]> git.ipfire.org Git - thirdparty/binutils-gdb.git/blame - gas/doc/c-arm.texi
[Arm, 2/3] Add instruction SB for AArch32
[thirdparty/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{}]
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 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
60e5ef9f
MGD
168documented in the list of extensions below.
169
34bca508
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,
69133863
MGD
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),
7fadb25d
SD
192@code{sb} (Speculation Barrier Instruction for v8-A architectures, added by
193default from v8.5-A),
f4c65163 194@code{sec} (Security Extensions for v6K and v7-A architectures),
bca38921 195@code{simd} (Advanced SIMD Extensions for v8-A architecture, implies @code{fp}),
34bca508 196@code{virt} (Virtualization Extensions for v7-A architecture, implies
90ec0d68 197@code{idiv}),
33eaf5de 198@code{pan} (Privileged Access Never Extensions for v8-A architecture),
4d1464f2
MW
199@code{ras} (Reliability, Availability and Serviceability extensions
200for v8-A architecture),
d6b4b13e
MW
201@code{rdma} (ARMv8.1 Advanced SIMD extensions for v8-A architecture, implies
202@code{simd})
03b1477f 203and
69133863 204@code{xscale}.
03b1477f 205
a05a5b64 206@cindex @code{-march=} command-line option, ARM
92081f48 207@item -march=@var{architecture}[+@var{extension}@dots{}]
252b5132
RH
208This option specifies the target architecture. The assembler will issue
209an error message if an attempt is made to assemble an instruction which
34bca508
L
210will not execute on the target architecture. The following architecture
211names are recognized:
03b1477f
RE
212@code{armv1},
213@code{armv2},
214@code{armv2a},
215@code{armv2s},
216@code{armv3},
217@code{armv3m},
218@code{armv4},
219@code{armv4xm},
220@code{armv4t},
221@code{armv4txm},
222@code{armv5},
223@code{armv5t},
224@code{armv5txm},
225@code{armv5te},
09d92015 226@code{armv5texp},
c5f98204 227@code{armv6},
1ddd7f43 228@code{armv6j},
0dd132b6
NC
229@code{armv6k},
230@code{armv6z},
f33026a9 231@code{armv6kz},
b2a5fbdc
MGD
232@code{armv6-m},
233@code{armv6s-m},
62b3e311 234@code{armv7},
c450d570 235@code{armv7-a},
c9fb6e58 236@code{armv7ve},
c450d570
PB
237@code{armv7-r},
238@code{armv7-m},
9e3c6df6 239@code{armv7e-m},
bca38921 240@code{armv8-a},
a5932920 241@code{armv8.1-a},
56a1b672 242@code{armv8.2-a},
a12fd8e1 243@code{armv8.3-a},
ced40572 244@code{armv8-r},
dec41383 245@code{armv8.4-a},
23f233a5 246@code{armv8.5-a},
e16bb312 247@code{iwmmxt}
ea0d6bb9 248@code{iwmmxt2}
03b1477f
RE
249and
250@code{xscale}.
251If both @code{-mcpu} and
252@code{-march} are specified, the assembler will use
253the setting for @code{-mcpu}.
254
255The architecture option can be extended with the same instruction set
256extension options as the @code{-mcpu} option.
257
a05a5b64 258@cindex @code{-mfpu=} command-line option, ARM
03b1477f
RE
259@item -mfpu=@var{floating-point-format}
260
261This option specifies the floating point format to assemble for. The
262assembler will issue an error message if an attempt is made to assemble
34bca508 263an instruction which will not execute on the target floating point unit.
03b1477f
RE
264The following format options are recognized:
265@code{softfpa},
266@code{fpe},
bc89618b
RE
267@code{fpe2},
268@code{fpe3},
03b1477f
RE
269@code{fpa},
270@code{fpa10},
271@code{fpa11},
272@code{arm7500fe},
273@code{softvfp},
274@code{softvfp+vfp},
275@code{vfp},
276@code{vfp10},
277@code{vfp10-r0},
278@code{vfp9},
279@code{vfpxd},
62f3b8c8
PB
280@code{vfpv2},
281@code{vfpv3},
282@code{vfpv3-fp16},
283@code{vfpv3-d16},
284@code{vfpv3-d16-fp16},
285@code{vfpv3xd},
286@code{vfpv3xd-d16},
287@code{vfpv4},
288@code{vfpv4-d16},
f0cd0667 289@code{fpv4-sp-d16},
a715796b
TG
290@code{fpv5-sp-d16},
291@code{fpv5-d16},
bca38921 292@code{fp-armv8},
09d92015
MM
293@code{arm1020t},
294@code{arm1020e},
b1cc4aeb 295@code{arm1136jf-s},
62f3b8c8
PB
296@code{maverick},
297@code{neon},
d5e0ba9c
RE
298@code{neon-vfpv3},
299@code{neon-fp16},
bca38921
MGD
300@code{neon-vfpv4},
301@code{neon-fp-armv8},
081e4c7d
MW
302@code{crypto-neon-fp-armv8},
303@code{neon-fp-armv8.1}
d6b4b13e 304and
081e4c7d 305@code{crypto-neon-fp-armv8.1}.
03b1477f
RE
306
307In addition to determining which instructions are assembled, this option
308also affects the way in which the @code{.double} assembler directive behaves
309when assembling little-endian code.
310
34bca508 311The default is dependent on the processor selected. For Architecture 5 or
d5e0ba9c 312later, the default is to assemble for VFP instructions; for earlier
03b1477f 313architectures the default is to assemble for FPA instructions.
adcf07e6 314
a05a5b64 315@cindex @code{-mthumb} command-line option, ARM
252b5132 316@item -mthumb
03b1477f 317This option specifies that the assembler should start assembling Thumb
34bca508 318instructions; that is, it should behave as though the file starts with a
03b1477f 319@code{.code 16} directive.
adcf07e6 320
a05a5b64 321@cindex @code{-mthumb-interwork} command-line option, ARM
252b5132
RH
322@item -mthumb-interwork
323This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should
fc6141f0
NC
324be marked as supporting interworking. It also affects the behaviour
325of the @code{ADR} and @code{ADRL} pseudo opcodes.
adcf07e6 326
a05a5b64 327@cindex @code{-mimplicit-it} command-line option, ARM
52970753
NC
328@item -mimplicit-it=never
329@itemx -mimplicit-it=always
330@itemx -mimplicit-it=arm
331@itemx -mimplicit-it=thumb
332The @code{-mimplicit-it} option controls the behavior of the assembler when
333conditional instructions are not enclosed in IT blocks.
334There are four possible behaviors.
335If @code{never} is specified, such constructs cause a warning in ARM
336code and an error in Thumb-2 code.
337If @code{always} is specified, such constructs are accepted in both
338ARM and Thumb-2 code, where the IT instruction is added implicitly.
339If @code{arm} is specified, such constructs are accepted in ARM code
340and cause an error in Thumb-2 code.
341If @code{thumb} is specified, such constructs cause a warning in ARM
342code and are accepted in Thumb-2 code. If you omit this option, the
343behavior is equivalent to @code{-mimplicit-it=arm}.
e07e6e58 344
a05a5b64
TP
345@cindex @code{-mapcs-26} command-line option, ARM
346@cindex @code{-mapcs-32} command-line option, ARM
5a5829dd
NS
347@item -mapcs-26
348@itemx -mapcs-32
349These options specify that the output generated by the assembler should
252b5132
RH
350be marked as supporting the indicated version of the Arm Procedure.
351Calling Standard.
adcf07e6 352
a05a5b64 353@cindex @code{-matpcs} command-line option, ARM
077b8428 354@item -matpcs
34bca508 355This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should
077b8428
NC
356be marked as supporting the Arm/Thumb Procedure Calling Standard. If
357enabled this option will cause the assembler to create an empty
358debugging section in the object file called .arm.atpcs. Debuggers can
359use this to determine the ABI being used by.
360
a05a5b64 361@cindex @code{-mapcs-float} command-line option, ARM
252b5132 362@item -mapcs-float
1be59579 363This indicates the floating point variant of the APCS should be
252b5132 364used. In this variant floating point arguments are passed in FP
550262c4 365registers rather than integer registers.
adcf07e6 366
a05a5b64 367@cindex @code{-mapcs-reentrant} command-line option, ARM
252b5132
RH
368@item -mapcs-reentrant
369This indicates that the reentrant variant of the APCS should be used.
370This variant supports position independent code.
adcf07e6 371
a05a5b64 372@cindex @code{-mfloat-abi=} command-line option, ARM
33a392fb
PB
373@item -mfloat-abi=@var{abi}
374This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should be
375marked as using specified floating point ABI.
376The following values are recognized:
377@code{soft},
378@code{softfp}
379and
380@code{hard}.
381
a05a5b64 382@cindex @code{-eabi=} command-line option, ARM
d507cf36
PB
383@item -meabi=@var{ver}
384This option specifies which EABI version the produced object files should
385conform to.
b45619c0 386The following values are recognized:
3a4a14e9
PB
387@code{gnu},
388@code{4}
d507cf36 389and
3a4a14e9 390@code{5}.
d507cf36 391
a05a5b64 392@cindex @code{-EB} command-line option, ARM
252b5132
RH
393@item -EB
394This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should
395be marked as being encoded for a big-endian processor.
adcf07e6 396
080bb7bb
NC
397Note: If a program is being built for a system with big-endian data
398and little-endian instructions then it should be assembled with the
399@option{-EB} option, (all of it, code and data) and then linked with
400the @option{--be8} option. This will reverse the endianness of the
401instructions back to little-endian, but leave the data as big-endian.
402
a05a5b64 403@cindex @code{-EL} command-line option, ARM
252b5132
RH
404@item -EL
405This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should
406be marked as being encoded for a little-endian processor.
adcf07e6 407
a05a5b64 408@cindex @code{-k} command-line option, ARM
252b5132
RH
409@cindex PIC code generation for ARM
410@item -k
a349d9dd
PB
411This option specifies that the output of the assembler should be marked
412as position-independent code (PIC).
adcf07e6 413
a05a5b64 414@cindex @code{--fix-v4bx} command-line option, ARM
845b51d6
PB
415@item --fix-v4bx
416Allow @code{BX} instructions in ARMv4 code. This is intended for use with
417the linker option of the same name.
418
a05a5b64 419@cindex @code{-mwarn-deprecated} command-line option, ARM
278df34e
NS
420@item -mwarn-deprecated
421@itemx -mno-warn-deprecated
422Enable or disable warnings about using deprecated options or
423features. The default is to warn.
424
a05a5b64 425@cindex @code{-mccs} command-line option, ARM
2e6976a8
DG
426@item -mccs
427Turns on CodeComposer Studio assembly syntax compatibility mode.
428
a05a5b64 429@cindex @code{-mwarn-syms} command-line option, ARM
8b2d793c
NC
430@item -mwarn-syms
431@itemx -mno-warn-syms
432Enable or disable warnings about symbols that match the names of ARM
433instructions. The default is to warn.
434
252b5132
RH
435@end table
436
437
438@node ARM Syntax
439@section Syntax
440@menu
cab7e4d9 441* ARM-Instruction-Set:: Instruction Set
252b5132
RH
442* ARM-Chars:: Special Characters
443* ARM-Regs:: Register Names
b6895b4f 444* ARM-Relocations:: Relocations
99f1a7a7 445* ARM-Neon-Alignment:: NEON Alignment Specifiers
252b5132
RH
446@end menu
447
cab7e4d9
NC
448@node ARM-Instruction-Set
449@subsection Instruction Set Syntax
450Two slightly different syntaxes are support for ARM and THUMB
451instructions. The default, @code{divided}, uses the old style where
452ARM and THUMB instructions had their own, separate syntaxes. The new,
453@code{unified} syntax, which can be selected via the @code{.syntax}
454directive, and has the following main features:
455
9e6f3811
AS
456@itemize @bullet
457@item
cab7e4d9
NC
458Immediate operands do not require a @code{#} prefix.
459
9e6f3811 460@item
cab7e4d9
NC
461The @code{IT} instruction may appear, and if it does it is validated
462against subsequent conditional affixes. In ARM mode it does not
463generate machine code, in THUMB mode it does.
464
9e6f3811 465@item
cab7e4d9
NC
466For ARM instructions the conditional affixes always appear at the end
467of the instruction. For THUMB instructions conditional affixes can be
468used, but only inside the scope of an @code{IT} instruction.
469
9e6f3811 470@item
cab7e4d9
NC
471All of the instructions new to the V6T2 architecture (and later) are
472available. (Only a few such instructions can be written in the
473@code{divided} syntax).
474
9e6f3811 475@item
cab7e4d9
NC
476The @code{.N} and @code{.W} suffixes are recognized and honored.
477
9e6f3811 478@item
cab7e4d9
NC
479All instructions set the flags if and only if they have an @code{s}
480affix.
9e6f3811 481@end itemize
cab7e4d9 482
252b5132
RH
483@node ARM-Chars
484@subsection Special Characters
485
486@cindex line comment character, ARM
487@cindex ARM line comment character
7c31ae13
NC
488The presence of a @samp{@@} anywhere on a line indicates the start of
489a comment that extends to the end of that line.
490
491If a @samp{#} appears as the first character of a line then the whole
492line is treated as a comment, but in this case the line could also be
493a logical line number directive (@pxref{Comments}) or a preprocessor
494control command (@pxref{Preprocessing}).
550262c4
NC
495
496@cindex line separator, ARM
497@cindex statement separator, ARM
498@cindex ARM line separator
a349d9dd
PB
499The @samp{;} character can be used instead of a newline to separate
500statements.
550262c4
NC
501
502@cindex immediate character, ARM
503@cindex ARM immediate character
504Either @samp{#} or @samp{$} can be used to indicate immediate operands.
252b5132
RH
505
506@cindex identifiers, ARM
507@cindex ARM identifiers
508*TODO* Explain about /data modifier on symbols.
509
510@node ARM-Regs
511@subsection Register Names
512
513@cindex ARM register names
514@cindex register names, ARM
515*TODO* Explain about ARM register naming, and the predefined names.
516
b6895b4f
PB
517@node ARM-Relocations
518@subsection ARM relocation generation
519
520@cindex data relocations, ARM
521@cindex ARM data relocations
522Specific data relocations can be generated by putting the relocation name
523in parentheses after the symbol name. For example:
524
525@smallexample
526 .word foo(TARGET1)
527@end smallexample
528
529This will generate an @samp{R_ARM_TARGET1} relocation against the symbol
530@var{foo}.
531The following relocations are supported:
532@code{GOT},
533@code{GOTOFF},
534@code{TARGET1},
535@code{TARGET2},
536@code{SBREL},
537@code{TLSGD},
538@code{TLSLDM},
539@code{TLSLDO},
0855e32b
NS
540@code{TLSDESC},
541@code{TLSCALL},
b43420e6
NC
542@code{GOTTPOFF},
543@code{GOT_PREL}
b6895b4f
PB
544and
545@code{TPOFF}.
546
547For compatibility with older toolchains the assembler also accepts
3da1d841
NC
548@code{(PLT)} after branch targets. On legacy targets this will
549generate the deprecated @samp{R_ARM_PLT32} relocation. On EABI
550targets it will encode either the @samp{R_ARM_CALL} or
551@samp{R_ARM_JUMP24} relocation, as appropriate.
b6895b4f
PB
552
553@cindex MOVW and MOVT relocations, ARM
554Relocations for @samp{MOVW} and @samp{MOVT} instructions can be generated
555by prefixing the value with @samp{#:lower16:} and @samp{#:upper16}
b45619c0 556respectively. For example to load the 32-bit address of foo into r0:
252b5132 557
b6895b4f
PB
558@smallexample
559 MOVW r0, #:lower16:foo
560 MOVT r0, #:upper16:foo
561@end smallexample
252b5132 562
72d98d16
MG
563Relocations @samp{R_ARM_THM_ALU_ABS_G0_NC}, @samp{R_ARM_THM_ALU_ABS_G1_NC},
564@samp{R_ARM_THM_ALU_ABS_G2_NC} and @samp{R_ARM_THM_ALU_ABS_G3_NC} can be
565generated by prefixing the value with @samp{#:lower0_7:#},
566@samp{#:lower8_15:#}, @samp{#:upper0_7:#} and @samp{#:upper8_15:#}
567respectively. For example to load the 32-bit address of foo into r0:
568
569@smallexample
570 MOVS r0, #:upper8_15:#foo
571 LSLS r0, r0, #8
572 ADDS r0, #:upper0_7:#foo
573 LSLS r0, r0, #8
574 ADDS r0, #:lower8_15:#foo
575 LSLS r0, r0, #8
576 ADDS r0, #:lower0_7:#foo
577@end smallexample
578
ba724cfc
NC
579@node ARM-Neon-Alignment
580@subsection NEON Alignment Specifiers
581
582@cindex alignment for NEON instructions
583Some NEON load/store instructions allow an optional address
584alignment qualifier.
585The ARM documentation specifies that this is indicated by
586@samp{@@ @var{align}}. However GAS already interprets
587the @samp{@@} character as a "line comment" start,
588so @samp{: @var{align}} is used instead. For example:
589
590@smallexample
591 vld1.8 @{q0@}, [r0, :128]
592@end smallexample
593
594@node ARM Floating Point
595@section Floating Point
596
597@cindex floating point, ARM (@sc{ieee})
598@cindex ARM floating point (@sc{ieee})
599The ARM family uses @sc{ieee} floating-point numbers.
600
252b5132
RH
601@node ARM Directives
602@section ARM Machine Directives
603
604@cindex machine directives, ARM
605@cindex ARM machine directives
606@table @code
607
4a6bc624
NS
608@c AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
609
2b841ec2 610@ifclear ELF
4a6bc624
NS
611@cindex @code{.2byte} directive, ARM
612@cindex @code{.4byte} directive, ARM
613@cindex @code{.8byte} directive, ARM
614@item .2byte @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
615@itemx .4byte @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
616@itemx .8byte @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
617These directives write 2, 4 or 8 byte values to the output section.
2b841ec2 618@end ifclear
4a6bc624
NS
619
620@cindex @code{.align} directive, ARM
adcf07e6
NC
621@item .align @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]
622This is the generic @var{.align} directive. For the ARM however if the
623first argument is zero (ie no alignment is needed) the assembler will
624behave as if the argument had been 2 (ie pad to the next four byte
062b7c0c 625boundary). This is for compatibility with ARM's own assembler.
adcf07e6 626
4a6bc624
NS
627@cindex @code{.arch} directive, ARM
628@item .arch @var{name}
629Select the target architecture. Valid values for @var{name} are the same as
54691107
TP
630for the @option{-march} command-line option without the instruction set
631extension.
252b5132 632
34bca508 633Specifying @code{.arch} clears any previously selected architecture
69133863
MGD
634extensions.
635
636@cindex @code{.arch_extension} directive, ARM
637@item .arch_extension @var{name}
34bca508
L
638Add or remove an architecture extension to the target architecture. Valid
639values for @var{name} are the same as those accepted as architectural
a05a5b64 640extensions by the @option{-mcpu} and @option{-march} command-line options.
69133863
MGD
641
642@code{.arch_extension} may be used multiple times to add or remove extensions
643incrementally to the architecture being compiled for.
644
4a6bc624
NS
645@cindex @code{.arm} directive, ARM
646@item .arm
647This performs the same action as @var{.code 32}.
252b5132 648
4a6bc624 649@c BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
0bbf2aa4 650
4a6bc624
NS
651@cindex @code{.bss} directive, ARM
652@item .bss
653This directive switches to the @code{.bss} section.
0bbf2aa4 654
4a6bc624
NS
655@c CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
656
657@cindex @code{.cantunwind} directive, ARM
658@item .cantunwind
659Prevents unwinding through the current function. No personality routine
660or exception table data is required or permitted.
661
662@cindex @code{.code} directive, ARM
663@item .code @code{[16|32]}
664This directive selects the instruction set being generated. The value 16
665selects Thumb, with the value 32 selecting ARM.
666
667@cindex @code{.cpu} directive, ARM
668@item .cpu @var{name}
669Select the target processor. Valid values for @var{name} are the same as
54691107
TP
670for the @option{-mcpu} command-line option without the instruction set
671extension.
4a6bc624 672
34bca508 673Specifying @code{.cpu} clears any previously selected architecture
69133863
MGD
674extensions.
675
4a6bc624
NS
676@c DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
677
678@cindex @code{.dn} and @code{.qn} directives, ARM
f467aa98 679@item @var{name} .dn @var{register name} [@var{.type}] [[@var{index}]]
1f9bb1ca 680@itemx @var{name} .qn @var{register name} [@var{.type}] [[@var{index}]]
23753660
JB
681
682The @code{dn} and @code{qn} directives are used to create typed
683and/or indexed register aliases for use in Advanced SIMD Extension
684(Neon) instructions. The former should be used to create aliases
685of double-precision registers, and the latter to create aliases of
686quad-precision registers.
687
688If these directives are used to create typed aliases, those aliases can
689be used in Neon instructions instead of writing types after the mnemonic
690or after each operand. For example:
691
692@smallexample
693 x .dn d2.f32
694 y .dn d3.f32
695 z .dn d4.f32[1]
696 vmul x,y,z
697@end smallexample
698
699This is equivalent to writing the following:
700
701@smallexample
702 vmul.f32 d2,d3,d4[1]
703@end smallexample
704
705Aliases created using @code{dn} or @code{qn} can be destroyed using
706@code{unreq}.
707
4a6bc624 708@c EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
252b5132 709
4a6bc624
NS
710@cindex @code{.eabi_attribute} directive, ARM
711@item .eabi_attribute @var{tag}, @var{value}
712Set the EABI object attribute @var{tag} to @var{value}.
252b5132 713
4a6bc624
NS
714The @var{tag} is either an attribute number, or one of the following:
715@code{Tag_CPU_raw_name}, @code{Tag_CPU_name}, @code{Tag_CPU_arch},
716@code{Tag_CPU_arch_profile}, @code{Tag_ARM_ISA_use},
75375b3e 717@code{Tag_THUMB_ISA_use}, @code{Tag_FP_arch}, @code{Tag_WMMX_arch},
4a6bc624
NS
718@code{Tag_Advanced_SIMD_arch}, @code{Tag_PCS_config},
719@code{Tag_ABI_PCS_R9_use}, @code{Tag_ABI_PCS_RW_data},
720@code{Tag_ABI_PCS_RO_data}, @code{Tag_ABI_PCS_GOT_use},
721@code{Tag_ABI_PCS_wchar_t}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_rounding},
722@code{Tag_ABI_FP_denormal}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_exceptions},
723@code{Tag_ABI_FP_user_exceptions}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_number_model},
75375b3e 724@code{Tag_ABI_align_needed}, @code{Tag_ABI_align_preserved},
4a6bc624
NS
725@code{Tag_ABI_enum_size}, @code{Tag_ABI_HardFP_use},
726@code{Tag_ABI_VFP_args}, @code{Tag_ABI_WMMX_args},
727@code{Tag_ABI_optimization_goals}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_optimization_goals},
728@code{Tag_compatibility}, @code{Tag_CPU_unaligned_access},
75375b3e 729@code{Tag_FP_HP_extension}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_16bit_format},
cd21e546 730@code{Tag_MPextension_use}, @code{Tag_DIV_use},
4a6bc624
NS
731@code{Tag_nodefaults}, @code{Tag_also_compatible_with},
732@code{Tag_conformance}, @code{Tag_T2EE_use},
cd21e546 733@code{Tag_Virtualization_use}
4a6bc624
NS
734
735The @var{value} is either a @code{number}, @code{"string"}, or
736@code{number, "string"} depending on the tag.
737
75375b3e 738Note - the following legacy values are also accepted by @var{tag}:
34bca508 739@code{Tag_VFP_arch}, @code{Tag_ABI_align8_needed},
75375b3e
MGD
740@code{Tag_ABI_align8_preserved}, @code{Tag_VFP_HP_extension},
741
4a6bc624
NS
742@cindex @code{.even} directive, ARM
743@item .even
744This directive aligns to an even-numbered address.
745
746@cindex @code{.extend} directive, ARM
747@cindex @code{.ldouble} directive, ARM
748@item .extend @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
749@itemx .ldouble @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
750These directives write 12byte long double floating-point values to the
751output section. These are not compatible with current ARM processors
752or ABIs.
753
754@c FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
755
756@anchor{arm_fnend}
757@cindex @code{.fnend} directive, ARM
758@item .fnend
759Marks the end of a function with an unwind table entry. The unwind index
760table entry is created when this directive is processed.
252b5132 761
4a6bc624
NS
762If no personality routine has been specified then standard personality
763routine 0 or 1 will be used, depending on the number of unwind opcodes
764required.
765
766@anchor{arm_fnstart}
767@cindex @code{.fnstart} directive, ARM
768@item .fnstart
769Marks the start of a function with an unwind table entry.
770
771@cindex @code{.force_thumb} directive, ARM
252b5132
RH
772@item .force_thumb
773This directive forces the selection of Thumb instructions, even if the
774target processor does not support those instructions
775
4a6bc624
NS
776@cindex @code{.fpu} directive, ARM
777@item .fpu @var{name}
778Select the floating-point unit to assemble for. Valid values for @var{name}
a05a5b64 779are the same as for the @option{-mfpu} command-line option.
252b5132 780
4a6bc624
NS
781@c GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
782@c HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
e1da3f5b 783
4a6bc624
NS
784@cindex @code{.handlerdata} directive, ARM
785@item .handlerdata
786Marks the end of the current function, and the start of the exception table
787entry for that function. Anything between this directive and the
788@code{.fnend} directive will be added to the exception table entry.
789
790Must be preceded by a @code{.personality} or @code{.personalityindex}
791directive.
792
793@c IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
c921be7d
NC
794
795@cindex @code{.inst} directive, ARM
796@item .inst @var{opcode} [ , @dots{} ]
1f9bb1ca
AS
797@itemx .inst.n @var{opcode} [ , @dots{} ]
798@itemx .inst.w @var{opcode} [ , @dots{} ]
c921be7d
NC
799Generates the instruction corresponding to the numerical value @var{opcode}.
800@code{.inst.n} and @code{.inst.w} allow the Thumb instruction size to be
801specified explicitly, overriding the normal encoding rules.
802
4a6bc624
NS
803@c JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ
804@c KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
805@c LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
806
807@item .ldouble @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
808See @code{.extend}.
5395a469 809
252b5132
RH
810@cindex @code{.ltorg} directive, ARM
811@item .ltorg
812This directive causes the current contents of the literal pool to be
813dumped into the current section (which is assumed to be the .text
814section) at the current location (aligned to a word boundary).
3d0c9500
NC
815@code{GAS} maintains a separate literal pool for each section and each
816sub-section. The @code{.ltorg} directive will only affect the literal
817pool of the current section and sub-section. At the end of assembly
818all remaining, un-empty literal pools will automatically be dumped.
819
820Note - older versions of @code{GAS} would dump the current literal
821pool any time a section change occurred. This is no longer done, since
822it prevents accurate control of the placement of literal pools.
252b5132 823
4a6bc624 824@c MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
252b5132 825
4a6bc624
NS
826@cindex @code{.movsp} directive, ARM
827@item .movsp @var{reg} [, #@var{offset}]
828Tell the unwinder that @var{reg} contains an offset from the current
829stack pointer. If @var{offset} is not specified then it is assumed to be
830zero.
7ed4c4c5 831
4a6bc624
NS
832@c NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
833@c OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
7ed4c4c5 834
4a6bc624
NS
835@cindex @code{.object_arch} directive, ARM
836@item .object_arch @var{name}
837Override the architecture recorded in the EABI object attribute section.
838Valid values for @var{name} are the same as for the @code{.arch} directive.
839Typically this is useful when code uses runtime detection of CPU features.
7ed4c4c5 840
4a6bc624
NS
841@c PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
842
843@cindex @code{.packed} directive, ARM
844@item .packed @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
845This directive writes 12-byte packed floating-point values to the
846output section. These are not compatible with current ARM processors
847or ABIs.
848
ea4cff4f 849@anchor{arm_pad}
4a6bc624
NS
850@cindex @code{.pad} directive, ARM
851@item .pad #@var{count}
852Generate unwinder annotations for a stack adjustment of @var{count} bytes.
853A positive value indicates the function prologue allocated stack space by
854decrementing the stack pointer.
7ed4c4c5
NC
855
856@cindex @code{.personality} directive, ARM
857@item .personality @var{name}
858Sets the personality routine for the current function to @var{name}.
859
860@cindex @code{.personalityindex} directive, ARM
861@item .personalityindex @var{index}
862Sets the personality routine for the current function to the EABI standard
863routine number @var{index}
864
4a6bc624
NS
865@cindex @code{.pool} directive, ARM
866@item .pool
867This is a synonym for .ltorg.
7ed4c4c5 868
4a6bc624
NS
869@c QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
870@c RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
871
872@cindex @code{.req} directive, ARM
873@item @var{name} .req @var{register name}
874This creates an alias for @var{register name} called @var{name}. For
875example:
876
877@smallexample
878 foo .req r0
879@end smallexample
880
881@c SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
7ed4c4c5 882
7da4f750 883@anchor{arm_save}
7ed4c4c5
NC
884@cindex @code{.save} directive, ARM
885@item .save @var{reglist}
886Generate unwinder annotations to restore the registers in @var{reglist}.
887The format of @var{reglist} is the same as the corresponding store-multiple
888instruction.
889
890@smallexample
891@exdent @emph{core registers}
892 .save @{r4, r5, r6, lr@}
893 stmfd sp!, @{r4, r5, r6, lr@}
894@exdent @emph{FPA registers}
895 .save f4, 2
896 sfmfd f4, 2, [sp]!
897@exdent @emph{VFP registers}
898 .save @{d8, d9, d10@}
fa073d69 899 fstmdx sp!, @{d8, d9, d10@}
7ed4c4c5
NC
900@exdent @emph{iWMMXt registers}
901 .save @{wr10, wr11@}
902 wstrd wr11, [sp, #-8]!
903 wstrd wr10, [sp, #-8]!
904or
905 .save wr11
906 wstrd wr11, [sp, #-8]!
907 .save wr10
908 wstrd wr10, [sp, #-8]!
909@end smallexample
910
7da4f750 911@anchor{arm_setfp}
7ed4c4c5
NC
912@cindex @code{.setfp} directive, ARM
913@item .setfp @var{fpreg}, @var{spreg} [, #@var{offset}]
4a6bc624 914Make all unwinder annotations relative to a frame pointer. Without this
7ed4c4c5
NC
915the unwinder will use offsets from the stack pointer.
916
a5b82cbe 917The syntax of this directive is the same as the @code{add} or @code{mov}
7ed4c4c5
NC
918instruction used to set the frame pointer. @var{spreg} must be either
919@code{sp} or mentioned in a previous @code{.movsp} directive.
920
921@smallexample
922.movsp ip
923mov ip, sp
924@dots{}
925.setfp fp, ip, #4
a5b82cbe 926add fp, ip, #4
7ed4c4c5
NC
927@end smallexample
928
4a6bc624
NS
929@cindex @code{.secrel32} directive, ARM
930@item .secrel32 @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
931This directive emits relocations that evaluate to the section-relative
932offset of each expression's symbol. This directive is only supported
933for PE targets.
934
cab7e4d9
NC
935@cindex @code{.syntax} directive, ARM
936@item .syntax [@code{unified} | @code{divided}]
937This directive sets the Instruction Set Syntax as described in the
938@ref{ARM-Instruction-Set} section.
939
4a6bc624
NS
940@c TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
941
942@cindex @code{.thumb} directive, ARM
943@item .thumb
944This performs the same action as @var{.code 16}.
945
946@cindex @code{.thumb_func} directive, ARM
947@item .thumb_func
948This directive specifies that the following symbol is the name of a
949Thumb encoded function. This information is necessary in order to allow
950the assembler and linker to generate correct code for interworking
951between Arm and Thumb instructions and should be used even if
952interworking is not going to be performed. The presence of this
953directive also implies @code{.thumb}
954
33eaf5de 955This directive is not necessary when generating EABI objects. On these
4a6bc624
NS
956targets the encoding is implicit when generating Thumb code.
957
958@cindex @code{.thumb_set} directive, ARM
959@item .thumb_set
960This performs the equivalent of a @code{.set} directive in that it
961creates a symbol which is an alias for another symbol (possibly not yet
962defined). This directive also has the added property in that it marks
963the aliased symbol as being a thumb function entry point, in the same
964way that the @code{.thumb_func} directive does.
965
0855e32b
NS
966@cindex @code{.tlsdescseq} directive, ARM
967@item .tlsdescseq @var{tls-variable}
968This directive is used to annotate parts of an inlined TLS descriptor
969trampoline. Normally the trampoline is provided by the linker, and
970this directive is not needed.
971
4a6bc624
NS
972@c UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
973
974@cindex @code{.unreq} directive, ARM
975@item .unreq @var{alias-name}
976This undefines a register alias which was previously defined using the
977@code{req}, @code{dn} or @code{qn} directives. For example:
978
979@smallexample
980 foo .req r0
981 .unreq foo
982@end smallexample
983
984An error occurs if the name is undefined. Note - this pseudo op can
985be used to delete builtin in register name aliases (eg 'r0'). This
986should only be done if it is really necessary.
987
7ed4c4c5 988@cindex @code{.unwind_raw} directive, ARM
4a6bc624 989@item .unwind_raw @var{offset}, @var{byte1}, @dots{}
33eaf5de 990Insert one of more arbitrary unwind opcode bytes, which are known to adjust
7ed4c4c5
NC
991the stack pointer by @var{offset} bytes.
992
993For example @code{.unwind_raw 4, 0xb1, 0x01} is equivalent to
994@code{.save @{r0@}}
995
4a6bc624 996@c VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
ee065d83 997
4a6bc624
NS
998@cindex @code{.vsave} directive, ARM
999@item .vsave @var{vfp-reglist}
1000Generate unwinder annotations to restore the VFP registers in @var{vfp-reglist}
1001using FLDMD. Also works for VFPv3 registers
1002that are to be restored using VLDM.
1003The format of @var{vfp-reglist} is the same as the corresponding store-multiple
1004instruction.
ee065d83 1005
4a6bc624
NS
1006@smallexample
1007@exdent @emph{VFP registers}
1008 .vsave @{d8, d9, d10@}
1009 fstmdd sp!, @{d8, d9, d10@}
1010@exdent @emph{VFPv3 registers}
1011 .vsave @{d15, d16, d17@}
1012 vstm sp!, @{d15, d16, d17@}
1013@end smallexample
e04befd0 1014
4a6bc624
NS
1015Since FLDMX and FSTMX are now deprecated, this directive should be
1016used in favour of @code{.save} for saving VFP registers for ARMv6 and above.
e04befd0 1017
4a6bc624
NS
1018@c WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
1019@c XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
1020@c YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
1021@c ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
ee065d83 1022
252b5132
RH
1023@end table
1024
1025@node ARM Opcodes
1026@section Opcodes
1027
1028@cindex ARM opcodes
1029@cindex opcodes for ARM
49a5575c
NC
1030@code{@value{AS}} implements all the standard ARM opcodes. It also
1031implements several pseudo opcodes, including several synthetic load
34bca508 1032instructions.
252b5132 1033
49a5575c
NC
1034@table @code
1035
1036@cindex @code{NOP} pseudo op, ARM
1037@item NOP
1038@smallexample
1039 nop
1040@end smallexample
252b5132 1041
49a5575c
NC
1042This pseudo op will always evaluate to a legal ARM instruction that does
1043nothing. Currently it will evaluate to MOV r0, r0.
252b5132 1044
49a5575c 1045@cindex @code{LDR reg,=<label>} pseudo op, ARM
34bca508 1046@item LDR
252b5132
RH
1047@smallexample
1048 ldr <register> , = <expression>
1049@end smallexample
1050
1051If expression evaluates to a numeric constant then a MOV or MVN
1052instruction will be used in place of the LDR instruction, if the
1053constant can be generated by either of these instructions. Otherwise
1054the constant will be placed into the nearest literal pool (if it not
1055already there) and a PC relative LDR instruction will be generated.
1056
49a5575c
NC
1057@cindex @code{ADR reg,<label>} pseudo op, ARM
1058@item ADR
1059@smallexample
1060 adr <register> <label>
1061@end smallexample
1062
1063This instruction will load the address of @var{label} into the indicated
1064register. The instruction will evaluate to a PC relative ADD or SUB
1065instruction depending upon where the label is located. If the label is
1066out of range, or if it is not defined in the same file (and section) as
1067the ADR instruction, then an error will be generated. This instruction
1068will not make use of the literal pool.
1069
fc6141f0
NC
1070If @var{label} is a thumb function symbol, and thumb interworking has
1071been enabled via the @option{-mthumb-interwork} option then the bottom
1072bit of the value stored into @var{register} will be set. This allows
1073the following sequence to work as expected:
1074
1075@smallexample
1076 adr r0, thumb_function
1077 blx r0
1078@end smallexample
1079
49a5575c 1080@cindex @code{ADRL reg,<label>} pseudo op, ARM
34bca508 1081@item ADRL
49a5575c
NC
1082@smallexample
1083 adrl <register> <label>
1084@end smallexample
1085
1086This instruction will load the address of @var{label} into the indicated
a349d9dd 1087register. The instruction will evaluate to one or two PC relative ADD
49a5575c
NC
1088or SUB instructions depending upon where the label is located. If a
1089second instruction is not needed a NOP instruction will be generated in
1090its place, so that this instruction is always 8 bytes long.
1091
1092If the label is out of range, or if it is not defined in the same file
1093(and section) as the ADRL instruction, then an error will be generated.
1094This instruction will not make use of the literal pool.
1095
fc6141f0
NC
1096If @var{label} is a thumb function symbol, and thumb interworking has
1097been enabled via the @option{-mthumb-interwork} option then the bottom
1098bit of the value stored into @var{register} will be set.
1099
49a5575c
NC
1100@end table
1101
252b5132
RH
1102For information on the ARM or Thumb instruction sets, see @cite{ARM
1103Software Development Toolkit Reference Manual}, Advanced RISC Machines
1104Ltd.
1105
6057a28f
NC
1106@node ARM Mapping Symbols
1107@section Mapping Symbols
1108
1109The ARM ELF specification requires that special symbols be inserted
1110into object files to mark certain features:
1111
1112@table @code
1113
1114@cindex @code{$a}
1115@item $a
1116At the start of a region of code containing ARM instructions.
1117
1118@cindex @code{$t}
1119@item $t
1120At the start of a region of code containing THUMB instructions.
1121
1122@cindex @code{$d}
1123@item $d
1124At the start of a region of data.
1125
1126@end table
1127
1128The assembler will automatically insert these symbols for you - there
1129is no need to code them yourself. Support for tagging symbols ($b,
1130$f, $p and $m) which is also mentioned in the current ARM ELF
1131specification is not implemented. This is because they have been
1132dropped from the new EABI and so tools cannot rely upon their
1133presence.
1134
7da4f750
MM
1135@node ARM Unwinding Tutorial
1136@section Unwinding
1137
1138The ABI for the ARM Architecture specifies a standard format for
1139exception unwind information. This information is used when an
1140exception is thrown to determine where control should be transferred.
1141In particular, the unwind information is used to determine which
1142function called the function that threw the exception, and which
1143function called that one, and so forth. This information is also used
1144to restore the values of callee-saved registers in the function
1145catching the exception.
1146
1147If you are writing functions in assembly code, and those functions
1148call other functions that throw exceptions, you must use assembly
1149pseudo ops to ensure that appropriate exception unwind information is
1150generated. Otherwise, if one of the functions called by your assembly
1151code throws an exception, the run-time library will be unable to
1152unwind the stack through your assembly code and your program will not
1153behave correctly.
1154
1155To illustrate the use of these pseudo ops, we will examine the code
1156that G++ generates for the following C++ input:
1157
1158@verbatim
1159void callee (int *);
1160
34bca508
L
1161int
1162caller ()
7da4f750
MM
1163{
1164 int i;
1165 callee (&i);
34bca508 1166 return i;
7da4f750
MM
1167}
1168@end verbatim
1169
1170This example does not show how to throw or catch an exception from
1171assembly code. That is a much more complex operation and should
1172always be done in a high-level language, such as C++, that directly
1173supports exceptions.
1174
1175The code generated by one particular version of G++ when compiling the
1176example above is:
1177
1178@verbatim
1179_Z6callerv:
1180 .fnstart
1181.LFB2:
1182 @ Function supports interworking.
1183 @ args = 0, pretend = 0, frame = 8
1184 @ frame_needed = 1, uses_anonymous_args = 0
1185 stmfd sp!, {fp, lr}
1186 .save {fp, lr}
1187.LCFI0:
1188 .setfp fp, sp, #4
1189 add fp, sp, #4
1190.LCFI1:
1191 .pad #8
1192 sub sp, sp, #8
1193.LCFI2:
1194 sub r3, fp, #8
1195 mov r0, r3
1196 bl _Z6calleePi
1197 ldr r3, [fp, #-8]
1198 mov r0, r3
1199 sub sp, fp, #4
1200 ldmfd sp!, {fp, lr}
1201 bx lr
1202.LFE2:
1203 .fnend
1204@end verbatim
1205
1206Of course, the sequence of instructions varies based on the options
1207you pass to GCC and on the version of GCC in use. The exact
1208instructions are not important since we are focusing on the pseudo ops
1209that are used to generate unwind information.
1210
1211An important assumption made by the unwinder is that the stack frame
1212does not change during the body of the function. In particular, since
1213we assume that the assembly code does not itself throw an exception,
1214the only point where an exception can be thrown is from a call, such
1215as the @code{bl} instruction above. At each call site, the same saved
1216registers (including @code{lr}, which indicates the return address)
1217must be located in the same locations relative to the frame pointer.
1218
1219The @code{.fnstart} (@pxref{arm_fnstart,,.fnstart pseudo op}) pseudo
1220op appears immediately before the first instruction of the function
1221while the @code{.fnend} (@pxref{arm_fnend,,.fnend pseudo op}) pseudo
1222op appears immediately after the last instruction of the function.
34bca508 1223These pseudo ops specify the range of the function.
7da4f750
MM
1224
1225Only the order of the other pseudos ops (e.g., @code{.setfp} or
1226@code{.pad}) matters; their exact locations are irrelevant. In the
1227example above, the compiler emits the pseudo ops with particular
1228instructions. That makes it easier to understand the code, but it is
1229not required for correctness. It would work just as well to emit all
1230of the pseudo ops other than @code{.fnend} in the same order, but
1231immediately after @code{.fnstart}.
1232
1233The @code{.save} (@pxref{arm_save,,.save pseudo op}) pseudo op
1234indicates registers that have been saved to the stack so that they can
1235be restored before the function returns. The argument to the
1236@code{.save} pseudo op is a list of registers to save. If a register
1237is ``callee-saved'' (as specified by the ABI) and is modified by the
1238function you are writing, then your code must save the value before it
1239is modified and restore the original value before the function
1240returns. If an exception is thrown, the run-time library restores the
1241values of these registers from their locations on the stack before
1242returning control to the exception handler. (Of course, if an
1243exception is not thrown, the function that contains the @code{.save}
1244pseudo op restores these registers in the function epilogue, as is
1245done with the @code{ldmfd} instruction above.)
1246
1247You do not have to save callee-saved registers at the very beginning
1248of the function and you do not need to use the @code{.save} pseudo op
1249immediately following the point at which the registers are saved.
1250However, if you modify a callee-saved register, you must save it on
1251the stack before modifying it and before calling any functions which
1252might throw an exception. And, you must use the @code{.save} pseudo
1253op to indicate that you have done so.
1254
1255The @code{.pad} (@pxref{arm_pad,,.pad}) pseudo op indicates a
1256modification of the stack pointer that does not save any registers.
1257The argument is the number of bytes (in decimal) that are subtracted
1258from the stack pointer. (On ARM CPUs, the stack grows downwards, so
1259subtracting from the stack pointer increases the size of the stack.)
1260
1261The @code{.setfp} (@pxref{arm_setfp,,.setfp pseudo op}) pseudo op
1262indicates the register that contains the frame pointer. The first
1263argument is the register that is set, which is typically @code{fp}.
1264The second argument indicates the register from which the frame
1265pointer takes its value. The third argument, if present, is the value
1266(in decimal) added to the register specified by the second argument to
1267compute the value of the frame pointer. You should not modify the
1268frame pointer in the body of the function.
1269
1270If you do not use a frame pointer, then you should not use the
1271@code{.setfp} pseudo op. If you do not use a frame pointer, then you
1272should avoid modifying the stack pointer outside of the function
1273prologue. Otherwise, the run-time library will be unable to find
1274saved registers when it is unwinding the stack.
1275
1276The pseudo ops described above are sufficient for writing assembly
1277code that calls functions which may throw exceptions. If you need to
1278know more about the object-file format used to represent unwind
1279information, you may consult the @cite{Exception Handling ABI for the
1280ARM Architecture} available from @uref{http://infocenter.arm.com}.
91f68a68 1281