One of the most powerful features of the Assembler Language is its ability to control how sets of statements are created and assembled. This capability, known as conditional assembly, uses two distinct languages, an outer and an inner language. The outer language controls which elements of the more familiar "inner" or "base" language are to be generated and assembled. The most popular and widely used form of the conditional assembly language is in macro instructions, which can be used to encapsulate common coding sequences for enhanced reusability, readability, and reliability. <p> Part 1 of this tutorial presentation clarifies these concepts by providing an overview and examples of the outer conditional assembly language, and shows how you can use it to tailor and parameterize Assembler Language applications for maximum flexibility and maintainability. <p> Then we will introduce the basic concepts of macro instructions, showing how they can be used to improve the maintainability and readability of Assembler Language applications. Topics include variable symbols, expression evaluation, argument and parameter association, macro nesting (including recursion), functions, macro debugging techniques, and examples of simple macros.
Tracks: Applications Programming, Architecture, Assembler Intermediate, Development Support, z/OS Systems Programming, z/VM Systems Programming and zNextGen
