User-defined edit codes in printer files

Edit codes 5 through 9 are user-defined edit codes.

A user-defined edit code can do more editing than an i5/OS™ edit code. For example, you might need to edit numbers that include hyphens (such as telephone numbers) or more than one decimal point. You can use user-defined edit codes for these functions. These edit codes are named QEDIT5, QEDIT6, QEDIT7, QEDIT8, and QEDIT9, and can be referred to in DDS or a high-level language program by number (5, 6, 7, 8, or 9).

A user-defined edit code is an i5/OS object and must exist before printer file creation. It is created using the Create Edit Description (CRTEDTD) command. When you create a printer file in which a user-defined edit code is specified, editing information is extracted from the previously created edit description. Changing a user-defined edit code after printer file creation does not affect the printer file unless the printer file is re-created.

The following table shows valid edit codes with examples of unedited source data and edited output. Zero suppression and decimal characters are determined by the system value QDECFMT. The date separator character is determined by the job attribute DATSEP. In this figure, QDECFMT is assumed to equal x (blank), and DATSEP is assumed to equal / (slash).

Table 1. Valid edit codes, source data, and edited output
Edit codes Positive number with two decimal positions Positive number with no decimal positions Negative number with three decimal positions1 Negative number with no decimal positions Zero balance with two decimal positions1 Zero balance with no decimal positions1
Unedited 1234567 1234567 xxxx125– xxxx125– xxxxxx xxxxxx
1 12,345.67 1,234,567 .125 125 .00 0
2 12,345.67 1,234,567 .125 125    
3 12345.67 1234567 .125 125 .00 0
4 12345.67 1234567 .125 125    
A 12,345.67 1,234,567 .125CR 125CR .00 0
B 12,345.67 1,234,567 .125CR 125CR    
C 12345.67 1234567 .125CR 125CR .00 0
D 12345.67 1234567 .125CR 125CR    
J 12,345.67 1,234,567 .125- 125- .00 0
K 12,345.67 1,234,567 .125- 125-    
L 12345.67 1234567 .125- 125- .00 0
M 12345.67 1234567 .125- 125-    
N 12,345.67 1,234,567 -.125 -125 .00 0
O 12,345.67 1,234,567 -.125 -125    
P 12345.67 1234567 -.125 -125 .00 0
Q 12345.67 1234567 -.125 -125    
W2 1234/567 1234/567 0/125 0/125 0/000 0/000
Y3 123/45/67 123/45/67 0/01/25 0/01/25 0/00/00 0/00/00
Z4 1234567 1234567 125 125    
Notes:
  1. The x represents a blank.
  2. The W edit code suppresses the farthest-left zero of a date field that is five digits long. It also suppresses the three farthest-left zeros of a field that is six to eight digits long. For more information, see the second footnote in Table 1.
  3. The Y edit code suppresses the farthest-left zero of a date field that is three to six digits long, and it suppresses the two farthest-left zeros of a field that is seven positions long. For more information, see the second footnote in Table 1.
  4. The Z edit code removes the sign (plus or minus) and suppresses leading zeros.
Parent topic: EDTCDE (Edit Code) keyword in printer files