Double-byte character set notation
Double-byte character set (DBCS) characters in terms, expressions, character strings, and comments are delimited by shift-out and shift-in characters. In this information, the shift-out delimiter is represented pictorially by the < character, and the shift-in delimiter is represented pictorially by the > character. The EBCDIC codes for the shift-out and shift-in delimiters are X'0E' and X'0F', respectively. To enter shift-in and shift-out characters you might need to edit the source code in hexadecimal. Typically, the shift-in and shift-out characters are displayed as spaces on your screen and in printed listings.
The following figure summarizes the DBCS notation used throughout this manual.
Characters | Represents | Notes |
---|---|---|
< | Shift-out (SO) X'0E' | An Assembler instruction can
include a less-than and greater-than symbols that you enter using
the less-than and greater-than keys on your keyboard in the normal
way. The characters also show as less-than and greater-than symbols
on your screen and in printed listings, for example: DC
C'<>' |
> | Shift-in (SI) X'0F' | |
D1D2D3... | Double-byte characters | |
DaDbDc... | Double-byte characters | |
.A.B.C.'.&., | EBCDIC characters in double-byte form: A, B, C, apostrophe, ampersand, and comma. The dots separating the letters represent the hexadecimal value X'42'. A double-byte character that contains the value of an EBCDIC ampersand or apostrophes in either byte is not recognized as a delimiter when enclosed by SO and SI. | The use of full-stop to represent X'42' applies only when it is shown between shift-in and shift-out. |
abcd... | Single-byte (EBCDIC) characters | |
XXX | Extended continuation indicator for macro-generated statements | |
+++ | Alternative extended continuation indicator for macro-generated statements |