Is there any way to enforce padding between subroutines using the scatter file?

Hi!

I am using an ARM Cortex-M23 microcontroller. I wish to pad every subroutine with certain number of bytes. Using the ALIGNALL attribute on an execution region I am able to achieve some success but I cannot control the number of bytes. Further, the ALIGNALL attribute does not seem to work on veneer code. While I can place the veneer code in a separate execution region, I cannot align the veneer code as I please. Is there any way to achieve what I am trying to do?

Thank you

Yes. ER_ROM_CODE2 does not align. For example, this is an excerpt from the NonSecure.txt file generated by the linker.

** Section #2 'ER_ROM_CODE2' (SHT_PROGBITS) [SHF_ALLOC + SHF_EXECINSTR + SHF_ARM_PURECODE]
    Size   : 120 bytes (alignment 32)
    Address: 0x10050000

    $t
    $Ven$TT$L$$SecureContext_SaveContext
        0x10050000:    b403        ..      PUSH     {r0,r1}
        0x10050002:    2000        .       MOVS     r0,#0
        0x10050004:    0200        ..      LSLS     r0,r0,#8
        0x10050006:    3000        .0      ADDS     r0,#0
        0x10050008:    0200        ..      LSLS     r0,r0,#8
        0x1005000a:    300c        .0      ADDS     r0,r0,#0xc
        0x1005000c:    0200        ..      LSLS     r0,r0,#8
        0x1005000e:    30a9        .0      ADDS     r0,r0,#0xa9
        0x10050010:    9001        ..      STR      r0,[sp,#4]
        0x10050012:    bd01        ..      POP      {r0,pc}
    $Ven$TT$L$$SecureContext_LoadContext
        0x10050014:    b403        ..      PUSH     {r0,r1}
        0x10050016:    2000        .       MOVS     r0,#0
        0x10050018:    0200        ..      LSLS     r0,r0,#8
        0x1005001a:    3000        .0      ADDS     r0,#0
        0x1005001c:    0200        ..      LSLS     r0,r0,#8
        0x1005001e:    300c        .0      ADDS     r0,r0,#0xc
        0x10050020:    0200        ..      LSLS     r0,r0,#8
        0x10050022:    30a1        .0      ADDS     r0,r0,#0xa1
        0x10050024:    9001        ..      STR      r0,[sp,#4]
        0x10050026:    bd01        ..      POP      {r0,pc}
    $Ven$TT$L$$SecureContext_AllocateContext
        0x10050028:    b403        ..      PUSH     {r0,r1}
        0x1005002a:    2000        .       MOVS     r0,#0
        0x1005002c:    0200        ..      LSLS     r0,r0,#8
        0x1005002e:    3000        .0      ADDS     r0,#0
        0x10050030:    0200        ..      LSLS     r0,r0,#8
        0x10050032:    300c        .0      ADDS     r0,r0,#0xc
        0x10050034:    0200        ..      LSLS     r0,r0,#8
        0x10050036:    3089        .0      ADDS     r0,r0,#0x89
        0x10050038:    9001        ..      STR      r0,[sp,#4]
        0x1005003a:    bd01        ..      POP      {r0,pc}
    $Ven$TT$L$$SecureContext_FreeContext
        0x1005003c:    b403        ..      PUSH     {r0,r1}
        0x1005003e:    2000        .       MOVS     r0,#0
        0x10050040:    0200        ..      LSLS     r0,r0,#8
        0x10050042:    3000        .0      ADDS     r0,#0
        0x10050044:    0200        ..      LSLS     r0,r0,#8
        0x10050046:    300c        .0      ADDS     r0,r0,#0xc
        0x10050048:    0200        ..      LSLS     r0,r0,#8
        0x1005004a:    3091        .0      ADDS     r0,r0,#0x91
        0x1005004c:    9001        ..      STR      r0,[sp,#4]
        0x1005004e:    bd01        ..      POP      {r0,pc}

Any ideas why this happens? Please let me know.

Thanks

** Section #2 'ER_ROM_CODE2' (SHT_PROGBITS) [SHF_ALLOC + SHF_EXECINSTR + SHF_ARM_PURECODE] Size : 120 bytes (alignment 32) Address: 0x10050000 $t $Ven$TT$L$$SecureContext_SaveContext 0x10050000: b403 .. PUSH {r0,r1} 0x10050002: 2000 . MOVS r0,#0 0x10050004: 0200 .. LSLS r0,r0,#8 0x10050006: 3000 .0 ADDS r0,#0 0x10050008: 0200 .. LSLS r0,r0,#8 0x1005000a: 300c .0 ADDS r0,r0,#0xc 0x1005000c: 0200 .. LSLS r0,r0,#8 0x1005000e: 30a9 .0 ADDS r0,r0,#0xa9 0x10050010: 9001 .. STR r0,[sp,#4] 0x10050012: bd01 .. POP {r0,pc} $Ven$TT$L$$SecureContext_LoadContext 0x10050014: b403 .. PUSH {r0,r1} 0x10050016: 2000 . MOVS r0,#0 0x10050018: 0200 .. LSLS r0,r0,#8 0x1005001a: 3000 .0 ADDS r0,#0 0x1005001c: 0200 .. LSLS r0,r0,#8 0x1005001e: 300c .0 ADDS r0,r0,#0xc 0x10050020: 0200 .. LSLS r0,r0,#8 0x10050022: 30a1 .0 ADDS r0,r0,#0xa1 0x10050024: 9001 .. STR r0,[sp,#4] 0x10050026: bd01 .. POP {r0,pc} $Ven$TT$L$$SecureContext_AllocateContext 0x10050028: b403 .. PUSH {r0,r1} 0x1005002a: 2000 . MOVS r0,#0 0x1005002c: 0200 .. LSLS r0,r0,#8 0x1005002e: 3000 .0 ADDS r0,#0 0x10050030: 0200 .. LSLS r0,r0,#8 0x10050032: 300c .0 ADDS r0,r0,#0xc 0x10050034: 0200 .. LSLS r0,r0,#8 0x10050036: 3089 .0 ADDS r0,r0,#0x89 0x10050038: 9001 .. STR r0,[sp,#4] 0x1005003a: bd01 .. POP {r0,pc} $Ven$TT$L$$SecureContext_FreeContext 0x1005003c: b403 .. PUSH {r0,r1} 0x1005003e: 2000 . MOVS r0,#0 0x10050040: 0200 .. LSLS r0,r0,#8 0x10050042: 3000 .0 ADDS r0,#0 0x10050044: 0200 .. LSLS r0,r0,#8 0x10050046: 300c .0 ADDS r0,r0,#0xc 0x10050048: 0200 .. LSLS r0,r0,#8 0x1005004a: 3091 .0 ADDS r0,r0,#0x91 0x1005004c: 9001 .. STR r0,[sp,#4] 0x1005004e: bd01 .. POP {r0,pc}