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.
9 @chapter ARM Dependent Features
13 @node Machine Dependencies
14 @chapter ARM Dependent Features
20 * ARM Options:: Options
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
31 @cindex ARM options (none)
32 @cindex options for ARM (none)
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
85 @code{fa526} (Faraday FA526 processor),
86 @code{fa626} (Faraday FA626 processor),
105 @code{fa626te} (Faraday FA626TE processor),
106 @code{fa726te} (Faraday FA726TE processor),
123 @code{ep9312} (ARM920 with Cirrus Maverick coprocessor),
124 @code{i80200} (Intel XScale processor)
125 @code{iwmmxt} (Intel(r) XScale processor with Wireless MMX(tm) technology coprocessor)
128 The special name @code{all} may be used to allow the
129 assembler to accept instructions valid for any ARM processor.
131 In addition to the basic instruction set, the assembler can be told to
132 accept various extension mnemonics that extend the processor using the
133 co-processor instruction space. For example, @code{-mcpu=arm920+maverick}
134 is equivalent to specifying @code{-mcpu=ep9312}. The following extensions
135 are currently supported:
141 @cindex @code{-march=} command line option, ARM
142 @item -march=@var{architecture}[+@var{extension}@dots{}]
143 This option specifies the target architecture. The assembler will issue
144 an error message if an attempt is made to assemble an instruction which
145 will not execute on the target architecture. The following architecture
146 names are recognized:
175 If both @code{-mcpu} and
176 @code{-march} are specified, the assembler will use
177 the setting for @code{-mcpu}.
179 The architecture option can be extended with the same instruction set
180 extension options as the @code{-mcpu} option.
182 @cindex @code{-mfpu=} command line option, ARM
183 @item -mfpu=@var{floating-point-format}
185 This option specifies the floating point format to assemble for. The
186 assembler will issue an error message if an attempt is made to assemble
187 an instruction which will not execute on the target floating point unit.
188 The following format options are recognized:
208 @code{vfpv3-d16-fp16},
221 In addition to determining which instructions are assembled, this option
222 also affects the way in which the @code{.double} assembler directive behaves
223 when assembling little-endian code.
225 The default is dependent on the processor selected. For Architecture 5 or
226 later, the default is to assembler for VFP instructions; for earlier
227 architectures the default is to assemble for FPA instructions.
229 @cindex @code{-mthumb} command line option, ARM
231 This option specifies that the assembler should start assembling Thumb
232 instructions; that is, it should behave as though the file starts with a
233 @code{.code 16} directive.
235 @cindex @code{-mthumb-interwork} command line option, ARM
236 @item -mthumb-interwork
237 This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should
238 be marked as supporting interworking.
240 @cindex @code{-mimplicit-it} command line option, ARM
241 @item -mimplicit-it=never
242 @itemx -mimplicit-it=always
243 @itemx -mimplicit-it=arm
244 @itemx -mimplicit-it=thumb
245 The @code{-mimplicit-it} option controls the behavior of the assembler when
246 conditional instructions are not enclosed in IT blocks.
247 There are four possible behaviors.
248 If @code{never} is specified, such constructs cause a warning in ARM
249 code and an error in Thumb-2 code.
250 If @code{always} is specified, such constructs are accepted in both
251 ARM and Thumb-2 code, where the IT instruction is added implicitly.
252 If @code{arm} is specified, such constructs are accepted in ARM code
253 and cause an error in Thumb-2 code.
254 If @code{thumb} is specified, such constructs cause a warning in ARM
255 code and are accepted in Thumb-2 code. If you omit this option, the
256 behavior is equivalent to @code{-mimplicit-it=arm}.
258 @cindex @code{-mapcs-26} command line option, ARM
259 @cindex @code{-mapcs-32} command line option, ARM
262 These options specify that the output generated by the assembler should
263 be marked as supporting the indicated version of the Arm Procedure.
266 @cindex @code{-matpcs} command line option, ARM
268 This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should
269 be marked as supporting the Arm/Thumb Procedure Calling Standard. If
270 enabled this option will cause the assembler to create an empty
271 debugging section in the object file called .arm.atpcs. Debuggers can
272 use this to determine the ABI being used by.
274 @cindex @code{-mapcs-float} command line option, ARM
276 This indicates the floating point variant of the APCS should be
277 used. In this variant floating point arguments are passed in FP
278 registers rather than integer registers.
280 @cindex @code{-mapcs-reentrant} command line option, ARM
281 @item -mapcs-reentrant
282 This indicates that the reentrant variant of the APCS should be used.
283 This variant supports position independent code.
285 @cindex @code{-mfloat-abi=} command line option, ARM
286 @item -mfloat-abi=@var{abi}
287 This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should be
288 marked as using specified floating point ABI.
289 The following values are recognized:
295 @cindex @code{-eabi=} command line option, ARM
296 @item -meabi=@var{ver}
297 This option specifies which EABI version the produced object files should
299 The following values are recognized:
305 @cindex @code{-EB} command line option, ARM
307 This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should
308 be marked as being encoded for a big-endian processor.
310 @cindex @code{-EL} command line option, ARM
312 This option specifies that the output generated by the assembler should
313 be marked as being encoded for a little-endian processor.
315 @cindex @code{-k} command line option, ARM
316 @cindex PIC code generation for ARM
318 This option specifies that the output of the assembler should be marked
319 as position-independent code (PIC).
321 @cindex @code{--fix-v4bx} command line option, ARM
323 Allow @code{BX} instructions in ARMv4 code. This is intended for use with
324 the linker option of the same name.
326 @cindex @code{-mwarn-deprecated} command line option, ARM
327 @item -mwarn-deprecated
328 @itemx -mno-warn-deprecated
329 Enable or disable warnings about using deprecated options or
330 features. The default is to warn.
338 * ARM-Instruction-Set:: Instruction Set
339 * ARM-Chars:: Special Characters
340 * ARM-Regs:: Register Names
341 * ARM-Relocations:: Relocations
342 * ARM-Neon-Alignment:: NEON Alignment Specifiers
345 @node ARM-Instruction-Set
346 @subsection Instruction Set Syntax
347 Two slightly different syntaxes are support for ARM and THUMB
348 instructions. The default, @code{divided}, uses the old style where
349 ARM and THUMB instructions had their own, separate syntaxes. The new,
350 @code{unified} syntax, which can be selected via the @code{.syntax}
351 directive, and has the following main features:
355 Immediate operands do not require a @code{#} prefix.
358 The @code{IT} instruction may appear, and if it does it is validated
359 against subsequent conditional affixes. In ARM mode it does not
360 generate machine code, in THUMB mode it does.
363 For ARM instructions the conditional affixes always appear at the end
364 of the instruction. For THUMB instructions conditional affixes can be
365 used, but only inside the scope of an @code{IT} instruction.
368 All of the instructions new to the V6T2 architecture (and later) are
369 available. (Only a few such instructions can be written in the
370 @code{divided} syntax).
373 The @code{.N} and @code{.W} suffixes are recognized and honored.
376 All instructions set the flags if and only if they have an @code{s}
381 @subsection Special Characters
383 @cindex line comment character, ARM
384 @cindex ARM line comment character
385 The presence of a @samp{@@} on a line indicates the start of a comment
386 that extends to the end of the current line. If a @samp{#} appears as
387 the first character of a line, the whole line is treated as a comment.
389 @cindex line separator, ARM
390 @cindex statement separator, ARM
391 @cindex ARM line separator
392 The @samp{;} character can be used instead of a newline to separate
395 @cindex immediate character, ARM
396 @cindex ARM immediate character
397 Either @samp{#} or @samp{$} can be used to indicate immediate operands.
399 @cindex identifiers, ARM
400 @cindex ARM identifiers
401 *TODO* Explain about /data modifier on symbols.
404 @subsection Register Names
406 @cindex ARM register names
407 @cindex register names, ARM
408 *TODO* Explain about ARM register naming, and the predefined names.
410 @node ARM-Neon-Alignment
411 @subsection NEON Alignment Specifiers
413 @cindex alignment for NEON instructions
414 Some NEON load/store instructions allow an optional address
416 The ARM documentation specifies that this is indicated by
417 @samp{@@ @var{align}}. However GAS already interprets
418 the @samp{@@} character as a "line comment" start,
419 so @samp{: @var{align}} is used instead. For example:
422 vld1.8 @{q0@}, [r0, :128]
425 @node ARM Floating Point
426 @section Floating Point
428 @cindex floating point, ARM (@sc{ieee})
429 @cindex ARM floating point (@sc{ieee})
430 The ARM family uses @sc{ieee} floating-point numbers.
432 @node ARM-Relocations
433 @subsection ARM relocation generation
435 @cindex data relocations, ARM
436 @cindex ARM data relocations
437 Specific data relocations can be generated by putting the relocation name
438 in parentheses after the symbol name. For example:
444 This will generate an @samp{R_ARM_TARGET1} relocation against the symbol
446 The following relocations are supported:
459 For compatibility with older toolchains the assembler also accepts
460 @code{(PLT)} after branch targets. This will generate the deprecated
461 @samp{R_ARM_PLT32} relocation.
463 @cindex MOVW and MOVT relocations, ARM
464 Relocations for @samp{MOVW} and @samp{MOVT} instructions can be generated
465 by prefixing the value with @samp{#:lower16:} and @samp{#:upper16}
466 respectively. For example to load the 32-bit address of foo into r0:
469 MOVW r0, #:lower16:foo
470 MOVT r0, #:upper16:foo
474 @section ARM Machine Directives
476 @cindex machine directives, ARM
477 @cindex ARM machine directives
480 @c AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
482 @cindex @code{.2byte} directive, ARM
483 @cindex @code{.4byte} directive, ARM
484 @cindex @code{.8byte} directive, ARM
485 @item .2byte @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
486 @itemx .4byte @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
487 @itemx .8byte @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
488 These directives write 2, 4 or 8 byte values to the output section.
490 @cindex @code{.align} directive, ARM
491 @item .align @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]
492 This is the generic @var{.align} directive. For the ARM however if the
493 first argument is zero (ie no alignment is needed) the assembler will
494 behave as if the argument had been 2 (ie pad to the next four byte
495 boundary). This is for compatibility with ARM's own assembler.
497 @cindex @code{.arch} directive, ARM
498 @item .arch @var{name}
499 Select the target architecture. Valid values for @var{name} are the same as
500 for the @option{-march} commandline option.
502 @cindex @code{.arm} directive, ARM
504 This performs the same action as @var{.code 32}.
507 @cindex @code{.pad} directive, ARM
508 @item .pad #@var{count}
509 Generate unwinder annotations for a stack adjustment of @var{count} bytes.
510 A positive value indicates the function prologue allocated stack space by
511 decrementing the stack pointer.
513 @c BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
515 @cindex @code{.bss} directive, ARM
517 This directive switches to the @code{.bss} section.
519 @c CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
521 @cindex @code{.cantunwind} directive, ARM
523 Prevents unwinding through the current function. No personality routine
524 or exception table data is required or permitted.
526 @cindex @code{.code} directive, ARM
527 @item .code @code{[16|32]}
528 This directive selects the instruction set being generated. The value 16
529 selects Thumb, with the value 32 selecting ARM.
531 @cindex @code{.cpu} directive, ARM
532 @item .cpu @var{name}
533 Select the target processor. Valid values for @var{name} are the same as
534 for the @option{-mcpu} commandline option.
536 @c DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
538 @cindex @code{.dn} and @code{.qn} directives, ARM
539 @item @var{name} .dn @var{register name} [@var{.type}] [[@var{index}]]
540 @item @var{name} .qn @var{register name} [@var{.type}] [[@var{index}]]
542 The @code{dn} and @code{qn} directives are used to create typed
543 and/or indexed register aliases for use in Advanced SIMD Extension
544 (Neon) instructions. The former should be used to create aliases
545 of double-precision registers, and the latter to create aliases of
546 quad-precision registers.
548 If these directives are used to create typed aliases, those aliases can
549 be used in Neon instructions instead of writing types after the mnemonic
550 or after each operand. For example:
559 This is equivalent to writing the following:
565 Aliases created using @code{dn} or @code{qn} can be destroyed using
568 @c EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
570 @cindex @code{.eabi_attribute} directive, ARM
571 @item .eabi_attribute @var{tag}, @var{value}
572 Set the EABI object attribute @var{tag} to @var{value}.
574 The @var{tag} is either an attribute number, or one of the following:
575 @code{Tag_CPU_raw_name}, @code{Tag_CPU_name}, @code{Tag_CPU_arch},
576 @code{Tag_CPU_arch_profile}, @code{Tag_ARM_ISA_use},
577 @code{Tag_THUMB_ISA_use}, @code{Tag_VFP_arch}, @code{Tag_WMMX_arch},
578 @code{Tag_Advanced_SIMD_arch}, @code{Tag_PCS_config},
579 @code{Tag_ABI_PCS_R9_use}, @code{Tag_ABI_PCS_RW_data},
580 @code{Tag_ABI_PCS_RO_data}, @code{Tag_ABI_PCS_GOT_use},
581 @code{Tag_ABI_PCS_wchar_t}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_rounding},
582 @code{Tag_ABI_FP_denormal}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_exceptions},
583 @code{Tag_ABI_FP_user_exceptions}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_number_model},
584 @code{Tag_ABI_align8_needed}, @code{Tag_ABI_align8_preserved},
585 @code{Tag_ABI_enum_size}, @code{Tag_ABI_HardFP_use},
586 @code{Tag_ABI_VFP_args}, @code{Tag_ABI_WMMX_args},
587 @code{Tag_ABI_optimization_goals}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_optimization_goals},
588 @code{Tag_compatibility}, @code{Tag_CPU_unaligned_access},
589 @code{Tag_VFP_HP_extension}, @code{Tag_ABI_FP_16bit_format},
590 @code{Tag_nodefaults}, @code{Tag_also_compatible_with},
591 @code{Tag_conformance}, @code{Tag_T2EE_use},
592 @code{Tag_Virtualization_use}, @code{Tag_MPextension_use}
594 The @var{value} is either a @code{number}, @code{"string"}, or
595 @code{number, "string"} depending on the tag.
597 @cindex @code{.even} directive, ARM
599 This directive aligns to an even-numbered address.
601 @cindex @code{.extend} directive, ARM
602 @cindex @code{.ldouble} directive, ARM
603 @item .extend @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
604 @itemx .ldouble @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
605 These directives write 12byte long double floating-point values to the
606 output section. These are not compatible with current ARM processors
609 @c FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
612 @cindex @code{.fnend} directive, ARM
614 Marks the end of a function with an unwind table entry. The unwind index
615 table entry is created when this directive is processed.
617 If no personality routine has been specified then standard personality
618 routine 0 or 1 will be used, depending on the number of unwind opcodes
622 @cindex @code{.fnstart} directive, ARM
624 Marks the start of a function with an unwind table entry.
626 @cindex @code{.force_thumb} directive, ARM
628 This directive forces the selection of Thumb instructions, even if the
629 target processor does not support those instructions
631 @cindex @code{.fpu} directive, ARM
632 @item .fpu @var{name}
633 Select the floating-point unit to assemble for. Valid values for @var{name}
634 are the same as for the @option{-mfpu} commandline option.
636 @c GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
637 @c HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
639 @cindex @code{.handlerdata} directive, ARM
641 Marks the end of the current function, and the start of the exception table
642 entry for that function. Anything between this directive and the
643 @code{.fnend} directive will be added to the exception table entry.
645 Must be preceded by a @code{.personality} or @code{.personalityindex}
648 @c IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
650 @cindex @code{.inst} directive, ARM
651 @item .inst @var{opcode} [ , @dots{} ]
652 @item .inst.n @var{opcode} [ , @dots{} ]
653 @item .inst.w @var{opcode} [ , @dots{} ]
654 Generates the instruction corresponding to the numerical value @var{opcode}.
655 @code{.inst.n} and @code{.inst.w} allow the Thumb instruction size to be
656 specified explicitly, overriding the normal encoding rules.
658 @c JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ
659 @c KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
660 @c LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
662 @item .ldouble @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
665 @cindex @code{.ltorg} directive, ARM
667 This directive causes the current contents of the literal pool to be
668 dumped into the current section (which is assumed to be the .text
669 section) at the current location (aligned to a word boundary).
670 @code{GAS} maintains a separate literal pool for each section and each
671 sub-section. The @code{.ltorg} directive will only affect the literal
672 pool of the current section and sub-section. At the end of assembly
673 all remaining, un-empty literal pools will automatically be dumped.
675 Note - older versions of @code{GAS} would dump the current literal
676 pool any time a section change occurred. This is no longer done, since
677 it prevents accurate control of the placement of literal pools.
679 @c MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
681 @cindex @code{.movsp} directive, ARM
682 @item .movsp @var{reg} [, #@var{offset}]
683 Tell the unwinder that @var{reg} contains an offset from the current
684 stack pointer. If @var{offset} is not specified then it is assumed to be
687 @c NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
688 @c OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
690 @cindex @code{.object_arch} directive, ARM
691 @item .object_arch @var{name}
692 Override the architecture recorded in the EABI object attribute section.
693 Valid values for @var{name} are the same as for the @code{.arch} directive.
694 Typically this is useful when code uses runtime detection of CPU features.
696 @c PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
698 @cindex @code{.packed} directive, ARM
699 @item .packed @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
700 This directive writes 12-byte packed floating-point values to the
701 output section. These are not compatible with current ARM processors
704 @cindex @code{.pad} directive, ARM
705 @item .pad #@var{count}
706 Generate unwinder annotations for a stack adjustment of @var{count} bytes.
707 A positive value indicates the function prologue allocated stack space by
708 decrementing the stack pointer.
710 @cindex @code{.personality} directive, ARM
711 @item .personality @var{name}
712 Sets the personality routine for the current function to @var{name}.
714 @cindex @code{.personalityindex} directive, ARM
715 @item .personalityindex @var{index}
716 Sets the personality routine for the current function to the EABI standard
717 routine number @var{index}
719 @cindex @code{.pool} directive, ARM
721 This is a synonym for .ltorg.
723 @c QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
724 @c RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
726 @cindex @code{.req} directive, ARM
727 @item @var{name} .req @var{register name}
728 This creates an alias for @var{register name} called @var{name}. For
735 @c SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
738 @cindex @code{.save} directive, ARM
739 @item .save @var{reglist}
740 Generate unwinder annotations to restore the registers in @var{reglist}.
741 The format of @var{reglist} is the same as the corresponding store-multiple
745 @exdent @emph{core registers}
746 .save @{r4, r5, r6, lr@}
747 stmfd sp!, @{r4, r5, r6, lr@}
748 @exdent @emph{FPA registers}
751 @exdent @emph{VFP registers}
752 .save @{d8, d9, d10@}
753 fstmdx sp!, @{d8, d9, d10@}
754 @exdent @emph{iWMMXt registers}
756 wstrd wr11, [sp, #-8]!
757 wstrd wr10, [sp, #-8]!
760 wstrd wr11, [sp, #-8]!
762 wstrd wr10, [sp, #-8]!
766 @cindex @code{.setfp} directive, ARM
767 @item .setfp @var{fpreg}, @var{spreg} [, #@var{offset}]
768 Make all unwinder annotations relative to a frame pointer. Without this
769 the unwinder will use offsets from the stack pointer.
771 The syntax of this directive is the same as the @code{sub} or @code{mov}
772 instruction used to set the frame pointer. @var{spreg} must be either
773 @code{sp} or mentioned in a previous @code{.movsp} directive.
783 @cindex @code{.secrel32} directive, ARM
784 @item .secrel32 @var{expression} [, @var{expression}]*
785 This directive emits relocations that evaluate to the section-relative
786 offset of each expression's symbol. This directive is only supported
789 @cindex @code{.syntax} directive, ARM
790 @item .syntax [@code{unified} | @code{divided}]
791 This directive sets the Instruction Set Syntax as described in the
792 @ref{ARM-Instruction-Set} section.
794 @c TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
796 @cindex @code{.thumb} directive, ARM
798 This performs the same action as @var{.code 16}.
800 @cindex @code{.thumb_func} directive, ARM
802 This directive specifies that the following symbol is the name of a
803 Thumb encoded function. This information is necessary in order to allow
804 the assembler and linker to generate correct code for interworking
805 between Arm and Thumb instructions and should be used even if
806 interworking is not going to be performed. The presence of this
807 directive also implies @code{.thumb}
809 This directive is not neccessary when generating EABI objects. On these
810 targets the encoding is implicit when generating Thumb code.
812 @cindex @code{.thumb_set} directive, ARM
814 This performs the equivalent of a @code{.set} directive in that it
815 creates a symbol which is an alias for another symbol (possibly not yet
816 defined). This directive also has the added property in that it marks
817 the aliased symbol as being a thumb function entry point, in the same
818 way that the @code{.thumb_func} directive does.
820 @c UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
822 @cindex @code{.unreq} directive, ARM
823 @item .unreq @var{alias-name}
824 This undefines a register alias which was previously defined using the
825 @code{req}, @code{dn} or @code{qn} directives. For example:
832 An error occurs if the name is undefined. Note - this pseudo op can
833 be used to delete builtin in register name aliases (eg 'r0'). This
834 should only be done if it is really necessary.
836 @cindex @code{.unwind_raw} directive, ARM
837 @item .unwind_raw @var{offset}, @var{byte1}, @dots{}
838 Insert one of more arbitary unwind opcode bytes, which are known to adjust
839 the stack pointer by @var{offset} bytes.
841 For example @code{.unwind_raw 4, 0xb1, 0x01} is equivalent to
844 @c VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
846 @cindex @code{.vsave} directive, ARM
847 @item .vsave @var{vfp-reglist}
848 Generate unwinder annotations to restore the VFP registers in @var{vfp-reglist}
849 using FLDMD. Also works for VFPv3 registers
850 that are to be restored using VLDM.
851 The format of @var{vfp-reglist} is the same as the corresponding store-multiple
855 @exdent @emph{VFP registers}
856 .vsave @{d8, d9, d10@}
857 fstmdd sp!, @{d8, d9, d10@}
858 @exdent @emph{VFPv3 registers}
859 .vsave @{d15, d16, d17@}
860 vstm sp!, @{d15, d16, d17@}
863 Since FLDMX and FSTMX are now deprecated, this directive should be
864 used in favour of @code{.save} for saving VFP registers for ARMv6 and above.
866 @c WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
867 @c XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
868 @c YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
869 @c ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
877 @cindex opcodes for ARM
878 @code{@value{AS}} implements all the standard ARM opcodes. It also
879 implements several pseudo opcodes, including several synthetic load
884 @cindex @code{NOP} pseudo op, ARM
890 This pseudo op will always evaluate to a legal ARM instruction that does
891 nothing. Currently it will evaluate to MOV r0, r0.
893 @cindex @code{LDR reg,=<label>} pseudo op, ARM
896 ldr <register> , = <expression>
899 If expression evaluates to a numeric constant then a MOV or MVN
900 instruction will be used in place of the LDR instruction, if the
901 constant can be generated by either of these instructions. Otherwise
902 the constant will be placed into the nearest literal pool (if it not
903 already there) and a PC relative LDR instruction will be generated.
905 @cindex @code{ADR reg,<label>} pseudo op, ARM
908 adr <register> <label>
911 This instruction will load the address of @var{label} into the indicated
912 register. The instruction will evaluate to a PC relative ADD or SUB
913 instruction depending upon where the label is located. If the label is
914 out of range, or if it is not defined in the same file (and section) as
915 the ADR instruction, then an error will be generated. This instruction
916 will not make use of the literal pool.
918 @cindex @code{ADRL reg,<label>} pseudo op, ARM
921 adrl <register> <label>
924 This instruction will load the address of @var{label} into the indicated
925 register. The instruction will evaluate to one or two PC relative ADD
926 or SUB instructions depending upon where the label is located. If a
927 second instruction is not needed a NOP instruction will be generated in
928 its place, so that this instruction is always 8 bytes long.
930 If the label is out of range, or if it is not defined in the same file
931 (and section) as the ADRL instruction, then an error will be generated.
932 This instruction will not make use of the literal pool.
936 For information on the ARM or Thumb instruction sets, see @cite{ARM
937 Software Development Toolkit Reference Manual}, Advanced RISC Machines
940 @node ARM Mapping Symbols
941 @section Mapping Symbols
943 The ARM ELF specification requires that special symbols be inserted
944 into object files to mark certain features:
950 At the start of a region of code containing ARM instructions.
954 At the start of a region of code containing THUMB instructions.
958 At the start of a region of data.
962 The assembler will automatically insert these symbols for you - there
963 is no need to code them yourself. Support for tagging symbols ($b,
964 $f, $p and $m) which is also mentioned in the current ARM ELF
965 specification is not implemented. This is because they have been
966 dropped from the new EABI and so tools cannot rely upon their
969 @node ARM Unwinding Tutorial
972 The ABI for the ARM Architecture specifies a standard format for
973 exception unwind information. This information is used when an
974 exception is thrown to determine where control should be transferred.
975 In particular, the unwind information is used to determine which
976 function called the function that threw the exception, and which
977 function called that one, and so forth. This information is also used
978 to restore the values of callee-saved registers in the function
979 catching the exception.
981 If you are writing functions in assembly code, and those functions
982 call other functions that throw exceptions, you must use assembly
983 pseudo ops to ensure that appropriate exception unwind information is
984 generated. Otherwise, if one of the functions called by your assembly
985 code throws an exception, the run-time library will be unable to
986 unwind the stack through your assembly code and your program will not
989 To illustrate the use of these pseudo ops, we will examine the code
990 that G++ generates for the following C++ input:
1004 This example does not show how to throw or catch an exception from
1005 assembly code. That is a much more complex operation and should
1006 always be done in a high-level language, such as C++, that directly
1007 supports exceptions.
1009 The code generated by one particular version of G++ when compiling the
1016 @ Function supports interworking.
1017 @ args = 0, pretend = 0, frame = 8
1018 @ frame_needed = 1, uses_anonymous_args = 0
1040 Of course, the sequence of instructions varies based on the options
1041 you pass to GCC and on the version of GCC in use. The exact
1042 instructions are not important since we are focusing on the pseudo ops
1043 that are used to generate unwind information.
1045 An important assumption made by the unwinder is that the stack frame
1046 does not change during the body of the function. In particular, since
1047 we assume that the assembly code does not itself throw an exception,
1048 the only point where an exception can be thrown is from a call, such
1049 as the @code{bl} instruction above. At each call site, the same saved
1050 registers (including @code{lr}, which indicates the return address)
1051 must be located in the same locations relative to the frame pointer.
1053 The @code{.fnstart} (@pxref{arm_fnstart,,.fnstart pseudo op}) pseudo
1054 op appears immediately before the first instruction of the function
1055 while the @code{.fnend} (@pxref{arm_fnend,,.fnend pseudo op}) pseudo
1056 op appears immediately after the last instruction of the function.
1057 These pseudo ops specify the range of the function.
1059 Only the order of the other pseudos ops (e.g., @code{.setfp} or
1060 @code{.pad}) matters; their exact locations are irrelevant. In the
1061 example above, the compiler emits the pseudo ops with particular
1062 instructions. That makes it easier to understand the code, but it is
1063 not required for correctness. It would work just as well to emit all
1064 of the pseudo ops other than @code{.fnend} in the same order, but
1065 immediately after @code{.fnstart}.
1067 The @code{.save} (@pxref{arm_save,,.save pseudo op}) pseudo op
1068 indicates registers that have been saved to the stack so that they can
1069 be restored before the function returns. The argument to the
1070 @code{.save} pseudo op is a list of registers to save. If a register
1071 is ``callee-saved'' (as specified by the ABI) and is modified by the
1072 function you are writing, then your code must save the value before it
1073 is modified and restore the original value before the function
1074 returns. If an exception is thrown, the run-time library restores the
1075 values of these registers from their locations on the stack before
1076 returning control to the exception handler. (Of course, if an
1077 exception is not thrown, the function that contains the @code{.save}
1078 pseudo op restores these registers in the function epilogue, as is
1079 done with the @code{ldmfd} instruction above.)
1081 You do not have to save callee-saved registers at the very beginning
1082 of the function and you do not need to use the @code{.save} pseudo op
1083 immediately following the point at which the registers are saved.
1084 However, if you modify a callee-saved register, you must save it on
1085 the stack before modifying it and before calling any functions which
1086 might throw an exception. And, you must use the @code{.save} pseudo
1087 op to indicate that you have done so.
1089 The @code{.pad} (@pxref{arm_pad,,.pad}) pseudo op indicates a
1090 modification of the stack pointer that does not save any registers.
1091 The argument is the number of bytes (in decimal) that are subtracted
1092 from the stack pointer. (On ARM CPUs, the stack grows downwards, so
1093 subtracting from the stack pointer increases the size of the stack.)
1095 The @code{.setfp} (@pxref{arm_setfp,,.setfp pseudo op}) pseudo op
1096 indicates the register that contains the frame pointer. The first
1097 argument is the register that is set, which is typically @code{fp}.
1098 The second argument indicates the register from which the frame
1099 pointer takes its value. The third argument, if present, is the value
1100 (in decimal) added to the register specified by the second argument to
1101 compute the value of the frame pointer. You should not modify the
1102 frame pointer in the body of the function.
1104 If you do not use a frame pointer, then you should not use the
1105 @code{.setfp} pseudo op. If you do not use a frame pointer, then you
1106 should avoid modifying the stack pointer outside of the function
1107 prologue. Otherwise, the run-time library will be unable to find
1108 saved registers when it is unwinding the stack.
1110 The pseudo ops described above are sufficient for writing assembly
1111 code that calls functions which may throw exceptions. If you need to
1112 know more about the object-file format used to represent unwind
1113 information, you may consult the @cite{Exception Handling ABI for the
1114 ARM Architecture} available from @uref{http://infocenter.arm.com}.