DK1TDRVC also has built-in facilities for translating data from one format to another to allow editing of data in formats more palatable than the storage format. You might, for example, need to edit character fields containing byte values not readily displayed or manipulated except as hexadecimal values, or want a number displayed in some numeric format other than that given in the View. The DK1TDRVC screen provides a display area for such translated data, as well as for the original format row display. The first screen lists available commands of this type as CONVERSION COMMANDS (see Figure 101). They all have two-character names beginning with the “>” character.
We will first discuss the set of commands (>T, >L, >H) which deal with the TABLE and LOCK fields in the command line. Then we will discuss the commands (>D, >I, >N, >F) that are used when editing Data Tables containing non-displayable characters.
Tables containing only displayable characters can be edited directly by turning the Edit switch on with <PF2> and entering data directly into the row display area below the ruler on the
DK1TDRVC screen.
For other types of data, conversions between the storage format and some editable format must be applied. This is usually done with the Edit switch off. The area below the ruler is then a protected area showing a displayable approximation to the storage data (non-display characters shown as periods) while the area above the ruler shows the editable formatted version.