RE: CCSID - RPG issues

%SUBST can handle varying length fields correctly.
Your problem might be, that the string functions (%SUBSTR, %SCAN) etc, deal
per Default with the number of byte and NOT with the number of characters).
In UTF-8 a single character can be 1, 2, 3 or 4 Byte.

If you add *NATURAL the number of Characters will be used:
%SUBST(YourText: StrPos: *Natural)

Mit freundlichen Grüßen / Best regards

Birgitta Hauser
Modernization ? Education ? Consulting on IBM i
Database and Software Architect
IBM Champion since 2020

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Brown)
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-----Original Message-----
From: RPG400-L <rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Gad Miron
Sent: Wednesday, 25 February 2026 11:41
To: rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: CCSID - RPG issues

Hello Barbara

The (source) ds_NMMLIMP2.ITEMNAME looks OK - I'll check again though

Does %sbst function "knows" how to deal with a VARLEN data?

I'll check the CHARCOUNT thing.

THANKS
Gad

date: Tue, 24 Feb 2026 09:29:25 -0500
from: Barbara Morris <bmorris@xxxxxxxxxx>
subject: Re: CCSID - RPG issues

On 2026-02-24 8:56 a.m., Gad Miron wrote:

...
// take first 128 chars of Item Description
ds_NMWRKR.ITEMNAME8 = %subst(ds_NMMLIMP2.ITEMNAME :1 : 128)
;

// Update map file - target
update NMWRKR ds_NMWRKR ;

C eval *INLR = *ON

The update works but the value placed in ITEMNAME8 is erroneous ...

In debug, does ds_NMMLIMP2.ITEMNAME look correct before the %subst?
Does it have UTF8 data? (look at the hex value of the field in the
debugger)

Does ds_NMWRKR.ITEMNAME8 look correct after the %subst?

Is it always incorrect? Or does the problem only happen with some values?

Using %subst with UTF8 data has the potential to only pick up the
first byte of a 2-byte character unless you are using the new
CHARCOUNT NATURAL support.

https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/i/7.5.0?topic=functions-subst-get-substrin
g


https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/i/7.5.0?topic=cdt-processing-string-data-b
y-natural-size-each-character

(I should update that pdf document to talk about the CHARCOUNT support
that was added in 7.4 and 7.5 with PTFs.)

--
Barbara

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