HLASM Language Reference

Assembler Language Coding Conventions
If an operand is continued after column 16, it is taken to be a comment. Also, if the
continuation-indicator field is filled in on one line and you try to start a new
statement after column 16 on the next line, this statement is taken as a comment
belonging to the previous statement.
Specify the FLAG(CONT) assembler option to instruct the assembler to issue
warning messages when it suspects a continuation error in a macro call instruction.
Refer to the FLAG option description in the HLASM Programmer's Guide for details
about the situations that might be flagged as continuation errors.
Unless it is one of the statement types listed below, nine continuation lines are
allowed for a single assembler language statement.
Alternative Statement Format
The alternative statement format, which allows as many continuation lines as are
needed, can be used for the following instructions:
AGO conditional assembly statement, see “Alternative Format for AGO
Instruction” on page 393
AIF conditional assembly statement, see “Alternative Format for AIF Instruction”
on page 392
GBLA, GBLB, and GBLC conditional assembly statements, see “Alternative
Format for GBLx Statements” on page 345
LCLA, LCLB, and LCLC conditional assembly statements, see “Alternative
Format for LCLx Statements” on page 347
Macro instruction statement, see “Alternative Formats for a Macro Instruction”
on page 298
Prototype statement of a macro definition, see “Alternative Formats for the
Prototype Statement” on page 246
SETA, SETB, SETAF, SETCF and SETC conditional assembly statements, see
“Alternative Statement Format” on page 388
Examples of the alternative statement format for each of these instructions are
given with the description of the individual instruction.
Continuation of double-byte data
No special considerations apply to continuation:
Where double-byte data is created by a code-generation program, and
There is no requirement for double-byte data to be readable on a device
capable of presenting DBCS characters
A double-byte character string may be continued at any point, and SO and SI must
be balanced within a field, but not within a statement line.
Where double-byte data is created by a workstation that has the capability of
presenting DBCS characters, such as the IBM 5550 multistation, or where
readability of double-byte data in High Level Assembler source input or listings is
required, special features of the High Level Assembler language may be used.
When the DBCS assembler option is specified, High Level Assembler provides the
flexibility to cater for any combination of double-byte data and single-byte data.
The special features provided are:
Removal of redundant SI/SO at continuation points. When an SI is placed in
the end column of a continued line, and an SO is placed in the continue
16 HLASM V1R5 Language Reference