A structured approach to assembly language programming

A method is described for teaching structured programming techniques to students of assembly language programming. Structured programming, historically, has only been within the realm of high-level languages (Pascal, C, etc.), while a more loose approach-one lacking a formal syntax-has traditionally been applied to low-level programming in assembly language. Borrowing words and symbols from Pascal and C, a simple syntax was devised, called Pseudo Code, that uses three basic structures: linear, conditional, and loop. Upon learning that all the programs can be written using only these three structures, students become convinced of the reduced complexity brought by Pseudo Code. A method is adopted that proceeds from the problem definition to the assembly language program using Pseudo Code as an interim step. Using this method, students at the author's college have successfully developed software in assembly language that would have been too complex for them to attempt without coding their solutions in a structured form.<
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