Fix use of "command line X" in binutils doc
[deliverable/binutils-gdb.git] / gas / doc / c-arm.texi
CommitLineData
219d1afa 1@c Copyright (C) 1996-2018 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
a05a5b64 35@cindex @code{-mcpu=} command-line option, ARM
92081f48 36@item -mcpu=@var{processor}[+@var{extension}@dots{}]
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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},
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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 125@code{cortex-a53},
15a7695f 126@code{cortex-a55},
4469186b
KT
127@code{cortex-a57},
128@code{cortex-a72},
362a3eba 129@code{cortex-a73},
15a7695f 130@code{cortex-a75},
7ebd1359 131@code{cortex-a76},
62b3e311 132@code{cortex-r4},
307c948d 133@code{cortex-r4f},
70a8bc5b 134@code{cortex-r5},
135@code{cortex-r7},
5f474010 136@code{cortex-r8},
0cda1e19 137@code{cortex-r52},
b19ea8d2 138@code{cortex-m33},
ce1b0a45 139@code{cortex-m23},
a715796b 140@code{cortex-m7},
7ef07ba0 141@code{cortex-m4},
62b3e311 142@code{cortex-m3},
5b19eaba
NC
143@code{cortex-m1},
144@code{cortex-m0},
ce32bd10 145@code{cortex-m0plus},
246496bb 146@code{exynos-m1},
ea0d6bb9
PT
147@code{marvell-pj4},
148@code{marvell-whitney},
149@code{xgene1},
150@code{xgene2},
03b1477f
RE
151@code{ep9312} (ARM920 with Cirrus Maverick coprocessor),
152@code{i80200} (Intel XScale processor)
e16bb312 153@code{iwmmxt} (Intel(r) XScale processor with Wireless MMX(tm) technology coprocessor)
03b1477f 154and
34bca508 155@code{xscale}.
03b1477f
RE
156The special name @code{all} may be used to allow the
157assembler to accept instructions valid for any ARM processor.
158
34bca508
L
159In addition to the basic instruction set, the assembler can be told to
160accept various extension mnemonics that extend the processor using the
03b1477f 161co-processor instruction space. For example, @code{-mcpu=arm920+maverick}
34bca508 162is equivalent to specifying @code{-mcpu=ep9312}.
69133863 163
34bca508 164Multiple extensions may be specified, separated by a @code{+}. The
69133863
MGD
165extensions should be specified in ascending alphabetical order.
166
34bca508 167Some extensions may be restricted to particular architectures; this is
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MGD
168documented in the list of extensions below.
169
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L
170Extension mnemonics may also be removed from those the assembler accepts.
171This is done be prepending @code{no} to the option that adds the extension.
172Extensions that are removed should be listed after all extensions which have
173been added, again in ascending alphabetical order. For example,
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174@code{-mcpu=ep9312+nomaverick} is equivalent to specifying @code{-mcpu=arm920}.
175
176
eea54501 177The following extensions are currently supported:
ea0d6bb9 178@code{crc}
bca38921 179@code{crypto} (Cryptography Extensions for v8-A architecture, implies @code{fp+simd}),
c604a79a 180@code{dotprod} (Dot Product Extensions for v8.2-A architecture, implies @code{fp+simd}),
bca38921 181@code{fp} (Floating Point Extensions for v8-A architecture),
01f48020
TC
182@code{fp16} (FP16 Extensions for v8.2-A architecture, implies @code{fp}),
183@code{fp16fml} (FP16 Floating Point Multiplication Variant Extensions for v8.2-A architecture, implies @code{fp16}),
bca38921 184@code{idiv} (Integer Divide Extensions for v7-A and v7-R architectures),
69133863
MGD
185@code{iwmmxt},
186@code{iwmmxt2},
ea0d6bb9 187@code{xscale},
69133863 188@code{maverick},
ea0d6bb9
PT
189@code{mp} (Multiprocessing Extensions for v7-A and v7-R
190architectures),
b2a5fbdc 191@code{os} (Operating System for v6M architecture),
f4c65163 192@code{sec} (Security Extensions for v6K and v7-A architectures),
bca38921 193@code{simd} (Advanced SIMD Extensions for v8-A architecture, implies @code{fp}),
34bca508 194@code{virt} (Virtualization Extensions for v7-A architecture, implies
90ec0d68 195@code{idiv}),
33eaf5de 196@code{pan} (Privileged Access Never Extensions for v8-A architecture),
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MW
197@code{ras} (Reliability, Availability and Serviceability extensions
198for v8-A architecture),
d6b4b13e
MW
199@code{rdma} (ARMv8.1 Advanced SIMD extensions for v8-A architecture, implies
200@code{simd})
03b1477f 201and
69133863 202@code{xscale}.
03b1477f 203
a05a5b64 204@cindex @code{-march=} command-line option, ARM
92081f48 205@item -march=@var{architecture}[+@var{extension}@dots{}]
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206This option specifies the target architecture. The assembler will issue
207an error message if an attempt is made to assemble an instruction which
34bca508
L
208will not execute on the target architecture. The following architecture
209names are recognized:
03b1477f
RE
210@code{armv1},
211@code{armv2},
212@code{armv2a},
213@code{armv2s},
214@code{armv3},
215@code{armv3m},
216@code{armv4},
217@code{armv4xm},
218@code{armv4t},
219@code{armv4txm},
220@code{armv5},
221@code{armv5t},
222@code{armv5txm},
223@code{armv5te},
09d92015 224@code{armv5texp},
c5f98204 225@code{armv6},
1ddd7f43 226@code{armv6j},
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NC
227@code{armv6k},
228@code{armv6z},
f33026a9 229@code{armv6kz},
b2a5fbdc
MGD
230@code{armv6-m},
231@code{armv6s-m},
62b3e311 232@code{armv7},
c450d570 233@code{armv7-a},
c9fb6e58 234@code{armv7ve},
c450d570
PB
235@code{armv7-r},
236@code{armv7-m},
9e3c6df6 237@code{armv7e-m},
bca38921 238@code{armv8-a},
a5932920 239@code{armv8.1-a},
56a1b672 240@code{armv8.2-a},
a12fd8e1 241@code{armv8.3-a},
ced40572 242@code{armv8-r},
dec41383 243@code{armv8.4-a},
e16bb312 244@code{iwmmxt}
ea0d6bb9 245@code{iwmmxt2}
03b1477f
RE
246and
247@code{xscale}.
248If both @code{-mcpu} and
249@code{-march} are specified, the assembler will use
250the setting for @code{-mcpu}.
251
252The architecture option can be extended with the same instruction set
253extension options as the @code{-mcpu} option.
254
a05a5b64 255@cindex @code{-mfpu=} command-line option, ARM
03b1477f
RE
256@item -mfpu=@var{floating-point-format}
257
258This option specifies the floating point format to assemble for. The
259assembler will issue an error message if an attempt is made to assemble
34bca508 260an instruction which will not execute on the target floating point unit.
03b1477f
RE
261The following format options are recognized:
262@code{softfpa},
263@code{fpe},
bc89618b
RE
264@code{fpe2},
265@code{fpe3},
03b1477f
RE
266@code{fpa},
267@code{fpa10},
268@code{fpa11},
269@code{arm7500fe},
270@code{softvfp},
271@code{softvfp+vfp},
272@code{vfp},
273@code{vfp10},
274@code{vfp10-r0},
275@code{vfp9},
276@code{vfpxd},
62f3b8c8
PB
277@code{vfpv2},
278@code{vfpv3},
279@code{vfpv3-fp16},
280@code{vfpv3-d16},
281@code{vfpv3-d16-fp16},
282@code{vfpv3xd},
283@code{vfpv3xd-d16},
284@code{vfpv4},
285@code{vfpv4-d16},
f0cd0667 286@code{fpv4-sp-d16},
a715796b
TG
287@code{fpv5-sp-d16},
288@code{fpv5-d16},
bca38921 289@code{fp-armv8},
09d92015
MM
290@code{arm1020t},
291@code{arm1020e},
b1cc4aeb 292@code{arm1136jf-s},
62f3b8c8
PB
293@code{maverick},
294@code{neon},
d5e0ba9c
RE
295@code{neon-vfpv3},
296@code{neon-fp16},
bca38921
MGD
297@code{neon-vfpv4},
298@code{neon-fp-armv8},
081e4c7d
MW
299@code{crypto-neon-fp-armv8},
300@code{neon-fp-armv8.1}
d6b4b13e 301and
081e4c7d 302@code{crypto-neon-fp-armv8.1}.
03b1477f
RE
303
304In addition to determining which instructions are assembled, this option
305also affects the way in which the @code{.double} assembler directive behaves
306when assembling little-endian code.
307
34bca508 308The default is dependent on the processor selected. For Architecture 5 or
d5e0ba9c 309later, the default is to assemble for VFP instructions; for earlier
03b1477f 310architectures the default is to assemble for FPA instructions.
adcf07e6 311
a05a5b64 312@cindex @code{-mthumb} command-line option, ARM
252b5132 313@item -mthumb
03b1477f 314This option specifies that the assembler should start assembling Thumb
34bca508 315instructions; that is, it should behave as though the file starts with a
03b1477f 316@code{.code 16} directive.
adcf07e6 317
a05a5b64 318@cindex @code{-mthumb-interwork} command-line option, ARM
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RH
319@item -mthumb-interwork
320This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should
fc6141f0
NC
321be marked as supporting interworking. It also affects the behaviour
322of the @code{ADR} and @code{ADRL} pseudo opcodes.
adcf07e6 323
a05a5b64 324@cindex @code{-mimplicit-it} command-line option, ARM
52970753
NC
325@item -mimplicit-it=never
326@itemx -mimplicit-it=always
327@itemx -mimplicit-it=arm
328@itemx -mimplicit-it=thumb
329The @code{-mimplicit-it} option controls the behavior of the assembler when
330conditional instructions are not enclosed in IT blocks.
331There are four possible behaviors.
332If @code{never} is specified, such constructs cause a warning in ARM
333code and an error in Thumb-2 code.
334If @code{always} is specified, such constructs are accepted in both
335ARM and Thumb-2 code, where the IT instruction is added implicitly.
336If @code{arm} is specified, such constructs are accepted in ARM code
337and cause an error in Thumb-2 code.
338If @code{thumb} is specified, such constructs cause a warning in ARM
339code and are accepted in Thumb-2 code. If you omit this option, the
340behavior is equivalent to @code{-mimplicit-it=arm}.
e07e6e58 341
a05a5b64
TP
342@cindex @code{-mapcs-26} command-line option, ARM
343@cindex @code{-mapcs-32} command-line option, ARM
5a5829dd
NS
344@item -mapcs-26
345@itemx -mapcs-32
346These options specify that the output generated by the assembler should
252b5132
RH
347be marked as supporting the indicated version of the Arm Procedure.
348Calling Standard.
adcf07e6 349
a05a5b64 350@cindex @code{-matpcs} command-line option, ARM
077b8428 351@item -matpcs
34bca508 352This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should
077b8428
NC
353be marked as supporting the Arm/Thumb Procedure Calling Standard. If
354enabled this option will cause the assembler to create an empty
355debugging section in the object file called .arm.atpcs. Debuggers can
356use this to determine the ABI being used by.
357
a05a5b64 358@cindex @code{-mapcs-float} command-line option, ARM
252b5132 359@item -mapcs-float
1be59579 360This indicates the floating point variant of the APCS should be
252b5132 361used. In this variant floating point arguments are passed in FP
550262c4 362registers rather than integer registers.
adcf07e6 363
a05a5b64 364@cindex @code{-mapcs-reentrant} command-line option, ARM
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RH
365@item -mapcs-reentrant
366This indicates that the reentrant variant of the APCS should be used.
367This variant supports position independent code.
adcf07e6 368
a05a5b64 369@cindex @code{-mfloat-abi=} command-line option, ARM
33a392fb
PB
370@item -mfloat-abi=@var{abi}
371This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should be
372marked as using specified floating point ABI.
373The following values are recognized:
374@code{soft},
375@code{softfp}
376and
377@code{hard}.
378
a05a5b64 379@cindex @code{-eabi=} command-line option, ARM
d507cf36
PB
380@item -meabi=@var{ver}
381This option specifies which EABI version the produced object files should
382conform to.
b45619c0 383The following values are recognized:
3a4a14e9
PB
384@code{gnu},
385@code{4}
d507cf36 386and
3a4a14e9 387@code{5}.
d507cf36 388
a05a5b64 389@cindex @code{-EB} command-line option, ARM
252b5132
RH
390@item -EB
391This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should
392be marked as being encoded for a big-endian processor.
adcf07e6 393
080bb7bb
NC
394Note: If a program is being built for a system with big-endian data
395and little-endian instructions then it should be assembled with the
396@option{-EB} option, (all of it, code and data) and then linked with
397the @option{--be8} option. This will reverse the endianness of the
398instructions back to little-endian, but leave the data as big-endian.
399
a05a5b64 400@cindex @code{-EL} command-line option, ARM
252b5132
RH
401@item -EL
402This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should
403be marked as being encoded for a little-endian processor.
adcf07e6 404
a05a5b64 405@cindex @code{-k} command-line option, ARM
252b5132
RH
406@cindex PIC code generation for ARM
407@item -k
a349d9dd
PB
408This option specifies that the output of the assembler should be marked
409as position-independent code (PIC).
adcf07e6 410
a05a5b64 411@cindex @code{--fix-v4bx} command-line option, ARM
845b51d6
PB
412@item --fix-v4bx
413Allow @code{BX} instructions in ARMv4 code. This is intended for use with
414the linker option of the same name.
415
a05a5b64 416@cindex @code{-mwarn-deprecated} command-line option, ARM
278df34e
NS
417@item -mwarn-deprecated
418@itemx -mno-warn-deprecated
419Enable or disable warnings about using deprecated options or
420features. The default is to warn.
421
a05a5b64 422@cindex @code{-mccs} command-line option, ARM
2e6976a8
DG
423@item -mccs
424Turns on CodeComposer Studio assembly syntax compatibility mode.
425
a05a5b64 426@cindex @code{-mwarn-syms} command-line option, ARM
8b2d793c
NC
427@item -mwarn-syms
428@itemx -mno-warn-syms
429Enable or disable warnings about symbols that match the names of ARM
430instructions. The default is to warn.
431
252b5132
RH
432@end table
433
434
435@node ARM Syntax
436@section Syntax
437@menu
cab7e4d9 438* ARM-Instruction-Set:: Instruction Set
252b5132
RH
439* ARM-Chars:: Special Characters
440* ARM-Regs:: Register Names
b6895b4f 441* ARM-Relocations:: Relocations
99f1a7a7 442* ARM-Neon-Alignment:: NEON Alignment Specifiers
252b5132
RH
443@end menu
444
cab7e4d9
NC
445@node ARM-Instruction-Set
446@subsection Instruction Set Syntax
447Two slightly different syntaxes are support for ARM and THUMB
448instructions. The default, @code{divided}, uses the old style where
449ARM and THUMB instructions had their own, separate syntaxes. The new,
450@code{unified} syntax, which can be selected via the @code{.syntax}
451directive, and has the following main features:
452
9e6f3811
AS
453@itemize @bullet
454@item
cab7e4d9
NC
455Immediate operands do not require a @code{#} prefix.
456
9e6f3811 457@item
cab7e4d9
NC
458The @code{IT} instruction may appear, and if it does it is validated
459against subsequent conditional affixes. In ARM mode it does not
460generate machine code, in THUMB mode it does.
461
9e6f3811 462@item
cab7e4d9
NC
463For ARM instructions the conditional affixes always appear at the end
464of the instruction. For THUMB instructions conditional affixes can be
465used, but only inside the scope of an @code{IT} instruction.
466
9e6f3811 467@item
cab7e4d9
NC
468All of the instructions new to the V6T2 architecture (and later) are
469available. (Only a few such instructions can be written in the
470@code{divided} syntax).
471
9e6f3811 472@item
cab7e4d9
NC
473The @code{.N} and @code{.W} suffixes are recognized and honored.
474
9e6f3811 475@item
cab7e4d9
NC
476All instructions set the flags if and only if they have an @code{s}
477affix.
9e6f3811 478@end itemize
cab7e4d9 479
252b5132
RH
480@node ARM-Chars
481@subsection Special Characters
482
483@cindex line comment character, ARM
484@cindex ARM line comment character
7c31ae13
NC
485The presence of a @samp{@@} anywhere on a line indicates the start of
486a comment that extends to the end of that line.
487
488If a @samp{#} appears as the first character of a line then the whole
489line is treated as a comment, but in this case the line could also be
490a logical line number directive (@pxref{Comments}) or a preprocessor
491control command (@pxref{Preprocessing}).
550262c4
NC
492
493@cindex line separator, ARM
494@cindex statement separator, ARM
495@cindex ARM line separator
a349d9dd
PB
496The @samp{;} character can be used instead of a newline to separate
497statements.
550262c4
NC
498
499@cindex immediate character, ARM
500@cindex ARM immediate character
501Either @samp{#} or @samp{$} can be used to indicate immediate operands.
252b5132
RH
502
503@cindex identifiers, ARM
504@cindex ARM identifiers
505*TODO* Explain about /data modifier on symbols.
506
507@node ARM-Regs
508@subsection Register Names
509
510@cindex ARM register names
511@cindex register names, ARM
512*TODO* Explain about ARM register naming, and the predefined names.
513
b6895b4f
PB
514@node ARM-Relocations
515@subsection ARM relocation generation
516
517@cindex data relocations, ARM
518@cindex ARM data relocations
519Specific data relocations can be generated by putting the relocation name
520in parentheses after the symbol name. For example:
521
522@smallexample
523 .word foo(TARGET1)
524@end smallexample
525
526This will generate an @samp{R_ARM_TARGET1} relocation against the symbol
527@var{foo}.
528The following relocations are supported:
529@code{GOT},
530@code{GOTOFF},
531@code{TARGET1},
532@code{TARGET2},
533@code{SBREL},
534@code{TLSGD},
535@code{TLSLDM},
536@code{TLSLDO},
0855e32b
NS
537@code{TLSDESC},
538@code{TLSCALL},
b43420e6
NC
539@code{GOTTPOFF},
540@code{GOT_PREL}
b6895b4f
PB
541and
542@code{TPOFF}.
543
544For compatibility with older toolchains the assembler also accepts
3da1d841
NC
545@code{(PLT)} after branch targets. On legacy targets this will
546generate the deprecated @samp{R_ARM_PLT32} relocation. On EABI
547targets it will encode either the @samp{R_ARM_CALL} or
548@samp{R_ARM_JUMP24} relocation, as appropriate.
b6895b4f
PB
549
550@cindex MOVW and MOVT relocations, ARM
551Relocations for @samp{MOVW} and @samp{MOVT} instructions can be generated
552by prefixing the value with @samp{#:lower16:} and @samp{#:upper16}
b45619c0 553respectively. For example to load the 32-bit address of foo into r0:
252b5132 554
b6895b4f
PB
555@smallexample
556 MOVW r0, #:lower16:foo
557 MOVT r0, #:upper16:foo
558@end smallexample
252b5132 559
72d98d16
MG
560Relocations @samp{R_ARM_THM_ALU_ABS_G0_NC}, @samp{R_ARM_THM_ALU_ABS_G1_NC},
561@samp{R_ARM_THM_ALU_ABS_G2_NC} and @samp{R_ARM_THM_ALU_ABS_G3_NC} can be
562generated by prefixing the value with @samp{#:lower0_7:#},
563@samp{#:lower8_15:#}, @samp{#:upper0_7:#} and @samp{#:upper8_15:#}
564respectively. For example to load the 32-bit address of foo into r0:
565
566@smallexample
567 MOVS r0, #:upper8_15:#foo
568 LSLS r0, r0, #8
569 ADDS r0, #:upper0_7:#foo
570 LSLS r0, r0, #8
571 ADDS r0, #:lower8_15:#foo
572 LSLS r0, r0, #8
573 ADDS r0, #:lower0_7:#foo
574@end smallexample
575
ba724cfc
NC
576@node ARM-Neon-Alignment
577@subsection NEON Alignment Specifiers
578
579@cindex alignment for NEON instructions
580Some NEON load/store instructions allow an optional address
581alignment qualifier.
582The ARM documentation specifies that this is indicated by
583@samp{@@ @var{align}}. However GAS already interprets
584the @samp{@@} character as a "line comment" start,
585so @samp{: @var{align}} is used instead. For example:
586
587@smallexample
588 vld1.8 @{q0@}, [r0, :128]
589@end smallexample
590
591@node ARM Floating Point
592@section Floating Point
593
594@cindex floating point, ARM (@sc{ieee})
595@cindex ARM floating point (@sc{ieee})
596The ARM family uses @sc{ieee} floating-point numbers.
597
252b5132
RH
598@node ARM Directives
599@section ARM Machine Directives
600
601@cindex machine directives, ARM
602@cindex ARM machine directives
603@table @code
604
4a6bc624
NS
605@c AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
606
2b841ec2 607@ifclear ELF
4a6bc624
NS
608@cindex @code{.2byte} directive, ARM
609@cindex @code{.4byte} directive, ARM
610@cindex @code{.8byte} directive, ARM
611@item .2byte @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
612@itemx .4byte @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
613@itemx .8byte @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
614These directives write 2, 4 or 8 byte values to the output section.
2b841ec2 615@end ifclear
4a6bc624
NS
616
617@cindex @code{.align} directive, ARM
adcf07e6
NC
618@item .align @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]
619This is the generic @var{.align} directive. For the ARM however if the
620first argument is zero (ie no alignment is needed) the assembler will
621behave as if the argument had been 2 (ie pad to the next four byte
062b7c0c 622boundary). This is for compatibility with ARM's own assembler.
adcf07e6 623
4a6bc624
NS
624@cindex @code{.arch} directive, ARM
625@item .arch @var{name}
626Select the target architecture. Valid values for @var{name} are the same as
a05a5b64 627for the @option{-march} command-line option.
252b5132 628
34bca508 629Specifying @code{.arch} clears any previously selected architecture
69133863
MGD
630extensions.
631
632@cindex @code{.arch_extension} directive, ARM
633@item .arch_extension @var{name}
34bca508
L
634Add or remove an architecture extension to the target architecture. Valid
635values for @var{name} are the same as those accepted as architectural
a05a5b64 636extensions by the @option{-mcpu} and @option{-march} command-line options.
69133863
MGD
637
638@code{.arch_extension} may be used multiple times to add or remove extensions
639incrementally to the architecture being compiled for.
640
4a6bc624
NS
641@cindex @code{.arm} directive, ARM
642@item .arm
643This performs the same action as @var{.code 32}.
252b5132 644
4a6bc624 645@c BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
0bbf2aa4 646
4a6bc624
NS
647@cindex @code{.bss} directive, ARM
648@item .bss
649This directive switches to the @code{.bss} section.
0bbf2aa4 650
4a6bc624
NS
651@c CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
652
653@cindex @code{.cantunwind} directive, ARM
654@item .cantunwind
655Prevents unwinding through the current function. No personality routine
656or exception table data is required or permitted.
657
658@cindex @code{.code} directive, ARM
659@item .code @code{[16|32]}
660This directive selects the instruction set being generated. The value 16
661selects Thumb, with the value 32 selecting ARM.
662
663@cindex @code{.cpu} directive, ARM
664@item .cpu @var{name}
665Select the target processor. Valid values for @var{name} are the same as
a05a5b64 666for the @option{-mcpu} command-line option.
4a6bc624 667
34bca508 668Specifying @code{.cpu} clears any previously selected architecture
69133863
MGD
669extensions.
670
4a6bc624
NS
671@c DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
672
673@cindex @code{.dn} and @code{.qn} directives, ARM
f467aa98 674@item @var{name} .dn @var{register name} [@var{.type}] [[@var{index}]]
1f9bb1ca 675@itemx @var{name} .qn @var{register name} [@var{.type}] [[@var{index}]]
23753660
JB
676
677The @code{dn} and @code{qn} directives are used to create typed
678and/or indexed register aliases for use in Advanced SIMD Extension
679(Neon) instructions. The former should be used to create aliases
680of double-precision registers, and the latter to create aliases of
681quad-precision registers.
682
683If these directives are used to create typed aliases, those aliases can
684be used in Neon instructions instead of writing types after the mnemonic
685or after each operand. For example:
686
687@smallexample
688 x .dn d2.f32
689 y .dn d3.f32
690 z .dn d4.f32[1]
691 vmul x,y,z
692@end smallexample
693
694This is equivalent to writing the following:
695
696@smallexample
697 vmul.f32 d2,d3,d4[1]
698@end smallexample
699
700Aliases created using @code{dn} or @code{qn} can be destroyed using
701@code{unreq}.
702
4a6bc624 703@c EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
252b5132 704
4a6bc624
NS
705@cindex @code{.eabi_attribute} directive, ARM
706@item .eabi_attribute @var{tag}, @var{value}
707Set the EABI object attribute @var{tag} to @var{value}.
252b5132 708
4a6bc624
NS
709The @var{tag} is either an attribute number, or one of the following:
710@code{Tag_CPU_raw_name}, @code{Tag_CPU_name}, @code{Tag_CPU_arch},
711@code{Tag_CPU_arch_profile}, @code{Tag_ARM_ISA_use},
75375b3e 712@code{Tag_THUMB_ISA_use}, @code{Tag_FP_arch}, @code{Tag_WMMX_arch},
4a6bc624
NS
713@code{Tag_Advanced_SIMD_arch}, @code{Tag_PCS_config},
714@code{Tag_ABI_PCS_R9_use}, @code{Tag_ABI_PCS_RW_data},
715@code{Tag_ABI_PCS_RO_data}, @code{Tag_ABI_PCS_GOT_use},
716@code{Tag_ABI_PCS_wchar_t}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_rounding},
717@code{Tag_ABI_FP_denormal}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_exceptions},
718@code{Tag_ABI_FP_user_exceptions}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_number_model},
75375b3e 719@code{Tag_ABI_align_needed}, @code{Tag_ABI_align_preserved},
4a6bc624
NS
720@code{Tag_ABI_enum_size}, @code{Tag_ABI_HardFP_use},
721@code{Tag_ABI_VFP_args}, @code{Tag_ABI_WMMX_args},
722@code{Tag_ABI_optimization_goals}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_optimization_goals},
723@code{Tag_compatibility}, @code{Tag_CPU_unaligned_access},
75375b3e 724@code{Tag_FP_HP_extension}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_16bit_format},
cd21e546 725@code{Tag_MPextension_use}, @code{Tag_DIV_use},
4a6bc624
NS
726@code{Tag_nodefaults}, @code{Tag_also_compatible_with},
727@code{Tag_conformance}, @code{Tag_T2EE_use},
cd21e546 728@code{Tag_Virtualization_use}
4a6bc624
NS
729
730The @var{value} is either a @code{number}, @code{"string"}, or
731@code{number, "string"} depending on the tag.
732
75375b3e 733Note - the following legacy values are also accepted by @var{tag}:
34bca508 734@code{Tag_VFP_arch}, @code{Tag_ABI_align8_needed},
75375b3e
MGD
735@code{Tag_ABI_align8_preserved}, @code{Tag_VFP_HP_extension},
736
4a6bc624
NS
737@cindex @code{.even} directive, ARM
738@item .even
739This directive aligns to an even-numbered address.
740
741@cindex @code{.extend} directive, ARM
742@cindex @code{.ldouble} directive, ARM
743@item .extend @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
744@itemx .ldouble @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
745These directives write 12byte long double floating-point values to the
746output section. These are not compatible with current ARM processors
747or ABIs.
748
749@c FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
750
751@anchor{arm_fnend}
752@cindex @code{.fnend} directive, ARM
753@item .fnend
754Marks the end of a function with an unwind table entry. The unwind index
755table entry is created when this directive is processed.
252b5132 756
4a6bc624
NS
757If no personality routine has been specified then standard personality
758routine 0 or 1 will be used, depending on the number of unwind opcodes
759required.
760
761@anchor{arm_fnstart}
762@cindex @code{.fnstart} directive, ARM
763@item .fnstart
764Marks the start of a function with an unwind table entry.
765
766@cindex @code{.force_thumb} directive, ARM
252b5132
RH
767@item .force_thumb
768This directive forces the selection of Thumb instructions, even if the
769target processor does not support those instructions
770
4a6bc624
NS
771@cindex @code{.fpu} directive, ARM
772@item .fpu @var{name}
773Select the floating-point unit to assemble for. Valid values for @var{name}
a05a5b64 774are the same as for the @option{-mfpu} command-line option.
252b5132 775
4a6bc624
NS
776@c GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
777@c HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
e1da3f5b 778
4a6bc624
NS
779@cindex @code{.handlerdata} directive, ARM
780@item .handlerdata
781Marks the end of the current function, and the start of the exception table
782entry for that function. Anything between this directive and the
783@code{.fnend} directive will be added to the exception table entry.
784
785Must be preceded by a @code{.personality} or @code{.personalityindex}
786directive.
787
788@c IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
c921be7d
NC
789
790@cindex @code{.inst} directive, ARM
791@item .inst @var{opcode} [ , @dots{} ]
1f9bb1ca
AS
792@itemx .inst.n @var{opcode} [ , @dots{} ]
793@itemx .inst.w @var{opcode} [ , @dots{} ]
c921be7d
NC
794Generates the instruction corresponding to the numerical value @var{opcode}.
795@code{.inst.n} and @code{.inst.w} allow the Thumb instruction size to be
796specified explicitly, overriding the normal encoding rules.
797
4a6bc624
NS
798@c JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ
799@c KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
800@c LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
801
802@item .ldouble @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
803See @code{.extend}.
5395a469 804
252b5132
RH
805@cindex @code{.ltorg} directive, ARM
806@item .ltorg
807This directive causes the current contents of the literal pool to be
808dumped into the current section (which is assumed to be the .text
809section) at the current location (aligned to a word boundary).
3d0c9500
NC
810@code{GAS} maintains a separate literal pool for each section and each
811sub-section. The @code{.ltorg} directive will only affect the literal
812pool of the current section and sub-section. At the end of assembly
813all remaining, un-empty literal pools will automatically be dumped.
814
815Note - older versions of @code{GAS} would dump the current literal
816pool any time a section change occurred. This is no longer done, since
817it prevents accurate control of the placement of literal pools.
252b5132 818
4a6bc624 819@c MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
252b5132 820
4a6bc624
NS
821@cindex @code{.movsp} directive, ARM
822@item .movsp @var{reg} [, #@var{offset}]
823Tell the unwinder that @var{reg} contains an offset from the current
824stack pointer. If @var{offset} is not specified then it is assumed to be
825zero.
7ed4c4c5 826
4a6bc624
NS
827@c NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
828@c OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
7ed4c4c5 829
4a6bc624
NS
830@cindex @code{.object_arch} directive, ARM
831@item .object_arch @var{name}
832Override the architecture recorded in the EABI object attribute section.
833Valid values for @var{name} are the same as for the @code{.arch} directive.
834Typically this is useful when code uses runtime detection of CPU features.
7ed4c4c5 835
4a6bc624
NS
836@c PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
837
838@cindex @code{.packed} directive, ARM
839@item .packed @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
840This directive writes 12-byte packed floating-point values to the
841output section. These are not compatible with current ARM processors
842or ABIs.
843
ea4cff4f 844@anchor{arm_pad}
4a6bc624
NS
845@cindex @code{.pad} directive, ARM
846@item .pad #@var{count}
847Generate unwinder annotations for a stack adjustment of @var{count} bytes.
848A positive value indicates the function prologue allocated stack space by
849decrementing the stack pointer.
7ed4c4c5
NC
850
851@cindex @code{.personality} directive, ARM
852@item .personality @var{name}
853Sets the personality routine for the current function to @var{name}.
854
855@cindex @code{.personalityindex} directive, ARM
856@item .personalityindex @var{index}
857Sets the personality routine for the current function to the EABI standard
858routine number @var{index}
859
4a6bc624
NS
860@cindex @code{.pool} directive, ARM
861@item .pool
862This is a synonym for .ltorg.
7ed4c4c5 863
4a6bc624
NS
864@c QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
865@c RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
866
867@cindex @code{.req} directive, ARM
868@item @var{name} .req @var{register name}
869This creates an alias for @var{register name} called @var{name}. For
870example:
871
872@smallexample
873 foo .req r0
874@end smallexample
875
876@c SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
7ed4c4c5 877
7da4f750 878@anchor{arm_save}
7ed4c4c5
NC
879@cindex @code{.save} directive, ARM
880@item .save @var{reglist}
881Generate unwinder annotations to restore the registers in @var{reglist}.
882The format of @var{reglist} is the same as the corresponding store-multiple
883instruction.
884
885@smallexample
886@exdent @emph{core registers}
887 .save @{r4, r5, r6, lr@}
888 stmfd sp!, @{r4, r5, r6, lr@}
889@exdent @emph{FPA registers}
890 .save f4, 2
891 sfmfd f4, 2, [sp]!
892@exdent @emph{VFP registers}
893 .save @{d8, d9, d10@}
fa073d69 894 fstmdx sp!, @{d8, d9, d10@}
7ed4c4c5
NC
895@exdent @emph{iWMMXt registers}
896 .save @{wr10, wr11@}
897 wstrd wr11, [sp, #-8]!
898 wstrd wr10, [sp, #-8]!
899or
900 .save wr11
901 wstrd wr11, [sp, #-8]!
902 .save wr10
903 wstrd wr10, [sp, #-8]!
904@end smallexample
905
7da4f750 906@anchor{arm_setfp}
7ed4c4c5
NC
907@cindex @code{.setfp} directive, ARM
908@item .setfp @var{fpreg}, @var{spreg} [, #@var{offset}]
4a6bc624 909Make all unwinder annotations relative to a frame pointer. Without this
7ed4c4c5
NC
910the unwinder will use offsets from the stack pointer.
911
a5b82cbe 912The syntax of this directive is the same as the @code{add} or @code{mov}
7ed4c4c5
NC
913instruction used to set the frame pointer. @var{spreg} must be either
914@code{sp} or mentioned in a previous @code{.movsp} directive.
915
916@smallexample
917.movsp ip
918mov ip, sp
919@dots{}
920.setfp fp, ip, #4
a5b82cbe 921add fp, ip, #4
7ed4c4c5
NC
922@end smallexample
923
4a6bc624
NS
924@cindex @code{.secrel32} directive, ARM
925@item .secrel32 @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
926This directive emits relocations that evaluate to the section-relative
927offset of each expression's symbol. This directive is only supported
928for PE targets.
929
cab7e4d9
NC
930@cindex @code{.syntax} directive, ARM
931@item .syntax [@code{unified} | @code{divided}]
932This directive sets the Instruction Set Syntax as described in the
933@ref{ARM-Instruction-Set} section.
934
4a6bc624
NS
935@c TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
936
937@cindex @code{.thumb} directive, ARM
938@item .thumb
939This performs the same action as @var{.code 16}.
940
941@cindex @code{.thumb_func} directive, ARM
942@item .thumb_func
943This directive specifies that the following symbol is the name of a
944Thumb encoded function. This information is necessary in order to allow
945the assembler and linker to generate correct code for interworking
946between Arm and Thumb instructions and should be used even if
947interworking is not going to be performed. The presence of this
948directive also implies @code{.thumb}
949
33eaf5de 950This directive is not necessary when generating EABI objects. On these
4a6bc624
NS
951targets the encoding is implicit when generating Thumb code.
952
953@cindex @code{.thumb_set} directive, ARM
954@item .thumb_set
955This performs the equivalent of a @code{.set} directive in that it
956creates a symbol which is an alias for another symbol (possibly not yet
957defined). This directive also has the added property in that it marks
958the aliased symbol as being a thumb function entry point, in the same
959way that the @code{.thumb_func} directive does.
960
0855e32b
NS
961@cindex @code{.tlsdescseq} directive, ARM
962@item .tlsdescseq @var{tls-variable}
963This directive is used to annotate parts of an inlined TLS descriptor
964trampoline. Normally the trampoline is provided by the linker, and
965this directive is not needed.
966
4a6bc624
NS
967@c UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
968
969@cindex @code{.unreq} directive, ARM
970@item .unreq @var{alias-name}
971This undefines a register alias which was previously defined using the
972@code{req}, @code{dn} or @code{qn} directives. For example:
973
974@smallexample
975 foo .req r0
976 .unreq foo
977@end smallexample
978
979An error occurs if the name is undefined. Note - this pseudo op can
980be used to delete builtin in register name aliases (eg 'r0'). This
981should only be done if it is really necessary.
982
7ed4c4c5 983@cindex @code{.unwind_raw} directive, ARM
4a6bc624 984@item .unwind_raw @var{offset}, @var{byte1}, @dots{}
33eaf5de 985Insert one of more arbitrary unwind opcode bytes, which are known to adjust
7ed4c4c5
NC
986the stack pointer by @var{offset} bytes.
987
988For example @code{.unwind_raw 4, 0xb1, 0x01} is equivalent to
989@code{.save @{r0@}}
990
4a6bc624 991@c VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
ee065d83 992
4a6bc624
NS
993@cindex @code{.vsave} directive, ARM
994@item .vsave @var{vfp-reglist}
995Generate unwinder annotations to restore the VFP registers in @var{vfp-reglist}
996using FLDMD. Also works for VFPv3 registers
997that are to be restored using VLDM.
998The format of @var{vfp-reglist} is the same as the corresponding store-multiple
999instruction.
ee065d83 1000
4a6bc624
NS
1001@smallexample
1002@exdent @emph{VFP registers}
1003 .vsave @{d8, d9, d10@}
1004 fstmdd sp!, @{d8, d9, d10@}
1005@exdent @emph{VFPv3 registers}
1006 .vsave @{d15, d16, d17@}
1007 vstm sp!, @{d15, d16, d17@}
1008@end smallexample
e04befd0 1009
4a6bc624
NS
1010Since FLDMX and FSTMX are now deprecated, this directive should be
1011used in favour of @code{.save} for saving VFP registers for ARMv6 and above.
e04befd0 1012
4a6bc624
NS
1013@c WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
1014@c XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
1015@c YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
1016@c ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
ee065d83 1017
252b5132
RH
1018@end table
1019
1020@node ARM Opcodes
1021@section Opcodes
1022
1023@cindex ARM opcodes
1024@cindex opcodes for ARM
49a5575c
NC
1025@code{@value{AS}} implements all the standard ARM opcodes. It also
1026implements several pseudo opcodes, including several synthetic load
34bca508 1027instructions.
252b5132 1028
49a5575c
NC
1029@table @code
1030
1031@cindex @code{NOP} pseudo op, ARM
1032@item NOP
1033@smallexample
1034 nop
1035@end smallexample
252b5132 1036
49a5575c
NC
1037This pseudo op will always evaluate to a legal ARM instruction that does
1038nothing. Currently it will evaluate to MOV r0, r0.
252b5132 1039
49a5575c 1040@cindex @code{LDR reg,=<label>} pseudo op, ARM
34bca508 1041@item LDR
252b5132
RH
1042@smallexample
1043 ldr <register> , = <expression>
1044@end smallexample
1045
1046If expression evaluates to a numeric constant then a MOV or MVN
1047instruction will be used in place of the LDR instruction, if the
1048constant can be generated by either of these instructions. Otherwise
1049the constant will be placed into the nearest literal pool (if it not
1050already there) and a PC relative LDR instruction will be generated.
1051
49a5575c
NC
1052@cindex @code{ADR reg,<label>} pseudo op, ARM
1053@item ADR
1054@smallexample
1055 adr <register> <label>
1056@end smallexample
1057
1058This instruction will load the address of @var{label} into the indicated
1059register. The instruction will evaluate to a PC relative ADD or SUB
1060instruction depending upon where the label is located. If the label is
1061out of range, or if it is not defined in the same file (and section) as
1062the ADR instruction, then an error will be generated. This instruction
1063will not make use of the literal pool.
1064
fc6141f0
NC
1065If @var{label} is a thumb function symbol, and thumb interworking has
1066been enabled via the @option{-mthumb-interwork} option then the bottom
1067bit of the value stored into @var{register} will be set. This allows
1068the following sequence to work as expected:
1069
1070@smallexample
1071 adr r0, thumb_function
1072 blx r0
1073@end smallexample
1074
49a5575c 1075@cindex @code{ADRL reg,<label>} pseudo op, ARM
34bca508 1076@item ADRL
49a5575c
NC
1077@smallexample
1078 adrl <register> <label>
1079@end smallexample
1080
1081This instruction will load the address of @var{label} into the indicated
a349d9dd 1082register. The instruction will evaluate to one or two PC relative ADD
49a5575c
NC
1083or SUB instructions depending upon where the label is located. If a
1084second instruction is not needed a NOP instruction will be generated in
1085its place, so that this instruction is always 8 bytes long.
1086
1087If the label is out of range, or if it is not defined in the same file
1088(and section) as the ADRL instruction, then an error will be generated.
1089This instruction will not make use of the literal pool.
1090
fc6141f0
NC
1091If @var{label} is a thumb function symbol, and thumb interworking has
1092been enabled via the @option{-mthumb-interwork} option then the bottom
1093bit of the value stored into @var{register} will be set.
1094
49a5575c
NC
1095@end table
1096
252b5132
RH
1097For information on the ARM or Thumb instruction sets, see @cite{ARM
1098Software Development Toolkit Reference Manual}, Advanced RISC Machines
1099Ltd.
1100
6057a28f
NC
1101@node ARM Mapping Symbols
1102@section Mapping Symbols
1103
1104The ARM ELF specification requires that special symbols be inserted
1105into object files to mark certain features:
1106
1107@table @code
1108
1109@cindex @code{$a}
1110@item $a
1111At the start of a region of code containing ARM instructions.
1112
1113@cindex @code{$t}
1114@item $t
1115At the start of a region of code containing THUMB instructions.
1116
1117@cindex @code{$d}
1118@item $d
1119At the start of a region of data.
1120
1121@end table
1122
1123The assembler will automatically insert these symbols for you - there
1124is no need to code them yourself. Support for tagging symbols ($b,
1125$f, $p and $m) which is also mentioned in the current ARM ELF
1126specification is not implemented. This is because they have been
1127dropped from the new EABI and so tools cannot rely upon their
1128presence.
1129
7da4f750
MM
1130@node ARM Unwinding Tutorial
1131@section Unwinding
1132
1133The ABI for the ARM Architecture specifies a standard format for
1134exception unwind information. This information is used when an
1135exception is thrown to determine where control should be transferred.
1136In particular, the unwind information is used to determine which
1137function called the function that threw the exception, and which
1138function called that one, and so forth. This information is also used
1139to restore the values of callee-saved registers in the function
1140catching the exception.
1141
1142If you are writing functions in assembly code, and those functions
1143call other functions that throw exceptions, you must use assembly
1144pseudo ops to ensure that appropriate exception unwind information is
1145generated. Otherwise, if one of the functions called by your assembly
1146code throws an exception, the run-time library will be unable to
1147unwind the stack through your assembly code and your program will not
1148behave correctly.
1149
1150To illustrate the use of these pseudo ops, we will examine the code
1151that G++ generates for the following C++ input:
1152
1153@verbatim
1154void callee (int *);
1155
34bca508
L
1156int
1157caller ()
7da4f750
MM
1158{
1159 int i;
1160 callee (&i);
34bca508 1161 return i;
7da4f750
MM
1162}
1163@end verbatim
1164
1165This example does not show how to throw or catch an exception from
1166assembly code. That is a much more complex operation and should
1167always be done in a high-level language, such as C++, that directly
1168supports exceptions.
1169
1170The code generated by one particular version of G++ when compiling the
1171example above is:
1172
1173@verbatim
1174_Z6callerv:
1175 .fnstart
1176.LFB2:
1177 @ Function supports interworking.
1178 @ args = 0, pretend = 0, frame = 8
1179 @ frame_needed = 1, uses_anonymous_args = 0
1180 stmfd sp!, {fp, lr}
1181 .save {fp, lr}
1182.LCFI0:
1183 .setfp fp, sp, #4
1184 add fp, sp, #4
1185.LCFI1:
1186 .pad #8
1187 sub sp, sp, #8
1188.LCFI2:
1189 sub r3, fp, #8
1190 mov r0, r3
1191 bl _Z6calleePi
1192 ldr r3, [fp, #-8]
1193 mov r0, r3
1194 sub sp, fp, #4
1195 ldmfd sp!, {fp, lr}
1196 bx lr
1197.LFE2:
1198 .fnend
1199@end verbatim
1200
1201Of course, the sequence of instructions varies based on the options
1202you pass to GCC and on the version of GCC in use. The exact
1203instructions are not important since we are focusing on the pseudo ops
1204that are used to generate unwind information.
1205
1206An important assumption made by the unwinder is that the stack frame
1207does not change during the body of the function. In particular, since
1208we assume that the assembly code does not itself throw an exception,
1209the only point where an exception can be thrown is from a call, such
1210as the @code{bl} instruction above. At each call site, the same saved
1211registers (including @code{lr}, which indicates the return address)
1212must be located in the same locations relative to the frame pointer.
1213
1214The @code{.fnstart} (@pxref{arm_fnstart,,.fnstart pseudo op}) pseudo
1215op appears immediately before the first instruction of the function
1216while the @code{.fnend} (@pxref{arm_fnend,,.fnend pseudo op}) pseudo
1217op appears immediately after the last instruction of the function.
34bca508 1218These pseudo ops specify the range of the function.
7da4f750
MM
1219
1220Only the order of the other pseudos ops (e.g., @code{.setfp} or
1221@code{.pad}) matters; their exact locations are irrelevant. In the
1222example above, the compiler emits the pseudo ops with particular
1223instructions. That makes it easier to understand the code, but it is
1224not required for correctness. It would work just as well to emit all
1225of the pseudo ops other than @code{.fnend} in the same order, but
1226immediately after @code{.fnstart}.
1227
1228The @code{.save} (@pxref{arm_save,,.save pseudo op}) pseudo op
1229indicates registers that have been saved to the stack so that they can
1230be restored before the function returns. The argument to the
1231@code{.save} pseudo op is a list of registers to save. If a register
1232is ``callee-saved'' (as specified by the ABI) and is modified by the
1233function you are writing, then your code must save the value before it
1234is modified and restore the original value before the function
1235returns. If an exception is thrown, the run-time library restores the
1236values of these registers from their locations on the stack before
1237returning control to the exception handler. (Of course, if an
1238exception is not thrown, the function that contains the @code{.save}
1239pseudo op restores these registers in the function epilogue, as is
1240done with the @code{ldmfd} instruction above.)
1241
1242You do not have to save callee-saved registers at the very beginning
1243of the function and you do not need to use the @code{.save} pseudo op
1244immediately following the point at which the registers are saved.
1245However, if you modify a callee-saved register, you must save it on
1246the stack before modifying it and before calling any functions which
1247might throw an exception. And, you must use the @code{.save} pseudo
1248op to indicate that you have done so.
1249
1250The @code{.pad} (@pxref{arm_pad,,.pad}) pseudo op indicates a
1251modification of the stack pointer that does not save any registers.
1252The argument is the number of bytes (in decimal) that are subtracted
1253from the stack pointer. (On ARM CPUs, the stack grows downwards, so
1254subtracting from the stack pointer increases the size of the stack.)
1255
1256The @code{.setfp} (@pxref{arm_setfp,,.setfp pseudo op}) pseudo op
1257indicates the register that contains the frame pointer. The first
1258argument is the register that is set, which is typically @code{fp}.
1259The second argument indicates the register from which the frame
1260pointer takes its value. The third argument, if present, is the value
1261(in decimal) added to the register specified by the second argument to
1262compute the value of the frame pointer. You should not modify the
1263frame pointer in the body of the function.
1264
1265If you do not use a frame pointer, then you should not use the
1266@code{.setfp} pseudo op. If you do not use a frame pointer, then you
1267should avoid modifying the stack pointer outside of the function
1268prologue. Otherwise, the run-time library will be unable to find
1269saved registers when it is unwinding the stack.
1270
1271The pseudo ops described above are sufficient for writing assembly
1272code that calls functions which may throw exceptions. If you need to
1273know more about the object-file format used to represent unwind
1274information, you may consult the @cite{Exception Handling ABI for the
1275ARM Architecture} available from @uref{http://infocenter.arm.com}.
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