Practical Examples of Invoking High Level Assembler Exits and Why They are Useful
by Robert Schreiber
This presentation was given at SHARE in March 2015.
The power of the High Level Assembler language cannot be fully realized without the use of the assembler's exit facilities. This presentation provides practical examples of two simple assembler exits and how to code them in a general framework for writing other exits.
The first exit that we demonstrate shows how to remove ASA and Machine carriage controls from the SYSPRINT listing and replace them with blank lines. This is useful for viewing listings with text editors that do not understand them and renders the SYSPRINT pages more naturally.
The second exit that we present demonstrates how to inspect and modify source code by implementing a new format for statement labels.
You can download this PDF presentation from SHARE's website.
Invoking REXX during High Level Assembly via SETCF
by Robert Schreiber
This presentation was given at SHARE in March 2015.
The power of the High Level Assembler language can be extended by adding REXX to its capabilities. This session provides a practical example of how to implement a SETCF function that invokes any REXX function during the assembly.
The HLASM SETCF function passes arguments to a module that returns a string of data. The module that we demonstrate provides a mechanism for invoking a REXX exec and returning an error indication from the exec and a string. We also demonstrate saving global variables between SETCF invocations.
You can download this PDF presentation from SHARE's website.
Why Assembler is a 21st Century Language
by Kristine Harper
Kristine Harper is a Rocket Software product developer and zNextGen Project Manager for SHARE.
This presentation from December 2007 discusses the usefulness and relevance of Assembler as a modern programming language. The presentation highlights the ease of debugging Assembler with z/XDC. The presentation is available as a Powerpoint or Adobe Acrobat PDF.
Using USINGs
by David Cole
This presentation was given at SHARE in August 2005.
The presentation discusses the creation of symbol sets and how USING statements connect symbol sets both to code and to data areas. The presentation offers the reader an in depth understanding of the many ways to use USINGs and insights into how and why USINGs are so critically important to Assembler programming.
Considerate Programming: Reducing the Maintenance Costs of Commercial Quality Code
by David Cole
This presentation was given at SHARE in August 2003.
The presentation offers examples of the rules that have served Dave well in his forty year programming career. Dave refers to these rules as a programmer’s aesthetic. He believes that programmers who consistently apply such an aesthetic build more reliable and maintainable products.
