Reads non-standard character sets. The custom data type can be useful in foreign-language applications where certain characters are implemented in a non-standard or unsupported way.
By default, the custom data type is ASCII. However, you can create a special file named custom.dat that contains substitute values for any or all standard ASCII character values. There are no restrictions on the character substitutions that can be made.
You can create the custom.dat file using any text editor. Include the file in the same directory as your other Analyzer executable files.
Custom.dat is a standard text file with two values on each line. The first value is the character to be replaced; the second value is the character to replace it with. The values can be specified as characters, decimal values or in hex:
| • | Decimal values are specified as simple numbers, such as 65 for the character “A.” |
| • | Hex values are the two hex digits preceded by an X, such as X41 for the character “A.” |
| • | Character values are specified as the character itself, preceded by a C, such as CA for the character “A.” |
Any of these three conventions can be used and intermixed.
The custom.dat file is read when Analyzer starts up, so you cannot edit the file while Analyzer is running. None of the values specified in custom.dat should exceed 255, which is the largest value that can be stored in a byte. You can use any text editor to View the custom.dat file.
For example, if the data field to be read is ASCII, but the system uses a hex A4 for a dollar sign ($), a hex A5 for a comma and the decimal value 5 for a decimal point, you can define the field as a custom field. The contents of the custom.dat file would be:
XA4C$
XA5C,
5C.