CHAR: Returning a Character Based on a Numeric Code

How to:

Return a Character Based on a Numeric Code

The CHAR function accepts a decimal integer and returns the character identified by that number converted to ASCII or EBCDIC, depending on the operating environment. The output is returned as variable length alphanumeric. If the number is above the range of valid characters, a null value is returned.

For a chart of printable characters and their decimal equivalents, see Character Chart for ASCII and EBCDIC.

Syntax: How to Return a Character Based on a Numeric Code

CHAR(number_code)

where:

number_code

Integer

Is a field, number, or numeric expression whose whole absolute value will be used as a number code to retrieve an output character.

For example, a TAB character is returned by CHAR(9) in ASCII environments, or by CHAR(5) in EBCDIC environments.

Example: Using the CHAR Function to Insert Control Characters Into a String

The following request defines a field with carriage return (CHAR(13)) and line feed (CHAR(10)) characters inserted between the words HELLO and GOODBYE (in an ASCII environment). To show that these characters were inserted, the output is generated in PDF format and the StyleSheet attribute LINEBREAK='CRLF' is used to have these characters respected and print the field value on two lines.

DEFINE FILE WFLITE
MYFIELD/A20 WITH COUNTRY_NAME='HELLO' | CHAR(13) | CHAR(10) | 'GOODBYE';
END
TABLE FILE WFLITE
SUM MYFIELD 
ON TABLE PCHOLD FORMAT PDF
ON TABLE SET PAGE NOLEAD
ON TABLE SET STYLE *
TYPE=REPORT,LINEBREAK='CRLF',$
ENDSTYLE
END

The output is shown in the following image.