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RealView Compiler User's Guide
Preface Introduction Getting started with the ARM Compiler Compiler Features Coding Practices Optimizing code
Optimizing for size versus speed Optimization levels and the debug view Selecting the target device Optimizing loops Using volatile Code metrics Measuring code and data sizes Measuring stack use Reducing debug information in objects and librarie Functions Minimizing parameter passing overhead __value_in_regs __pure Placing ARM function qualifiers Inlining How the compiler decides to inline When is it practical for the compiler to inline? Managing inlining Inlining functions across multiple files Debugging data and the --[no]_inline keyword Marking functions as static Setting breakpoints on inlined functions in ROM im Aligning data About data alignment The __packed qualifier and unaligned accesses to d __packed structures versus individually __packed f Using floating-point arithmetic Support for floating-point operations VFP architectures The --fpu option Floating-point linkage The --fpmode option Using the --fpu option VFP support Trapping and identifying division-by-zero errors Integer division (Software) Floating point division Support for ARM architecture v6 Instruction generation Alignment support Endian support Diagnostic Messages Using the Inline and Embedded Assemblers SemihostingMeasuring stack use
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| Home > Coding Practices > Code metrics > Measuring stack use | |||
C and C++ both use the stack intensively. For example, the stack is used to hold:
the return address of functions
registers that must be preserved, as determined by the AAPCS
local variables, including local arrays, structures, and, in C++, classes.
In general, there is no way to automatically measure stack use. However, it is possible to manually estimate the extent of stack utilization. This can be done in several ways:
Link with
--callgraphto produce a static callgraph. This shows information on all functions, including stack use.Use your debugger to set a watchpoint on the last available location in the stack and see if the watchpoint is ever hit.
Use your debugger to:
Allocate space for the stack that is much larger than you expect you need.
Fill the stack with a known value, for example, zero or 0xDEADDEAD.
Run your application, or a fixed portion of it. Aim to use as much of the stack as possible in the test run. For example, be sure to execute as many branches of your code as possible, and to generate interrupts where appropriate, so that they are included in the stack trace.
Examine, after your application has finished executing, the stack area of memory to see how many of the known values (zeros or 0xDEADDEAD) have been overwritten. The stack shows garbage in the part of the stack that has been used and zeros or 0xDEADDEAD values in the remainder.
Count the number of known entries and multiply by eight. This shows how far the stack has grown in memory in bytes.
For RVISS, use a map file to define a region of memory where access is not allowed. Place this region directly below your stack in memory. If the stack overflows into the forbidden region, a data abort occurs, which can be trapped by your debugger.
For more information see:
--[no_]callgraph in Generating image-related information in the Linker Guide.
| Copyright © 2007 ARM Limited. All rights reserved. | ARM DUI 0375A |
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