Double-byte character set

In addition to the standard EBCDIC set of characters, High Level Assembler accepts double-byte character set (DBCS) data. The double-byte character set consists of the following:

Table 1. Double-byte character set (DBCS)
Character or code Description
Double-byte space X'4040'
Double-byte characters Each double-byte character contains 2 bytes, each of which must be in the range X'41' to X'FE'. The first byte of a double-byte character is known as the ward byte. For example, the ward byte for the double-byte representation of EBCDIC characters is X'42'.
Shift codes
Shift-out (SO) - X'0E'
Shift-in (SI) - X'0F'
Note:
  1. SO and SI delimit DBCS data only when the DBCS assembler option is specified. The DBCS assembler option is described in the section DBCS in the HLASM Programmer's Guide.
  2. When the DBCS assembler option is specified, double-byte characters can be used anywhere that EBCDIC characters enclosed by apostrophes can be used.
  3. Regardless of the invocation option, double-byte characters can be used in remarks, comments, and the statements processed by AREAD and REPRO statements.