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.
| Code | Hex Value Meaning |
|---|---|
| d | The field and display attributes for each field. |
| c | The extended character buffer values for each field. |
| a | The character attributes for each character in the terminal window. |
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 PF21in any of these three screens in OfficeVision:
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Send Note
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Work with Mail
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Work with Documents in Folders
The following word processing functions can be used in Text Assist mode on the IBM System i. 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.)
| Function | Keystroke | Description/Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Begin bold | CTRL+B | |
| Begin underline | CTRL+U | |
| Beginning of line | CTRL+LEFT ARROW | |
| Bottom of page | CTRL+DOWN ARROW | |
| Carriage return | RIGHT CTRL | CTRL+PLUS SIGN(+) and CTRL+MINUS SIGN(-) can also be used to enter a carriage return |
| Center text | CTRL+C | By default, CTRL+C copies text to the clipboard. To use it to center text in Text Assist mode, you must remap the key combination. |
| Delete at the cursor position | CTRL+DELETE | If you are currently viewing an attribute plane, this deletes the current value at the cursor position. If you are in the data plane, it deletes all values in all planes at the cursor position. |
| End attribute | CTRL+J | |
| End of line | CTRL+RIGHT ARROW | |
| Find next stop code | CTRL+N | By default, CTRL+N opens a new window. To use it to find the next stop code in Text Assist mode, you must remap the key combination. |
| Half index down | CTRL+H | |
| Half index up | CTRL+Y | |
| Insert symbols | CTRL+A | By default, CTRL+A is "Select All." To use it in Text Assist mode, you must remap the key combination. |
| Page end | CTRL+P | |
| Required carriage return | RIGHT CTRL | |
| Required space | CTRL+SPACEBAR | |
| Required tab | CTRL+TAB | To use this key combination in Text Assist mode, you must remap the key combination. |
| Stop | CTRL+S | To use this key combination in Text Assist mode, you must remap the key combination. |
| Tab | TAB | |
| Text tab advance | CTRL+T | Moves the cursor from the current position to the next defined tab stop. If there are no tab stops in the current field, tab advance moves the cursor to the first tab stop in the next field on the screen. |
| Top of page | CTRL+UP ARROW | |
| Word underline | CTRL+W |
More information