Common questions

Code Page Editor

These common questions are typically associated with the Code Page Editor. If you can't find the answer to your question here, click the Index or Search tab of the Help to search for a specific word or phrase.

• How do I use custom code pages with BARR/PRINT TCP/IP?

• How do I translate characters when writing with LPR?

• How do I modify a translation table?

• How do I save a code page?

• How do I use custom code pages?

See also:

• Code Page Editor overview

Using custom code pages with BARR/PRINT TCP/IP

Complete the following steps to use custom code pages with BARR/PRINT TCP/IP (for example, you can convert ASCII input to EBCDIC PRINT390 output).

1. Create and then modify a new code page out with the appropriate values. Make sure you select EBCDIC as your code page type.

You can modify the code page to include values previously used in the Barr DOS product.

2. Configure the LPD print queue or TCP/IP socket to use your new code page out.

3. Set up the printer to use the new code page.

4. Stop and restart the BARR SpoolCore and the BARR LPD or BARR Socket services so the changes will take effect.

Translating characters when writing with LPR

Some mainframe characters must be translated to print properly to LPR printers.

Use an indirect translation method to change the output value of printed characters. The following values must be known before you proceed: the hexadecimal value of the EBCDIC character you need to translate, the hexadecimal value of the ASCII character to which you will be translating, and the Unicode A superset of the ASCII character set that uses two bytes for each character rather than one. Able to handle 65,536 character combinations rather than just 256. value associated with the ASCII character you need to print.

Follow these steps to create a custom code page for installation-specific data translations.

The Unicode value can be challenging, because we cannot see, and have no control over the Unicode to ASCII translation. Fortunately, most Unicode values less than hexadecimal value 007F have a direct low byte translation to ASCII.

The actual translation does not occur until the job is printed.

Example 1: Receiving with BARR/NJE

There is no direct data translation path when receiving data using BARR/NJE or writing data using LPR. For example, complete the following steps to translate the EBCDIC character 0x1A to be printed as a null (0x00) character. Because the EBCDIC character has a hexadecimal value less than 0x7F, the Unicode to ASCII translation will likely be a low-order byte match.

1. Open the EBCDIC to Unicode code page 3037 (Code Page In).

2. In the code page table, the EBCDIC value of 1A selects the default Unicode value of 0092. Instead, the EBCDIC value must translate to a Unicode value of 0000 to match the ASCII value of 00. Change 0092 to 0000 in the Unicode column of the code page.

3. Save the code page.

4. Create an override table entry that will force all jobs requiring translation to use code page 3037.

Example 2: Receiving with LPD

Create a custom code page and then specify the code page in the LPD queue. For example, complete the following steps to change all instances of a lowercase h coming from LPR to an uppercase H on the printer.

1. Create an ASCII to Unicode code page (code page in).

2. In the code page table, you need to change the lowercase h character to an uppercase H. Under Convert to Unicode, scroll down while viewing the characters in the leftmost column until you find the uppercase H. Make a note of the Unicode value (0048). Continue scrolling down while viewing the characters in the leftmost column until you find the lowercase h. Change the Unicode value of the lowercase h from 0068 to 0048, the value of the uppercase H.

3. Save the code page.

4. Specify the code page in on the LPD queue.