Hello all, I am a recent convert to PIC devices, and writing for 17C756.

I have noticed one particularly irritating short coming;
you can't do an equivalent: MOVF  "FILEREG",F in the 17C devices
like you can in the 16C devices  to change the Z flag.
 The TSTFSZ works if you want to Skip on zero, but there is no
complementary "TSTFSNZ" instructions.
The nice thing about the TSTFSZ is it affects only the Z flag, and no
other registers or flags.

Maybe there are some old hands who have created macros that do the
job as efficiently as possible with minimal impact on, or disturbance
to any registers who wouldn't mind sharing them with everyone.

Or if not, maybe a little game perhaps, to see who can come up with
the neatest, most useful, compact, and documented ( so everyone can -
- understand  ) macro?

I feel this would be a very useful subject for novice programmers.
While we're at it, we might as well cover some of the ground rules
for use of Macro's, such as you don't use them immediately after a
"Test and Branch" instruction for obvious reasons.

I will venture this "glove" in the spirit of being taught my place.
You never know I just "might" learn something new ;)

This macro started as a joke, but it does with W what the complement
of  TSTFSZ  WREG  would do .

                    ; Tests WREG without disturbing it, and only affects
Z flag.
TSTWSNZ     MACRO
                    IORLW    00H                  ; Won't affect value
in W
                    BTFSC    ALUSTA,Z        ; SKIP IF W <> ZERO
                    ENDM


hfoster@tyler.net