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 |