Convert COBOL merge sort program to Java - MBA-18

[devin-ai-integration]

Convert COBOL merge sort program to Java - MBA-18

Summary

Converts the COBOL program merge_sort/merge_sort_test.cbl to an equivalent Java program MergeSortExample.java while preserving exact functionality. The Java implementation replicates the three main procedures:

1. createTestData() - Creates two test files with hardcoded customer records (6 records in file1, 5 records in file2)
2. mergeAndDisplayFiles() - Merges files sorted by ascending customer ID, writes to merge-output.txt, displays records
3. sortAndDisplayFile() - Sorts merged file by descending contract ID, writes to sorted-contract-id.txt, displays records

Key implementation details:

• CustomerRecord class with 5 fields: customer ID (5 digits), last name (50 chars), first name (50 chars), contract ID (5 digits), comment (25 chars)
• Fixed-width string formatting using String.format() and padding to match COBOL output
• Java Collections framework with Comparator classes for sorting
• File I/O using BufferedReader/PrintWriter with proper error handling

Review & Testing Checklist for Human

• Verify test data accuracy - Compare the hardcoded customer records in Java against the COBOL source to ensure all IDs, names, contract IDs, and comments match exactly
• Test output formatting - Run both programs and compare console output character-by-character to ensure fixed-width formatting is identical
• Verify sorting correctness - Confirm merge operation sorts by ascending customer ID (1,3,5,10,24,25,30,50,75,85,999) and final sort is by descending contract ID (12323,8765,7725,5423,5050,4567,3331,1610,1175,653,247)
• End-to-end execution test - Run javac MergeSortExample.java && java MergeSortExample and verify all 5 output files are created with correct content

Notes

• Link to Devin run: https://app.devin.ai/sessions/a498f105506c482797c7e871b3c22aef
• Requested by: Arjun Mishra (@Colhodm)
• Ticket: MBA-18
• All generated .txt files should be excluded from version control (not committed)

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