Null statements

The null statements are useful primarily for making assembler source code easier for people to read.

A null statement does not have a mnemonic or any operands. It can contain a label, a comment, or both. Processing a null statement does not change the value of the location counter.

Null statements are useful primarily for making assembler source code easier for people to read.

A null statement has the following syntax:

[label:] [# comment]

The spaces between the label and the comment are optional.

If the null statement has a label, the label receives the value of the next statement, even if the next statement is on a different line. The assembler gives the label the value contained in the current location counter. For example:

here:
       a 3,4,5
is synonymous with

here:  a 3,4,5
Note: Certain pseudo-ops (.csect, .comm, and .lcomm, for example) may prevent a null statement's label from receiving the value of the address of the next statement.