It would be helpful to select background colors for specific columns. For example, when creating fixed-form Fortran code, a different background color in column six facilitates the placement of a continuation character. There are probably many other benefits to column-specific background coloring.

We use a form of COBOL, and if you look at the syntax highlighting file for that, there is a setting to setup a veritcal marker (a line in the window) that marks a certain column. We use it not to skip past column 72, it might meet your need.

When using the COBOL syntax highlighting, no highlighting appears until column 8 (except for comments.) I can add spaces in front of the line to get syntax to highlight, but that's not really a viable solution. Any suggestions?

I am not sure but I think GWD has some built in specifics for COBOL.

But, if you open up the syntax.hgl file there is the following value defined for the specific lanuage:

CobolCommentPos=7

Play around with that and see if it meets what you need, but I think COBOL coding should start at column 8 anyways.