CHAPTER 3

MACROS AND
MACRO PROCESSORS
 Overview

Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024

 Macros
 Macro instructions or Macros are single line
abbreviations for groups of instructions.

 Single instruction is used to represent a block of

code.

 Expanding a Macro: For every occurrence of this

one line macro instruction, the macro processing
assembler will substitute the entire block.
Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024
 Macro Instructions
 Macro is an abbreviation for a series of
operations.

Start of definition
 Example:
Macro name

A 1,DATA  MACRO
A 2,DATA INCR INCR
A 3,DATA A 1,DATA
Repeated  Sequence to be
 A 2,DATA
code A 3,DATA
abbreviated
A 1,DATA INCR
A 2,DATA  MEND
A 3,DATA

End of definition
Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024
 Macros in C
#include <stdio.h> #include <stdio.h>
#define Square(x) ((x)*(x)) //Macro definition not included

int main(void) int main(void)

{ {
int a; int a;
printf(“enter a no : ”); printf(“enter a no : ”);
scanf(“%d”,&a); scanf(“%d”,&a);
Square(a); ((a)*(a));
} }
Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024
 Macros in Assembly code (8086)
macro print msg start:
mov dx, offset msg
mov ah, 09h .
int 21h .
endm
mov dx, offset msg
data segment
Msg1 db “hello world$” mov ah, 09h
data ends int 21h
code segment .
.
.
.
print msg code ends
. end start
.
end start
Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024
 A macro-processor
 Essentially involve the substitution of group of
characters or lines for another
 The design of macro-processor is machine
independent.

Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024

 Basic Macro Processor Functions
 Macro definition
 Macro Invocation
 Macro Expansion

Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024

 MACRO DEFINITION
 Two new assembler directives are used in macro definition:
 MACRO: identifies beginning of MACRO definition
 MEND: identifies end of MACRO definition
 label op operands
Name MACRO
<macro name> [<formal parameters specification>]

<model statements>

MEND
 Name: Name given for the macro appeareas in mnemonic field of aasembly statement
 Formal Parameters: The entries in the operands field identify the parameters of the macro
definition.
 Model Statements: the statements that will generate as the expansion of macro
 Prototype: The macro name and parameters define a pattern or prototype

Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024

 Macro Invocation
 A macro invocation (macro call) gives the name of
the macro instruction being invoked and the
argument in expanding macro.
 Arguments from the macro invocation are
substituted for parameters in the macro prototype.

Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024

 Parameter specification
 Parameters can be of two types:
 Positional parameters
 Formal paramaeter : &<parameter name>
 Actual parameter is usually an ordinary string

INCR A,B, AREG

Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024

 Parameter specification
 Parameters can be of two types:
 Keyword parameters
 Formal paramaeter : &<parameter name>[<parameter kind> [<default value>]]
 Actual parameter : <formal parameter> = <ordinarystring>

Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024

 Keyword parameter

Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024

 Attributes of formal parametes
 Attribute of formal parater represents information
about the value of formal parameter i.e. about
corresponding actual parameters
 Syntax : <attribute name>’ <formal para specification>
T : type
 L : length

 S: size

 Eg. L’&A  Length of parameter A

Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024

 Macro Invocation
 A macro invocation (macro call) gives the name of the
macro instruction being invoked and the argument in
expanding macro.
 Arguments from the macro invocation are substituted
for parameters in the macro prototype.
 Macro Invocation Vs Subroutine call
 Statement of macro are expanded each time the macro is
invoked.
 Statements of subroutine appear only once, regardless of
how many times the subroutine is called.
 Macro invocation is more efficient than subroutine call,
however the code size is larger.

Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024

 Features of Macro Facility
 Macro Instruction Arguments

 Conditional Macro Expansion

 Macro calls within Macros

 Macro Instruction defining Macros

Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024

 Macro Instruction Arguments
 Macro calls replaces the call by a block of code.

 No flexibility to modify code that replaces the call.

 Extension for providing arguments or parameters in macro call.

 Macro instruction argument (dummy arguments) are used in definition.

 It is specified in the macro name line and distinguished by ‘&’

 Arguments that are not specified, are presumed blank by macro

processor.

Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024

 Macro Instruction Arguments
Original Source Original Source
Expanded Source Expanded Source
(single argument) (Multiple argument)
MACRO MACRO
INCR &ARG INCR &ARG1,&ARG2
A 1, &ARG A 1, &ARG1
A 2, &ARG A 1,DATA1 A 2, &ARG2
A 3, &ARG MEND A 1,DATA1
A 2,DATA1
MEND A 2,DATA2
. A 3,DATA1
.
. INCR DATA1,DATA2
INCR DATA1 A 1,DATA2
. A 1,DATA2 A 2,DATA1
.
.
A 2,DATA2 INCR DATA2,DATA1
INCR DATA2 A 3,DATA2

Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024

 Conditional Macro Expansion
 AIF (arithmetic IF) and AGO(Arithmetic go) permit
conditional reordering of the sequence of macro
expansion.
 AIF
 Conditional branch
 Performs arithmetic test and branches if condition is true
 AGO
 Unconditional branch (similar to ‘go to’ statement)
 Machine instructions that appear in the expansion of a
macro call can be selected based on condition.
 Labels inside a Macro start with a period (.) eg: .FINISH

Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024

 Conditional Macro Expansion
 AIF
 Conditional branch
 Performs arithmetic test and branches if condition is true
 AIF (<expression>) <sequencing symbol>
 expression: The condition under which the branch should
occur. It can be any arithmetic condition like 'EQUAL',
'NOT EQUAL', 'GREATER THAN', etc.

Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024

 Conditional Macro Expansion
 AGO
 Unconditional branch (similar to ‘go to’ statement)
 Machine instructions that appear in the expansion
of a macro call can be selected based on condition.
 Labels inside a Macro start with a period (.) eg:
.FINISH

Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024

Conditional expansion using AIF and AGO

Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024

 Conditional Macro Expansion
Original Source Source with Macro
MACRO
&ARG0 VARY &COUNT, &ARG1, &ARG2,&ARG3
&ARG0 A 1, &ARG1
Loop1 A 1,DATA1 AIF (&COUNT EQ 1).FINISH
A 2,DATA2 A 2,&ARG2
A 3,DATA3 AIF (&COUNT EQ 2).FINISH Expanded Source
. A 3,&ARG3
.
. .FINISH MEND
Loop2 A 1,DATA3 .
.
Loop1 A 1,DATA1
.
A 2,DATA2 A 2,DATA2
Loop1 VARY 3,DATA1,DATA2,DATA3
.
. . A. 3,DATA3
. . .
. .

Loop3 A 1,DATA1 Loop2 VARY 2,DATA3,DATA2 Loop2 A 1,DATA3

.
.
.
A. 2,DATA2
.
Loop3 VARY 1,DATA1 .
Loop3 A 1,DATA1

Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024

 Macro calls within Macros
 Also known as nested macro calls.

 A macro can be called within another macro.

 A macro can call itself (using AIF or AGO) so long

as it doesn’t go into an infinite loop.

 Macro calls within macros can have several levels

Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024

 Macro calls within Macros
Source Expanded Source Expanded Source
MACRO (Level 1) (Level 2)
ADD1 &ARG
L 1,&ARG
A 1,=F’1’ Expansion of Expansion of
ST 1,&ARG ADDS ADD1
MEND
MACRO
ADDS &ARG1,&ARG2,&ARG3
L 1,DATA1
ADD1 &ARG1
ADD1 DATA1 A 1,=F’1’
ADD1 &ARG2
ST 1,DATA1
ADD1 &ARG3
L 1,DATA2
MEND
ADD1 DATA2 A 1,=F’1’
ST 1,DATA2
ADDS DATA1,DATA2,DATA3
L 1,DATA3
ADD1 DATA3 A 1,=F’1’
ST 1,DATA3

Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024

Macro Instruction defining Macros
 Macros can be defined within a macro.

 Inner macro definition is not defined until after the outer

macro has been called.

 Group of macros can be defined for subroutine calls

with some standardized calling sequence.

 Individual macros have names of the associated

subroutines (as given by the argument &SUB).

Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024

 Macro Instruction defining Macros
MACRO
DEFINE &SUB Macro name: DEFINE
MACRO
&SUB &Y Dummy macro name
Definition CNOP 0,4 Align boundary
of macro Definition
BAL 1,*+8 Set reg 1 to parameter list pointer
DEFINE of macro
DC A(&Y) Parameter list pointer
&SUB
L 15,=V(&SUB) Address of subroutine
BALR1 14,15 Transfer control to subroutine
MEND
MEND
DEFINE COS
COS AR
BAL 1,*+8
DC A(AR) Address of AR
L 15,=V(COS) V denotes Address of external symbol
BALR 14,15
Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024
 2 pass Macro Processor
 Assumptions
 Functionally different from assembler
 No nested macro calls or macro within macro definitions

 Assembler scans and processes lines of text.

 A line can refer to another line by its address or name
 Address or name must be available to assembler

 Macro definitions do not refer to anything outside

themselves.
 Macro calls refer only to macro definitions
Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024
 Implementation of Macro Processor
There are four basic task that a macro-processor must perform
 Recognize macro definition: A macro instruction processor
must recognize macro definition identified by MACRO &
MEND pseudo-operations.
 Save the Definition: The processor must store the macro the
time of expansion of calls. definitions which will be needed
at the time of expansion od macro calls.
 Recognize the Macro call: The processor must recognize
macro calls that appear as operation mnemonics.
 Expand calls & substitute arguments: The macro call is
replaced by the macro definition. The dummy arguments are
replaced by the actual data.

Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024

 2 pass Macro Processor
 Pass 1: handles macro definitions
 Input macro source deck
 Output macro source deck copy (for pass 2)
 Macro Name Table (MNT) (to store names of defined
macros)
 Macro Definition Table (MDT) (to store definition body)
 Macro Definition Table Counter (MDTC) (next available
entry in the MDT)
 Macro Name Table Counter (MNTC) (next available entry in
the MNT)
 Argument List Array (ALA) (to substitute index markers for
dummy arguments before storing macro definition)
Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024
 2 pass Macro Processor
 Pass 2: handles macro calls and expansion
 Copy of input macro source deck
 Output expanded source deck (i/p for assembler)

 MDT

 MNT from Pass 1

 ALA

 Macro Definition Table Pointer (MDTP) (indicates the

next line of text to be used during macro expansion)

Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024

 2 pass Macro Processor
 Macro Definition Table
 Table of text lines
 80 byte string entries
 Each line of macro definition is stored in MDT
 MACRO is omitted but MEND is kept to indicate the end.
 Name line is kept to facilitate keyword replacement
 Macro Name Table (MNT)
 Each entry consists of a character string (macro name) and pointer to
entry in MDT
 Argument List Array (ALA)
 Dummy arguments in definition replaced by index markers (eg. #1) in
pass 1
 Index markers replaced by arguments in macro call

Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024

2 pass Macro Processor
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 Macro Pass 1
PASS 1

MDTC <― 1
MNTC <― 1
No
Read next Yes
END psedo- GO TO PASS 2
source card op?

MACRO No Write copy of

psedo-op? source card
Yes Read next
source card
Read next
source card Substitute index
MDTC <― MDTC + 1 notation for
Enter Macro name arguments No
and current value of Enter macro MEND
MDTC in MNT entry name card into Enter line psedo-op?
no MNTC MDT into MDT
Yes

MNTC <― MNTC + 1 Prepare Argument MDTC <― MDTC + 1

List Array
Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024
 Macro Pass 2
PASS 2

Read next
source card
(from pass 1) No
END Yes Supply expanded
Search MNT
pseudo-op? source file to
for match
assembler processing
with opcode

MACRO No Write into expanded

name found? source card file
Yes MEND Yes
Substitute arguments
MDTP <― MDT index from macro call pseudo-op?
from MNT entry No
Get line from MDT
Set up Argument list array Write into expanded
source card file
MDTP <― MDTP + 1

Ch 3 – Macros and Macro Processors 3/20/2024

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