IBM Support

Incorrect characters in Java programs cause syntax errors when compiling

Troubleshooting


Problem

You receive syntax errors when compiling Java™ programs due to bad characters in the programs. This occurs after you download (FTP) the programs from the mainframe to the client workstation.

Symptom

When you look at the Java source on the workstation it contains question marks. For example, sample ClassOne.java contains "byte?? b2 = new byte?1?;". The same code with the question marks can be seen on the mainframe with "ݨ" in place of the question marks.

Following are some of the syntax errors that you can receive on your workstation:

  • not a statement
  • ';' expected
  • cannot resolve symbol
  • symbol : variable b2

Cause

EBCDIC to ASCII conversion problem resulting from specifying BIN on the FTP from the mainframe to your workstation.

Diagnosing The Problem

If you FTP from the mainframe using BIN then the conversion to ASCII will not occur and the EBCDIC values will display as question marks.

The same code on the mainframe with hex on displays as follows:

The mainframe uses the EBCDIC character set whereas the workstation uses the ASCII character set. Hex "AD" represents a "[" in EBCDIC. This can also be seen as a "Ý" in EBCDIC. Hex "BD" represents a "]" in EBCDIC. This can also be seen as a "¨" in EBCDIC. Both hex "AD" and "BD" are non-displayable characters in ASCII. This is why they display as question marks.

Leading x'050505' instead of x'404040' can also be seen on a lot of lines. This did not appear to cause any problems. The above code is from sample program ClassOne.java.

Resolving The Problem

Specify ASCII when you download (FTP) Java programs from the mainframe to your workstation.

When you specify ASCII on the FTP from the mainframe to the workstation the code will transfer correctly and you end up with the following:


As confirmation that you must download the Java files in ASCII mode, see step 1 in the instructions for Building the client side BankAccount application in the in the CICS Transaction Server for z/OS V4.2 information center:
1. Download the following files to the client workstation ( in ascii mode):

  • .../dfjcorb/BankAccount/BankAccount.idl
  • .../dfjcorb/BankAccount/javaclient/bankLineModeClient.java

[{"Product":{"code":"SSGMGV","label":"CICS Transaction Server"},"Business Unit":{"code":"BU048","label":"IBM Software"},"Component":"Java","Platform":[{"code":"PF035","label":"z\/OS"}],"Version":"4.2;4.1;3.2;3.1","Edition":"","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB70","label":"Z TPS"}}]

Product Synonym

CICS/TS CICS TS CICS Transaction Server

Document Information

Modified date:
05 January 2026

UID

swg21157844

Page Feedback