The SHOW CHAR or SHOW CHARACTERS command will display the current settings.

If there is no database open the characters default to the ones set in the RBASE.CFG file. These may be overriden by using a "SET char" command. If a database is open the character settings default to the settings stored in the database AND STAY WITH THOSE SETTINGS!. In other words, once a database is opened the character settings are changed until R:BASE is restarted or a "SET char" command is issued. Similarly, setting the characters when disconnected from a database will have no effect on the database.

R:BASE uses the follows characters. For simplicity the NULL character is listed in the chart below but it will not be shown by the SHOW CHAR command. Listed below you will see the SQL / ODBC compliant character setting and the Legacy setting. The Legacy setting will be found in many databases that have been upgraded. In order to use ODBC to connect into an R:BASE database or to enable a database to connect out to an ODBC source you must use the SQL / ODBC settings.

Character	SQL / ODBC	Legacy
BLANK	(space)	(space)
DELIMIT	, (comma)	, (comma)
IDQUOTES	` (backquote)	NULL (not set)
LINEEND	^ (caret)	^ (caret)
MANY	% (percent)	* (asterisk)
NULL	-0- (dash zero dash)	-0- (dash zero dash)
PLUS	+ (plus)	+ (plus)
QUOTES	' (single quote)	" (double quote)
SEMI	; (semicolon)	; (semicolon)
SINGLE	_ (underscore)	? (question mark)