3.5. The Functions of a Symbolic Assembler
Symbolic assembler programs translate assembly language source files line by line into corresponding binary machine language. During translation, the assembler performs the following functions:
It builds one or more internal symbol tables that contain the values of all user-defined labels and other symbols.
It maintains location counters to determine where the next instruction or data item will be placed in memory.
It translates the symbolic instruction opcodes and operand specifiers into binary machine code, producing an object file.
It may produce a listing file showing the instructions and data and how these were translated and assigned to unique memory locations.
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