Reading SAP-generated IFS files in Windows XP

[Former Member]

Hello members

I want to keep some log files that are created in an IFS directory by SAP installation process for future reference. So I FTP these file into my PC in binary mode. I want to be able to read them in Windows XP as well. But when I open them by Wordpad or Notepad, I cannot read the text in the files at all (the text is displayed in unintelligible symbols) but I can read them in the IFS directory with IBM i EDTF command or from WRKLNK menu option 5. I suspect this may have to do with code page setting of the files but I have no idea on what specific action I should take to make these file readable in Windows by Notepad or Wordpad.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Satid S.

[nils_buerckel]

Hi Satid,

I would recommend to have a look at SAP note 1150217.

Best regards,

Nils Buerckel

SAP AG

[Former Member]

Dear Nils

Thanks. This SAP note does not seem to address IBM i in particualr but its content explains with the use of EditPad Lite that I mentioned about in my previous post.

By the way, I also found another solution to this problem that enabled me to use Windows Wordpad rather than EditPad to read the file. It is to use the CPY command to create another copy of the file with proper code page conversion: CPY OBJ( ...) TOOBJ( ....') TOCCSID(PCASCII) DTAFMT(TEXT).

[markus_doehr2]

Why do you transfer text files as binary data?

Markus

[Former Member]

Markus

I later asked this question to myself also and tried FTPing them in text mode with a few specified code page conversion settings of IBM i FTP server and the files are more readable but not for all their contents.

But then I had a faint memory of a freeware Windows editor tool that I used to have long ago and spent some times to retrieve its name from my memory and found that its is now called EditPad Lite. I downloaded it and found that it supported displaying many text encoding schemes which also includes a few code pages of EBCDIC scheme. After I switched the encoding support of EditPad Lite to EBCDIC code page 500 (I displayed the file's attribute in IBM i to look at their code pages), I could read all these files.

I recommend this free tool as it may be useful for some of you as well.