Drop arm support for falkor/qdf24xx targets, not present in released hardware.
[deliverable/binutils-gdb.git] / gas / doc / c-arm.texi
CommitLineData
2571583a 1@c Copyright (C) 1996-2017 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},
ed5491b9 122@code{cortex-a17},
6735952f 123@code{cortex-a32},
43cdc0a8 124@code{cortex-a35},
4469186b
KT
125@code{cortex-a53},
126@code{cortex-a57},
127@code{cortex-a72},
362a3eba 128@code{cortex-a73},
62b3e311 129@code{cortex-r4},
307c948d 130@code{cortex-r4f},
70a8bc5b 131@code{cortex-r5},
132@code{cortex-r7},
5f474010 133@code{cortex-r8},
b19ea8d2 134@code{cortex-m33},
ce1b0a45 135@code{cortex-m23},
a715796b 136@code{cortex-m7},
7ef07ba0 137@code{cortex-m4},
62b3e311 138@code{cortex-m3},
5b19eaba
NC
139@code{cortex-m1},
140@code{cortex-m0},
ce32bd10 141@code{cortex-m0plus},
246496bb 142@code{exynos-m1},
ea0d6bb9
PT
143@code{marvell-pj4},
144@code{marvell-whitney},
145@code{xgene1},
146@code{xgene2},
03b1477f
RE
147@code{ep9312} (ARM920 with Cirrus Maverick coprocessor),
148@code{i80200} (Intel XScale processor)
e16bb312 149@code{iwmmxt} (Intel(r) XScale processor with Wireless MMX(tm) technology coprocessor)
03b1477f 150and
34bca508 151@code{xscale}.
03b1477f
RE
152The special name @code{all} may be used to allow the
153assembler to accept instructions valid for any ARM processor.
154
34bca508
L
155In addition to the basic instruction set, the assembler can be told to
156accept various extension mnemonics that extend the processor using the
03b1477f 157co-processor instruction space. For example, @code{-mcpu=arm920+maverick}
34bca508 158is equivalent to specifying @code{-mcpu=ep9312}.
69133863 159
34bca508 160Multiple extensions may be specified, separated by a @code{+}. The
69133863
MGD
161extensions should be specified in ascending alphabetical order.
162
34bca508 163Some extensions may be restricted to particular architectures; this is
60e5ef9f
MGD
164documented in the list of extensions below.
165
34bca508
L
166Extension mnemonics may also be removed from those the assembler accepts.
167This is done be prepending @code{no} to the option that adds the extension.
168Extensions that are removed should be listed after all extensions which have
169been added, again in ascending alphabetical order. For example,
69133863
MGD
170@code{-mcpu=ep9312+nomaverick} is equivalent to specifying @code{-mcpu=arm920}.
171
172
eea54501 173The following extensions are currently supported:
ea0d6bb9 174@code{crc}
bca38921
MGD
175@code{crypto} (Cryptography Extensions for v8-A architecture, implies @code{fp+simd}),
176@code{fp} (Floating Point Extensions for v8-A architecture),
177@code{idiv} (Integer Divide Extensions for v7-A and v7-R architectures),
69133863
MGD
178@code{iwmmxt},
179@code{iwmmxt2},
ea0d6bb9 180@code{xscale},
69133863 181@code{maverick},
ea0d6bb9
PT
182@code{mp} (Multiprocessing Extensions for v7-A and v7-R
183architectures),
b2a5fbdc 184@code{os} (Operating System for v6M architecture),
f4c65163 185@code{sec} (Security Extensions for v6K and v7-A architectures),
bca38921 186@code{simd} (Advanced SIMD Extensions for v8-A architecture, implies @code{fp}),
34bca508 187@code{virt} (Virtualization Extensions for v7-A architecture, implies
90ec0d68 188@code{idiv}),
33eaf5de 189@code{pan} (Privileged Access Never Extensions for v8-A architecture),
4d1464f2
MW
190@code{ras} (Reliability, Availability and Serviceability extensions
191for v8-A architecture),
d6b4b13e
MW
192@code{rdma} (ARMv8.1 Advanced SIMD extensions for v8-A architecture, implies
193@code{simd})
03b1477f 194and
69133863 195@code{xscale}.
03b1477f
RE
196
197@cindex @code{-march=} command line option, ARM
92081f48 198@item -march=@var{architecture}[+@var{extension}@dots{}]
252b5132
RH
199This option specifies the target architecture. The assembler will issue
200an error message if an attempt is made to assemble an instruction which
34bca508
L
201will not execute on the target architecture. The following architecture
202names are recognized:
03b1477f
RE
203@code{armv1},
204@code{armv2},
205@code{armv2a},
206@code{armv2s},
207@code{armv3},
208@code{armv3m},
209@code{armv4},
210@code{armv4xm},
211@code{armv4t},
212@code{armv4txm},
213@code{armv5},
214@code{armv5t},
215@code{armv5txm},
216@code{armv5te},
09d92015 217@code{armv5texp},
c5f98204 218@code{armv6},
1ddd7f43 219@code{armv6j},
0dd132b6
NC
220@code{armv6k},
221@code{armv6z},
f33026a9 222@code{armv6kz},
b2a5fbdc
MGD
223@code{armv6-m},
224@code{armv6s-m},
62b3e311 225@code{armv7},
c450d570 226@code{armv7-a},
c9fb6e58 227@code{armv7ve},
c450d570
PB
228@code{armv7-r},
229@code{armv7-m},
9e3c6df6 230@code{armv7e-m},
bca38921 231@code{armv8-a},
a5932920 232@code{armv8.1-a},
56a1b672 233@code{armv8.2-a},
a12fd8e1 234@code{armv8.3-a},
e16bb312 235@code{iwmmxt}
ea0d6bb9 236@code{iwmmxt2}
03b1477f
RE
237and
238@code{xscale}.
239If both @code{-mcpu} and
240@code{-march} are specified, the assembler will use
241the setting for @code{-mcpu}.
242
243The architecture option can be extended with the same instruction set
244extension options as the @code{-mcpu} option.
245
246@cindex @code{-mfpu=} command line option, ARM
247@item -mfpu=@var{floating-point-format}
248
249This option specifies the floating point format to assemble for. The
250assembler will issue an error message if an attempt is made to assemble
34bca508 251an instruction which will not execute on the target floating point unit.
03b1477f
RE
252The following format options are recognized:
253@code{softfpa},
254@code{fpe},
bc89618b
RE
255@code{fpe2},
256@code{fpe3},
03b1477f
RE
257@code{fpa},
258@code{fpa10},
259@code{fpa11},
260@code{arm7500fe},
261@code{softvfp},
262@code{softvfp+vfp},
263@code{vfp},
264@code{vfp10},
265@code{vfp10-r0},
266@code{vfp9},
267@code{vfpxd},
62f3b8c8
PB
268@code{vfpv2},
269@code{vfpv3},
270@code{vfpv3-fp16},
271@code{vfpv3-d16},
272@code{vfpv3-d16-fp16},
273@code{vfpv3xd},
274@code{vfpv3xd-d16},
275@code{vfpv4},
276@code{vfpv4-d16},
f0cd0667 277@code{fpv4-sp-d16},
a715796b
TG
278@code{fpv5-sp-d16},
279@code{fpv5-d16},
bca38921 280@code{fp-armv8},
09d92015
MM
281@code{arm1020t},
282@code{arm1020e},
b1cc4aeb 283@code{arm1136jf-s},
62f3b8c8
PB
284@code{maverick},
285@code{neon},
d5e0ba9c
RE
286@code{neon-vfpv3},
287@code{neon-fp16},
bca38921
MGD
288@code{neon-vfpv4},
289@code{neon-fp-armv8},
081e4c7d
MW
290@code{crypto-neon-fp-armv8},
291@code{neon-fp-armv8.1}
d6b4b13e 292and
081e4c7d 293@code{crypto-neon-fp-armv8.1}.
03b1477f
RE
294
295In addition to determining which instructions are assembled, this option
296also affects the way in which the @code{.double} assembler directive behaves
297when assembling little-endian code.
298
34bca508 299The default is dependent on the processor selected. For Architecture 5 or
d5e0ba9c 300later, the default is to assemble for VFP instructions; for earlier
03b1477f 301architectures the default is to assemble for FPA instructions.
adcf07e6 302
252b5132
RH
303@cindex @code{-mthumb} command line option, ARM
304@item -mthumb
03b1477f 305This option specifies that the assembler should start assembling Thumb
34bca508 306instructions; that is, it should behave as though the file starts with a
03b1477f 307@code{.code 16} directive.
adcf07e6 308
252b5132
RH
309@cindex @code{-mthumb-interwork} command line option, ARM
310@item -mthumb-interwork
311This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should
312be marked as supporting interworking.
adcf07e6 313
52970753
NC
314@cindex @code{-mimplicit-it} command line option, ARM
315@item -mimplicit-it=never
316@itemx -mimplicit-it=always
317@itemx -mimplicit-it=arm
318@itemx -mimplicit-it=thumb
319The @code{-mimplicit-it} option controls the behavior of the assembler when
320conditional instructions are not enclosed in IT blocks.
321There are four possible behaviors.
322If @code{never} is specified, such constructs cause a warning in ARM
323code and an error in Thumb-2 code.
324If @code{always} is specified, such constructs are accepted in both
325ARM and Thumb-2 code, where the IT instruction is added implicitly.
326If @code{arm} is specified, such constructs are accepted in ARM code
327and cause an error in Thumb-2 code.
328If @code{thumb} is specified, such constructs cause a warning in ARM
329code and are accepted in Thumb-2 code. If you omit this option, the
330behavior is equivalent to @code{-mimplicit-it=arm}.
e07e6e58 331
5a5829dd
NS
332@cindex @code{-mapcs-26} command line option, ARM
333@cindex @code{-mapcs-32} command line option, ARM
334@item -mapcs-26
335@itemx -mapcs-32
336These options specify that the output generated by the assembler should
252b5132
RH
337be marked as supporting the indicated version of the Arm Procedure.
338Calling Standard.
adcf07e6 339
077b8428
NC
340@cindex @code{-matpcs} command line option, ARM
341@item -matpcs
34bca508 342This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should
077b8428
NC
343be marked as supporting the Arm/Thumb Procedure Calling Standard. If
344enabled this option will cause the assembler to create an empty
345debugging section in the object file called .arm.atpcs. Debuggers can
346use this to determine the ABI being used by.
347
adcf07e6 348@cindex @code{-mapcs-float} command line option, ARM
252b5132 349@item -mapcs-float
1be59579 350This indicates the floating point variant of the APCS should be
252b5132 351used. In this variant floating point arguments are passed in FP
550262c4 352registers rather than integer registers.
adcf07e6
NC
353
354@cindex @code{-mapcs-reentrant} command line option, ARM
252b5132
RH
355@item -mapcs-reentrant
356This indicates that the reentrant variant of the APCS should be used.
357This variant supports position independent code.
adcf07e6 358
33a392fb
PB
359@cindex @code{-mfloat-abi=} command line option, ARM
360@item -mfloat-abi=@var{abi}
361This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should be
362marked as using specified floating point ABI.
363The following values are recognized:
364@code{soft},
365@code{softfp}
366and
367@code{hard}.
368
d507cf36
PB
369@cindex @code{-eabi=} command line option, ARM
370@item -meabi=@var{ver}
371This option specifies which EABI version the produced object files should
372conform to.
b45619c0 373The following values are recognized:
3a4a14e9
PB
374@code{gnu},
375@code{4}
d507cf36 376and
3a4a14e9 377@code{5}.
d507cf36 378
252b5132
RH
379@cindex @code{-EB} command line option, ARM
380@item -EB
381This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should
382be marked as being encoded for a big-endian processor.
adcf07e6 383
080bb7bb
NC
384Note: If a program is being built for a system with big-endian data
385and little-endian instructions then it should be assembled with the
386@option{-EB} option, (all of it, code and data) and then linked with
387the @option{--be8} option. This will reverse the endianness of the
388instructions back to little-endian, but leave the data as big-endian.
389
252b5132
RH
390@cindex @code{-EL} command line option, ARM
391@item -EL
392This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should
393be marked as being encoded for a little-endian processor.
adcf07e6 394
252b5132
RH
395@cindex @code{-k} command line option, ARM
396@cindex PIC code generation for ARM
397@item -k
a349d9dd
PB
398This option specifies that the output of the assembler should be marked
399as position-independent code (PIC).
adcf07e6 400
845b51d6
PB
401@cindex @code{--fix-v4bx} command line option, ARM
402@item --fix-v4bx
403Allow @code{BX} instructions in ARMv4 code. This is intended for use with
404the linker option of the same name.
405
278df34e
NS
406@cindex @code{-mwarn-deprecated} command line option, ARM
407@item -mwarn-deprecated
408@itemx -mno-warn-deprecated
409Enable or disable warnings about using deprecated options or
410features. The default is to warn.
411
2e6976a8
DG
412@cindex @code{-mccs} command line option, ARM
413@item -mccs
414Turns on CodeComposer Studio assembly syntax compatibility mode.
415
8b2d793c
NC
416@cindex @code{-mwarn-syms} command line option, ARM
417@item -mwarn-syms
418@itemx -mno-warn-syms
419Enable or disable warnings about symbols that match the names of ARM
420instructions. The default is to warn.
421
252b5132
RH
422@end table
423
424
425@node ARM Syntax
426@section Syntax
427@menu
cab7e4d9 428* ARM-Instruction-Set:: Instruction Set
252b5132
RH
429* ARM-Chars:: Special Characters
430* ARM-Regs:: Register Names
b6895b4f 431* ARM-Relocations:: Relocations
99f1a7a7 432* ARM-Neon-Alignment:: NEON Alignment Specifiers
252b5132
RH
433@end menu
434
cab7e4d9
NC
435@node ARM-Instruction-Set
436@subsection Instruction Set Syntax
437Two slightly different syntaxes are support for ARM and THUMB
438instructions. The default, @code{divided}, uses the old style where
439ARM and THUMB instructions had their own, separate syntaxes. The new,
440@code{unified} syntax, which can be selected via the @code{.syntax}
441directive, and has the following main features:
442
9e6f3811
AS
443@itemize @bullet
444@item
cab7e4d9
NC
445Immediate operands do not require a @code{#} prefix.
446
9e6f3811 447@item
cab7e4d9
NC
448The @code{IT} instruction may appear, and if it does it is validated
449against subsequent conditional affixes. In ARM mode it does not
450generate machine code, in THUMB mode it does.
451
9e6f3811 452@item
cab7e4d9
NC
453For ARM instructions the conditional affixes always appear at the end
454of the instruction. For THUMB instructions conditional affixes can be
455used, but only inside the scope of an @code{IT} instruction.
456
9e6f3811 457@item
cab7e4d9
NC
458All of the instructions new to the V6T2 architecture (and later) are
459available. (Only a few such instructions can be written in the
460@code{divided} syntax).
461
9e6f3811 462@item
cab7e4d9
NC
463The @code{.N} and @code{.W} suffixes are recognized and honored.
464
9e6f3811 465@item
cab7e4d9
NC
466All instructions set the flags if and only if they have an @code{s}
467affix.
9e6f3811 468@end itemize
cab7e4d9 469
252b5132
RH
470@node ARM-Chars
471@subsection Special Characters
472
473@cindex line comment character, ARM
474@cindex ARM line comment character
7c31ae13
NC
475The presence of a @samp{@@} anywhere on a line indicates the start of
476a comment that extends to the end of that line.
477
478If a @samp{#} appears as the first character of a line then the whole
479line is treated as a comment, but in this case the line could also be
480a logical line number directive (@pxref{Comments}) or a preprocessor
481control command (@pxref{Preprocessing}).
550262c4
NC
482
483@cindex line separator, ARM
484@cindex statement separator, ARM
485@cindex ARM line separator
a349d9dd
PB
486The @samp{;} character can be used instead of a newline to separate
487statements.
550262c4
NC
488
489@cindex immediate character, ARM
490@cindex ARM immediate character
491Either @samp{#} or @samp{$} can be used to indicate immediate operands.
252b5132
RH
492
493@cindex identifiers, ARM
494@cindex ARM identifiers
495*TODO* Explain about /data modifier on symbols.
496
497@node ARM-Regs
498@subsection Register Names
499
500@cindex ARM register names
501@cindex register names, ARM
502*TODO* Explain about ARM register naming, and the predefined names.
503
b6895b4f
PB
504@node ARM-Relocations
505@subsection ARM relocation generation
506
507@cindex data relocations, ARM
508@cindex ARM data relocations
509Specific data relocations can be generated by putting the relocation name
510in parentheses after the symbol name. For example:
511
512@smallexample
513 .word foo(TARGET1)
514@end smallexample
515
516This will generate an @samp{R_ARM_TARGET1} relocation against the symbol
517@var{foo}.
518The following relocations are supported:
519@code{GOT},
520@code{GOTOFF},
521@code{TARGET1},
522@code{TARGET2},
523@code{SBREL},
524@code{TLSGD},
525@code{TLSLDM},
526@code{TLSLDO},
0855e32b
NS
527@code{TLSDESC},
528@code{TLSCALL},
b43420e6
NC
529@code{GOTTPOFF},
530@code{GOT_PREL}
b6895b4f
PB
531and
532@code{TPOFF}.
533
534For compatibility with older toolchains the assembler also accepts
3da1d841
NC
535@code{(PLT)} after branch targets. On legacy targets this will
536generate the deprecated @samp{R_ARM_PLT32} relocation. On EABI
537targets it will encode either the @samp{R_ARM_CALL} or
538@samp{R_ARM_JUMP24} relocation, as appropriate.
b6895b4f
PB
539
540@cindex MOVW and MOVT relocations, ARM
541Relocations for @samp{MOVW} and @samp{MOVT} instructions can be generated
542by prefixing the value with @samp{#:lower16:} and @samp{#:upper16}
b45619c0 543respectively. For example to load the 32-bit address of foo into r0:
252b5132 544
b6895b4f
PB
545@smallexample
546 MOVW r0, #:lower16:foo
547 MOVT r0, #:upper16:foo
548@end smallexample
252b5132 549
72d98d16
MG
550Relocations @samp{R_ARM_THM_ALU_ABS_G0_NC}, @samp{R_ARM_THM_ALU_ABS_G1_NC},
551@samp{R_ARM_THM_ALU_ABS_G2_NC} and @samp{R_ARM_THM_ALU_ABS_G3_NC} can be
552generated by prefixing the value with @samp{#:lower0_7:#},
553@samp{#:lower8_15:#}, @samp{#:upper0_7:#} and @samp{#:upper8_15:#}
554respectively. For example to load the 32-bit address of foo into r0:
555
556@smallexample
557 MOVS r0, #:upper8_15:#foo
558 LSLS r0, r0, #8
559 ADDS r0, #:upper0_7:#foo
560 LSLS r0, r0, #8
561 ADDS r0, #:lower8_15:#foo
562 LSLS r0, r0, #8
563 ADDS r0, #:lower0_7:#foo
564@end smallexample
565
ba724cfc
NC
566@node ARM-Neon-Alignment
567@subsection NEON Alignment Specifiers
568
569@cindex alignment for NEON instructions
570Some NEON load/store instructions allow an optional address
571alignment qualifier.
572The ARM documentation specifies that this is indicated by
573@samp{@@ @var{align}}. However GAS already interprets
574the @samp{@@} character as a "line comment" start,
575so @samp{: @var{align}} is used instead. For example:
576
577@smallexample
578 vld1.8 @{q0@}, [r0, :128]
579@end smallexample
580
581@node ARM Floating Point
582@section Floating Point
583
584@cindex floating point, ARM (@sc{ieee})
585@cindex ARM floating point (@sc{ieee})
586The ARM family uses @sc{ieee} floating-point numbers.
587
252b5132
RH
588@node ARM Directives
589@section ARM Machine Directives
590
591@cindex machine directives, ARM
592@cindex ARM machine directives
593@table @code
594
4a6bc624
NS
595@c AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
596
2b841ec2 597@ifclear ELF
4a6bc624
NS
598@cindex @code{.2byte} directive, ARM
599@cindex @code{.4byte} directive, ARM
600@cindex @code{.8byte} directive, ARM
601@item .2byte @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
602@itemx .4byte @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
603@itemx .8byte @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
604These directives write 2, 4 or 8 byte values to the output section.
2b841ec2 605@end ifclear
4a6bc624
NS
606
607@cindex @code{.align} directive, ARM
adcf07e6
NC
608@item .align @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]
609This is the generic @var{.align} directive. For the ARM however if the
610first argument is zero (ie no alignment is needed) the assembler will
611behave as if the argument had been 2 (ie pad to the next four byte
062b7c0c 612boundary). This is for compatibility with ARM's own assembler.
adcf07e6 613
4a6bc624
NS
614@cindex @code{.arch} directive, ARM
615@item .arch @var{name}
616Select the target architecture. Valid values for @var{name} are the same as
617for the @option{-march} commandline option.
252b5132 618
34bca508 619Specifying @code{.arch} clears any previously selected architecture
69133863
MGD
620extensions.
621
622@cindex @code{.arch_extension} directive, ARM
623@item .arch_extension @var{name}
34bca508
L
624Add or remove an architecture extension to the target architecture. Valid
625values for @var{name} are the same as those accepted as architectural
69133863
MGD
626extensions by the @option{-mcpu} commandline option.
627
628@code{.arch_extension} may be used multiple times to add or remove extensions
629incrementally to the architecture being compiled for.
630
4a6bc624
NS
631@cindex @code{.arm} directive, ARM
632@item .arm
633This performs the same action as @var{.code 32}.
252b5132 634
4a6bc624 635@c BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
0bbf2aa4 636
4a6bc624
NS
637@cindex @code{.bss} directive, ARM
638@item .bss
639This directive switches to the @code{.bss} section.
0bbf2aa4 640
4a6bc624
NS
641@c CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
642
643@cindex @code{.cantunwind} directive, ARM
644@item .cantunwind
645Prevents unwinding through the current function. No personality routine
646or exception table data is required or permitted.
647
648@cindex @code{.code} directive, ARM
649@item .code @code{[16|32]}
650This directive selects the instruction set being generated. The value 16
651selects Thumb, with the value 32 selecting ARM.
652
653@cindex @code{.cpu} directive, ARM
654@item .cpu @var{name}
655Select the target processor. Valid values for @var{name} are the same as
656for the @option{-mcpu} commandline option.
657
34bca508 658Specifying @code{.cpu} clears any previously selected architecture
69133863
MGD
659extensions.
660
4a6bc624
NS
661@c DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
662
663@cindex @code{.dn} and @code{.qn} directives, ARM
f467aa98 664@item @var{name} .dn @var{register name} [@var{.type}] [[@var{index}]]
1f9bb1ca 665@itemx @var{name} .qn @var{register name} [@var{.type}] [[@var{index}]]
23753660
JB
666
667The @code{dn} and @code{qn} directives are used to create typed
668and/or indexed register aliases for use in Advanced SIMD Extension
669(Neon) instructions. The former should be used to create aliases
670of double-precision registers, and the latter to create aliases of
671quad-precision registers.
672
673If these directives are used to create typed aliases, those aliases can
674be used in Neon instructions instead of writing types after the mnemonic
675or after each operand. For example:
676
677@smallexample
678 x .dn d2.f32
679 y .dn d3.f32
680 z .dn d4.f32[1]
681 vmul x,y,z
682@end smallexample
683
684This is equivalent to writing the following:
685
686@smallexample
687 vmul.f32 d2,d3,d4[1]
688@end smallexample
689
690Aliases created using @code{dn} or @code{qn} can be destroyed using
691@code{unreq}.
692
4a6bc624 693@c EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
252b5132 694
4a6bc624
NS
695@cindex @code{.eabi_attribute} directive, ARM
696@item .eabi_attribute @var{tag}, @var{value}
697Set the EABI object attribute @var{tag} to @var{value}.
252b5132 698
4a6bc624
NS
699The @var{tag} is either an attribute number, or one of the following:
700@code{Tag_CPU_raw_name}, @code{Tag_CPU_name}, @code{Tag_CPU_arch},
701@code{Tag_CPU_arch_profile}, @code{Tag_ARM_ISA_use},
75375b3e 702@code{Tag_THUMB_ISA_use}, @code{Tag_FP_arch}, @code{Tag_WMMX_arch},
4a6bc624
NS
703@code{Tag_Advanced_SIMD_arch}, @code{Tag_PCS_config},
704@code{Tag_ABI_PCS_R9_use}, @code{Tag_ABI_PCS_RW_data},
705@code{Tag_ABI_PCS_RO_data}, @code{Tag_ABI_PCS_GOT_use},
706@code{Tag_ABI_PCS_wchar_t}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_rounding},
707@code{Tag_ABI_FP_denormal}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_exceptions},
708@code{Tag_ABI_FP_user_exceptions}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_number_model},
75375b3e 709@code{Tag_ABI_align_needed}, @code{Tag_ABI_align_preserved},
4a6bc624
NS
710@code{Tag_ABI_enum_size}, @code{Tag_ABI_HardFP_use},
711@code{Tag_ABI_VFP_args}, @code{Tag_ABI_WMMX_args},
712@code{Tag_ABI_optimization_goals}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_optimization_goals},
713@code{Tag_compatibility}, @code{Tag_CPU_unaligned_access},
75375b3e 714@code{Tag_FP_HP_extension}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_16bit_format},
cd21e546 715@code{Tag_MPextension_use}, @code{Tag_DIV_use},
4a6bc624
NS
716@code{Tag_nodefaults}, @code{Tag_also_compatible_with},
717@code{Tag_conformance}, @code{Tag_T2EE_use},
cd21e546 718@code{Tag_Virtualization_use}
4a6bc624
NS
719
720The @var{value} is either a @code{number}, @code{"string"}, or
721@code{number, "string"} depending on the tag.
722
75375b3e 723Note - the following legacy values are also accepted by @var{tag}:
34bca508 724@code{Tag_VFP_arch}, @code{Tag_ABI_align8_needed},
75375b3e
MGD
725@code{Tag_ABI_align8_preserved}, @code{Tag_VFP_HP_extension},
726
4a6bc624
NS
727@cindex @code{.even} directive, ARM
728@item .even
729This directive aligns to an even-numbered address.
730
731@cindex @code{.extend} directive, ARM
732@cindex @code{.ldouble} directive, ARM
733@item .extend @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
734@itemx .ldouble @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
735These directives write 12byte long double floating-point values to the
736output section. These are not compatible with current ARM processors
737or ABIs.
738
739@c FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
740
741@anchor{arm_fnend}
742@cindex @code{.fnend} directive, ARM
743@item .fnend
744Marks the end of a function with an unwind table entry. The unwind index
745table entry is created when this directive is processed.
252b5132 746
4a6bc624
NS
747If no personality routine has been specified then standard personality
748routine 0 or 1 will be used, depending on the number of unwind opcodes
749required.
750
751@anchor{arm_fnstart}
752@cindex @code{.fnstart} directive, ARM
753@item .fnstart
754Marks the start of a function with an unwind table entry.
755
756@cindex @code{.force_thumb} directive, ARM
252b5132
RH
757@item .force_thumb
758This directive forces the selection of Thumb instructions, even if the
759target processor does not support those instructions
760
4a6bc624
NS
761@cindex @code{.fpu} directive, ARM
762@item .fpu @var{name}
763Select the floating-point unit to assemble for. Valid values for @var{name}
764are the same as for the @option{-mfpu} commandline option.
252b5132 765
4a6bc624
NS
766@c GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
767@c HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
e1da3f5b 768
4a6bc624
NS
769@cindex @code{.handlerdata} directive, ARM
770@item .handlerdata
771Marks the end of the current function, and the start of the exception table
772entry for that function. Anything between this directive and the
773@code{.fnend} directive will be added to the exception table entry.
774
775Must be preceded by a @code{.personality} or @code{.personalityindex}
776directive.
777
778@c IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
c921be7d
NC
779
780@cindex @code{.inst} directive, ARM
781@item .inst @var{opcode} [ , @dots{} ]
1f9bb1ca
AS
782@itemx .inst.n @var{opcode} [ , @dots{} ]
783@itemx .inst.w @var{opcode} [ , @dots{} ]
c921be7d
NC
784Generates the instruction corresponding to the numerical value @var{opcode}.
785@code{.inst.n} and @code{.inst.w} allow the Thumb instruction size to be
786specified explicitly, overriding the normal encoding rules.
787
4a6bc624
NS
788@c JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ
789@c KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
790@c LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
791
792@item .ldouble @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
793See @code{.extend}.
5395a469 794
252b5132
RH
795@cindex @code{.ltorg} directive, ARM
796@item .ltorg
797This directive causes the current contents of the literal pool to be
798dumped into the current section (which is assumed to be the .text
799section) at the current location (aligned to a word boundary).
3d0c9500
NC
800@code{GAS} maintains a separate literal pool for each section and each
801sub-section. The @code{.ltorg} directive will only affect the literal
802pool of the current section and sub-section. At the end of assembly
803all remaining, un-empty literal pools will automatically be dumped.
804
805Note - older versions of @code{GAS} would dump the current literal
806pool any time a section change occurred. This is no longer done, since
807it prevents accurate control of the placement of literal pools.
252b5132 808
4a6bc624 809@c MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
252b5132 810
4a6bc624
NS
811@cindex @code{.movsp} directive, ARM
812@item .movsp @var{reg} [, #@var{offset}]
813Tell the unwinder that @var{reg} contains an offset from the current
814stack pointer. If @var{offset} is not specified then it is assumed to be
815zero.
7ed4c4c5 816
4a6bc624
NS
817@c NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
818@c OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
7ed4c4c5 819
4a6bc624
NS
820@cindex @code{.object_arch} directive, ARM
821@item .object_arch @var{name}
822Override the architecture recorded in the EABI object attribute section.
823Valid values for @var{name} are the same as for the @code{.arch} directive.
824Typically this is useful when code uses runtime detection of CPU features.
7ed4c4c5 825
4a6bc624
NS
826@c PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
827
828@cindex @code{.packed} directive, ARM
829@item .packed @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
830This directive writes 12-byte packed floating-point values to the
831output section. These are not compatible with current ARM processors
832or ABIs.
833
ea4cff4f 834@anchor{arm_pad}
4a6bc624
NS
835@cindex @code{.pad} directive, ARM
836@item .pad #@var{count}
837Generate unwinder annotations for a stack adjustment of @var{count} bytes.
838A positive value indicates the function prologue allocated stack space by
839decrementing the stack pointer.
7ed4c4c5
NC
840
841@cindex @code{.personality} directive, ARM
842@item .personality @var{name}
843Sets the personality routine for the current function to @var{name}.
844
845@cindex @code{.personalityindex} directive, ARM
846@item .personalityindex @var{index}
847Sets the personality routine for the current function to the EABI standard
848routine number @var{index}
849
4a6bc624
NS
850@cindex @code{.pool} directive, ARM
851@item .pool
852This is a synonym for .ltorg.
7ed4c4c5 853
4a6bc624
NS
854@c QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
855@c RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
856
857@cindex @code{.req} directive, ARM
858@item @var{name} .req @var{register name}
859This creates an alias for @var{register name} called @var{name}. For
860example:
861
862@smallexample
863 foo .req r0
864@end smallexample
865
866@c SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
7ed4c4c5 867
7da4f750 868@anchor{arm_save}
7ed4c4c5
NC
869@cindex @code{.save} directive, ARM
870@item .save @var{reglist}
871Generate unwinder annotations to restore the registers in @var{reglist}.
872The format of @var{reglist} is the same as the corresponding store-multiple
873instruction.
874
875@smallexample
876@exdent @emph{core registers}
877 .save @{r4, r5, r6, lr@}
878 stmfd sp!, @{r4, r5, r6, lr@}
879@exdent @emph{FPA registers}
880 .save f4, 2
881 sfmfd f4, 2, [sp]!
882@exdent @emph{VFP registers}
883 .save @{d8, d9, d10@}
fa073d69 884 fstmdx sp!, @{d8, d9, d10@}
7ed4c4c5
NC
885@exdent @emph{iWMMXt registers}
886 .save @{wr10, wr11@}
887 wstrd wr11, [sp, #-8]!
888 wstrd wr10, [sp, #-8]!
889or
890 .save wr11
891 wstrd wr11, [sp, #-8]!
892 .save wr10
893 wstrd wr10, [sp, #-8]!
894@end smallexample
895
7da4f750 896@anchor{arm_setfp}
7ed4c4c5
NC
897@cindex @code{.setfp} directive, ARM
898@item .setfp @var{fpreg}, @var{spreg} [, #@var{offset}]
4a6bc624 899Make all unwinder annotations relative to a frame pointer. Without this
7ed4c4c5
NC
900the unwinder will use offsets from the stack pointer.
901
a5b82cbe 902The syntax of this directive is the same as the @code{add} or @code{mov}
7ed4c4c5
NC
903instruction used to set the frame pointer. @var{spreg} must be either
904@code{sp} or mentioned in a previous @code{.movsp} directive.
905
906@smallexample
907.movsp ip
908mov ip, sp
909@dots{}
910.setfp fp, ip, #4
a5b82cbe 911add fp, ip, #4
7ed4c4c5
NC
912@end smallexample
913
4a6bc624
NS
914@cindex @code{.secrel32} directive, ARM
915@item .secrel32 @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
916This directive emits relocations that evaluate to the section-relative
917offset of each expression's symbol. This directive is only supported
918for PE targets.
919
cab7e4d9
NC
920@cindex @code{.syntax} directive, ARM
921@item .syntax [@code{unified} | @code{divided}]
922This directive sets the Instruction Set Syntax as described in the
923@ref{ARM-Instruction-Set} section.
924
4a6bc624
NS
925@c TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
926
927@cindex @code{.thumb} directive, ARM
928@item .thumb
929This performs the same action as @var{.code 16}.
930
931@cindex @code{.thumb_func} directive, ARM
932@item .thumb_func
933This directive specifies that the following symbol is the name of a
934Thumb encoded function. This information is necessary in order to allow
935the assembler and linker to generate correct code for interworking
936between Arm and Thumb instructions and should be used even if
937interworking is not going to be performed. The presence of this
938directive also implies @code{.thumb}
939
33eaf5de 940This directive is not necessary when generating EABI objects. On these
4a6bc624
NS
941targets the encoding is implicit when generating Thumb code.
942
943@cindex @code{.thumb_set} directive, ARM
944@item .thumb_set
945This performs the equivalent of a @code{.set} directive in that it
946creates a symbol which is an alias for another symbol (possibly not yet
947defined). This directive also has the added property in that it marks
948the aliased symbol as being a thumb function entry point, in the same
949way that the @code{.thumb_func} directive does.
950
0855e32b
NS
951@cindex @code{.tlsdescseq} directive, ARM
952@item .tlsdescseq @var{tls-variable}
953This directive is used to annotate parts of an inlined TLS descriptor
954trampoline. Normally the trampoline is provided by the linker, and
955this directive is not needed.
956
4a6bc624
NS
957@c UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
958
959@cindex @code{.unreq} directive, ARM
960@item .unreq @var{alias-name}
961This undefines a register alias which was previously defined using the
962@code{req}, @code{dn} or @code{qn} directives. For example:
963
964@smallexample
965 foo .req r0
966 .unreq foo
967@end smallexample
968
969An error occurs if the name is undefined. Note - this pseudo op can
970be used to delete builtin in register name aliases (eg 'r0'). This
971should only be done if it is really necessary.
972
7ed4c4c5 973@cindex @code{.unwind_raw} directive, ARM
4a6bc624 974@item .unwind_raw @var{offset}, @var{byte1}, @dots{}
33eaf5de 975Insert one of more arbitrary unwind opcode bytes, which are known to adjust
7ed4c4c5
NC
976the stack pointer by @var{offset} bytes.
977
978For example @code{.unwind_raw 4, 0xb1, 0x01} is equivalent to
979@code{.save @{r0@}}
980
4a6bc624 981@c VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
ee065d83 982
4a6bc624
NS
983@cindex @code{.vsave} directive, ARM
984@item .vsave @var{vfp-reglist}
985Generate unwinder annotations to restore the VFP registers in @var{vfp-reglist}
986using FLDMD. Also works for VFPv3 registers
987that are to be restored using VLDM.
988The format of @var{vfp-reglist} is the same as the corresponding store-multiple
989instruction.
ee065d83 990
4a6bc624
NS
991@smallexample
992@exdent @emph{VFP registers}
993 .vsave @{d8, d9, d10@}
994 fstmdd sp!, @{d8, d9, d10@}
995@exdent @emph{VFPv3 registers}
996 .vsave @{d15, d16, d17@}
997 vstm sp!, @{d15, d16, d17@}
998@end smallexample
e04befd0 999
4a6bc624
NS
1000Since FLDMX and FSTMX are now deprecated, this directive should be
1001used in favour of @code{.save} for saving VFP registers for ARMv6 and above.
e04befd0 1002
4a6bc624
NS
1003@c WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
1004@c XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
1005@c YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
1006@c ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
ee065d83 1007
252b5132
RH
1008@end table
1009
1010@node ARM Opcodes
1011@section Opcodes
1012
1013@cindex ARM opcodes
1014@cindex opcodes for ARM
49a5575c
NC
1015@code{@value{AS}} implements all the standard ARM opcodes. It also
1016implements several pseudo opcodes, including several synthetic load
34bca508 1017instructions.
252b5132 1018
49a5575c
NC
1019@table @code
1020
1021@cindex @code{NOP} pseudo op, ARM
1022@item NOP
1023@smallexample
1024 nop
1025@end smallexample
252b5132 1026
49a5575c
NC
1027This pseudo op will always evaluate to a legal ARM instruction that does
1028nothing. Currently it will evaluate to MOV r0, r0.
252b5132 1029
49a5575c 1030@cindex @code{LDR reg,=<label>} pseudo op, ARM
34bca508 1031@item LDR
252b5132
RH
1032@smallexample
1033 ldr <register> , = <expression>
1034@end smallexample
1035
1036If expression evaluates to a numeric constant then a MOV or MVN
1037instruction will be used in place of the LDR instruction, if the
1038constant can be generated by either of these instructions. Otherwise
1039the constant will be placed into the nearest literal pool (if it not
1040already there) and a PC relative LDR instruction will be generated.
1041
49a5575c
NC
1042@cindex @code{ADR reg,<label>} pseudo op, ARM
1043@item ADR
1044@smallexample
1045 adr <register> <label>
1046@end smallexample
1047
1048This instruction will load the address of @var{label} into the indicated
1049register. The instruction will evaluate to a PC relative ADD or SUB
1050instruction depending upon where the label is located. If the label is
1051out of range, or if it is not defined in the same file (and section) as
1052the ADR instruction, then an error will be generated. This instruction
1053will not make use of the literal pool.
1054
1055@cindex @code{ADRL reg,<label>} pseudo op, ARM
34bca508 1056@item ADRL
49a5575c
NC
1057@smallexample
1058 adrl <register> <label>
1059@end smallexample
1060
1061This instruction will load the address of @var{label} into the indicated
a349d9dd 1062register. The instruction will evaluate to one or two PC relative ADD
49a5575c
NC
1063or SUB instructions depending upon where the label is located. If a
1064second instruction is not needed a NOP instruction will be generated in
1065its place, so that this instruction is always 8 bytes long.
1066
1067If the label is out of range, or if it is not defined in the same file
1068(and section) as the ADRL instruction, then an error will be generated.
1069This instruction will not make use of the literal pool.
1070
1071@end table
1072
252b5132
RH
1073For information on the ARM or Thumb instruction sets, see @cite{ARM
1074Software Development Toolkit Reference Manual}, Advanced RISC Machines
1075Ltd.
1076
6057a28f
NC
1077@node ARM Mapping Symbols
1078@section Mapping Symbols
1079
1080The ARM ELF specification requires that special symbols be inserted
1081into object files to mark certain features:
1082
1083@table @code
1084
1085@cindex @code{$a}
1086@item $a
1087At the start of a region of code containing ARM instructions.
1088
1089@cindex @code{$t}
1090@item $t
1091At the start of a region of code containing THUMB instructions.
1092
1093@cindex @code{$d}
1094@item $d
1095At the start of a region of data.
1096
1097@end table
1098
1099The assembler will automatically insert these symbols for you - there
1100is no need to code them yourself. Support for tagging symbols ($b,
1101$f, $p and $m) which is also mentioned in the current ARM ELF
1102specification is not implemented. This is because they have been
1103dropped from the new EABI and so tools cannot rely upon their
1104presence.
1105
7da4f750
MM
1106@node ARM Unwinding Tutorial
1107@section Unwinding
1108
1109The ABI for the ARM Architecture specifies a standard format for
1110exception unwind information. This information is used when an
1111exception is thrown to determine where control should be transferred.
1112In particular, the unwind information is used to determine which
1113function called the function that threw the exception, and which
1114function called that one, and so forth. This information is also used
1115to restore the values of callee-saved registers in the function
1116catching the exception.
1117
1118If you are writing functions in assembly code, and those functions
1119call other functions that throw exceptions, you must use assembly
1120pseudo ops to ensure that appropriate exception unwind information is
1121generated. Otherwise, if one of the functions called by your assembly
1122code throws an exception, the run-time library will be unable to
1123unwind the stack through your assembly code and your program will not
1124behave correctly.
1125
1126To illustrate the use of these pseudo ops, we will examine the code
1127that G++ generates for the following C++ input:
1128
1129@verbatim
1130void callee (int *);
1131
34bca508
L
1132int
1133caller ()
7da4f750
MM
1134{
1135 int i;
1136 callee (&i);
34bca508 1137 return i;
7da4f750
MM
1138}
1139@end verbatim
1140
1141This example does not show how to throw or catch an exception from
1142assembly code. That is a much more complex operation and should
1143always be done in a high-level language, such as C++, that directly
1144supports exceptions.
1145
1146The code generated by one particular version of G++ when compiling the
1147example above is:
1148
1149@verbatim
1150_Z6callerv:
1151 .fnstart
1152.LFB2:
1153 @ Function supports interworking.
1154 @ args = 0, pretend = 0, frame = 8
1155 @ frame_needed = 1, uses_anonymous_args = 0
1156 stmfd sp!, {fp, lr}
1157 .save {fp, lr}
1158.LCFI0:
1159 .setfp fp, sp, #4
1160 add fp, sp, #4
1161.LCFI1:
1162 .pad #8
1163 sub sp, sp, #8
1164.LCFI2:
1165 sub r3, fp, #8
1166 mov r0, r3
1167 bl _Z6calleePi
1168 ldr r3, [fp, #-8]
1169 mov r0, r3
1170 sub sp, fp, #4
1171 ldmfd sp!, {fp, lr}
1172 bx lr
1173.LFE2:
1174 .fnend
1175@end verbatim
1176
1177Of course, the sequence of instructions varies based on the options
1178you pass to GCC and on the version of GCC in use. The exact
1179instructions are not important since we are focusing on the pseudo ops
1180that are used to generate unwind information.
1181
1182An important assumption made by the unwinder is that the stack frame
1183does not change during the body of the function. In particular, since
1184we assume that the assembly code does not itself throw an exception,
1185the only point where an exception can be thrown is from a call, such
1186as the @code{bl} instruction above. At each call site, the same saved
1187registers (including @code{lr}, which indicates the return address)
1188must be located in the same locations relative to the frame pointer.
1189
1190The @code{.fnstart} (@pxref{arm_fnstart,,.fnstart pseudo op}) pseudo
1191op appears immediately before the first instruction of the function
1192while the @code{.fnend} (@pxref{arm_fnend,,.fnend pseudo op}) pseudo
1193op appears immediately after the last instruction of the function.
34bca508 1194These pseudo ops specify the range of the function.
7da4f750
MM
1195
1196Only the order of the other pseudos ops (e.g., @code{.setfp} or
1197@code{.pad}) matters; their exact locations are irrelevant. In the
1198example above, the compiler emits the pseudo ops with particular
1199instructions. That makes it easier to understand the code, but it is
1200not required for correctness. It would work just as well to emit all
1201of the pseudo ops other than @code{.fnend} in the same order, but
1202immediately after @code{.fnstart}.
1203
1204The @code{.save} (@pxref{arm_save,,.save pseudo op}) pseudo op
1205indicates registers that have been saved to the stack so that they can
1206be restored before the function returns. The argument to the
1207@code{.save} pseudo op is a list of registers to save. If a register
1208is ``callee-saved'' (as specified by the ABI) and is modified by the
1209function you are writing, then your code must save the value before it
1210is modified and restore the original value before the function
1211returns. If an exception is thrown, the run-time library restores the
1212values of these registers from their locations on the stack before
1213returning control to the exception handler. (Of course, if an
1214exception is not thrown, the function that contains the @code{.save}
1215pseudo op restores these registers in the function epilogue, as is
1216done with the @code{ldmfd} instruction above.)
1217
1218You do not have to save callee-saved registers at the very beginning
1219of the function and you do not need to use the @code{.save} pseudo op
1220immediately following the point at which the registers are saved.
1221However, if you modify a callee-saved register, you must save it on
1222the stack before modifying it and before calling any functions which
1223might throw an exception. And, you must use the @code{.save} pseudo
1224op to indicate that you have done so.
1225
1226The @code{.pad} (@pxref{arm_pad,,.pad}) pseudo op indicates a
1227modification of the stack pointer that does not save any registers.
1228The argument is the number of bytes (in decimal) that are subtracted
1229from the stack pointer. (On ARM CPUs, the stack grows downwards, so
1230subtracting from the stack pointer increases the size of the stack.)
1231
1232The @code{.setfp} (@pxref{arm_setfp,,.setfp pseudo op}) pseudo op
1233indicates the register that contains the frame pointer. The first
1234argument is the register that is set, which is typically @code{fp}.
1235The second argument indicates the register from which the frame
1236pointer takes its value. The third argument, if present, is the value
1237(in decimal) added to the register specified by the second argument to
1238compute the value of the frame pointer. You should not modify the
1239frame pointer in the body of the function.
1240
1241If you do not use a frame pointer, then you should not use the
1242@code{.setfp} pseudo op. If you do not use a frame pointer, then you
1243should avoid modifying the stack pointer outside of the function
1244prologue. Otherwise, the run-time library will be unable to find
1245saved registers when it is unwinding the stack.
1246
1247The pseudo ops described above are sufficient for writing assembly
1248code that calls functions which may throw exceptions. If you need to
1249know more about the object-file format used to represent unwind
1250information, you may consult the @cite{Exception Handling ABI for the
1251ARM Architecture} available from @uref{http://infocenter.arm.com}.
91f68a68 1252
This page took 0.861744 seconds and 4 git commands to generate.