How to DigitalWrite in Assembly Using Variables, Not Constants

Projects Programming
6

I have no idea but this person somehow managed to get it to work in the NeoPixel Library on line 1045:

    volatile uint8_t next, bit;

    hi   = *port |  pinMask;
    lo   = *port & ~pinMask;
    next = lo;
    bit  = 8;

    asm volatile(
     "head20:"                   "\n\t" // Clk  Pseudocode    (T =  0)
      "st   %a[port],  %[hi]"    "\n\t" // 2    PORT = hi     (T =  2)
      "sbrc %[byte],  7"         "\n\t" // 1-2  if(b & 128)
       "mov  %[next], %[hi]"     "\n\t" // 0-1   next = hi    (T =  4)
      "dec  %[bit]"              "\n\t" // 1    bit--         (T =  5)
      "st   %a[port],  %[next]"  "\n\t" // 2    PORT = next   (T =  7)
      "mov  %[next] ,  %[lo]"    "\n\t" // 1    next = lo     (T =  8)
      "breq nextbyte20"          "\n\t" // 1-2  if(bit == 0) (from dec above)
      "rol  %[byte]"             "\n\t" // 1    b <<= 1       (T = 10)
      "rjmp .+0"                 "\n\t" // 2    nop nop       (T = 12)
      "nop"                      "\n\t" // 1    nop           (T = 13)
      "st   %a[port],  %[lo]"    "\n\t" // 2    PORT = lo     (T = 15)
      "nop"                      "\n\t" // 1    nop           (T = 16)
      "rjmp .+0"                 "\n\t" // 2    nop nop       (T = 18)
      "rjmp head20"              "\n\t" // 2    -> head20 (next bit out)
     "nextbyte20:"               "\n\t" //                    (T = 10)
      "ldi  %[bit]  ,  8"        "\n\t" // 1    bit = 8       (T = 11)
      "ld   %[byte] ,  %a[ptr]+" "\n\t" // 2    b = *ptr++    (T = 13)
      "st   %a[port], %[lo]"     "\n\t" // 2    PORT = lo     (T = 15)
      "nop"                      "\n\t" // 1    nop           (T = 16)
      "sbiw %[count], 1"         "\n\t" // 2    i--           (T = 18)
       "brne head20"             "\n"   // 2    if(i != 0) -> (next byte)
      : [port]  "+e" (port),
        [byte]  "+r" (b),
        [bit]   "+r" (bit),
        [next]  "+r" (next),
        [count] "+w" (i)
      : [ptr]    "e" (ptr),
        [hi]     "r" (hi),
        [lo]     "r" (lo));

And he is using a pointer.
I went over this thing many times and I am completely lost.

EDIT:
is this because he uses the st(Store Indirect) Inst?