end of a subprogram (called program) processing and returns control to the main program (calling program). It's mainly used in subprograms, or called programs within COBOL.
GOBACK Detailed Tutorial	It defines the logical end of a program and gives the control back from where it was received. It can code in both the main program and subprogram.
GO TO Detailed Tutorial	GO TO transfers control to another part of the program, allowing the program to "jump" to a different paragraph or section.

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