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Status Not under consideration
Categories Toolkit
Created by Guest
Created on Feb 26, 2015

New version of HLASM Toolkit feature SPM macros

Hi,

This RFE consists of a new version of the HLASM Toolkit Feature Structured Programming Macros. The materials include:

- structured programming macro source
- test example source
- suggested replacement for ch 2 of "HLASM Toolkit Feature User's Guide.

These macros are a complete rewrite of the original macros, providing many new features, while still retaining compatibility with the current version. This version has been successfully used in a number of production assembler programs, though more testing may be needed before a general release.

I am donating this version of the macros, which I have developed in my personal time, to IBM as a retirement gift. I am retiring from IBM Feb 27 2015 after over 40 years in the industry. After that time I can be reached at the following address: naira_henry@hotmail.com

Henry Farmer (IBM employee #081601)

Idea priority Low
  • Guest
    Reply
    |
    Nov 4, 2021

    For the reasons previously stated, we are not able to use this impressive set of macros and documentation directly, as the differences from the existing ones are too extensive. We added our own support for Compare and Branch instructions and for Carry and Borrow conditions to the existing macros in APAR PH31153 in November 2020. We hope to add further enhancements in future, but this needs to be done in a very cautious and compatible way. We may well be able to make use of ideas from this collection in future, so we are setting it aside for reference. However, we are not able to make use of this alternative implementation directly, so we are declining this requirement.

  • Guest
    Reply
    |
    Sep 30, 2019

    This is a very interesting and potentially useful collection of enhancements, and addresses many historical requirements against the structured programming macros, using highly ingenious solutions which appear to be generally of high quality. It's an impressive amount of work.

    I wish we could use this set "as is". However, the enhancements are so complex and the macros are so different to the current set that it would require a huge amount of resources to review and evaluate this collection, including extensive compatibility verification both for the design and the implementation. At present the requirement for all of this new function is not sufficient to justify such effort, given the limited development resources available to the current team. We also encountered a few bugs (for example, a missing sequence symbol and the "LT" instruction being misinterpreted) as soon as we tried some simple tests, which means we feel it needs very thorough review.

    We do have some high priority requirements in this area, for example to support compare and branch instructions, but we believe this can be done by small incremental changes which can easily be verified and regression tested. We also have major reservations about introducing non-trivial logic on top of the standard assembler function, especially transforming existing code to exploit new instructions, as that can become disproportionately complex, like attempting to implement a compiler in the assembler macro language. Note for example that the new Select instructions in the IBM z15 now provide a better solution than load-on-condition in many cases.

    We have saved this collection of macros and documentation for now as an illustration of possible enhancements together with the code that implements such enhancements, and we hope it may be practical to pick out specific new function in an incremental way so that we can introduce it in future without risking disruption.

  • Guest
    Reply
    |
    Oct 5, 2015

    Due to processing by IBM, this request was reassigned to have the following updated attributes:
    Brand - Servers and Systems Software
    Product family - Enterprise Tooling
    Product - High Level Assembler (HLASM)

    For recording keeping, the previous attributes were:
    Brand - WebSphere
    Product family - Enterprise Tooling
    Product - High Level Assembler (HLASM)

  • Guest
    Reply
    |
    Mar 26, 2015

    Due to processing by IBM, this request was reassigned to have the following updated attributes:
    Brand - WebSphere
    Product family - Enterprise Tooling
    Product - High Level Assembler (HLASM)
    Component - Toolkit
    Operating system - IBM z/OS

    For recording keeping, the previous attributes were:
    Brand - Servers and Systems Software
    Product family - zSeries Software
    Product - z/OS
    Component - Other
    Operating system - IBM z/OS

  • Guest
    Reply
    |
    Feb 28, 2015

    Creating a new RFE based on Community RFE #67135 in product z/OS.

  • Guest
    Reply
    |
    Feb 26, 2015

    Attachment (Description): suggested replacement for ch 2 of "HLASM Toolkit Feature User's Guide"

  • Guest
    Reply
    |
    Feb 26, 2015

    Attachment (Description): Macro source. Test example source.