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is volatile array needed?

There is a string buffer referenced by both an ISR and the main(). The ISR collects a sentence from UART and put it into the buffer. Once the received sentence is completed a flag is raised. The main() checks the flag and copies the sentence to another buffer. The code is like

unsigned char xdata RxBuffer[];
unsigned char xdata buffer[];
bit RxFlag = 0;

void uart( void )
{
  //receive data from sbuf
  RxBuffer[] = sbuf;
  //if done
    RxFlag = 1;
}

void main( void )
{
  while( 1 )
  {
    if( RxFlag )
      strcpy( buffer, RxBuffer );
  }
}
The question is "Should I declare RxBuffer as volatile?" RxFlag doesn't need to be volatile because it is an automatic variable. The assembly code is "JNB RxFlag, xxxx". By the way, strcpy() is a reentrant function and the UART is at 4800 bps. The worst case is while strcpy is coping data, RxBuffer starts storing another new sentence. The purpose is to keep the integrity of the received data very time. I know I can use ES = 0 and ES = 1 before and after strcpy().

Three more questions:
1. Do I misunderstand the usage of volatile on array?
2. Does the reentrancy play any significant role here?
3. What is the difference between memcpy() and strcpy()? What are the advantages and disadvatages on each?

Thank you for answering my questions.

chao.

Parents
  • "Not quite. volatile applies specifically to reloading a variable rather than using a possible cached copy in registers."

    That's pretty much exactly how I see volatile. I was trying to offer a simple explanation in the context of the OP's situation. Perhaps I should have said:

    "don't perform any optimisations that will screw up what I'm trying to do here"


    "It has no effect on other optimizations."

    Having re-read the section on volatile in H&S I'm not convinced about this, but I found the explanation a bit unclear. Maybe someone can quote the text from the standard if that makes it any clearer?

    Stefan

Reply
  • "Not quite. volatile applies specifically to reloading a variable rather than using a possible cached copy in registers."

    That's pretty much exactly how I see volatile. I was trying to offer a simple explanation in the context of the OP's situation. Perhaps I should have said:

    "don't perform any optimisations that will screw up what I'm trying to do here"


    "It has no effect on other optimizations."

    Having re-read the section on volatile in H&S I'm not convinced about this, but I found the explanation a bit unclear. Maybe someone can quote the text from the standard if that makes it any clearer?

    Stefan

Children
  • The standard's wording boils down to this: all operations on an object qualified as "volatile" must happen in exactly the same way and order as expressed by the standardized semantics of the source code.

    They define the effects of all C statements and operators in terms of some virtual machine executing the C program, and the effect of "volatile" as making the behaviour of the C program on the actual execution machine the same as that of the virtual machine, as far as "volatile" objects are concerned.

    In practice this forbids all register-caching and code reordering optimizations. It still allows optimizations like, e.g., common exit code unification to save space, or function inlining, and quite some others.