COBOL-CASE Converter — Free Online Tool
What is COBOL-CASE Converter?
COBOL-CASE converts text to all uppercase letters separated by hyphens, producing output like THIS-IS-COBOL-CASE. It is the naming convention used in COBOL programming for data names, paragraph labels, and section identifiers.
Also called UPPER-KEBAB-CASE or SCREAMING-KEBAB-CASE, it appears in some legacy system interfaces and configuration formats. This tool converts any input into properly formatted COBOL-CASE output.
When to use COBOL-CASE Converter?
Use COBOL-CASE for COBOL data names and paragraph identifiers in legacy mainframe systems. It also appears in some JCL (Job Control Language) parameters and mainframe configuration. Developers maintaining banking, insurance, or government systems that run on COBOL often need this format.
If you need uppercase with underscores instead of hyphens, use the Constant Case Converter. For lowercase hyphens, try the Kebab Case Converter.
How to use this tool
- 1Paste your text
- 2Click 'Convert' to get COBOL-CASE output
- 3Copy for COBOL programs and legacy systems
The tool detects word boundaries from spaces, underscores, dots, and camelCase transitions, converts everything to uppercase, and joins words with hyphens.
Examples
| Input | Output |
|---|---|
| hello world | HELLO-WORLD |
| customer account number | CUSTOMER-ACCOUNT-NUMBER |
| total_amount | TOTAL-AMOUNT |
| dateOfBirth | DATE-OF-BIRTH |
| employee id | EMPLOYEE-ID |
Rules & Behavior
- All words are converted to UPPERCASE letters. Every letter in the output is capitalised, matching COBOL's requirement for uppercase identifiers.
- Words are separated by hyphens (-). This is the same as kebab-case but in all uppercase, which is why it is also called UPPER-KEBAB-CASE.
- Special characters except hyphens are removed. COBOL identifiers can only contain letters, digits, and hyphens, so the output is restricted to these characters.
Related Tools
Frequently Asked Questions
What is COBOL-CASE?
COBOL-CASE is the naming convention from the COBOL programming language where all identifiers are uppercase and hyphen-separated, like CUSTOMER-ACCOUNT-NUMBER or EMPLOYEE-LAST-NAME. It is the standard for legacy mainframe applications in banking, insurance, and government sectors.
Is COBOL-CASE the same as UPPER-KEBAB-CASE?
Yes, UPPER-KEBAB-CASE, SCREAMING-KEBAB-CASE, and COBOL-CASE all describe the same pattern — uppercase letters separated by hyphens. The name varies by context: 'COBOL-CASE' in mainframe development, 'UPPER-KEBAB' in general programming discussions.
Do I only use COBOL-CASE for COBOL?
Primarily, yes. COBOL-CASE originates from and is most common in COBOL programs. However, it occasionally appears in JCL parameters, some legacy configuration formats, and certain mainframe-based APIs that interface with COBOL backends.
How is it different from CONSTANT_CASE?
CONSTANT_CASE uses underscores (HELLO_WORLD) while COBOL-CASE uses hyphens (HELLO-WORLD). Both are all-uppercase. The choice depends on your platform: underscores for modern languages and environment variables, hyphens for COBOL and related legacy systems.
Can I use special characters in COBOL identifiers?
COBOL identifiers can only contain letters (A–Z), digits (0–9), and hyphens (-). They must begin with a letter and cannot end with a hyphen. Our tool removes all other special characters to produce valid COBOL-compatible output.