Compared to ordinary COBOL code review rules, custom rules are more powerful and require slightly more configuration. A custom rule is created from a template. You first select a template and then specify values for the configurable parameters. A custom rule also has a severity parameter that is set and processed exactly as in a regular rule.
A custom category is a container for custom rules. You must first create a custom category and then add custom rules to it. When you create a custom category you specify a name and a parent within the COBOL Code Review analysis domain
When you have created a custom category and have added rules to it, the new custom category appears in the software analysis configuration editor, as a new rule category under the COBOL Code Review analysis domain. As with regular rules, you can then select the custom rules that you want to be active in a particular software analysis configuration.