EBCDIC double-byte character set (DBCS) text is encoded
with shift-out and shift-in (SOSI) bytes to delimit the transition
from single-byte characters to double-byte characters. In the editor,
the shift-out delimiter is represented by the » symbol, and the shift-in
character is represented by the « symbol. Display of SOSI delimiters
in the editor text allows the record length and column alignment to
be the same as on an EBCDIC system.
SOSI delimiters are displayed automatically in a local or remote
file, when a remote DBCS code page is detected for the file. When
you type text, you do not need to type SOSI bytes; the editor automatically
detects when to display them. However, when you copy text with a SOSI
delimiter outside of the editor, the delimiter is not included in
the pasted text.
SOSI delimiter symbols are not printed or included in the Outline view
or in the compare editorStructural Differences Outline.
Instead, a white space is displayed in place of the symbol.
In the System z® LPEX
Editor, you can choose not to insert SOSI delimiters when you save
a local or offline resource. For information about this option, see Setting file save preferences.
Limitations: The COBOL, JCL, and
PL/I Editors have the following limitations:
- DBCS elements might be displayed with an incomplete underline
or border annotation. For example, a real-time syntax check warning
annotation on a DBCS element might underline only a portion of the
DBCS element.
- When you use the print action, the SOSI bytes and the first and
last DBCS characters are missing from the printed file. As a workaround,
you can print from the System
z LPEX Editor.