HP 3000 Manual page 29

4 Chapter 3 Alternate Collating Sequence
Specifications
Normally, XSORT uses the standard ASCII collating sequence included in appendix C. If you want to
change the standard collating sequence, you must code an S in column 26 of the Header Specification and
code a set of ALTSEQ specifications. You can code whatever number of ALTSEQ lines you need. Each of
your statements must begin with ALTSEQ and contain no more than 80 column entries per line.
Users accustomed to a 96 column line will have to convert their programs to the 80 column format.
However, it is not necessary to fill in all 80 columns of one ALTSEQ line before continuing on to the next.
As long as you enter the ALTSEQ in the first six columns, and submit your characters in pairs as described
below, you can enter ALTSEQ characters without filling out all 80 column positions of a line. (The
specification forms show only 72 columns but 80 columns per line are allowed.) If you specify an alternate
collating sequence, you cannot use packed data for record selection factors or sort control fields. Do not
enter a P in column 8 of your Record Type specifications or n column 8 of your Field Description specs used
to define control fields.
Rules for Coding ALTSEQ
1 Code ALTSEQ in the first six positions. This tells XSORT that this is an ALTSEQ specification.
2 Leave columns 7 and 8 blank.
3 Enter the hexadecimal equivalent of the character you are taking out of normal sequence in col-
umns 9 and 10. (A standard collating chart showing the hex equivalents of all ASCII characters
appears in Appendix C.)
4 Enter in 11 and 12 the hexadecimal equivalent of the value (position) the character specified in col-
umns 9 and 10 is to have in the new collating sequence.
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