DOCERR: MASM 6.0 Programmer's Guide Errors: Chapters 7-10

• Microsoft Macro Assembler for MS-DOS, version 6.0, 6.0a, and 6.0b
• Microsoft Macro Assembler for OS/2, version 6.0, 6.0a, and 6.0b

The following is a list of documentation additions and corrections for Chapters 7 through 10 of the "Microsoft Macro Assembler Programmer's Guide" for version 6.0. The section and page numbers are listed first, followed by a description of the addition or correction.

Section 7.1.2.3, Page 174

The note in the margin states:

   "pairs of operands cannot be both registers or both memory
    locations."

Section 7.2.1, Page 178

The summary of the action for the ".REPEAT,.UNTILCXZ" directive is incorrect. It specifies this directive will compare a label to an expression. However, this is not the case.

The correct description is as follows:

   The .UNTILCXZ directive can be used with expression1 ==
   expression2 or expression1 != expression2 to generate a LOOPE
   or LOOPNE instruction. The .UNTILCXZ directive also decrements CX
   and exits the loop if CX = 0. If <condition> is omitted, the
   .UNTILCXZ directive generates a LOOP instruction.

Section 7.2.1, Page 182

Line number eight of the sample program is incorrect. It should be:

   .CONTINUE  .IF (al < '0') || (al > '9')

Section 7.3.3.2, Page 191

The syntax description for parameters has a "single" closing square bracket rather than a "double" closing square bracket. It must have a "double" closing square bracket.

Section 7.3.3.2, Page 192

The last sentence of the third paragraph should end with the following:

   "...--the first MOV gets the address of the parameter, and the
   second MOV gets the parameter."

Section 7.3.4, Page 195

The fourth portion of the diagram in this page does not show where SP is located. This is misleading. SP should be shown at the same location as BP-2.

Section 7.3.8.2, Page 206

The first sentence on this page is incorrect. It should read:

   "Therefore parmbytes is not always equal to the bytes occupied
   by the parameters."

Section 8.2.1, Page 217

Midway through the second paragraph the sentence should read:

   Multiple /I options can be used to specify that multiple
   *directories* be searched in the order they appear on the command
   line.

Section 8.2.2.1, Page 219

In figure 8.1, there are three files and MOD2.ASM contains the following line:

   mov ax, array[12]

   mov al, array[12]

  You can also use EXTERNDEF to make code labels global.

File 1

      EXTERNDEF codelabel:near
      .model small
      .code

   firstproc    proc
   codelabel::  mov ax,1
   firstproc    endp

File 2

      EXTERNDEF codelabel:near
      .model small
      .code

   secondproc   proc
                jmp codelabel
   secondproc   endp

Section 8.3.1, Page 224

In figure 8.3, the file MOD2.ASM should read:

   .model small, pascal
   EXTERN Var:BYTE, BuildTable:NEAR

   .code
      .
      .
      .
      mov   al,Var
      call  BuildTable
      .
      .
      .

Section 8.4.2, Page 226

Change the example line of code from

   EXTERN init(dummy)

   EXTERN init(dummy):PROC

Section 9.3.2, Page 239

Page 239 states that the following line should work:

   work MACRO arg:=%07h

Section 9.4.3, Page 245

In the sample at the bottom of page 245, the following line should be change from

   FOR  arg, arglist

   %FOR arg, arglist

Section 9.5, Page 249

The first sentence on this page should read:

   The string in the SUBSTR syntax, as well as in the syntax for the
   other string directives and predefined functions, can be any
   textItem where textItem can be text enclosed in angle brackets
   (<>), the name of a text macro, or a constant expression preceded
   by a percent sign (%) such as %constExpr or %(constExpr).

Section 9.5, Page 249

The first paragraph in the description for SIZESTR states:

   Although the length is always a positive number, it is assigned as
   a string of digits in the current radix rather than as a numeric
   value.

   stringsize SIZESTR <hello>

Section 9.5, Page 250

Change the following

   RestoreRegs MACRO
      LOCAL regs
      %FOR reg,regpushed
   pop reg
      ENDM
   ENDM

   RestoreRegs MACRO
      LOCAL regs
      %FOR regs,regpushed        ; reg s/b regs...
   pop regs                      ; "   "   "   "
      ENDM
   ENDM

Section 9.7.2, Page 257

The Macro Assembler 6.0 README.DOC has the following correction for the table on the top of page 257:

   Option     Description
   ------     -----------

   ASSUMES    Saves segment register information
   LISTING    Saves listing and CREF information
   CPU        Saves current CPU and processor
   RADIX      Saves current default radix
   ALL        All of the above

Section 10.3.1.5, Page 268

The following is the example shown in section 10.3.1.5:

   project.exe:*.obj
       LINK $*.obj;

   project.exe:*.obj
     LINK $**;

Section A.1.4, Page 555

The list of new directives at the bottom of this page is missing the directive .ENDIF.

Section A.2.3, Page 583

There is a comma missing from the encoding example at the bottom of the page. The line should be:

   "MASM 6.0 uses this encoding instead: rm16/32,imm8."