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1 @c Copyright 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005,
2 @c 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
3 @c This is part of the GAS manual.
4 @c For copying conditions, see the file as.texinfo.
5
6 @ifset GENERIC
7 @page
8 @node ARM-Dependent
9 @chapter ARM Dependent Features
10 @end ifset
11
12 @ifclear GENERIC
13 @node Machine Dependencies
14 @chapter ARM Dependent Features
15 @end ifclear
16
17 @cindex ARM support
18 @cindex Thumb support
19 @menu
20 * ARM Options:: Options
21 * ARM Syntax:: Syntax
22 * ARM Floating Point:: Floating Point
23 * ARM Directives:: ARM Machine Directives
24 * ARM Opcodes:: Opcodes
25 * ARM Mapping Symbols:: Mapping Symbols
26 * ARM Unwinding Tutorial:: Unwinding
27 @end menu
28
29 @node ARM Options
30 @section Options
31 @cindex ARM options (none)
32 @cindex options for ARM (none)
33
34 @table @code
35
36 @cindex @code{-mcpu=} command line option, ARM
37 @item -mcpu=@var{processor}[+@var{extension}@dots{}]
38 This option specifies the target processor. The assembler will issue an
39 error message if an attempt is made to assemble an instruction which
40 will not execute on the target processor. The following processor names are
41 recognized:
42 @code{arm1},
43 @code{arm2},
44 @code{arm250},
45 @code{arm3},
46 @code{arm6},
47 @code{arm60},
48 @code{arm600},
49 @code{arm610},
50 @code{arm620},
51 @code{arm7},
52 @code{arm7m},
53 @code{arm7d},
54 @code{arm7dm},
55 @code{arm7di},
56 @code{arm7dmi},
57 @code{arm70},
58 @code{arm700},
59 @code{arm700i},
60 @code{arm710},
61 @code{arm710t},
62 @code{arm720},
63 @code{arm720t},
64 @code{arm740t},
65 @code{arm710c},
66 @code{arm7100},
67 @code{arm7500},
68 @code{arm7500fe},
69 @code{arm7t},
70 @code{arm7tdmi},
71 @code{arm7tdmi-s},
72 @code{arm8},
73 @code{arm810},
74 @code{strongarm},
75 @code{strongarm1},
76 @code{strongarm110},
77 @code{strongarm1100},
78 @code{strongarm1110},
79 @code{arm9},
80 @code{arm920},
81 @code{arm920t},
82 @code{arm922t},
83 @code{arm940t},
84 @code{arm9tdmi},
85 @code{fa526} (Faraday FA526 processor),
86 @code{fa626} (Faraday FA626 processor),
87 @code{arm9e},
88 @code{arm926e},
89 @code{arm926ej-s},
90 @code{arm946e-r0},
91 @code{arm946e},
92 @code{arm946e-s},
93 @code{arm966e-r0},
94 @code{arm966e},
95 @code{arm966e-s},
96 @code{arm968e-s},
97 @code{arm10t},
98 @code{arm10tdmi},
99 @code{arm10e},
100 @code{arm1020},
101 @code{arm1020t},
102 @code{arm1020e},
103 @code{arm1022e},
104 @code{arm1026ej-s},
105 @code{fa626te} (Faraday FA626TE processor),
106 @code{fa726te} (Faraday FA726TE processor),
107 @code{arm1136j-s},
108 @code{arm1136jf-s},
109 @code{arm1156t2-s},
110 @code{arm1156t2f-s},
111 @code{arm1176jz-s},
112 @code{arm1176jzf-s},
113 @code{mpcore},
114 @code{mpcorenovfp},
115 @code{cortex-a5},
116 @code{cortex-a8},
117 @code{cortex-a9},
118 @code{cortex-a15},
119 @code{cortex-r4},
120 @code{cortex-r4f},
121 @code{cortex-m4},
122 @code{cortex-m3},
123 @code{cortex-m1},
124 @code{cortex-m0},
125 @code{ep9312} (ARM920 with Cirrus Maverick coprocessor),
126 @code{i80200} (Intel XScale processor)
127 @code{iwmmxt} (Intel(r) XScale processor with Wireless MMX(tm) technology coprocessor)
128 and
129 @code{xscale}.
130 The special name @code{all} may be used to allow the
131 assembler to accept instructions valid for any ARM processor.
132
133 In addition to the basic instruction set, the assembler can be told to
134 accept various extension mnemonics that extend the processor using the
135 co-processor instruction space. For example, @code{-mcpu=arm920+maverick}
136 is equivalent to specifying @code{-mcpu=ep9312}.
137
138 Multiple extensions may be specified, separated by a @code{+}. The
139 extensions should be specified in ascending alphabetical order.
140
141 Some extensions may be restricted to particular architectures; this is
142 documented in the list of extensions below.
143
144 Extension mnemonics may also be removed from those the assembler accepts.
145 This is done be prepending @code{no} to the option that adds the extension.
146 Extensions that are removed should be listed after all extensions which have
147 been added, again in ascending alphabetical order. For example,
148 @code{-mcpu=ep9312+nomaverick} is equivalent to specifying @code{-mcpu=arm920}.
149
150
151 The following extensions are currently supported:
152 @code{idiv}, (Integer Divide Extensions for v7-A architecture),
153 @code{iwmmxt},
154 @code{iwmmxt2},
155 @code{maverick},
156 @code{mp} (Multiprocessing Extensions for v7-A and v7-R architectures),
157 @code{os} (Operating System for v6M architecture),
158 @code{sec} (Security Extensions for v6K and v7-A architectures),
159 and
160 @code{xscale}.
161
162 @cindex @code{-march=} command line option, ARM
163 @item -march=@var{architecture}[+@var{extension}@dots{}]
164 This option specifies the target architecture. The assembler will issue
165 an error message if an attempt is made to assemble an instruction which
166 will not execute on the target architecture. The following architecture
167 names are recognized:
168 @code{armv1},
169 @code{armv2},
170 @code{armv2a},
171 @code{armv2s},
172 @code{armv3},
173 @code{armv3m},
174 @code{armv4},
175 @code{armv4xm},
176 @code{armv4t},
177 @code{armv4txm},
178 @code{armv5},
179 @code{armv5t},
180 @code{armv5txm},
181 @code{armv5te},
182 @code{armv5texp},
183 @code{armv6},
184 @code{armv6j},
185 @code{armv6k},
186 @code{armv6z},
187 @code{armv6zk},
188 @code{armv6-m},
189 @code{armv6s-m},
190 @code{armv7},
191 @code{armv7-a},
192 @code{armv7-r},
193 @code{armv7-m},
194 @code{armv7e-m},
195 @code{iwmmxt}
196 and
197 @code{xscale}.
198 If both @code{-mcpu} and
199 @code{-march} are specified, the assembler will use
200 the setting for @code{-mcpu}.
201
202 The architecture option can be extended with the same instruction set
203 extension options as the @code{-mcpu} option.
204
205 @cindex @code{-mfpu=} command line option, ARM
206 @item -mfpu=@var{floating-point-format}
207
208 This option specifies the floating point format to assemble for. The
209 assembler will issue an error message if an attempt is made to assemble
210 an instruction which will not execute on the target floating point unit.
211 The following format options are recognized:
212 @code{softfpa},
213 @code{fpe},
214 @code{fpe2},
215 @code{fpe3},
216 @code{fpa},
217 @code{fpa10},
218 @code{fpa11},
219 @code{arm7500fe},
220 @code{softvfp},
221 @code{softvfp+vfp},
222 @code{vfp},
223 @code{vfp10},
224 @code{vfp10-r0},
225 @code{vfp9},
226 @code{vfpxd},
227 @code{vfpv2},
228 @code{vfpv3},
229 @code{vfpv3-fp16},
230 @code{vfpv3-d16},
231 @code{vfpv3-d16-fp16},
232 @code{vfpv3xd},
233 @code{vfpv3xd-d16},
234 @code{vfpv4},
235 @code{vfpv4-d16},
236 @code{fpv4-sp-d16},
237 @code{arm1020t},
238 @code{arm1020e},
239 @code{arm1136jf-s},
240 @code{maverick},
241 @code{neon},
242 and
243 @code{neon-vfpv4}.
244
245 In addition to determining which instructions are assembled, this option
246 also affects the way in which the @code{.double} assembler directive behaves
247 when assembling little-endian code.
248
249 The default is dependent on the processor selected. For Architecture 5 or
250 later, the default is to assembler for VFP instructions; for earlier
251 architectures the default is to assemble for FPA instructions.
252
253 @cindex @code{-mthumb} command line option, ARM
254 @item -mthumb
255 This option specifies that the assembler should start assembling Thumb
256 instructions; that is, it should behave as though the file starts with a
257 @code{.code 16} directive.
258
259 @cindex @code{-mthumb-interwork} command line option, ARM
260 @item -mthumb-interwork
261 This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should
262 be marked as supporting interworking.
263
264 @cindex @code{-mimplicit-it} command line option, ARM
265 @item -mimplicit-it=never
266 @itemx -mimplicit-it=always
267 @itemx -mimplicit-it=arm
268 @itemx -mimplicit-it=thumb
269 The @code{-mimplicit-it} option controls the behavior of the assembler when
270 conditional instructions are not enclosed in IT blocks.
271 There are four possible behaviors.
272 If @code{never} is specified, such constructs cause a warning in ARM
273 code and an error in Thumb-2 code.
274 If @code{always} is specified, such constructs are accepted in both
275 ARM and Thumb-2 code, where the IT instruction is added implicitly.
276 If @code{arm} is specified, such constructs are accepted in ARM code
277 and cause an error in Thumb-2 code.
278 If @code{thumb} is specified, such constructs cause a warning in ARM
279 code and are accepted in Thumb-2 code. If you omit this option, the
280 behavior is equivalent to @code{-mimplicit-it=arm}.
281
282 @cindex @code{-mapcs-26} command line option, ARM
283 @cindex @code{-mapcs-32} command line option, ARM
284 @item -mapcs-26
285 @itemx -mapcs-32
286 These options specify that the output generated by the assembler should
287 be marked as supporting the indicated version of the Arm Procedure.
288 Calling Standard.
289
290 @cindex @code{-matpcs} command line option, ARM
291 @item -matpcs
292 This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should
293 be marked as supporting the Arm/Thumb Procedure Calling Standard. If
294 enabled this option will cause the assembler to create an empty
295 debugging section in the object file called .arm.atpcs. Debuggers can
296 use this to determine the ABI being used by.
297
298 @cindex @code{-mapcs-float} command line option, ARM
299 @item -mapcs-float
300 This indicates the floating point variant of the APCS should be
301 used. In this variant floating point arguments are passed in FP
302 registers rather than integer registers.
303
304 @cindex @code{-mapcs-reentrant} command line option, ARM
305 @item -mapcs-reentrant
306 This indicates that the reentrant variant of the APCS should be used.
307 This variant supports position independent code.
308
309 @cindex @code{-mfloat-abi=} command line option, ARM
310 @item -mfloat-abi=@var{abi}
311 This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should be
312 marked as using specified floating point ABI.
313 The following values are recognized:
314 @code{soft},
315 @code{softfp}
316 and
317 @code{hard}.
318
319 @cindex @code{-eabi=} command line option, ARM
320 @item -meabi=@var{ver}
321 This option specifies which EABI version the produced object files should
322 conform to.
323 The following values are recognized:
324 @code{gnu},
325 @code{4}
326 and
327 @code{5}.
328
329 @cindex @code{-EB} command line option, ARM
330 @item -EB
331 This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should
332 be marked as being encoded for a big-endian processor.
333
334 @cindex @code{-EL} command line option, ARM
335 @item -EL
336 This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should
337 be marked as being encoded for a little-endian processor.
338
339 @cindex @code{-k} command line option, ARM
340 @cindex PIC code generation for ARM
341 @item -k
342 This option specifies that the output of the assembler should be marked
343 as position-independent code (PIC).
344
345 @cindex @code{--fix-v4bx} command line option, ARM
346 @item --fix-v4bx
347 Allow @code{BX} instructions in ARMv4 code. This is intended for use with
348 the linker option of the same name.
349
350 @cindex @code{-mwarn-deprecated} command line option, ARM
351 @item -mwarn-deprecated
352 @itemx -mno-warn-deprecated
353 Enable or disable warnings about using deprecated options or
354 features. The default is to warn.
355
356 @end table
357
358
359 @node ARM Syntax
360 @section Syntax
361 @menu
362 * ARM-Instruction-Set:: Instruction Set
363 * ARM-Chars:: Special Characters
364 * ARM-Regs:: Register Names
365 * ARM-Relocations:: Relocations
366 * ARM-Neon-Alignment:: NEON Alignment Specifiers
367 @end menu
368
369 @node ARM-Instruction-Set
370 @subsection Instruction Set Syntax
371 Two slightly different syntaxes are support for ARM and THUMB
372 instructions. The default, @code{divided}, uses the old style where
373 ARM and THUMB instructions had their own, separate syntaxes. The new,
374 @code{unified} syntax, which can be selected via the @code{.syntax}
375 directive, and has the following main features:
376
377 @table @bullet
378 @item
379 Immediate operands do not require a @code{#} prefix.
380
381 @item
382 The @code{IT} instruction may appear, and if it does it is validated
383 against subsequent conditional affixes. In ARM mode it does not
384 generate machine code, in THUMB mode it does.
385
386 @item
387 For ARM instructions the conditional affixes always appear at the end
388 of the instruction. For THUMB instructions conditional affixes can be
389 used, but only inside the scope of an @code{IT} instruction.
390
391 @item
392 All of the instructions new to the V6T2 architecture (and later) are
393 available. (Only a few such instructions can be written in the
394 @code{divided} syntax).
395
396 @item
397 The @code{.N} and @code{.W} suffixes are recognized and honored.
398
399 @item
400 All instructions set the flags if and only if they have an @code{s}
401 affix.
402 @end table
403
404 @node ARM-Chars
405 @subsection Special Characters
406
407 @cindex line comment character, ARM
408 @cindex ARM line comment character
409 The presence of a @samp{@@} on a line indicates the start of a comment
410 that extends to the end of the current line. If a @samp{#} appears as
411 the first character of a line, the whole line is treated as a comment.
412
413 @cindex line separator, ARM
414 @cindex statement separator, ARM
415 @cindex ARM line separator
416 The @samp{;} character can be used instead of a newline to separate
417 statements.
418
419 @cindex immediate character, ARM
420 @cindex ARM immediate character
421 Either @samp{#} or @samp{$} can be used to indicate immediate operands.
422
423 @cindex identifiers, ARM
424 @cindex ARM identifiers
425 *TODO* Explain about /data modifier on symbols.
426
427 @node ARM-Regs
428 @subsection Register Names
429
430 @cindex ARM register names
431 @cindex register names, ARM
432 *TODO* Explain about ARM register naming, and the predefined names.
433
434 @node ARM-Neon-Alignment
435 @subsection NEON Alignment Specifiers
436
437 @cindex alignment for NEON instructions
438 Some NEON load/store instructions allow an optional address
439 alignment qualifier.
440 The ARM documentation specifies that this is indicated by
441 @samp{@@ @var{align}}. However GAS already interprets
442 the @samp{@@} character as a "line comment" start,
443 so @samp{: @var{align}} is used instead. For example:
444
445 @smallexample
446 vld1.8 @{q0@}, [r0, :128]
447 @end smallexample
448
449 @node ARM Floating Point
450 @section Floating Point
451
452 @cindex floating point, ARM (@sc{ieee})
453 @cindex ARM floating point (@sc{ieee})
454 The ARM family uses @sc{ieee} floating-point numbers.
455
456 @node ARM-Relocations
457 @subsection ARM relocation generation
458
459 @cindex data relocations, ARM
460 @cindex ARM data relocations
461 Specific data relocations can be generated by putting the relocation name
462 in parentheses after the symbol name. For example:
463
464 @smallexample
465 .word foo(TARGET1)
466 @end smallexample
467
468 This will generate an @samp{R_ARM_TARGET1} relocation against the symbol
469 @var{foo}.
470 The following relocations are supported:
471 @code{GOT},
472 @code{GOTOFF},
473 @code{TARGET1},
474 @code{TARGET2},
475 @code{SBREL},
476 @code{TLSGD},
477 @code{TLSLDM},
478 @code{TLSLDO},
479 @code{GOTTPOFF},
480 @code{GOT_PREL}
481 and
482 @code{TPOFF}.
483
484 For compatibility with older toolchains the assembler also accepts
485 @code{(PLT)} after branch targets. This will generate the deprecated
486 @samp{R_ARM_PLT32} relocation.
487
488 @cindex MOVW and MOVT relocations, ARM
489 Relocations for @samp{MOVW} and @samp{MOVT} instructions can be generated
490 by prefixing the value with @samp{#:lower16:} and @samp{#:upper16}
491 respectively. For example to load the 32-bit address of foo into r0:
492
493 @smallexample
494 MOVW r0, #:lower16:foo
495 MOVT r0, #:upper16:foo
496 @end smallexample
497
498 @node ARM Directives
499 @section ARM Machine Directives
500
501 @cindex machine directives, ARM
502 @cindex ARM machine directives
503 @table @code
504
505 @c AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
506
507 @cindex @code{.2byte} directive, ARM
508 @cindex @code{.4byte} directive, ARM
509 @cindex @code{.8byte} directive, ARM
510 @item .2byte @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
511 @itemx .4byte @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
512 @itemx .8byte @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
513 These directives write 2, 4 or 8 byte values to the output section.
514
515 @cindex @code{.align} directive, ARM
516 @item .align @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]
517 This is the generic @var{.align} directive. For the ARM however if the
518 first argument is zero (ie no alignment is needed) the assembler will
519 behave as if the argument had been 2 (ie pad to the next four byte
520 boundary). This is for compatibility with ARM's own assembler.
521
522 @cindex @code{.arch} directive, ARM
523 @item .arch @var{name}
524 Select the target architecture. Valid values for @var{name} are the same as
525 for the @option{-march} commandline option.
526
527 Specifying @code{.arch} clears any previously selected architecture
528 extensions.
529
530 @cindex @code{.arch_extension} directive, ARM
531 @item .arch_extension @var{name}
532 Add or remove an architecture extension to the target architecture. Valid
533 values for @var{name} are the same as those accepted as architectural
534 extensions by the @option{-mcpu} commandline option.
535
536 @code{.arch_extension} may be used multiple times to add or remove extensions
537 incrementally to the architecture being compiled for.
538
539 @cindex @code{.arm} directive, ARM
540 @item .arm
541 This performs the same action as @var{.code 32}.
542
543 @anchor{arm_pad}
544 @cindex @code{.pad} directive, ARM
545 @item .pad #@var{count}
546 Generate unwinder annotations for a stack adjustment of @var{count} bytes.
547 A positive value indicates the function prologue allocated stack space by
548 decrementing the stack pointer.
549
550 @c BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
551
552 @cindex @code{.bss} directive, ARM
553 @item .bss
554 This directive switches to the @code{.bss} section.
555
556 @c CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
557
558 @cindex @code{.cantunwind} directive, ARM
559 @item .cantunwind
560 Prevents unwinding through the current function. No personality routine
561 or exception table data is required or permitted.
562
563 @cindex @code{.code} directive, ARM
564 @item .code @code{[16|32]}
565 This directive selects the instruction set being generated. The value 16
566 selects Thumb, with the value 32 selecting ARM.
567
568 @cindex @code{.cpu} directive, ARM
569 @item .cpu @var{name}
570 Select the target processor. Valid values for @var{name} are the same as
571 for the @option{-mcpu} commandline option.
572
573 Specifying @code{.cpu} clears any previously selected architecture
574 extensions.
575
576 @c DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
577
578 @cindex @code{.dn} and @code{.qn} directives, ARM
579 @item @var{name} .dn @var{register name} [@var{.type}] [[@var{index}]]
580 @itemx @var{name} .qn @var{register name} [@var{.type}] [[@var{index}]]
581
582 The @code{dn} and @code{qn} directives are used to create typed
583 and/or indexed register aliases for use in Advanced SIMD Extension
584 (Neon) instructions. The former should be used to create aliases
585 of double-precision registers, and the latter to create aliases of
586 quad-precision registers.
587
588 If these directives are used to create typed aliases, those aliases can
589 be used in Neon instructions instead of writing types after the mnemonic
590 or after each operand. For example:
591
592 @smallexample
593 x .dn d2.f32
594 y .dn d3.f32
595 z .dn d4.f32[1]
596 vmul x,y,z
597 @end smallexample
598
599 This is equivalent to writing the following:
600
601 @smallexample
602 vmul.f32 d2,d3,d4[1]
603 @end smallexample
604
605 Aliases created using @code{dn} or @code{qn} can be destroyed using
606 @code{unreq}.
607
608 @c EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
609
610 @cindex @code{.eabi_attribute} directive, ARM
611 @item .eabi_attribute @var{tag}, @var{value}
612 Set the EABI object attribute @var{tag} to @var{value}.
613
614 The @var{tag} is either an attribute number, or one of the following:
615 @code{Tag_CPU_raw_name}, @code{Tag_CPU_name}, @code{Tag_CPU_arch},
616 @code{Tag_CPU_arch_profile}, @code{Tag_ARM_ISA_use},
617 @code{Tag_THUMB_ISA_use}, @code{Tag_FP_arch}, @code{Tag_WMMX_arch},
618 @code{Tag_Advanced_SIMD_arch}, @code{Tag_PCS_config},
619 @code{Tag_ABI_PCS_R9_use}, @code{Tag_ABI_PCS_RW_data},
620 @code{Tag_ABI_PCS_RO_data}, @code{Tag_ABI_PCS_GOT_use},
621 @code{Tag_ABI_PCS_wchar_t}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_rounding},
622 @code{Tag_ABI_FP_denormal}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_exceptions},
623 @code{Tag_ABI_FP_user_exceptions}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_number_model},
624 @code{Tag_ABI_align_needed}, @code{Tag_ABI_align_preserved},
625 @code{Tag_ABI_enum_size}, @code{Tag_ABI_HardFP_use},
626 @code{Tag_ABI_VFP_args}, @code{Tag_ABI_WMMX_args},
627 @code{Tag_ABI_optimization_goals}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_optimization_goals},
628 @code{Tag_compatibility}, @code{Tag_CPU_unaligned_access},
629 @code{Tag_FP_HP_extension}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_16bit_format},
630 @code{Tag_MPextension_use}, @code{Tag_DIV_use},
631 @code{Tag_nodefaults}, @code{Tag_also_compatible_with},
632 @code{Tag_conformance}, @code{Tag_T2EE_use},
633 @code{Tag_Virtualization_use}
634
635 The @var{value} is either a @code{number}, @code{"string"}, or
636 @code{number, "string"} depending on the tag.
637
638 Note - the following legacy values are also accepted by @var{tag}:
639 @code{Tag_VFP_arch}, @code{Tag_ABI_align8_needed},
640 @code{Tag_ABI_align8_preserved}, @code{Tag_VFP_HP_extension},
641
642 @cindex @code{.even} directive, ARM
643 @item .even
644 This directive aligns to an even-numbered address.
645
646 @cindex @code{.extend} directive, ARM
647 @cindex @code{.ldouble} directive, ARM
648 @item .extend @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
649 @itemx .ldouble @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
650 These directives write 12byte long double floating-point values to the
651 output section. These are not compatible with current ARM processors
652 or ABIs.
653
654 @c FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
655
656 @anchor{arm_fnend}
657 @cindex @code{.fnend} directive, ARM
658 @item .fnend
659 Marks the end of a function with an unwind table entry. The unwind index
660 table entry is created when this directive is processed.
661
662 If no personality routine has been specified then standard personality
663 routine 0 or 1 will be used, depending on the number of unwind opcodes
664 required.
665
666 @anchor{arm_fnstart}
667 @cindex @code{.fnstart} directive, ARM
668 @item .fnstart
669 Marks the start of a function with an unwind table entry.
670
671 @cindex @code{.force_thumb} directive, ARM
672 @item .force_thumb
673 This directive forces the selection of Thumb instructions, even if the
674 target processor does not support those instructions
675
676 @cindex @code{.fpu} directive, ARM
677 @item .fpu @var{name}
678 Select the floating-point unit to assemble for. Valid values for @var{name}
679 are the same as for the @option{-mfpu} commandline option.
680
681 @c GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
682 @c HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
683
684 @cindex @code{.handlerdata} directive, ARM
685 @item .handlerdata
686 Marks the end of the current function, and the start of the exception table
687 entry for that function. Anything between this directive and the
688 @code{.fnend} directive will be added to the exception table entry.
689
690 Must be preceded by a @code{.personality} or @code{.personalityindex}
691 directive.
692
693 @c IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
694
695 @cindex @code{.inst} directive, ARM
696 @item .inst @var{opcode} [ , @dots{} ]
697 @itemx .inst.n @var{opcode} [ , @dots{} ]
698 @itemx .inst.w @var{opcode} [ , @dots{} ]
699 Generates the instruction corresponding to the numerical value @var{opcode}.
700 @code{.inst.n} and @code{.inst.w} allow the Thumb instruction size to be
701 specified explicitly, overriding the normal encoding rules.
702
703 @c JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ
704 @c KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
705 @c LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
706
707 @item .ldouble @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
708 See @code{.extend}.
709
710 @cindex @code{.ltorg} directive, ARM
711 @item .ltorg
712 This directive causes the current contents of the literal pool to be
713 dumped into the current section (which is assumed to be the .text
714 section) at the current location (aligned to a word boundary).
715 @code{GAS} maintains a separate literal pool for each section and each
716 sub-section. The @code{.ltorg} directive will only affect the literal
717 pool of the current section and sub-section. At the end of assembly
718 all remaining, un-empty literal pools will automatically be dumped.
719
720 Note - older versions of @code{GAS} would dump the current literal
721 pool any time a section change occurred. This is no longer done, since
722 it prevents accurate control of the placement of literal pools.
723
724 @c MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
725
726 @cindex @code{.movsp} directive, ARM
727 @item .movsp @var{reg} [, #@var{offset}]
728 Tell the unwinder that @var{reg} contains an offset from the current
729 stack pointer. If @var{offset} is not specified then it is assumed to be
730 zero.
731
732 @c NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
733 @c OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
734
735 @cindex @code{.object_arch} directive, ARM
736 @item .object_arch @var{name}
737 Override the architecture recorded in the EABI object attribute section.
738 Valid values for @var{name} are the same as for the @code{.arch} directive.
739 Typically this is useful when code uses runtime detection of CPU features.
740
741 @c PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
742
743 @cindex @code{.packed} directive, ARM
744 @item .packed @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
745 This directive writes 12-byte packed floating-point values to the
746 output section. These are not compatible with current ARM processors
747 or ABIs.
748
749 @cindex @code{.pad} directive, ARM
750 @item .pad #@var{count}
751 Generate unwinder annotations for a stack adjustment of @var{count} bytes.
752 A positive value indicates the function prologue allocated stack space by
753 decrementing the stack pointer.
754
755 @cindex @code{.personality} directive, ARM
756 @item .personality @var{name}
757 Sets the personality routine for the current function to @var{name}.
758
759 @cindex @code{.personalityindex} directive, ARM
760 @item .personalityindex @var{index}
761 Sets the personality routine for the current function to the EABI standard
762 routine number @var{index}
763
764 @cindex @code{.pool} directive, ARM
765 @item .pool
766 This is a synonym for .ltorg.
767
768 @c QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
769 @c RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
770
771 @cindex @code{.req} directive, ARM
772 @item @var{name} .req @var{register name}
773 This creates an alias for @var{register name} called @var{name}. For
774 example:
775
776 @smallexample
777 foo .req r0
778 @end smallexample
779
780 @c SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
781
782 @anchor{arm_save}
783 @cindex @code{.save} directive, ARM
784 @item .save @var{reglist}
785 Generate unwinder annotations to restore the registers in @var{reglist}.
786 The format of @var{reglist} is the same as the corresponding store-multiple
787 instruction.
788
789 @smallexample
790 @exdent @emph{core registers}
791 .save @{r4, r5, r6, lr@}
792 stmfd sp!, @{r4, r5, r6, lr@}
793 @exdent @emph{FPA registers}
794 .save f4, 2
795 sfmfd f4, 2, [sp]!
796 @exdent @emph{VFP registers}
797 .save @{d8, d9, d10@}
798 fstmdx sp!, @{d8, d9, d10@}
799 @exdent @emph{iWMMXt registers}
800 .save @{wr10, wr11@}
801 wstrd wr11, [sp, #-8]!
802 wstrd wr10, [sp, #-8]!
803 or
804 .save wr11
805 wstrd wr11, [sp, #-8]!
806 .save wr10
807 wstrd wr10, [sp, #-8]!
808 @end smallexample
809
810 @anchor{arm_setfp}
811 @cindex @code{.setfp} directive, ARM
812 @item .setfp @var{fpreg}, @var{spreg} [, #@var{offset}]
813 Make all unwinder annotations relative to a frame pointer. Without this
814 the unwinder will use offsets from the stack pointer.
815
816 The syntax of this directive is the same as the @code{add} or @code{mov}
817 instruction used to set the frame pointer. @var{spreg} must be either
818 @code{sp} or mentioned in a previous @code{.movsp} directive.
819
820 @smallexample
821 .movsp ip
822 mov ip, sp
823 @dots{}
824 .setfp fp, ip, #4
825 add fp, ip, #4
826 @end smallexample
827
828 @cindex @code{.secrel32} directive, ARM
829 @item .secrel32 @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
830 This directive emits relocations that evaluate to the section-relative
831 offset of each expression's symbol. This directive is only supported
832 for PE targets.
833
834 @cindex @code{.syntax} directive, ARM
835 @item .syntax [@code{unified} | @code{divided}]
836 This directive sets the Instruction Set Syntax as described in the
837 @ref{ARM-Instruction-Set} section.
838
839 @c TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
840
841 @cindex @code{.thumb} directive, ARM
842 @item .thumb
843 This performs the same action as @var{.code 16}.
844
845 @cindex @code{.thumb_func} directive, ARM
846 @item .thumb_func
847 This directive specifies that the following symbol is the name of a
848 Thumb encoded function. This information is necessary in order to allow
849 the assembler and linker to generate correct code for interworking
850 between Arm and Thumb instructions and should be used even if
851 interworking is not going to be performed. The presence of this
852 directive also implies @code{.thumb}
853
854 This directive is not neccessary when generating EABI objects. On these
855 targets the encoding is implicit when generating Thumb code.
856
857 @cindex @code{.thumb_set} directive, ARM
858 @item .thumb_set
859 This performs the equivalent of a @code{.set} directive in that it
860 creates a symbol which is an alias for another symbol (possibly not yet
861 defined). This directive also has the added property in that it marks
862 the aliased symbol as being a thumb function entry point, in the same
863 way that the @code{.thumb_func} directive does.
864
865 @c UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
866
867 @cindex @code{.unreq} directive, ARM
868 @item .unreq @var{alias-name}
869 This undefines a register alias which was previously defined using the
870 @code{req}, @code{dn} or @code{qn} directives. For example:
871
872 @smallexample
873 foo .req r0
874 .unreq foo
875 @end smallexample
876
877 An error occurs if the name is undefined. Note - this pseudo op can
878 be used to delete builtin in register name aliases (eg 'r0'). This
879 should only be done if it is really necessary.
880
881 @cindex @code{.unwind_raw} directive, ARM
882 @item .unwind_raw @var{offset}, @var{byte1}, @dots{}
883 Insert one of more arbitary unwind opcode bytes, which are known to adjust
884 the stack pointer by @var{offset} bytes.
885
886 For example @code{.unwind_raw 4, 0xb1, 0x01} is equivalent to
887 @code{.save @{r0@}}
888
889 @c VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
890
891 @cindex @code{.vsave} directive, ARM
892 @item .vsave @var{vfp-reglist}
893 Generate unwinder annotations to restore the VFP registers in @var{vfp-reglist}
894 using FLDMD. Also works for VFPv3 registers
895 that are to be restored using VLDM.
896 The format of @var{vfp-reglist} is the same as the corresponding store-multiple
897 instruction.
898
899 @smallexample
900 @exdent @emph{VFP registers}
901 .vsave @{d8, d9, d10@}
902 fstmdd sp!, @{d8, d9, d10@}
903 @exdent @emph{VFPv3 registers}
904 .vsave @{d15, d16, d17@}
905 vstm sp!, @{d15, d16, d17@}
906 @end smallexample
907
908 Since FLDMX and FSTMX are now deprecated, this directive should be
909 used in favour of @code{.save} for saving VFP registers for ARMv6 and above.
910
911 @c WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
912 @c XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
913 @c YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
914 @c ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
915
916 @end table
917
918 @node ARM Opcodes
919 @section Opcodes
920
921 @cindex ARM opcodes
922 @cindex opcodes for ARM
923 @code{@value{AS}} implements all the standard ARM opcodes. It also
924 implements several pseudo opcodes, including several synthetic load
925 instructions.
926
927 @table @code
928
929 @cindex @code{NOP} pseudo op, ARM
930 @item NOP
931 @smallexample
932 nop
933 @end smallexample
934
935 This pseudo op will always evaluate to a legal ARM instruction that does
936 nothing. Currently it will evaluate to MOV r0, r0.
937
938 @cindex @code{LDR reg,=<label>} pseudo op, ARM
939 @item LDR
940 @smallexample
941 ldr <register> , = <expression>
942 @end smallexample
943
944 If expression evaluates to a numeric constant then a MOV or MVN
945 instruction will be used in place of the LDR instruction, if the
946 constant can be generated by either of these instructions. Otherwise
947 the constant will be placed into the nearest literal pool (if it not
948 already there) and a PC relative LDR instruction will be generated.
949
950 @cindex @code{ADR reg,<label>} pseudo op, ARM
951 @item ADR
952 @smallexample
953 adr <register> <label>
954 @end smallexample
955
956 This instruction will load the address of @var{label} into the indicated
957 register. The instruction will evaluate to a PC relative ADD or SUB
958 instruction depending upon where the label is located. If the label is
959 out of range, or if it is not defined in the same file (and section) as
960 the ADR instruction, then an error will be generated. This instruction
961 will not make use of the literal pool.
962
963 @cindex @code{ADRL reg,<label>} pseudo op, ARM
964 @item ADRL
965 @smallexample
966 adrl <register> <label>
967 @end smallexample
968
969 This instruction will load the address of @var{label} into the indicated
970 register. The instruction will evaluate to one or two PC relative ADD
971 or SUB instructions depending upon where the label is located. If a
972 second instruction is not needed a NOP instruction will be generated in
973 its place, so that this instruction is always 8 bytes long.
974
975 If the label is out of range, or if it is not defined in the same file
976 (and section) as the ADRL instruction, then an error will be generated.
977 This instruction will not make use of the literal pool.
978
979 @end table
980
981 For information on the ARM or Thumb instruction sets, see @cite{ARM
982 Software Development Toolkit Reference Manual}, Advanced RISC Machines
983 Ltd.
984
985 @node ARM Mapping Symbols
986 @section Mapping Symbols
987
988 The ARM ELF specification requires that special symbols be inserted
989 into object files to mark certain features:
990
991 @table @code
992
993 @cindex @code{$a}
994 @item $a
995 At the start of a region of code containing ARM instructions.
996
997 @cindex @code{$t}
998 @item $t
999 At the start of a region of code containing THUMB instructions.
1000
1001 @cindex @code{$d}
1002 @item $d
1003 At the start of a region of data.
1004
1005 @end table
1006
1007 The assembler will automatically insert these symbols for you - there
1008 is no need to code them yourself. Support for tagging symbols ($b,
1009 $f, $p and $m) which is also mentioned in the current ARM ELF
1010 specification is not implemented. This is because they have been
1011 dropped from the new EABI and so tools cannot rely upon their
1012 presence.
1013
1014 @node ARM Unwinding Tutorial
1015 @section Unwinding
1016
1017 The ABI for the ARM Architecture specifies a standard format for
1018 exception unwind information. This information is used when an
1019 exception is thrown to determine where control should be transferred.
1020 In particular, the unwind information is used to determine which
1021 function called the function that threw the exception, and which
1022 function called that one, and so forth. This information is also used
1023 to restore the values of callee-saved registers in the function
1024 catching the exception.
1025
1026 If you are writing functions in assembly code, and those functions
1027 call other functions that throw exceptions, you must use assembly
1028 pseudo ops to ensure that appropriate exception unwind information is
1029 generated. Otherwise, if one of the functions called by your assembly
1030 code throws an exception, the run-time library will be unable to
1031 unwind the stack through your assembly code and your program will not
1032 behave correctly.
1033
1034 To illustrate the use of these pseudo ops, we will examine the code
1035 that G++ generates for the following C++ input:
1036
1037 @verbatim
1038 void callee (int *);
1039
1040 int
1041 caller ()
1042 {
1043 int i;
1044 callee (&i);
1045 return i;
1046 }
1047 @end verbatim
1048
1049 This example does not show how to throw or catch an exception from
1050 assembly code. That is a much more complex operation and should
1051 always be done in a high-level language, such as C++, that directly
1052 supports exceptions.
1053
1054 The code generated by one particular version of G++ when compiling the
1055 example above is:
1056
1057 @verbatim
1058 _Z6callerv:
1059 .fnstart
1060 .LFB2:
1061 @ Function supports interworking.
1062 @ args = 0, pretend = 0, frame = 8
1063 @ frame_needed = 1, uses_anonymous_args = 0
1064 stmfd sp!, {fp, lr}
1065 .save {fp, lr}
1066 .LCFI0:
1067 .setfp fp, sp, #4
1068 add fp, sp, #4
1069 .LCFI1:
1070 .pad #8
1071 sub sp, sp, #8
1072 .LCFI2:
1073 sub r3, fp, #8
1074 mov r0, r3
1075 bl _Z6calleePi
1076 ldr r3, [fp, #-8]
1077 mov r0, r3
1078 sub sp, fp, #4
1079 ldmfd sp!, {fp, lr}
1080 bx lr
1081 .LFE2:
1082 .fnend
1083 @end verbatim
1084
1085 Of course, the sequence of instructions varies based on the options
1086 you pass to GCC and on the version of GCC in use. The exact
1087 instructions are not important since we are focusing on the pseudo ops
1088 that are used to generate unwind information.
1089
1090 An important assumption made by the unwinder is that the stack frame
1091 does not change during the body of the function. In particular, since
1092 we assume that the assembly code does not itself throw an exception,
1093 the only point where an exception can be thrown is from a call, such
1094 as the @code{bl} instruction above. At each call site, the same saved
1095 registers (including @code{lr}, which indicates the return address)
1096 must be located in the same locations relative to the frame pointer.
1097
1098 The @code{.fnstart} (@pxref{arm_fnstart,,.fnstart pseudo op}) pseudo
1099 op appears immediately before the first instruction of the function
1100 while the @code{.fnend} (@pxref{arm_fnend,,.fnend pseudo op}) pseudo
1101 op appears immediately after the last instruction of the function.
1102 These pseudo ops specify the range of the function.
1103
1104 Only the order of the other pseudos ops (e.g., @code{.setfp} or
1105 @code{.pad}) matters; their exact locations are irrelevant. In the
1106 example above, the compiler emits the pseudo ops with particular
1107 instructions. That makes it easier to understand the code, but it is
1108 not required for correctness. It would work just as well to emit all
1109 of the pseudo ops other than @code{.fnend} in the same order, but
1110 immediately after @code{.fnstart}.
1111
1112 The @code{.save} (@pxref{arm_save,,.save pseudo op}) pseudo op
1113 indicates registers that have been saved to the stack so that they can
1114 be restored before the function returns. The argument to the
1115 @code{.save} pseudo op is a list of registers to save. If a register
1116 is ``callee-saved'' (as specified by the ABI) and is modified by the
1117 function you are writing, then your code must save the value before it
1118 is modified and restore the original value before the function
1119 returns. If an exception is thrown, the run-time library restores the
1120 values of these registers from their locations on the stack before
1121 returning control to the exception handler. (Of course, if an
1122 exception is not thrown, the function that contains the @code{.save}
1123 pseudo op restores these registers in the function epilogue, as is
1124 done with the @code{ldmfd} instruction above.)
1125
1126 You do not have to save callee-saved registers at the very beginning
1127 of the function and you do not need to use the @code{.save} pseudo op
1128 immediately following the point at which the registers are saved.
1129 However, if you modify a callee-saved register, you must save it on
1130 the stack before modifying it and before calling any functions which
1131 might throw an exception. And, you must use the @code{.save} pseudo
1132 op to indicate that you have done so.
1133
1134 The @code{.pad} (@pxref{arm_pad,,.pad}) pseudo op indicates a
1135 modification of the stack pointer that does not save any registers.
1136 The argument is the number of bytes (in decimal) that are subtracted
1137 from the stack pointer. (On ARM CPUs, the stack grows downwards, so
1138 subtracting from the stack pointer increases the size of the stack.)
1139
1140 The @code{.setfp} (@pxref{arm_setfp,,.setfp pseudo op}) pseudo op
1141 indicates the register that contains the frame pointer. The first
1142 argument is the register that is set, which is typically @code{fp}.
1143 The second argument indicates the register from which the frame
1144 pointer takes its value. The third argument, if present, is the value
1145 (in decimal) added to the register specified by the second argument to
1146 compute the value of the frame pointer. You should not modify the
1147 frame pointer in the body of the function.
1148
1149 If you do not use a frame pointer, then you should not use the
1150 @code{.setfp} pseudo op. If you do not use a frame pointer, then you
1151 should avoid modifying the stack pointer outside of the function
1152 prologue. Otherwise, the run-time library will be unable to find
1153 saved registers when it is unwinding the stack.
1154
1155 The pseudo ops described above are sufficient for writing assembly
1156 code that calls functions which may throw exceptions. If you need to
1157 know more about the object-file format used to represent unwind
1158 information, you may consult the @cite{Exception Handling ABI for the
1159 ARM Architecture} available from @uref{http://infocenter.arm.com}.