The macro instruction prototype statement (from here on called the "prototype statement") specifies the mnemonic operation code and the format of all macro instructions that you use to call the macro definition.

>>-+------------+--operation_field------------------------------>
   '-name_entry-'                    

>--+------------------------+----------------------------------><
   | .-,------------------. |   
   | V                    | |   
   '---symbolic_parameter-+-'   

name_entry

Is a variable symbol.

You can write this parameter, like the symbolic parameter, as the name entry of a macro prototype statement. You can then assign a value to this parameter from the name entry in the calling macro instruction.

If this parameter also appears in the body of a macro, it is given the value assigned to the parameter in the name field of the corresponding macro instruction.

operation_field

Is an ordinary symbol.

The symbol in the operation field of the prototype statement establishes the name by which a macro definition must be called. This name becomes the operation code required in any macro instruction that calls the macro.

Any operation code can be specified in the prototype operation field. If the entry is the same as an assembler or a machine operation code, the new definition overrides the previous use of the symbol. The same is true if the specified operation code has been defined earlier in the program as a macro, in the operation code of a library macro, or defined in an OPSYN instruction as equivalent to another operation code.

Macros that are defined inline can use any ordinary symbol, up to 63 characters in length, for the operation field. However, operating system rules might prevent some of these macros from being stored as member names in a library.

The assembler requires that the library member name and macro name are the same; otherwise error diagnostic message ASMA126S Library macro name incorrect is issued.

symbolic_parameter

The symbolic parameters are used in the macro definition to represent the operands of the corresponding macro instruction. A description of symbolic parameters appears under Symbolic parameters.

The operand field in a prototype statement lets you specify positional or keyword parameters. These parameters represent the values you can pass from the calling macro instruction to the statements within the body of a macro definition.

The operand field of the macro prototype statement must contain 0 to 32000 symbolic parameters separated by commas. They can be positional parameters or keyword parameters, or both.

If no parameters are specified in the operand field and if the absence of the operand entry is indicated by a comma preceded and followed by one or more spaces, remarks are allowed.

&NAME    MOVE            &TO,&FROM