The character data type represents character values and may have any of the following formats:
Character data may contain one or more single-byte or double-byte characters, depending on the format specified. Character, graphic, and UCS-2 fields can also have either a fixed or variable-length format. The following table summarizes the different character data-type formats.
| Character Data Type | Number of Bytes | CCSID |
|---|---|---|
| Character | One or more single-byte characters that are fixed or variable in length | If CCSID(*CHAR:*JOBRUN) is specified on the Control specification, the character CCSID is assumed to be the runtime job CCSID. Otherwise, the CCSID is assumed to be the mixed graphic CCSID related to the job CCSID. |
| Indicator | One single-byte character that is fixed in length | If CCSID(*CHAR:*JOBRUN) is specified on the Control specification, the character CCSID is assumed to be the runtime job CCSID. Otherwise, the CCSID is assumed to be the mixed graphic CCSID related to the job CCSID. |
| Graphic | One or more double-byte characters that are fixed or variable in length | 65535 or a CCSID with the EBCDIC double-byte encoding scheme (x'1200') |
| UCS-2 | One or more double-byte characters that are fixed or variable in length | 13488 or a CCSID with the UCS-2 encoding scheme (X'7200') |
For information on the CCSIDs of character data, see Conversion between Character, Graphic and UCS-2 Data.