BUG: A2008 When Angle Brackets Missing on FOR Argument List

• Microsoft Macro Assembler for MS-DOS, versions 6.0, 6.1, and 6.11

SYMPTOMS

Angle brackets ("<>") are required for the argument list of a FOR statement. If the angle brackets are missing from the argument list of a FOR statement in a macro, no listing file will be created and errors A1008 and A2008 will be generated. The sample given at the end of this article generates the following errors:

   test.asm(17): error A2008: syntax error : integer
    numargs(3): Macro Called From
     test.asm(17): Main Line Code
   test.asm(17): fatal error A1008: unmatched macro nesting
    numargs(5): Macro Called From
     test.asm(17): Main Line Code

CAUSE

Because A1008 is a fatal error, no listing file is created.

RESOLUTION

The error messages indicate where the error occurs, but may be difficult to interpret. The first message line indicates that an A2008 error occurred at line 17 of the program (see the sample below). The second message shows that the actual error is on line 3 of the numargs macro. The error can be located and eliminated by finding this line and adding the angle brackets around varg (shown as a commented line in the sample).

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in MASM versions 6.x. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

Sample Code

; Assemble options needed: /c /Fl /Sa

  .MODEL small

  numargs  MACRO varg:VARARG
    mov ax,0
    ; Following line should be FOR val, <varg>
    FOR val, varg
      inc ax
    ENDM
  ENDM

  .STACK
  .DATA
  .CODE
  .STARTUP
    numargs 1,1,1
  .EXIT
  END