The following rules describe when you can use the value, length attribute value, or type attribute value of an equated symbol in conditional assembly statements:

• If you want to use the value of the symbol in conditional assembly statements, then:
  • The EQU statement that defines the symbol must be processed by the assembler before the conditional assembly statement that refers to the symbol.
  • The symbol in the name field of the EQU statement must be an ordinary symbol.
  • Expression_1 must be an absolute expression, and must contain only self-defining terms or previously defined symbols.
• If only expression_1 is specified:
  • The assembler assigns a type attribute value of U.
  • If the EQU statement that defines the symbol is processed by the assembler before the conditional assembly statement that refers to the symbol, the assembler assigns the length attribute of expression_1. Otherwise, the assembler assigns a length attribute value 1.
  You can use these values in conditional assembly statements, although references to the length attribute might be flagged.
• If you specify expression_2 or expression_3 and you want to use the explicit attribute value during conditional assembly processing, then:
  • The symbol in the name field must be an ordinary symbol.
  • The expression must contain only self-defining terms.