HP DDL D40 Reference Manual page 121

Definition Attributes
length
is a one-digit to five-digit integer, enclosed in parentheses, that specifies the
number of times the preceding symbol is repeated. You can also specify the
length by repeating the symbol (X, A, or 9) a number of times, once for each
character position you want in the field.
S
represents a separate sign character in a signed numeric field.
T
represents a numeric character with an implied embedded sign.
V
represents an implied decimal point location in a numeric field.
national-picture-string
is a national character string, optionally enclosed in quotation marks, that specifies
the national data type and size of a field. A national picture string has the following
form:
{ N | n }...[(length)]
{ N | n }
represents a national character, which is 2 bytes long.
length
is a one-digit to five-digit integer, enclosed in parentheses, that specifies the
number of times the preceding symbol repeats. You can also specify the length
by repeating the symbol N the number of character positions you want in the
field. Each character is two bytes long.
PICTURE Clause General Guidelines
The following points are guidelines for using the PICTURE clause:
If two or more of the symbols X, A, and 9 are in the same picture string, the DDL
compiler assumes the data type is alphanumeric (PIC X).
S or T can be either the first or the last character. The symbol T can be used alone
to declare a one-byte numeric field.
PICTURE Clause Guidelines for National Data Items
The following points are guidelines for specifying a data item's national picture string in
the PICTURE clause:
Data Definition Language (DDL) Reference Manual—426798-002
6- 27
PICTURE Clause