Hi,

I need help with little ASM problem (Intel syntax)

In AT&T syntax you can do following to align code:

asm
.balign 8
[somecode]
end;

Is something similar supported in FPC compiler inside Intel ASM? I have really big GUI library written in 100% Intel assembler and need to align all procedures to speed-up the code but I don't want to rewrite it to AT&T syntax...

thanks, Pavel Kanzelsberger

There is no support for an align directive.

It can maybe added, but there is no specific intel syntax that defines how it should be added.

Peter

Hmm and can you add something FPC native? Maybe {$BALIGN 8}...

I think you can support .balign as in AT&T as Intel doesn't define such directive :)

regards, Pavel Kanzelsberger

Hmm and can you add something FPC native? Maybe {$BALIGN 8}...

What do you want to do with that? Directives are only used to change 'configuration' values not to insert code/data

I think you can support .balign as in AT&T as Intel doesn't define such directive :)

How does align work under tasm/masm/delphi?

Yes I know that directives are used to change configuration, for example by setting {$BALIGN 8} compiler should add ".balign 8" in before every procedure code...

I never used this in TASM or in Delphi, I just found it in FPC sources inside AT&T assembler and found that 8 byte aligned code really speeds-up the execution so I want to use it in my libraries...

Another idea is to add new optimization switch which adds this to every procedure and main code...

But hey, it's you who will decide to put it and which way :-))) This is just my idea about this, because it's much easier to use it as FPC feature instead of rewriting 80000 lines of code to AT&T assembler :)

best regards, Pavel Kanzelsberger

Yes I know that directives are used to change configuration, for example by setting {$BALIGN 8} compiler should add ".balign 8" in before every procedure code...

But what about alignment of jumps and loops? A more generic

{$ALIGNCODE PROCEDURE=8}
{$ALIGNCODE LOOP=4}
{$ALIGNCODE JUMP=4}

is more generic and extendable

I think that the simple word ALIGN should be enough:

mov eax,1
ALIGN 4
@1:
inc eax
loop @1

This is readable and i think it won't clash with other things.

Anybody other opinions?

Btw. this will be added only in the 1.1 development version

Great! Simply great... can't wait for that :-))

regards, Pavel Kanzelsberger