The following is a list of valid mfsort instructions:
| Instruction | Meaning |
|---|---|
| * | The rest of the line is treated as a comment. This is useful if you are supplying instructions via a text file as you can add comments to the file which explain the purpose of each instruction. |
| CHAR-EBCDIC | EBCDIC data. CHAR-EBCDIC must precede all SORT, MERGE, USE or GIVE instructions. |
| SIGN-EBCDIC | Numeric DISPLAY items with included signs are interpreted according to the EBCDIC convention. SIGN-EBCDIC is not required when CHAR-EBCDIC is specified; it is required for data that is otherwise ASCII, such as when the program which created the data was compiled with the SIGN"EBCDIC" Compiler directive. SIGN-EBCDIC must precede all SORT, MERGE, USE or GIVE instructions. |
| SORT-EBCDIC | Record-sequential ASCII files are sorted in EBCDIC order.
Important: SORT-EBCDIC cannot sort files that have keys containing non-printable characters.
|
| SORT/MERGE | These instructions specify either a sort or a merge option and must be followed by a FIELDS instruction specifying the field(s) to be used. The FIELDS instruction may optionally be followed by a RECORD instruction specifying the record size and format of the work file. SORT and MERGE are mutually exclusive. |