Creating a PC description file

When sending a PC database file to the AS/400, file and field descriptions for both the AS/400 system and the PC file are required. The host uses this information to correctly identify and interpret the field data.

The PC description file (.fdf) contains information describing the PC database file. It is a text file that identifies the file data type (such as text or DIF), and contains field data including the name, data type, and length of each field in the transferred file.

When transferring data from the AS/400, you can create a PC description file automatically by checking Save description file in the To PC - Options dialog box:

Conversely, the PC description file is required when sending a PC database file to the host. If necessary, you can use a text editor to create a PC description file, following these conventions:

• Use ASCII format.
• Use a carriage return and line feed to end each record.
• Tab characters can be used, but they will be treated as spaces.
• Place an End-of-File (EOF) character at the end of the file.
• Recommended naming convention: Use the same name as the PC database file you are transferring, but with an .fdf extension.