Alternative formats for a macro instruction

A macro instruction can be specified in one of the three following ways:

The normal way, with the operands preceding any remarks
The alternative way, allowing remarks for each operand
A combination of the first two ways

The alternative statement format is not available for machine instructions.

The following example shows the normal statement format (NAME1), the alternative statement format (NAME2), and a combination of both statement formats (NAME3).

       Opera-
Name   tion   Operand                       Comment                 Cont.

NAME1  OP1    OPERAND1,OPERAND2,OPERAND3    This is the normal        X
                                            statement format

NAME2  OP2    OPERAND1,                     This is the alter-        X
              OPERAND2                      native statement format

NAME3  OP3    OPERAND1,                     This is a combination     X
              OPERAND2,OPERAND3             of both

Notes:

Any number of continuation lines are allowed. However, each continuation line must be indicated by a non-space character in the column after the end column of the previous statement line (see Continuation lines).
If the DBCS assembler option is specified, the continuation features outlined in Continuation of double-byte data apply to continuation in the macro language. Extended continuation might be useful if a macro operand contains double-byte data.
Operands on continuation lines must begin in the continue column (column 16), or the assembler assumes that the current line and any lines that follow contain remarks.
If any entries are made in the columns before the continue column in continuation lines, the assembler issues an error message and the whole statement is not processed.
One or more spaces must separate the operand from the remarks.
A comma after an operand indicates more operands follow.
The last operand requires no comma following it, but using a comma does not cause an error.
You do not need to use the same format when you code a macro instruction as you use when you code the corresponding macro prototype statement.
Continued comments for a macro with an operand list that terminates in a null operand are recognized provided each continued comment begins in the same or later column as the preceding line's comment.