Input Modes and Special Characters

Special input modes available on a 5250 terminal include extended graphics mode, hex mode, insert mode, Plus CR mode, and text assist (word-processing) mode. Diacritical characters can be entered when the terminal is in extended graphics mode.

Extended Graphics Mode

The following special characters are available in extended graphics mode:

Blue indicates the character that is inserted if you press SHIFT with this key; purple indicates the character that is inserted if you press this key without SHIFT.

The default mapping for extended graphics mode is ALT+LEFT SHIFT. When the session is in extended graphics mode, a + appears near the center of the 3488 status line.

If the Preserve Entry Mode check box in the Configure Terminal Settings dialog box is selected, ALT+LEFT SHIFT functions as a toggle to take the session into and out of extended graphics mode. Reset (LEFT CTRL) also takes the session out of extended graphics mode.

If the Preserve Entry Mode check box is cleared, the session automatically exits extended graphics mode after you enter a graphics character or a diacritical character.

Hex Mode

On a 5250 terminal, hex mode is entered by pressing a terminal key. The default mapping for hex mode is ALT+F7. When the session is in hex mode, the letter h or H appears on the 3488 status line.

Enter hex mode before entering a hexadecimal value for a character. To enter a hexadecimal value, type two characters. These characters can be 0-9 or a-f. No other input is allowed in hex mode.

When you enter the first character of your hex value, the h in the status line becomes a capital H. If Preserve Entry Mode is selected in the Configure Terminal Settings dialog box, pressing LEFT CTRL takes the character out of the buffer but doesn't exit hex mode. (You can use this method to retract the character you typed. To show this, the capital H becomes a small h once again.) Press LEFT CTRL again to back completely out of hex mode.

If Preserve Entry Mode is not selected, a single Reset (LEFT CTRL) takes you out of hex mode.

Insert Mode

The default mapping for insert mode is INSERT.

When the session is in insert mode, the insert symbol ( ) appears in the 3488 status line. In the 5250 status line, the letters IM are displayed in inverse video.

Characters you type when the terminal is in insert mode are inserted at the cursor position. As you type, existing characters at and to the right of the cursor position shift one position to the right for each character you type. There must be a null character at the right end of the insert field for each character you type in insert mode. If you attempt to insert more characters than there are nulls, appears in the status line and input is inhibited. Press Reset (LEFT CTRL) to remove the symbol and enable input.

Plus CR Mode

In this mode, a two-character hexadecimal value is displayed in front of each field in the terminal window. The meaning of the hexadecimal value is indicated by the code that appears in the status line.

The default mapping for Plus CR is ALT+F12. Each time you press ALT+F12, the code and hex values change to the next one in sequence. Press Reset (Left CTRL) twice to exit Plus CR mode.

Text Assist (Word-Processing) Mode

When using Text Assist mode, you can select the level of assistance (Basic or Intermediate) that you want displayed on your screen by pressing PF21 in any of these three screens in OfficeVision:

The following word processing functions can be used in Text Assist mode on the AS/400. If you use one of these functions when the session is not in word-processing mode results, the message "0027 = Key not supported by this emulation" is sent to your screen. (See your host documentation for more information on word-processing mode.)