Specify the field length for each field (unless you copy the field's attributes from a referenced field).
Specify the number of digits for a numeric field, or the number of characters for a character field. The length specification must be right-aligned; leading zeros are optional. Valid length specifications for ICF files are as follows:
| Data type | Valid length |
|---|---|
| Character | 1 through 32 767 |
| Binary | 1 through 9 |
| Zoned decimal | 1 through 31 |
| Packed decimal | 1 through 31 |
| Floating-point single precision | 1 through 9 |
| Floating-point double precision | 1 through 17 |
You can specify a maximum of 9 digits for single precision and 17 digits for double precision. However, the i5/OS™ operating system supports a floating-point accuracy of 7 digits for single precision and 15 digits for double precision.
The sum of the number of bytes occupied by all fields in a record must not exceed 32 767 for ICF files. The system determines the number of bytes actually occupied as follows:
| Data type | Bytes occupied in storage |
|---|---|
| Character | Number of characters |
| Binary | |
| 1-4 digits | 2 bytes |
| 5-9 digits | 4 bytes |
| Zoned decimal | Number of digits |
| Packed decimal | (Number of digits/2) + 1 (truncated if fractional) |
| Floating-point (single precision) | 4 bytes |
| Floating-point (double precision) | 8 bytes |
If you are using a referenced field, you can override the length of the field by specifying a new value or by specifying the increase or decrease in length. To increase the length, specify +n where n is the increase. To decrease the length, specify -n, where n is the decrease. For example, an entry of +4 for a numeric field indicates that it is to be 4 digits longer than the referenced field.