Micro Focus Studio Enterprise Edition for Windows > Programming > COBOL Programming > Mixed Language Programming with Native COBOL > Interfacing with Assembler Subprograms

Interfacing with Assembler Subprograms

Restriction: The following applies to native COBOL only.

We recommend that you write your assembler subprograms to comply with the standard COBOL calling convention (bits 0 and 1 set to 0, the default). The assembler subprogram can consist of multiple code and data segments.

Assembler subprograms must be statically or dynamically linked. If they are statically linked they must use the faster form of static linking. To do this, call the assembler subprogram using the COBOL statements:

SPECIAL-NAMES.
     CALL-CONVENTION 8 IS litlinked.
     .
     .
     .
     CALL litlinked "EXAMPLE" USING parameter1, parameter2

The registers used, assuming the standard call convention, are:

Register	Usage
ESP	holds the return address, followed by parameters which have been pushed in right to left order
EBP, EBX, ESI, EDI	must be preserved by the called program
EAX	holds the return-code for four byte data items
EDX:EAX register pair	holds the return-code for an eight byte structure

For an example, see Example of Calling an Assembler Subprogram.