Message description-level support

When a message description is added to a message file, the CCSID of the message text must be communicated to the IBM® i operating system.

You can use the CCSID parameter on the Add Message Description (ADDMSGD) or the Change Message Description (CHGMSGD) command to communicate this CCSID to the operating system.

The default settings of these commands indicate that the message text is in the CCSID of the job that is running the command. You can change this value by specifying a different CCSID value. You can also change this value by indicating that no CCSID processing should occur. You indicate that no CCSID processing should occur on the message text by specifying a CCSID value of 65535 (*HEX).

If you set CCSID processing on, system-supplied display files and printer files that display or print message descriptions convert the CCSID of the message file to the CCSID of the job before displaying them or printing them. To print and display the messages correctly, your job CCSID setting must be the same as the code page portion of your device CHRID setting.

All message descriptions that existed in a message file that was created before V3R1 are tagged with CCSID 65535 on the first use or handling of that message description.

If the text of a message is not in the CCSID specified, incorrect conversion results might occur. See Can I correct the CCSID of a message description? if this occurs.