In Assembler there are many machine instructions that are suitable
for calling subroutines:
- They go somewhere,
- But they also set a register that can be used to return to the
next following instruction.
These instructions include:
- BAL (Branch and link)
- BALR (Branch and link register)
- BAS (Branch and save)
- JAS (jump and save)
- BRAS (Branch relative and save)
- BRASL (Branch relative and save long)
- BASSM (Branch and save and set mode)
My question is this...
What is the collective name for these instructions?
In a sentence such as "Then you branch and link to a subroutine...",
I tend to say "branch and link",
but I'm always unhappy about that...
- Yes, "branch and link" is an accurate description of you're doing,
- While "branch and save" is a bit opaque.
- However, the phrase "branch and link" is ambiguous and invites
unnecessary quibbling.
So my question is... What would you say?
TIA,
David Cole
dbc...@gmail.com (personal)
dbc...@colesoft.com (business)
540-456-6518 (cell)
