1. Machine-Independent Assembler Features Literals, Symbol-Defining Statements, Expressions, Program Blocks, Control Sections and Program Linking

2. Control Section

4. Machine Independent Assembler Features
More related to issues about:
Programmer convenience
Software environment
Common examples:
Literals
Symbol-defining statements
Expressions
Program blocks
Control sections
Assembler directives are widely used to support these features

5. Literals Literal is equivalent to: Why use literals:
Define a constant explicitly and assign an address label for it
Use the label as the instruction operand
Why use literals:
To avoid defining the constant somewhere and making up a label for it
Instead, to write the value of a constant operand as a part of the instruction
How to use literals:
A literal is identified with the prefix =, followed by a specification of the literal value

6. Original Program

7. Using Literal

8. Object Program Using Literal
The same as before

9. Original Program

10. Using Literal

11. Object Program Using Literal
The same as before

12. Literal vs. Immediate Addressing
Same:
Operand field contains constant values
Difference:
Immediate addressing: the assembler put the constant value as part of the machine instruction
Literal: the assembler store the constant value elsewhere and put that address as part of the machine instruction

13. Literal Pool
All of the literal operands are gathered together into one or more literal pools.
Where is the literal pool:
At the end of the object program, generated immediately following the END statement
At the location where the LTORG directive is encountered
To keep the literal operand close to the instruction that uses it

14. Duplicate Literals Duplicate literals:
The same literal used more than once in the program
Only one copy of the specified value needs to be stored
For example, =X’05’ in the example program
How to recognize the duplicate literals
Compare the character strings defining them
Easier to implement, but has potential problem (see next)
E.g., =X’05’
Compare the generated data value
Better, but will increase the complexity of the assembler
E.g., =C’EOF’ and =X’454F46’

15. Problem of Duplicate-Literal Recognition using Character Strings
There may be some literals that have the same name, but different values
For example, the literal whose value depends on its location in the program
The value of location counter denoted by *
BASE *
LDB =*
The literal =* repeatedly used in the program has the same name, but different values
All this kind of literals have to be stored in the literal pool

16. Implementation of Literal
Data structure: a literal table LITTAB
Literal name
Operand value and length
Address
LITTAB is often organized as a hash table, using the literal name or value as the key

17. Implementation of Literal
Pass 1
As each literal operand is recognized
Search the LITTAB for the specified literal name or value
If the literal is already present, no action is needed
Otherwise, the literal is added to LITTAB (store the name, value, and length, but not address)
As LTORG or END is encountered
Scan the LITTAB
For each literal with empty address field, assign the address and update the LOCCTR accordingly

18. Implementation of Literal
Pass 2
As each literal operand is recognized
Search the LITTAB for the specified literal name or value
If the literal is found, use the associated address as the operand of the instruction
Otherwise, error (should not happen)
As LTORG or END is encountered
insert the data values of the literals in the object program
Modification record is generated if necessary

19. Symbol-Defining Statements
How to define symbols and their values
Address label
The label is the symbol name and the assigned address is its value
FIRST STL RETADR
Assembler directive EQU
symbol EQU value
This statement enters the symbol into SYMTAB and assigns to it the value specified
The value can be a constant or an expression
Assembler directive ORG
ORG value

20. Use of EQU
To improve the program readability, avoid using the magic numbers, make it easier to find and change constant values
Replace
+LDT #4096
with
MAXLEN EQU
+LDT #MAXLEN
To define mnemonic names for registers
A EQU 0
X EQU 1
BASE EQU R1
COUNT EQU R2

21. Use of ORG Indirect value assignment: ORG value
When ORG is encountered, the assembler resets its LOCCTR to the specified value
ORG will affect the values of all labels defined until the next ORG
If the previous value of LOCCTR can be automatically remembered, we can return to the normal use of LOCCTR by simply write
ORG

22. Example of Using ORG Consider the following data structure
SYMBOL: 6 bytes
VALUE: 3 bytes (one word)
FLAGS: 2 bytes
we want to refer to every field of each entry

23. Less readable and meaningful
Not Using ORG
We can fetch the VALUE field by
LDA VALUE,X
X = 0, 11, 22, … for each entry
Offsets from STAB
Less readable and meaningful

24. Restore the LOCCTR to its previous value
Using ORG
Set the LOCCTR to STAB
Size of field
more meaningful
Restore the LOCCTR to its previous value

25. Forward-Reference Problem
Forward reference is not allowed her for EQU and ORG.
That is, all terms in the value field must have been defined previously in the program.
The reason is that all symbols must have been defined during Pass 1 in a two-pass assembler.
Allowed
Not allowed

26. ALPHA EQU BETA
BETA EQU GAMMA
GAMMA EQU 1

27. Forward-Reference Problem
Not allowed
Not allowed

28. Expressions
A single term as an instruction operand can be replaced by an expression.
STAB RESB
STAB RESB *100
STAB RESB (6+3+2)*MAXENTRIES
The assembler has to evaluate the expression to produce a single operand address or value.
Expressions consist of
Operator
+,-,*,/ (division is usually defined to produce an integer result)
Individual terms
Constants
User-defined symbols
Special terms, e.g., *, the current value of LOCCTR

29. Relocation Problem in Expressions
Values of terms can be
Absolute (independent of program location)
constants
Relative (to the beginning of the program)
Address labels
* (value of LOCCTR)
Expressions can be
Absolute
Only absolute terms
Relative terms in pairs with opposite signs for each pair
Relative
All the relative terms except one can be paired as described in “absolute”. The remaining unpaired relative term must have a positive sign.
No relative terms may enter into a multiplication or division operation
Expressions that do not meet the conditions of either “absolute” or “relative” should be flagged as errors.

30. Values associated with symbols
Absolute Expression
Relative term or expression implicitly represents (S+r)
S: the starting address of the program
r: value of the term or expression relative to S
For example
BUFFER: S+r1
BUFEND: S+r2
The expression, BUFEND-BUFFER, is absolute.
MAXLEN = (S+r2)-(S+r1) = r2-r1 (no S here)
MAXLEN means the length of the buffer area
Illegal expressions: BUFEND+BUFFER, 100-BUFFER, 3*BUFFER
Values associated with symbols

31. Absolute or Relative
To determine the type of an expression, we must keep track of the types of all symbols defined in the program.
We need a “flag” in the SYMTAB for indication.

32. Program Blocks and Control Sections
Although the source program logically contains subroutines, data area, etc, they were assembled into a single block of object code in which the machine instructions and data appeared in the same order as they were in the source program.
To provide flexibility:
Program blocks
Segments of code that are rearranged within a single object program unit
Control sections
Segments of code that are translated into independent object program units

33. Program Blocks As an example, three blocks are used:
default: executable instructions
CDATA: all data areas that are less in length
CBLKS: all data areas that consists of larger blocks of memory
The assembler directive USE indicates which portions of the source program belong to the various blocks.

34. Program with Multiple Program Blocks
At the beginning, the default block is assumed.

35. Program with Multiple Program Blocks
Resume the default block
Resume the CDATA block

36. Program with Multiple Program Blocks
Resume the default block
Resume the CDATA block

37. Program Blocks
Each program block may actually contain several separate segments of the source program.
The assembler will logically rearrange these segments to gather together the pieces of each block.
The result is the same as if the programmer had physically rearranged the source statements to group together all the source lines belonging to each block.

38. Why Program Blocks To satisfy the contradictive goals:
Separate the program into blocks in a particular order
Large buffer area is moved to the end of the object program
Using the extended format instructions or base relative mode may be reduced. (lines 15, 35, and 65)
Placement of literal pool is easier: simply put them before the large data area, CDATA block. (line 253)
Data areas are scattered
Program readability is better if data areas are placed in the source program close to the statements that reference them.

39. How to Rearrange Codes into Program Blocks
Pass 1
Maintain a separate LOCCTR for each program block
initialized to 0 when the block is first begun
saved when switching to another block
restored when resuming a previous block
Assign to each label an address relative to the start of the block that contains it
Store the block name or number in the SYMTAB along with the assigned relative address of the label
Indicate the block length as the latest value of LOCCTR for each block at the end of Pass1
Assign to each block a starting address in the object program by concatenating the program blocks in a particular order

40. How to Rearrange Codes into Program Blocks
Pass 2
Calculate the address for each symbol relative to the start of the object program by adding
the location of the symbol relative to the start of its block
the assigned starting address of this block

41. Object Program with Multiple Program Blocks
Loc/Block
0: default
1: CDATA
2: CBLKS
No block number because MAXLEN is an absolute symbol

42. Object Program with Multiple Program Blocks

43. Object Program with Multiple Program Blocks

44. Table for Program Blocks
At the end of Pass 1:

45. Example of Address Calculation
LDA LENGTH
The value of the operand (LENGTH)
Address 0003 relative to Block 1 (CDATA)
address =0069 relative to program
address =0060 relative to PC, in which the address of PC relative to program is =0009

46. Object Program
It is not necessary to physically rearrange the generated code in the object program to place the pieces of each program block together.
The assembler just simply insert the proper load address in each Text record.

47. Program Blocks Loaded in Memory
same order
Not present in object program
Rearrangement through loading

48. Control Sections A control section
is a part of the program that maintains its identity after assembly
is often used for subroutine or other logical subdivision of a program
can be assembled, loaded, and relocated independently
is more flexible

50. Program Linking
Program linking is used to link together logically related control sections
Problem:
The assembler does not know where any other control section will be located at execution time.
When an instruction needs to refer to instructions or data located in another control section, the assembler is unable to process this reference.
The assembler has to generate information for such kind of references, called external references, that will allow the loader to perform the required linking.

51. Program with Multiple Control Sections
Implicitly defined as an external symbol
First control section: COPY
Define external symbols
External reference

52. Program with Multiple Control Sections
Implicitly defined as an external symbol
Second control section: RDREC
External reference

53. Program with Multiple Control Sections
Implicitly defined as an external symbol
Third control section: WRREC
External reference

54. Assembler Directives for Control Section
START:
start the first control section
set program name as the control section name
define the control section name as an external symbol
CSECT:
start a new control section
specify the control section name
EXTDEF:
define external symbols
EXTREF:
name symbols defined in other control sections

55. How to Handle External References
CLOOP +JSUB RDREC B100000
The operand RDREC is an external reference.
The assembler
has no idea where RDREC is
inserts an address of zero
can only use extended format to provide enough room (that is, relative addressing for external reference is invalid)
passes information to the loader

56. How to Handle External References
MAXLEN WORD BUFEND-BUFFER
There are two external references in the expression, BUFEND and BUFFER.
The assembler
inserts a value of zero
passes information to the loader
Add to this data area the address of BUFEND
Subtract from this data area the address of BUFFER
On line 107, BUFEND and BUFFER are defined in the same control section and the expression can be calculated immediately.
MAXLEN EQU BUFEND-BUFFER

57. Object Code with Multiple Control Sections

58. Object Code with Multiple Control Sections

59. Object Code with Multiple Control Sections

60. How to Handle Control Sections
The assembler
processes each control section independently
establishes a separate LOCCTR (initialized to 0) for each control section
stores in SYMTAB the control section in which a symbol is defined
allow the same symbol to be used in different control sections
reports an error when attempting to refer to a symbol in another control section, unless the symbol is defined as an external reference
generates information in the object program for external references

61. New Records for External References
gives information about external symbols named by EXTDEF
lists symbols used as external references, i.e., symbols named by EXTREF

62. Revised Modification Record

63. Object Program
COPY
RDREC
WRREC

64. Program Relocation
As well as for program linking, the revised Modification record may still be used to perform program relocation.

65. Expressions in Multiple Control Sections
Extended restriction
Both terms in each pair of an expression must be within the same control section
Legal: BUFEND-BUFFER
Illegal: RDREC-COPY
How to enforce this restriction
When an expression involves external references, the assembler cannot determine whether or not the expression is legal.
The assembler evaluates all of the terms it can, combines these to form an initial expression value, and generates Modification records.
The loader checks the expression for errors and finishes the evaluation.