Easy way to find the cause for level checks

When those ugly level checks appear, you must go off in search of the truth.

Normally, it is a case of comparing various versions of a program and various versions of a file to see which side of the level check needs fixing (i.e. the program or the file).

Now, those 13 digit hex format identifiers defy my memory -- and I wager most others' to. One day I figured out the easy way.

When you do your DSPFD or DSPPGMREF (whichever you do first), copy the format identifier to your clipboard using your emulator's copy function (e.g. CTRL-C). Because both of those commands actually display a spool file with the information, you can then paste the format identifier into the search field of subsequent commands' results and hit F16. If the format identifiers match, it'll find the string. If not, it won't.

I've saved myself a lot of time with this trick over the years, and I wish I had figured it out earlier in my career. The speed with which you can check allows your train of thought to concentrate on the problem, not writing down or remembering 13 characters of hex.

Also, I have been caught out before when level identifiers have been different by only one digit. This is hard to spot by eye, but there is no fooling the search.

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This was first published in April 2004

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