When you are exporting data to an ASCII file, you will
usually be able to choose whether you want to export a delimited
or a fixed width file.
In most cases, using delimited ASCII files is preferable. If
the column widths in a delimited ASCII file change, that is, the
number of characters in a column changes, the file map for the file will
not require editing. The position of the column breaks in a delimited
file is determined by the position of the delimiters in the file.
Use the following guidelines for delimited files.
If column widths change in a fixed width ASCII file, the file
map for the ASCII file must be edited. The column breaks in a fixed
width file are placed at a particular character number.
On the other hand, you will have to use a fixed width file if
you need to define columns that span two or more real columns, or
if your application does not allow you to export to delimited files.
If you need to use fixed width files, try to avoid changing the
column widths in the file after the file map for the file has been
defined.
For example, if you are exporting from a spreadsheet, set the
column widths consistently before exporting, making sure that these
column widths allow for future growth of the column's contents.
