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RealView Assembler User's Guide
Preface Introduction Writing ARM Assembly Language
Introduction Overview of the ARM architecture Architecture versions ARM, Thumb, Thumb‑2, and Thumb‑2EE instruction ARM, Thumb, and ThumbEE state Processor mode Registers Instruction set overview Instruction capabilities Structure of assembly language modules Layout of assembly language source files An example ARM assembly language module Calling subroutines Conditional execution The ALU status flags Conditional execution Using conditional execution Example of the use of conditional execution The Q flag Loading constants into registers Direct loading with MOV and MVN Loading with MOV32 Loading with LDR Rd, =const Loading addresses into registers Direct loading with ADR and ADRL Loading addresses with LDR Rd, =label Load and store multiple register instructions Load and store multiple instructions available in Implementing stacks with LDM and STM Block copy with LDM and STM Using macros Test‑and‑branch macro example Unsigned integer division macro example Using frame directives Assembly language changes Assembler Reference ARM and Thumb Instructions Directives ReferenceLayout of assembly language source files
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The general form of source lines in assembly language is:
{label} {instruction|directive|pseudo‑instruction} {;comment}
Note
Instructions, pseudo‑instructions, and directives must be preceded by white space, such as a space or a tab, even if there is no label.
All three sections of the source line are optional. You can use blank lines to make your code more readable.
Instruction mnemonics, directives, and symbolic register names can be written in uppercase or lowercase, but not mixed.
To make source files easier to read, a long line of source can be split onto several lines by placing a backslash character (\) at the end of the line. The backslash must not be followed by any other characters (including spaces and tabs). The assembler treats the backslash/end‑of‑line sequence as white space.
Note
Do not use the backslash/end‑of‑line sequence within quoted strings.
The limit on the length of lines, including any extensions using backslashes, is 4095 characters.
Labels are symbols that represent addresses. The address given by a label is calculated during assembly.
The assembler calculates the address of a label relative to the origin of the section where the label is defined. A reference to a label within the same section can use the PC plus or minus an offset. This is called program‑relative addressing.
Addresses of labels in other sections are calculated at link time, when the linker has allocated specific locations in memory for each section.
Local labels are a subclass of label. A local label begins with a number in the range 0‑99. Unlike other labels, a local label can be defined many times. Local labels are useful when you are generating labels with a macro. When the assembler finds a reference to a local label, it links it to a nearby instance of the local label.
The scope of local labels is limited by the AREA directive. You can use the ROUT directive to limit the scope more tightly.
See Local labels for details of:
the syntax of local label declarations
how the assembler associates references to local labels with their labels.
The first semicolon on a line marks the beginning of a comment, except where the semicolon appears inside a string constant. The end of the line is the end of the comment. A comment alone is a valid line. The assembler ignores all comments.
Constants can be:
- Numbers
Numeric constants are accepted in the following forms:
decimal, for example,
123hexadecimal, for example,
0x7Bn_xxxnis a base between 2 and 9
xxxis a number in that base
floating-point, for example, 0.02, 123.0, or 3.14159.
Floating-point numbers are only available if your system has VFP.
- Boolean
The Boolean constants
TRUEandFALSEmust be written as{TRUE}and{FALSE}.- Characters
Character constants consist of opening and closing single quotes, enclosing either a single character or an escaped character, using the standard C escape characters.
- Strings
Strings consist of opening and closing double quotes, enclosing characters and spaces. If double quotes or dollar signs are used within a string as literal text characters, they must be represented by a pair of the appropriate character. For example, you must use
$$if you require a single$in the string. The standard C escape sequences can be used within string constants.
| Copyright © 2007 ARM Limited. All rights reserved. | ARM DUI 0379A |
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