Patent ID: 7337438
Filing Date: 2008-02-26
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method of preparing a software program using a plurality of instructions in an assembly language, the method comprising: receiving a definition of a structure expressed as a definition of a first macro comprising at least a first reserved word indicating start of said first macro and a second reserved word indicating end of said first macro; receiving a plurality of statements between receipt of the first reserved word and receipt of the second reserved word, each statement defining a member of said structure; receiving a first additional statement, at a first location relative to said first reserved word; wherein said first additional statement invokes a second macro having as an argument a name of the first macro; wherein said second macro checks that said structure hasn't already been defined and increments a first assembler variable indicating total number of structures defined so far; receiving a second additional statement, at a second location relative to said second reserved word; wherein said second additional statement invokes a third macro having as an argument said name of the first macro; wherein said third macro computes a size of said structure and stores said size in a second assembler variable; receiving an instantiation of the structure expressed as an invocation of a fourth macro having as an argument a name (“instance name”) to be used to identify an instance of said structure, the fourth macro having as another argument a name of the first macro; receiving an instruction in an extension of said assembly language, expressed by using the instance name followed by a separator followed by a name of said member in said structure; and using an assembler for said assembly language to generate an object code, in response to at least said receivings; wherein said assembly language is incapable of supporting structures of the type supported in “C” language; and storing the object code in a memory.