1. A method implemented in a computer, the method comprising: said computer receiving an invocation of a first macro and a variable as an argument for the first macro; subsequent to said receiving, said computer automatically identifying a second macro to be invoked to perform on said variable an operation identified by the first macro; wherein the first macro and the second macro have different names; and wherein the second macro is defined within said computer to comprise assembler instructions for use with at least variables of an element type identical to a corresponding type of the variable; said computer automatically expanding the second macro, to generate said assembler instructions in an assembly language; and said computer using an assembler for said assembly language to generate object code, based on said assembler instructions.