When to Use Structure Macros

Macros enable you to make in-place references only to the fields of a data item. They do not provide a way to take separate code paths based on the data model. They should be avoided if the number of fields in the data structure is large or the frequency of references to these fields is high.

Because the macros hide many of the differences between data models in the implementation of the macros, code written with this interface is generally easier to read. When compiled as a 32-bit driver, the resulting code is compact without needing clumsy #ifdefs, but still preserves type checking.