TAL Reference Manual

Structures

TAL Reference Manual—526371-001

8-5

Template Structure Declaration

A template structure declaration describes a structure layout but allocates no space for

it. You use the template layout in subsequent structure, substructure, or structure

pointer declarations.

identifier

is the identifier of the template structure, with no indirection symbol.

(*)

is the symbol for a template structure.

structure-layout

is a BEGIN-END construct that can contain declarations for simple variables,

arrays, substructures, filler bits, filler bytes, redefinitions, simple pointers, and

structure pointers. The size of one structure occurrence is the size of the layout

and must not exceed 32,767 bytes.

Usage Considerations

A template structure has meaning only when you refer to it in the subsequent

declaration of a referral structure, referral substructure, or structure pointer. The

subsequent declaration allocates space for a structure whose layout is the same as the

template layout.

Example of Template Structure Declaration

This declaration associates an identifier with a template structure layout but allocates

no space for it:

STRUCT inventory (*); !Template structure

BEGIN !Structure layout

INT item;

FIXED(2) price;

INT quantity;

END;

VST0802.vsd

STRUCT identifier

;;)*(

structure-

layout