Records are similar to structures, except that fields in records are bit strings. Each bit field in a record variable can be used separately in constant operands or expressions. The processor cannot access bits individually at run time, but it can access bit fields with instructions that manipulate bits.
Summary: Record fields are bits, not bytes or words.
Records are bytes, words, or doublewords in which the individual bits or groups of bits are considered fields. In general, the three steps for using record variables are the same as those for other complex data types:
1.Declare a record type.
2.Define one or more variables having the record type.
3.Reference record variables using shifts and masks.
Once defined, the record variable can be used as an operand in assembler statements.
This section explains the record declaration syntax and the use of the MASK and WIDTH operators. It also shows a few applications of record variables and constants.