>This sounds like a 'hidden' character problem.  Read the offending source
>file into word or something and turn on hidden charactors, (that backwards P
>button in word (P for Proof ?)).  Are there extra spaces where they
>shouldn't be, or (shock! horror!) actual [Tab] charactors in your clean .asm
>source?
>
>As you say finding compilers for small (u) computers is amazing, so you
>shouldn't be too amazed to find their syntax requirements a bit stricter
>than more mainstream programs.  The responsibility for supplying correctly
>formatted code lies with the author, not the (non-existant)
>pre-compiler/syntax checker/fixer.
>
>Bye.
>
><snip early bit>
>
>        I'll tell you something funny.  It compiles 'C' files just fine.
>But I also
>        want it to assemble a '.AS' file.  A reasonable requirement, yes?
>This
>        particular .AS file gets thrown out by the compiler, which reports
>(amongst
>        other things) a syntax error on line 10.  The problem is, line 10 is
>a
>        comment (with a genuine ';' at the beginning).  In fact the first 18

>lines
>        are all comments; the first line of real code being on line 19.
>
>        You can probably see why I have niggling doubts about the quality of
>the
>        development software you guys have to wrestle with!  I'm mostly used
>to
>        Delphi, which is programmer's heaven compared to this.... ;-)
>
>        Lest anyone misunderstands, the above paragraph was written with
>tongue
>        firmly in cheek.  Seriously, I don't mean to criticise the guys who
>produced
>        C17 or Hi-Tech's PIC C.  It's a miracle to get a 'C' compiler at all
>for a
>        little thing like the PIC and they've done an astonishingly clever
>job.  But
>        I've gotta say that the learning curve seems hellish steep!
>
>        Many thanks to everyone who has helped me.
>
>        Steve
>
>        Steve Thackery
>        Suffolk, England.
>        Web Site: http://www.btinternet.com/~stevethack/
><http://www.btinternet.com/~stevethack/>
>
>