Re: [avr-gcc-list] Global variables and ISRs ???

[Joerg Wunsch]

Vincent Trouilliez <address@hidden> wrote:

> Oh, that's interesting... because as soon as I compile my small
> programs, I rush to check to have a look at the assembler output,
> ...

At the assembler output (filename.s), or at the disassembler output
(filename.lss)?  I guess it's the latter.

> - at start-up, to initialize variables to zero... it won't write
> zero into them (immediate constant I mean), instead it will always
> copy R1 into the variable. Apparently R1 is kept cleared at all
> times and is used whenever a variable needs to be cleared.

That's epxlained in the (avr-libc-)FAQ, under register usage.

If you look at the assembler output rather than the disassembly
listing, you'd notice that r1 is internally called __zero_reg__.

> - everytime I want to increment a variable, instead of just using
> the "INC" or "DEC" instructions, it prefers to substract the
> complement...  just as fast (one cycle), but boy not exactly as
> "readable"/clear as "INC" or "DEC", insn't it ?! :-/

Compiler output is not supposed to be human readable. ;-)

For the domain where these instructions are valid (r16 through r31),
they are more flexible than a simple INC or DEC, as e.g. a 2-step
increment could be handled as well.  I guess that's why the compiler
has been taught to prefer these.

> - everytime I test if a variable is zero or not, it AND's it with
> itself... instead of just using the dedicated 'TST' instruction.

That's a disassembler issue, again.  Look at the opcodes of both
instructions, TST d is nothing else but AND d,d.

-- 
J"org Wunsch                                           Unix support engineer
address@hidden        http://www.interface-systems.de/~j/