Copyright update for binutils
[deliverable/binutils-gdb.git] / gas / doc / c-arm.texi
CommitLineData
6f2750fe 1@c Copyright (C) 1996-2016 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
252b5132
RH
2@c This is part of the GAS manual.
3@c For copying conditions, see the file as.texinfo.
4
5@ifset GENERIC
6@page
7@node ARM-Dependent
8@chapter ARM Dependent Features
9@end ifset
10
11@ifclear GENERIC
12@node Machine Dependencies
13@chapter ARM Dependent Features
14@end ifclear
15
16@cindex ARM support
17@cindex Thumb support
18@menu
19* ARM Options:: Options
20* ARM Syntax:: Syntax
21* ARM Floating Point:: Floating Point
22* ARM Directives:: ARM Machine Directives
23* ARM Opcodes:: Opcodes
6057a28f 24* ARM Mapping Symbols:: Mapping Symbols
7da4f750 25* ARM Unwinding Tutorial:: Unwinding
252b5132
RH
26@end menu
27
28@node ARM Options
29@section Options
30@cindex ARM options (none)
31@cindex options for ARM (none)
adcf07e6 32
252b5132 33@table @code
adcf07e6 34
03b1477f 35@cindex @code{-mcpu=} command line option, ARM
92081f48 36@item -mcpu=@var{processor}[+@var{extension}@dots{}]
252b5132
RH
37This option specifies the target processor. The assembler will issue an
38error message if an attempt is made to assemble an instruction which
03b1477f 39will not execute on the target processor. The following processor names are
34bca508 40recognized:
03b1477f
RE
41@code{arm1},
42@code{arm2},
43@code{arm250},
44@code{arm3},
45@code{arm6},
46@code{arm60},
47@code{arm600},
48@code{arm610},
49@code{arm620},
50@code{arm7},
51@code{arm7m},
52@code{arm7d},
53@code{arm7dm},
54@code{arm7di},
55@code{arm7dmi},
56@code{arm70},
57@code{arm700},
58@code{arm700i},
59@code{arm710},
60@code{arm710t},
61@code{arm720},
62@code{arm720t},
63@code{arm740t},
64@code{arm710c},
65@code{arm7100},
66@code{arm7500},
67@code{arm7500fe},
68@code{arm7t},
69@code{arm7tdmi},
1ff4677c 70@code{arm7tdmi-s},
03b1477f
RE
71@code{arm8},
72@code{arm810},
73@code{strongarm},
74@code{strongarm1},
75@code{strongarm110},
76@code{strongarm1100},
77@code{strongarm1110},
78@code{arm9},
79@code{arm920},
80@code{arm920t},
81@code{arm922t},
82@code{arm940t},
83@code{arm9tdmi},
7fac0536
NC
84@code{fa526} (Faraday FA526 processor),
85@code{fa626} (Faraday FA626 processor),
03b1477f 86@code{arm9e},
7de9afa2 87@code{arm926e},
1ff4677c 88@code{arm926ej-s},
03b1477f
RE
89@code{arm946e-r0},
90@code{arm946e},
db8ac8f9 91@code{arm946e-s},
03b1477f
RE
92@code{arm966e-r0},
93@code{arm966e},
db8ac8f9
PB
94@code{arm966e-s},
95@code{arm968e-s},
03b1477f 96@code{arm10t},
db8ac8f9 97@code{arm10tdmi},
03b1477f
RE
98@code{arm10e},
99@code{arm1020},
100@code{arm1020t},
7de9afa2 101@code{arm1020e},
db8ac8f9 102@code{arm1022e},
1ff4677c 103@code{arm1026ej-s},
4a58c4bd
NC
104@code{fa606te} (Faraday FA606TE processor),
105@code{fa616te} (Faraday FA616TE processor),
7fac0536 106@code{fa626te} (Faraday FA626TE processor),
4a58c4bd 107@code{fmp626} (Faraday FMP626 processor),
7fac0536 108@code{fa726te} (Faraday FA726TE processor),
1ff4677c
RE
109@code{arm1136j-s},
110@code{arm1136jf-s},
db8ac8f9
PB
111@code{arm1156t2-s},
112@code{arm1156t2f-s},
0dd132b6
NC
113@code{arm1176jz-s},
114@code{arm1176jzf-s},
115@code{mpcore},
116@code{mpcorenovfp},
b38f9f31 117@code{cortex-a5},
c90460e4 118@code{cortex-a7},
62b3e311 119@code{cortex-a8},
15290f0a 120@code{cortex-a9},
dbb1f804 121@code{cortex-a15},
43cdc0a8 122@code{cortex-a35},
4469186b
KT
123@code{cortex-a53},
124@code{cortex-a57},
125@code{cortex-a72},
62b3e311 126@code{cortex-r4},
307c948d 127@code{cortex-r4f},
70a8bc5b 128@code{cortex-r5},
129@code{cortex-r7},
a715796b 130@code{cortex-m7},
7ef07ba0 131@code{cortex-m4},
62b3e311 132@code{cortex-m3},
5b19eaba
NC
133@code{cortex-m1},
134@code{cortex-m0},
ce32bd10 135@code{cortex-m0plus},
246496bb 136@code{exynos-m1},
ea0d6bb9
PT
137@code{marvell-pj4},
138@code{marvell-whitney},
6b21c2bf 139@code{qdf24xx},
ea0d6bb9
PT
140@code{xgene1},
141@code{xgene2},
03b1477f
RE
142@code{ep9312} (ARM920 with Cirrus Maverick coprocessor),
143@code{i80200} (Intel XScale processor)
e16bb312 144@code{iwmmxt} (Intel(r) XScale processor with Wireless MMX(tm) technology coprocessor)
03b1477f 145and
34bca508 146@code{xscale}.
03b1477f
RE
147The special name @code{all} may be used to allow the
148assembler to accept instructions valid for any ARM processor.
149
34bca508
L
150In addition to the basic instruction set, the assembler can be told to
151accept various extension mnemonics that extend the processor using the
03b1477f 152co-processor instruction space. For example, @code{-mcpu=arm920+maverick}
34bca508 153is equivalent to specifying @code{-mcpu=ep9312}.
69133863 154
34bca508 155Multiple extensions may be specified, separated by a @code{+}. The
69133863
MGD
156extensions should be specified in ascending alphabetical order.
157
34bca508 158Some extensions may be restricted to particular architectures; this is
60e5ef9f
MGD
159documented in the list of extensions below.
160
34bca508
L
161Extension mnemonics may also be removed from those the assembler accepts.
162This is done be prepending @code{no} to the option that adds the extension.
163Extensions that are removed should be listed after all extensions which have
164been added, again in ascending alphabetical order. For example,
69133863
MGD
165@code{-mcpu=ep9312+nomaverick} is equivalent to specifying @code{-mcpu=arm920}.
166
167
eea54501 168The following extensions are currently supported:
ea0d6bb9 169@code{crc}
bca38921
MGD
170@code{crypto} (Cryptography Extensions for v8-A architecture, implies @code{fp+simd}),
171@code{fp} (Floating Point Extensions for v8-A architecture),
172@code{idiv} (Integer Divide Extensions for v7-A and v7-R architectures),
69133863
MGD
173@code{iwmmxt},
174@code{iwmmxt2},
ea0d6bb9 175@code{xscale},
69133863 176@code{maverick},
ea0d6bb9
PT
177@code{mp} (Multiprocessing Extensions for v7-A and v7-R
178architectures),
b2a5fbdc 179@code{os} (Operating System for v6M architecture),
f4c65163 180@code{sec} (Security Extensions for v6K and v7-A architectures),
bca38921 181@code{simd} (Advanced SIMD Extensions for v8-A architecture, implies @code{fp}),
34bca508 182@code{virt} (Virtualization Extensions for v7-A architecture, implies
90ec0d68 183@code{idiv}),
d6b4b13e
MW
184@code{pan} (Priviliged Access Never Extensions for v8-A architecture),
185@code{rdma} (ARMv8.1 Advanced SIMD extensions for v8-A architecture, implies
186@code{simd})
03b1477f 187and
69133863 188@code{xscale}.
03b1477f
RE
189
190@cindex @code{-march=} command line option, ARM
92081f48 191@item -march=@var{architecture}[+@var{extension}@dots{}]
252b5132
RH
192This option specifies the target architecture. The assembler will issue
193an error message if an attempt is made to assemble an instruction which
34bca508
L
194will not execute on the target architecture. The following architecture
195names are recognized:
03b1477f
RE
196@code{armv1},
197@code{armv2},
198@code{armv2a},
199@code{armv2s},
200@code{armv3},
201@code{armv3m},
202@code{armv4},
203@code{armv4xm},
204@code{armv4t},
205@code{armv4txm},
206@code{armv5},
207@code{armv5t},
208@code{armv5txm},
209@code{armv5te},
09d92015 210@code{armv5texp},
c5f98204 211@code{armv6},
1ddd7f43 212@code{armv6j},
0dd132b6
NC
213@code{armv6k},
214@code{armv6z},
f33026a9 215@code{armv6kz},
b2a5fbdc
MGD
216@code{armv6-m},
217@code{armv6s-m},
62b3e311 218@code{armv7},
c450d570 219@code{armv7-a},
c9fb6e58 220@code{armv7ve},
c450d570
PB
221@code{armv7-r},
222@code{armv7-m},
9e3c6df6 223@code{armv7e-m},
bca38921 224@code{armv8-a},
a5932920 225@code{armv8.1-a},
56a1b672 226@code{armv8.2-a},
e16bb312 227@code{iwmmxt}
ea0d6bb9 228@code{iwmmxt2}
03b1477f
RE
229and
230@code{xscale}.
231If both @code{-mcpu} and
232@code{-march} are specified, the assembler will use
233the setting for @code{-mcpu}.
234
235The architecture option can be extended with the same instruction set
236extension options as the @code{-mcpu} option.
237
238@cindex @code{-mfpu=} command line option, ARM
239@item -mfpu=@var{floating-point-format}
240
241This option specifies the floating point format to assemble for. The
242assembler will issue an error message if an attempt is made to assemble
34bca508 243an instruction which will not execute on the target floating point unit.
03b1477f
RE
244The following format options are recognized:
245@code{softfpa},
246@code{fpe},
bc89618b
RE
247@code{fpe2},
248@code{fpe3},
03b1477f
RE
249@code{fpa},
250@code{fpa10},
251@code{fpa11},
252@code{arm7500fe},
253@code{softvfp},
254@code{softvfp+vfp},
255@code{vfp},
256@code{vfp10},
257@code{vfp10-r0},
258@code{vfp9},
259@code{vfpxd},
62f3b8c8
PB
260@code{vfpv2},
261@code{vfpv3},
262@code{vfpv3-fp16},
263@code{vfpv3-d16},
264@code{vfpv3-d16-fp16},
265@code{vfpv3xd},
266@code{vfpv3xd-d16},
267@code{vfpv4},
268@code{vfpv4-d16},
f0cd0667 269@code{fpv4-sp-d16},
a715796b
TG
270@code{fpv5-sp-d16},
271@code{fpv5-d16},
bca38921 272@code{fp-armv8},
09d92015
MM
273@code{arm1020t},
274@code{arm1020e},
b1cc4aeb 275@code{arm1136jf-s},
62f3b8c8
PB
276@code{maverick},
277@code{neon},
bca38921
MGD
278@code{neon-vfpv4},
279@code{neon-fp-armv8},
081e4c7d
MW
280@code{crypto-neon-fp-armv8},
281@code{neon-fp-armv8.1}
d6b4b13e 282and
081e4c7d 283@code{crypto-neon-fp-armv8.1}.
03b1477f
RE
284
285In addition to determining which instructions are assembled, this option
286also affects the way in which the @code{.double} assembler directive behaves
287when assembling little-endian code.
288
34bca508
L
289The default is dependent on the processor selected. For Architecture 5 or
290later, the default is to assembler for VFP instructions; for earlier
03b1477f 291architectures the default is to assemble for FPA instructions.
adcf07e6 292
252b5132
RH
293@cindex @code{-mthumb} command line option, ARM
294@item -mthumb
03b1477f 295This option specifies that the assembler should start assembling Thumb
34bca508 296instructions; that is, it should behave as though the file starts with a
03b1477f 297@code{.code 16} directive.
adcf07e6 298
252b5132
RH
299@cindex @code{-mthumb-interwork} command line option, ARM
300@item -mthumb-interwork
301This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should
302be marked as supporting interworking.
adcf07e6 303
52970753
NC
304@cindex @code{-mimplicit-it} command line option, ARM
305@item -mimplicit-it=never
306@itemx -mimplicit-it=always
307@itemx -mimplicit-it=arm
308@itemx -mimplicit-it=thumb
309The @code{-mimplicit-it} option controls the behavior of the assembler when
310conditional instructions are not enclosed in IT blocks.
311There are four possible behaviors.
312If @code{never} is specified, such constructs cause a warning in ARM
313code and an error in Thumb-2 code.
314If @code{always} is specified, such constructs are accepted in both
315ARM and Thumb-2 code, where the IT instruction is added implicitly.
316If @code{arm} is specified, such constructs are accepted in ARM code
317and cause an error in Thumb-2 code.
318If @code{thumb} is specified, such constructs cause a warning in ARM
319code and are accepted in Thumb-2 code. If you omit this option, the
320behavior is equivalent to @code{-mimplicit-it=arm}.
e07e6e58 321
5a5829dd
NS
322@cindex @code{-mapcs-26} command line option, ARM
323@cindex @code{-mapcs-32} command line option, ARM
324@item -mapcs-26
325@itemx -mapcs-32
326These options specify that the output generated by the assembler should
252b5132
RH
327be marked as supporting the indicated version of the Arm Procedure.
328Calling Standard.
adcf07e6 329
077b8428
NC
330@cindex @code{-matpcs} command line option, ARM
331@item -matpcs
34bca508 332This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should
077b8428
NC
333be marked as supporting the Arm/Thumb Procedure Calling Standard. If
334enabled this option will cause the assembler to create an empty
335debugging section in the object file called .arm.atpcs. Debuggers can
336use this to determine the ABI being used by.
337
adcf07e6 338@cindex @code{-mapcs-float} command line option, ARM
252b5132 339@item -mapcs-float
1be59579 340This indicates the floating point variant of the APCS should be
252b5132 341used. In this variant floating point arguments are passed in FP
550262c4 342registers rather than integer registers.
adcf07e6
NC
343
344@cindex @code{-mapcs-reentrant} command line option, ARM
252b5132
RH
345@item -mapcs-reentrant
346This indicates that the reentrant variant of the APCS should be used.
347This variant supports position independent code.
adcf07e6 348
33a392fb
PB
349@cindex @code{-mfloat-abi=} command line option, ARM
350@item -mfloat-abi=@var{abi}
351This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should be
352marked as using specified floating point ABI.
353The following values are recognized:
354@code{soft},
355@code{softfp}
356and
357@code{hard}.
358
d507cf36
PB
359@cindex @code{-eabi=} command line option, ARM
360@item -meabi=@var{ver}
361This option specifies which EABI version the produced object files should
362conform to.
b45619c0 363The following values are recognized:
3a4a14e9
PB
364@code{gnu},
365@code{4}
d507cf36 366and
3a4a14e9 367@code{5}.
d507cf36 368
252b5132
RH
369@cindex @code{-EB} command line option, ARM
370@item -EB
371This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should
372be marked as being encoded for a big-endian processor.
adcf07e6 373
080bb7bb
NC
374Note: If a program is being built for a system with big-endian data
375and little-endian instructions then it should be assembled with the
376@option{-EB} option, (all of it, code and data) and then linked with
377the @option{--be8} option. This will reverse the endianness of the
378instructions back to little-endian, but leave the data as big-endian.
379
252b5132
RH
380@cindex @code{-EL} command line option, ARM
381@item -EL
382This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should
383be marked as being encoded for a little-endian processor.
adcf07e6 384
252b5132
RH
385@cindex @code{-k} command line option, ARM
386@cindex PIC code generation for ARM
387@item -k
a349d9dd
PB
388This option specifies that the output of the assembler should be marked
389as position-independent code (PIC).
adcf07e6 390
845b51d6
PB
391@cindex @code{--fix-v4bx} command line option, ARM
392@item --fix-v4bx
393Allow @code{BX} instructions in ARMv4 code. This is intended for use with
394the linker option of the same name.
395
278df34e
NS
396@cindex @code{-mwarn-deprecated} command line option, ARM
397@item -mwarn-deprecated
398@itemx -mno-warn-deprecated
399Enable or disable warnings about using deprecated options or
400features. The default is to warn.
401
2e6976a8
DG
402@cindex @code{-mccs} command line option, ARM
403@item -mccs
404Turns on CodeComposer Studio assembly syntax compatibility mode.
405
8b2d793c
NC
406@cindex @code{-mwarn-syms} command line option, ARM
407@item -mwarn-syms
408@itemx -mno-warn-syms
409Enable or disable warnings about symbols that match the names of ARM
410instructions. The default is to warn.
411
252b5132
RH
412@end table
413
414
415@node ARM Syntax
416@section Syntax
417@menu
cab7e4d9 418* ARM-Instruction-Set:: Instruction Set
252b5132
RH
419* ARM-Chars:: Special Characters
420* ARM-Regs:: Register Names
b6895b4f 421* ARM-Relocations:: Relocations
99f1a7a7 422* ARM-Neon-Alignment:: NEON Alignment Specifiers
252b5132
RH
423@end menu
424
cab7e4d9
NC
425@node ARM-Instruction-Set
426@subsection Instruction Set Syntax
427Two slightly different syntaxes are support for ARM and THUMB
428instructions. The default, @code{divided}, uses the old style where
429ARM and THUMB instructions had their own, separate syntaxes. The new,
430@code{unified} syntax, which can be selected via the @code{.syntax}
431directive, and has the following main features:
432
9e6f3811
AS
433@itemize @bullet
434@item
cab7e4d9
NC
435Immediate operands do not require a @code{#} prefix.
436
9e6f3811 437@item
cab7e4d9
NC
438The @code{IT} instruction may appear, and if it does it is validated
439against subsequent conditional affixes. In ARM mode it does not
440generate machine code, in THUMB mode it does.
441
9e6f3811 442@item
cab7e4d9
NC
443For ARM instructions the conditional affixes always appear at the end
444of the instruction. For THUMB instructions conditional affixes can be
445used, but only inside the scope of an @code{IT} instruction.
446
9e6f3811 447@item
cab7e4d9
NC
448All of the instructions new to the V6T2 architecture (and later) are
449available. (Only a few such instructions can be written in the
450@code{divided} syntax).
451
9e6f3811 452@item
cab7e4d9
NC
453The @code{.N} and @code{.W} suffixes are recognized and honored.
454
9e6f3811 455@item
cab7e4d9
NC
456All instructions set the flags if and only if they have an @code{s}
457affix.
9e6f3811 458@end itemize
cab7e4d9 459
252b5132
RH
460@node ARM-Chars
461@subsection Special Characters
462
463@cindex line comment character, ARM
464@cindex ARM line comment character
7c31ae13
NC
465The presence of a @samp{@@} anywhere on a line indicates the start of
466a comment that extends to the end of that line.
467
468If a @samp{#} appears as the first character of a line then the whole
469line is treated as a comment, but in this case the line could also be
470a logical line number directive (@pxref{Comments}) or a preprocessor
471control command (@pxref{Preprocessing}).
550262c4
NC
472
473@cindex line separator, ARM
474@cindex statement separator, ARM
475@cindex ARM line separator
a349d9dd
PB
476The @samp{;} character can be used instead of a newline to separate
477statements.
550262c4
NC
478
479@cindex immediate character, ARM
480@cindex ARM immediate character
481Either @samp{#} or @samp{$} can be used to indicate immediate operands.
252b5132
RH
482
483@cindex identifiers, ARM
484@cindex ARM identifiers
485*TODO* Explain about /data modifier on symbols.
486
487@node ARM-Regs
488@subsection Register Names
489
490@cindex ARM register names
491@cindex register names, ARM
492*TODO* Explain about ARM register naming, and the predefined names.
493
b6895b4f
PB
494@node ARM-Relocations
495@subsection ARM relocation generation
496
497@cindex data relocations, ARM
498@cindex ARM data relocations
499Specific data relocations can be generated by putting the relocation name
500in parentheses after the symbol name. For example:
501
502@smallexample
503 .word foo(TARGET1)
504@end smallexample
505
506This will generate an @samp{R_ARM_TARGET1} relocation against the symbol
507@var{foo}.
508The following relocations are supported:
509@code{GOT},
510@code{GOTOFF},
511@code{TARGET1},
512@code{TARGET2},
513@code{SBREL},
514@code{TLSGD},
515@code{TLSLDM},
516@code{TLSLDO},
0855e32b
NS
517@code{TLSDESC},
518@code{TLSCALL},
b43420e6
NC
519@code{GOTTPOFF},
520@code{GOT_PREL}
b6895b4f
PB
521and
522@code{TPOFF}.
523
524For compatibility with older toolchains the assembler also accepts
3da1d841
NC
525@code{(PLT)} after branch targets. On legacy targets this will
526generate the deprecated @samp{R_ARM_PLT32} relocation. On EABI
527targets it will encode either the @samp{R_ARM_CALL} or
528@samp{R_ARM_JUMP24} relocation, as appropriate.
b6895b4f
PB
529
530@cindex MOVW and MOVT relocations, ARM
531Relocations for @samp{MOVW} and @samp{MOVT} instructions can be generated
532by prefixing the value with @samp{#:lower16:} and @samp{#:upper16}
b45619c0 533respectively. For example to load the 32-bit address of foo into r0:
252b5132 534
b6895b4f
PB
535@smallexample
536 MOVW r0, #:lower16:foo
537 MOVT r0, #:upper16:foo
538@end smallexample
252b5132 539
72d98d16
MG
540Relocations @samp{R_ARM_THM_ALU_ABS_G0_NC}, @samp{R_ARM_THM_ALU_ABS_G1_NC},
541@samp{R_ARM_THM_ALU_ABS_G2_NC} and @samp{R_ARM_THM_ALU_ABS_G3_NC} can be
542generated by prefixing the value with @samp{#:lower0_7:#},
543@samp{#:lower8_15:#}, @samp{#:upper0_7:#} and @samp{#:upper8_15:#}
544respectively. For example to load the 32-bit address of foo into r0:
545
546@smallexample
547 MOVS r0, #:upper8_15:#foo
548 LSLS r0, r0, #8
549 ADDS r0, #:upper0_7:#foo
550 LSLS r0, r0, #8
551 ADDS r0, #:lower8_15:#foo
552 LSLS r0, r0, #8
553 ADDS r0, #:lower0_7:#foo
554@end smallexample
555
ba724cfc
NC
556@node ARM-Neon-Alignment
557@subsection NEON Alignment Specifiers
558
559@cindex alignment for NEON instructions
560Some NEON load/store instructions allow an optional address
561alignment qualifier.
562The ARM documentation specifies that this is indicated by
563@samp{@@ @var{align}}. However GAS already interprets
564the @samp{@@} character as a "line comment" start,
565so @samp{: @var{align}} is used instead. For example:
566
567@smallexample
568 vld1.8 @{q0@}, [r0, :128]
569@end smallexample
570
571@node ARM Floating Point
572@section Floating Point
573
574@cindex floating point, ARM (@sc{ieee})
575@cindex ARM floating point (@sc{ieee})
576The ARM family uses @sc{ieee} floating-point numbers.
577
252b5132
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578@node ARM Directives
579@section ARM Machine Directives
580
581@cindex machine directives, ARM
582@cindex ARM machine directives
583@table @code
584
4a6bc624
NS
585@c AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
586
587@cindex @code{.2byte} directive, ARM
588@cindex @code{.4byte} directive, ARM
589@cindex @code{.8byte} directive, ARM
590@item .2byte @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
591@itemx .4byte @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
592@itemx .8byte @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
593These directives write 2, 4 or 8 byte values to the output section.
594
595@cindex @code{.align} directive, ARM
adcf07e6
NC
596@item .align @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]
597This is the generic @var{.align} directive. For the ARM however if the
598first argument is zero (ie no alignment is needed) the assembler will
599behave as if the argument had been 2 (ie pad to the next four byte
062b7c0c 600boundary). This is for compatibility with ARM's own assembler.
adcf07e6 601
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NS
602@cindex @code{.arch} directive, ARM
603@item .arch @var{name}
604Select the target architecture. Valid values for @var{name} are the same as
605for the @option{-march} commandline option.
252b5132 606
34bca508 607Specifying @code{.arch} clears any previously selected architecture
69133863
MGD
608extensions.
609
610@cindex @code{.arch_extension} directive, ARM
611@item .arch_extension @var{name}
34bca508
L
612Add or remove an architecture extension to the target architecture. Valid
613values for @var{name} are the same as those accepted as architectural
69133863
MGD
614extensions by the @option{-mcpu} commandline option.
615
616@code{.arch_extension} may be used multiple times to add or remove extensions
617incrementally to the architecture being compiled for.
618
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NS
619@cindex @code{.arm} directive, ARM
620@item .arm
621This performs the same action as @var{.code 32}.
252b5132 622
4a6bc624 623@c BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
0bbf2aa4 624
4a6bc624
NS
625@cindex @code{.bss} directive, ARM
626@item .bss
627This directive switches to the @code{.bss} section.
0bbf2aa4 628
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NS
629@c CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
630
631@cindex @code{.cantunwind} directive, ARM
632@item .cantunwind
633Prevents unwinding through the current function. No personality routine
634or exception table data is required or permitted.
635
636@cindex @code{.code} directive, ARM
637@item .code @code{[16|32]}
638This directive selects the instruction set being generated. The value 16
639selects Thumb, with the value 32 selecting ARM.
640
641@cindex @code{.cpu} directive, ARM
642@item .cpu @var{name}
643Select the target processor. Valid values for @var{name} are the same as
644for the @option{-mcpu} commandline option.
645
34bca508 646Specifying @code{.cpu} clears any previously selected architecture
69133863
MGD
647extensions.
648
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NS
649@c DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
650
651@cindex @code{.dn} and @code{.qn} directives, ARM
f467aa98 652@item @var{name} .dn @var{register name} [@var{.type}] [[@var{index}]]
1f9bb1ca 653@itemx @var{name} .qn @var{register name} [@var{.type}] [[@var{index}]]
23753660
JB
654
655The @code{dn} and @code{qn} directives are used to create typed
656and/or indexed register aliases for use in Advanced SIMD Extension
657(Neon) instructions. The former should be used to create aliases
658of double-precision registers, and the latter to create aliases of
659quad-precision registers.
660
661If these directives are used to create typed aliases, those aliases can
662be used in Neon instructions instead of writing types after the mnemonic
663or after each operand. For example:
664
665@smallexample
666 x .dn d2.f32
667 y .dn d3.f32
668 z .dn d4.f32[1]
669 vmul x,y,z
670@end smallexample
671
672This is equivalent to writing the following:
673
674@smallexample
675 vmul.f32 d2,d3,d4[1]
676@end smallexample
677
678Aliases created using @code{dn} or @code{qn} can be destroyed using
679@code{unreq}.
680
4a6bc624 681@c EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
252b5132 682
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NS
683@cindex @code{.eabi_attribute} directive, ARM
684@item .eabi_attribute @var{tag}, @var{value}
685Set the EABI object attribute @var{tag} to @var{value}.
252b5132 686
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NS
687The @var{tag} is either an attribute number, or one of the following:
688@code{Tag_CPU_raw_name}, @code{Tag_CPU_name}, @code{Tag_CPU_arch},
689@code{Tag_CPU_arch_profile}, @code{Tag_ARM_ISA_use},
75375b3e 690@code{Tag_THUMB_ISA_use}, @code{Tag_FP_arch}, @code{Tag_WMMX_arch},
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NS
691@code{Tag_Advanced_SIMD_arch}, @code{Tag_PCS_config},
692@code{Tag_ABI_PCS_R9_use}, @code{Tag_ABI_PCS_RW_data},
693@code{Tag_ABI_PCS_RO_data}, @code{Tag_ABI_PCS_GOT_use},
694@code{Tag_ABI_PCS_wchar_t}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_rounding},
695@code{Tag_ABI_FP_denormal}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_exceptions},
696@code{Tag_ABI_FP_user_exceptions}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_number_model},
75375b3e 697@code{Tag_ABI_align_needed}, @code{Tag_ABI_align_preserved},
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NS
698@code{Tag_ABI_enum_size}, @code{Tag_ABI_HardFP_use},
699@code{Tag_ABI_VFP_args}, @code{Tag_ABI_WMMX_args},
700@code{Tag_ABI_optimization_goals}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_optimization_goals},
701@code{Tag_compatibility}, @code{Tag_CPU_unaligned_access},
75375b3e 702@code{Tag_FP_HP_extension}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_16bit_format},
cd21e546 703@code{Tag_MPextension_use}, @code{Tag_DIV_use},
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NS
704@code{Tag_nodefaults}, @code{Tag_also_compatible_with},
705@code{Tag_conformance}, @code{Tag_T2EE_use},
cd21e546 706@code{Tag_Virtualization_use}
4a6bc624
NS
707
708The @var{value} is either a @code{number}, @code{"string"}, or
709@code{number, "string"} depending on the tag.
710
75375b3e 711Note - the following legacy values are also accepted by @var{tag}:
34bca508 712@code{Tag_VFP_arch}, @code{Tag_ABI_align8_needed},
75375b3e
MGD
713@code{Tag_ABI_align8_preserved}, @code{Tag_VFP_HP_extension},
714
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NS
715@cindex @code{.even} directive, ARM
716@item .even
717This directive aligns to an even-numbered address.
718
719@cindex @code{.extend} directive, ARM
720@cindex @code{.ldouble} directive, ARM
721@item .extend @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
722@itemx .ldouble @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
723These directives write 12byte long double floating-point values to the
724output section. These are not compatible with current ARM processors
725or ABIs.
726
727@c FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
728
729@anchor{arm_fnend}
730@cindex @code{.fnend} directive, ARM
731@item .fnend
732Marks the end of a function with an unwind table entry. The unwind index
733table entry is created when this directive is processed.
252b5132 734
4a6bc624
NS
735If no personality routine has been specified then standard personality
736routine 0 or 1 will be used, depending on the number of unwind opcodes
737required.
738
739@anchor{arm_fnstart}
740@cindex @code{.fnstart} directive, ARM
741@item .fnstart
742Marks the start of a function with an unwind table entry.
743
744@cindex @code{.force_thumb} directive, ARM
252b5132
RH
745@item .force_thumb
746This directive forces the selection of Thumb instructions, even if the
747target processor does not support those instructions
748
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NS
749@cindex @code{.fpu} directive, ARM
750@item .fpu @var{name}
751Select the floating-point unit to assemble for. Valid values for @var{name}
752are the same as for the @option{-mfpu} commandline option.
252b5132 753
4a6bc624
NS
754@c GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
755@c HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
e1da3f5b 756
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NS
757@cindex @code{.handlerdata} directive, ARM
758@item .handlerdata
759Marks the end of the current function, and the start of the exception table
760entry for that function. Anything between this directive and the
761@code{.fnend} directive will be added to the exception table entry.
762
763Must be preceded by a @code{.personality} or @code{.personalityindex}
764directive.
765
766@c IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
c921be7d
NC
767
768@cindex @code{.inst} directive, ARM
769@item .inst @var{opcode} [ , @dots{} ]
1f9bb1ca
AS
770@itemx .inst.n @var{opcode} [ , @dots{} ]
771@itemx .inst.w @var{opcode} [ , @dots{} ]
c921be7d
NC
772Generates the instruction corresponding to the numerical value @var{opcode}.
773@code{.inst.n} and @code{.inst.w} allow the Thumb instruction size to be
774specified explicitly, overriding the normal encoding rules.
775
4a6bc624
NS
776@c JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ
777@c KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
778@c LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
779
780@item .ldouble @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
781See @code{.extend}.
5395a469 782
252b5132
RH
783@cindex @code{.ltorg} directive, ARM
784@item .ltorg
785This directive causes the current contents of the literal pool to be
786dumped into the current section (which is assumed to be the .text
787section) at the current location (aligned to a word boundary).
3d0c9500
NC
788@code{GAS} maintains a separate literal pool for each section and each
789sub-section. The @code{.ltorg} directive will only affect the literal
790pool of the current section and sub-section. At the end of assembly
791all remaining, un-empty literal pools will automatically be dumped.
792
793Note - older versions of @code{GAS} would dump the current literal
794pool any time a section change occurred. This is no longer done, since
795it prevents accurate control of the placement of literal pools.
252b5132 796
4a6bc624 797@c MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
252b5132 798
4a6bc624
NS
799@cindex @code{.movsp} directive, ARM
800@item .movsp @var{reg} [, #@var{offset}]
801Tell the unwinder that @var{reg} contains an offset from the current
802stack pointer. If @var{offset} is not specified then it is assumed to be
803zero.
7ed4c4c5 804
4a6bc624
NS
805@c NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
806@c OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
7ed4c4c5 807
4a6bc624
NS
808@cindex @code{.object_arch} directive, ARM
809@item .object_arch @var{name}
810Override the architecture recorded in the EABI object attribute section.
811Valid values for @var{name} are the same as for the @code{.arch} directive.
812Typically this is useful when code uses runtime detection of CPU features.
7ed4c4c5 813
4a6bc624
NS
814@c PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
815
816@cindex @code{.packed} directive, ARM
817@item .packed @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
818This directive writes 12-byte packed floating-point values to the
819output section. These are not compatible with current ARM processors
820or ABIs.
821
ea4cff4f 822@anchor{arm_pad}
4a6bc624
NS
823@cindex @code{.pad} directive, ARM
824@item .pad #@var{count}
825Generate unwinder annotations for a stack adjustment of @var{count} bytes.
826A positive value indicates the function prologue allocated stack space by
827decrementing the stack pointer.
7ed4c4c5
NC
828
829@cindex @code{.personality} directive, ARM
830@item .personality @var{name}
831Sets the personality routine for the current function to @var{name}.
832
833@cindex @code{.personalityindex} directive, ARM
834@item .personalityindex @var{index}
835Sets the personality routine for the current function to the EABI standard
836routine number @var{index}
837
4a6bc624
NS
838@cindex @code{.pool} directive, ARM
839@item .pool
840This is a synonym for .ltorg.
7ed4c4c5 841
4a6bc624
NS
842@c QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
843@c RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
844
845@cindex @code{.req} directive, ARM
846@item @var{name} .req @var{register name}
847This creates an alias for @var{register name} called @var{name}. For
848example:
849
850@smallexample
851 foo .req r0
852@end smallexample
853
854@c SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
7ed4c4c5 855
7da4f750 856@anchor{arm_save}
7ed4c4c5
NC
857@cindex @code{.save} directive, ARM
858@item .save @var{reglist}
859Generate unwinder annotations to restore the registers in @var{reglist}.
860The format of @var{reglist} is the same as the corresponding store-multiple
861instruction.
862
863@smallexample
864@exdent @emph{core registers}
865 .save @{r4, r5, r6, lr@}
866 stmfd sp!, @{r4, r5, r6, lr@}
867@exdent @emph{FPA registers}
868 .save f4, 2
869 sfmfd f4, 2, [sp]!
870@exdent @emph{VFP registers}
871 .save @{d8, d9, d10@}
fa073d69 872 fstmdx sp!, @{d8, d9, d10@}
7ed4c4c5
NC
873@exdent @emph{iWMMXt registers}
874 .save @{wr10, wr11@}
875 wstrd wr11, [sp, #-8]!
876 wstrd wr10, [sp, #-8]!
877or
878 .save wr11
879 wstrd wr11, [sp, #-8]!
880 .save wr10
881 wstrd wr10, [sp, #-8]!
882@end smallexample
883
7da4f750 884@anchor{arm_setfp}
7ed4c4c5
NC
885@cindex @code{.setfp} directive, ARM
886@item .setfp @var{fpreg}, @var{spreg} [, #@var{offset}]
4a6bc624 887Make all unwinder annotations relative to a frame pointer. Without this
7ed4c4c5
NC
888the unwinder will use offsets from the stack pointer.
889
a5b82cbe 890The syntax of this directive is the same as the @code{add} or @code{mov}
7ed4c4c5
NC
891instruction used to set the frame pointer. @var{spreg} must be either
892@code{sp} or mentioned in a previous @code{.movsp} directive.
893
894@smallexample
895.movsp ip
896mov ip, sp
897@dots{}
898.setfp fp, ip, #4
a5b82cbe 899add fp, ip, #4
7ed4c4c5
NC
900@end smallexample
901
4a6bc624
NS
902@cindex @code{.secrel32} directive, ARM
903@item .secrel32 @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
904This directive emits relocations that evaluate to the section-relative
905offset of each expression's symbol. This directive is only supported
906for PE targets.
907
cab7e4d9
NC
908@cindex @code{.syntax} directive, ARM
909@item .syntax [@code{unified} | @code{divided}]
910This directive sets the Instruction Set Syntax as described in the
911@ref{ARM-Instruction-Set} section.
912
4a6bc624
NS
913@c TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
914
915@cindex @code{.thumb} directive, ARM
916@item .thumb
917This performs the same action as @var{.code 16}.
918
919@cindex @code{.thumb_func} directive, ARM
920@item .thumb_func
921This directive specifies that the following symbol is the name of a
922Thumb encoded function. This information is necessary in order to allow
923the assembler and linker to generate correct code for interworking
924between Arm and Thumb instructions and should be used even if
925interworking is not going to be performed. The presence of this
926directive also implies @code{.thumb}
927
928This directive is not neccessary when generating EABI objects. On these
929targets the encoding is implicit when generating Thumb code.
930
931@cindex @code{.thumb_set} directive, ARM
932@item .thumb_set
933This performs the equivalent of a @code{.set} directive in that it
934creates a symbol which is an alias for another symbol (possibly not yet
935defined). This directive also has the added property in that it marks
936the aliased symbol as being a thumb function entry point, in the same
937way that the @code{.thumb_func} directive does.
938
0855e32b
NS
939@cindex @code{.tlsdescseq} directive, ARM
940@item .tlsdescseq @var{tls-variable}
941This directive is used to annotate parts of an inlined TLS descriptor
942trampoline. Normally the trampoline is provided by the linker, and
943this directive is not needed.
944
4a6bc624
NS
945@c UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
946
947@cindex @code{.unreq} directive, ARM
948@item .unreq @var{alias-name}
949This undefines a register alias which was previously defined using the
950@code{req}, @code{dn} or @code{qn} directives. For example:
951
952@smallexample
953 foo .req r0
954 .unreq foo
955@end smallexample
956
957An error occurs if the name is undefined. Note - this pseudo op can
958be used to delete builtin in register name aliases (eg 'r0'). This
959should only be done if it is really necessary.
960
7ed4c4c5 961@cindex @code{.unwind_raw} directive, ARM
4a6bc624 962@item .unwind_raw @var{offset}, @var{byte1}, @dots{}
7ed4c4c5
NC
963Insert one of more arbitary unwind opcode bytes, which are known to adjust
964the stack pointer by @var{offset} bytes.
965
966For example @code{.unwind_raw 4, 0xb1, 0x01} is equivalent to
967@code{.save @{r0@}}
968
4a6bc624 969@c VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
ee065d83 970
4a6bc624
NS
971@cindex @code{.vsave} directive, ARM
972@item .vsave @var{vfp-reglist}
973Generate unwinder annotations to restore the VFP registers in @var{vfp-reglist}
974using FLDMD. Also works for VFPv3 registers
975that are to be restored using VLDM.
976The format of @var{vfp-reglist} is the same as the corresponding store-multiple
977instruction.
ee065d83 978
4a6bc624
NS
979@smallexample
980@exdent @emph{VFP registers}
981 .vsave @{d8, d9, d10@}
982 fstmdd sp!, @{d8, d9, d10@}
983@exdent @emph{VFPv3 registers}
984 .vsave @{d15, d16, d17@}
985 vstm sp!, @{d15, d16, d17@}
986@end smallexample
e04befd0 987
4a6bc624
NS
988Since FLDMX and FSTMX are now deprecated, this directive should be
989used in favour of @code{.save} for saving VFP registers for ARMv6 and above.
e04befd0 990
4a6bc624
NS
991@c WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
992@c XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
993@c YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
994@c ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
ee065d83 995
252b5132
RH
996@end table
997
998@node ARM Opcodes
999@section Opcodes
1000
1001@cindex ARM opcodes
1002@cindex opcodes for ARM
49a5575c
NC
1003@code{@value{AS}} implements all the standard ARM opcodes. It also
1004implements several pseudo opcodes, including several synthetic load
34bca508 1005instructions.
252b5132 1006
49a5575c
NC
1007@table @code
1008
1009@cindex @code{NOP} pseudo op, ARM
1010@item NOP
1011@smallexample
1012 nop
1013@end smallexample
252b5132 1014
49a5575c
NC
1015This pseudo op will always evaluate to a legal ARM instruction that does
1016nothing. Currently it will evaluate to MOV r0, r0.
252b5132 1017
49a5575c 1018@cindex @code{LDR reg,=<label>} pseudo op, ARM
34bca508 1019@item LDR
252b5132
RH
1020@smallexample
1021 ldr <register> , = <expression>
1022@end smallexample
1023
1024If expression evaluates to a numeric constant then a MOV or MVN
1025instruction will be used in place of the LDR instruction, if the
1026constant can be generated by either of these instructions. Otherwise
1027the constant will be placed into the nearest literal pool (if it not
1028already there) and a PC relative LDR instruction will be generated.
1029
49a5575c
NC
1030@cindex @code{ADR reg,<label>} pseudo op, ARM
1031@item ADR
1032@smallexample
1033 adr <register> <label>
1034@end smallexample
1035
1036This instruction will load the address of @var{label} into the indicated
1037register. The instruction will evaluate to a PC relative ADD or SUB
1038instruction depending upon where the label is located. If the label is
1039out of range, or if it is not defined in the same file (and section) as
1040the ADR instruction, then an error will be generated. This instruction
1041will not make use of the literal pool.
1042
1043@cindex @code{ADRL reg,<label>} pseudo op, ARM
34bca508 1044@item ADRL
49a5575c
NC
1045@smallexample
1046 adrl <register> <label>
1047@end smallexample
1048
1049This instruction will load the address of @var{label} into the indicated
a349d9dd 1050register. The instruction will evaluate to one or two PC relative ADD
49a5575c
NC
1051or SUB instructions depending upon where the label is located. If a
1052second instruction is not needed a NOP instruction will be generated in
1053its place, so that this instruction is always 8 bytes long.
1054
1055If the label is out of range, or if it is not defined in the same file
1056(and section) as the ADRL instruction, then an error will be generated.
1057This instruction will not make use of the literal pool.
1058
1059@end table
1060
252b5132
RH
1061For information on the ARM or Thumb instruction sets, see @cite{ARM
1062Software Development Toolkit Reference Manual}, Advanced RISC Machines
1063Ltd.
1064
6057a28f
NC
1065@node ARM Mapping Symbols
1066@section Mapping Symbols
1067
1068The ARM ELF specification requires that special symbols be inserted
1069into object files to mark certain features:
1070
1071@table @code
1072
1073@cindex @code{$a}
1074@item $a
1075At the start of a region of code containing ARM instructions.
1076
1077@cindex @code{$t}
1078@item $t
1079At the start of a region of code containing THUMB instructions.
1080
1081@cindex @code{$d}
1082@item $d
1083At the start of a region of data.
1084
1085@end table
1086
1087The assembler will automatically insert these symbols for you - there
1088is no need to code them yourself. Support for tagging symbols ($b,
1089$f, $p and $m) which is also mentioned in the current ARM ELF
1090specification is not implemented. This is because they have been
1091dropped from the new EABI and so tools cannot rely upon their
1092presence.
1093
7da4f750
MM
1094@node ARM Unwinding Tutorial
1095@section Unwinding
1096
1097The ABI for the ARM Architecture specifies a standard format for
1098exception unwind information. This information is used when an
1099exception is thrown to determine where control should be transferred.
1100In particular, the unwind information is used to determine which
1101function called the function that threw the exception, and which
1102function called that one, and so forth. This information is also used
1103to restore the values of callee-saved registers in the function
1104catching the exception.
1105
1106If you are writing functions in assembly code, and those functions
1107call other functions that throw exceptions, you must use assembly
1108pseudo ops to ensure that appropriate exception unwind information is
1109generated. Otherwise, if one of the functions called by your assembly
1110code throws an exception, the run-time library will be unable to
1111unwind the stack through your assembly code and your program will not
1112behave correctly.
1113
1114To illustrate the use of these pseudo ops, we will examine the code
1115that G++ generates for the following C++ input:
1116
1117@verbatim
1118void callee (int *);
1119
34bca508
L
1120int
1121caller ()
7da4f750
MM
1122{
1123 int i;
1124 callee (&i);
34bca508 1125 return i;
7da4f750
MM
1126}
1127@end verbatim
1128
1129This example does not show how to throw or catch an exception from
1130assembly code. That is a much more complex operation and should
1131always be done in a high-level language, such as C++, that directly
1132supports exceptions.
1133
1134The code generated by one particular version of G++ when compiling the
1135example above is:
1136
1137@verbatim
1138_Z6callerv:
1139 .fnstart
1140.LFB2:
1141 @ Function supports interworking.
1142 @ args = 0, pretend = 0, frame = 8
1143 @ frame_needed = 1, uses_anonymous_args = 0
1144 stmfd sp!, {fp, lr}
1145 .save {fp, lr}
1146.LCFI0:
1147 .setfp fp, sp, #4
1148 add fp, sp, #4
1149.LCFI1:
1150 .pad #8
1151 sub sp, sp, #8
1152.LCFI2:
1153 sub r3, fp, #8
1154 mov r0, r3
1155 bl _Z6calleePi
1156 ldr r3, [fp, #-8]
1157 mov r0, r3
1158 sub sp, fp, #4
1159 ldmfd sp!, {fp, lr}
1160 bx lr
1161.LFE2:
1162 .fnend
1163@end verbatim
1164
1165Of course, the sequence of instructions varies based on the options
1166you pass to GCC and on the version of GCC in use. The exact
1167instructions are not important since we are focusing on the pseudo ops
1168that are used to generate unwind information.
1169
1170An important assumption made by the unwinder is that the stack frame
1171does not change during the body of the function. In particular, since
1172we assume that the assembly code does not itself throw an exception,
1173the only point where an exception can be thrown is from a call, such
1174as the @code{bl} instruction above. At each call site, the same saved
1175registers (including @code{lr}, which indicates the return address)
1176must be located in the same locations relative to the frame pointer.
1177
1178The @code{.fnstart} (@pxref{arm_fnstart,,.fnstart pseudo op}) pseudo
1179op appears immediately before the first instruction of the function
1180while the @code{.fnend} (@pxref{arm_fnend,,.fnend pseudo op}) pseudo
1181op appears immediately after the last instruction of the function.
34bca508 1182These pseudo ops specify the range of the function.
7da4f750
MM
1183
1184Only the order of the other pseudos ops (e.g., @code{.setfp} or
1185@code{.pad}) matters; their exact locations are irrelevant. In the
1186example above, the compiler emits the pseudo ops with particular
1187instructions. That makes it easier to understand the code, but it is
1188not required for correctness. It would work just as well to emit all
1189of the pseudo ops other than @code{.fnend} in the same order, but
1190immediately after @code{.fnstart}.
1191
1192The @code{.save} (@pxref{arm_save,,.save pseudo op}) pseudo op
1193indicates registers that have been saved to the stack so that they can
1194be restored before the function returns. The argument to the
1195@code{.save} pseudo op is a list of registers to save. If a register
1196is ``callee-saved'' (as specified by the ABI) and is modified by the
1197function you are writing, then your code must save the value before it
1198is modified and restore the original value before the function
1199returns. If an exception is thrown, the run-time library restores the
1200values of these registers from their locations on the stack before
1201returning control to the exception handler. (Of course, if an
1202exception is not thrown, the function that contains the @code{.save}
1203pseudo op restores these registers in the function epilogue, as is
1204done with the @code{ldmfd} instruction above.)
1205
1206You do not have to save callee-saved registers at the very beginning
1207of the function and you do not need to use the @code{.save} pseudo op
1208immediately following the point at which the registers are saved.
1209However, if you modify a callee-saved register, you must save it on
1210the stack before modifying it and before calling any functions which
1211might throw an exception. And, you must use the @code{.save} pseudo
1212op to indicate that you have done so.
1213
1214The @code{.pad} (@pxref{arm_pad,,.pad}) pseudo op indicates a
1215modification of the stack pointer that does not save any registers.
1216The argument is the number of bytes (in decimal) that are subtracted
1217from the stack pointer. (On ARM CPUs, the stack grows downwards, so
1218subtracting from the stack pointer increases the size of the stack.)
1219
1220The @code{.setfp} (@pxref{arm_setfp,,.setfp pseudo op}) pseudo op
1221indicates the register that contains the frame pointer. The first
1222argument is the register that is set, which is typically @code{fp}.
1223The second argument indicates the register from which the frame
1224pointer takes its value. The third argument, if present, is the value
1225(in decimal) added to the register specified by the second argument to
1226compute the value of the frame pointer. You should not modify the
1227frame pointer in the body of the function.
1228
1229If you do not use a frame pointer, then you should not use the
1230@code{.setfp} pseudo op. If you do not use a frame pointer, then you
1231should avoid modifying the stack pointer outside of the function
1232prologue. Otherwise, the run-time library will be unable to find
1233saved registers when it is unwinding the stack.
1234
1235The pseudo ops described above are sufficient for writing assembly
1236code that calls functions which may throw exceptions. If you need to
1237know more about the object-file format used to represent unwind
1238information, you may consult the @cite{Exception Handling ABI for the
1239ARM Architecture} available from @uref{http://infocenter.arm.com}.
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