RE: Question about Code pages and writing file directly to IFS with RPG program

I wonder if Adobe expects the file control info to be in English, and you're inadvertently translating it.

#3. What does "displays as if it were EBDCIC" mean?




-----Original Message-----
From: John Allen [mailto:jallen@xxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Friday, February 17, 2017 2:24 PM
To: RPG400-L@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Question about Code pages and writing file directly to IFS with RPG program

I have a program that creates PDF files and emails out.

Works great here in the U.S.

QCNTRYID US

QLANGID. ENU
QCCSID . 65535

QCHRID . 00697 00037







Now I have a client in Argentina that is running there system with Code Page 284


QCNTRYID: AR
QLANGID: ESP (24)
QCCSID: 65535
QCHRID: 697/284 - ID CHAR/CODE PAGE




PDF Specifications require a specific formatting strings
Example: [/PDF /Text]



Because Code page 284 maps differently than 37 I get an invalid PDF
format running with Code Page 284

Example: []# characters are converted to !¢Ñ

Thus resulting in invalid PDF file structure because the [] are not
there



I tested with creating the stream file with code page 1252 and 284

I tested with converting EBCDIC data to ASCII before writing it to
stream file

I tested creating the [] using Hex Values based on which code page the
job is running under

And many combinations of these



After researching, changing program testing about 50 times I am now
totally confused



This program that creates the PDF file is created and compiled on the
system in the US under code page 37

Writes stream file directly to IFS (or File Server) using unlink(),
open(), write(), close()



I need my program to check the code page of the system the program is
running on, then based on that code page

create a PDF file with the correct character mapping so that Adobe
does not crash due to incorrectly formatted data

and it displays the PDF file with the correct characters for the
corresponding country (code page)





1. When the Stream file is created initially - What Code Page should
it be created as? (1252, 37, 284 or some other)



2. Do I need to translate the EBCDIC data to ASCII in my RPG program
before writing to the stream file?
or does the operating system do the translation for me since I create
the Stream file with Code Page 284?
What code page should the ASCII table be?



3. On the System in the US I can display the file in the IFS using
WRKLNK and it displays as if it were EBCDIC
should the stream file created with the system running code 284
display the same way?





Thanks for any help you can offer



John