# OPEN: ENCODING Specifier

The ENCODING specifier indicates the encoding form for a file. It takes the following form:

ENCODING = enc

enc | Is a scalar default character expression that evaluates to one of the following values:
'UTF-8' | Indicates that the encoding form of the file is UTF-8 (a unicode file). All characters therein are of ISO 10646 character type, as specified by ISO/IEC 10646-1:2000. This value must not be specified if the processor does not support the ISO 10646 character type.
'DEFAULT' | Indicates that the encoding form of the file is determined by the processor.

The default is 'DEFAULT'.

You can only use this specifier for a formatted I/O connection.

Parent topic: OPEN Statement Specifiers