Comparing String Arguments in Macros (39517)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Macro Assembler (MASM) 5.0
  • Microsoft Macro Assembler (MASM) 5.1
  • Microsoft Macro Assembler (MASM) 5.1a
  • Microsoft Macro Assembler (MASM) 6.0
  • Microsoft Macro Assembler (MASM) 6.0a
  • Microsoft Macro Assembler (MASM) 6.0b
This article was previously published under Q39517

SUMMARY

When using IF directives, relational operators could be used to form the conditions. Note: The relational operators treat the expressions as follows:

EQ and NE treat their operators as 16-bit numbers

LT, LE, GT, and GE treat their operators as 17-bit numbers.

The relational operators cannot be used for comparing string arguments. It is often necessary to compare string arguments in MACROs. IFIDN and IFDIF directives are available for this purpose. IFIDN grants assembly if two arguments are identical; IFDIF grants assembly if two arguments are different. The syntax is as follows: 
    IFIDN <argument1>,<argument2>
    IFDIF <argument1>,<argument2>
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:10/17/2003
Keywords:KB39517
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