Shane Nelson <PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU> wrote:

> I _think_ [equates] are exactly the same thing as a #define...
> just a different way of writing it.

Shane:

Not quite... "#define symbol xxx" does a direct string substitution
of "symbol" with "xxx", but "symbol equ xxx" replaces "symbol" with
the calculated VALUE of "xxx".

If you're not careful, this can bite you.  For example:

    equ1    equ     5+3     ;MPASM will replace future occurences
                            ;of "equ1" with the value 8.

    #define def1    5+3     ;MPASM will replace future occurences
                            ;of "def1" with the string "5+3".

    x       equ     3*equ1  ;This line is equivalent to "x equ 3*8",
                            ;so x = 24.

    y       equ     3*def1  ;THIS line, on the other hand, is
                            ;equivalent to "y equ 3*5+3", so y = 18!

-Andy

=== Andrew Warren - fastfwd@ix.netcom.com
=== Fast Forward Engineering - Vista, California
=== http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/2499

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