With the complex data types available in MASM 6.0—arrays, strings, records, structures, and (new to version 6.0) unions—you can access data either as a unit or as individual elements that make up the unit. The individual elements of complex data types are often the integer types discussed in Chapter 4, “Defining and Using Integers.”
Section 5.1 first discusses how to declare, reference, and initialize arrays and strings. This section summarizes the general steps needed to process arrays and strings and describes the MASM instructions for moving, comparing, searching, loading, and storing operations.
Section 5.2 covers similar information for structures and unions: how to declare structure and union types, how to define structure and union variables, and how to reference structures and unions and their fields.
Section 5.3 explains how to declare record types, define record variables, and use record operators.
All three sections also describe how to use the LENGTHOF, SIZEOF, and TYPE operators with each complex data type.