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Movx command in Keil

Hello all,
I'm using Keil uVision2 Version 7.05, and everything seems to be OK. However, there is one thing I don't quite understand, thus I'm posting here asking for your ideas/opinions.
When I run "Hello" example in Keil\Example directory and I found something that puzzled me. The assembly code Keil generated in Disamsembly window as well as in list file always have MOVX command eventhough I don't use external ram at all. I did set memory model to small and I only use IDATA but it still does the same. I even use disamsembler to translate the hex file Keil generated back to assembly source and still get the same result. Can someone spend some times explain this for me? Any inputs would be greatly appreciated. Have a nice weekend.

Best Regards,
T.L

  • Can you specify an address where you see the MOVX instruction?

    Following is the entire assembler code from the listing file for HELLO.C. It contains no MOVX instructions that I can see.

                 ; FUNCTION main (BEGIN)
                                               ; SOURCE LINE # 23
                                               ; SOURCE LINE # 29
    0000 759850            MOV     SCON,#050H
                                               ; SOURCE LINE # 30
    0003 438920            ORL     TMOD,#020H
                                               ; SOURCE LINE # 31
    0006 758DDD            MOV     TH1,#0DDH
                                               ; SOURCE LINE # 32
    0009 D28E              SETB    TR1
                                               ; SOURCE LINE # 33
    000B D299              SETB    TI
    000D         ?C0001:
                                               ; SOURCE LINE # 41
                                               ; SOURCE LINE # 42
    000D 639001            XRL     P1,#01H
                                               ; SOURCE LINE # 43
    0010 7BFF              MOV     R3,#0FFH
    0012 7A00        R     MOV     R2,#HIGH ?SC_0
    0014 7900        R     MOV     R1,#LOW ?SC_0
    0016 120000      E     LCALL   _printf
                                               ; SOURCE LINE # 44
    0019 80F2              SJMP    ?C0001
                 ; FUNCTION main (END)


    Jon

  • Dear Jon,

    Thank you for your prompt reply. Yes, I see it now. Sorry for inaccurated information from my previous post about code in list file. But can you tell me what are these lines doing in that code? Here is partial copy of Disamsembly screen when I run in Simulation Mode, not the whole file:

                     C?CLDPTR:
    C:0x0370    BB0106   CJNE     R3,#0x01,C:0379
    C:0x0373    8982     MOV      DPL(0x82),R1
    C:0x0375    8A83     MOV      DPH(0x83),R2
    C:0x0377    E0       MOVX     A,@DPTR
    C:0x0378    22       RET
    C:0x0379    5002     JNC      C:037D
    C:0x037B    E7       MOV      A,@R1
    C:0x037C    22       RET
    C:0x037D    BBFE02   CJNE     R3,#OCRDL(0xFE),C:0382
    C:0x0380    E3       MOVX     A,@R1
    C:0x0381    22       RET
    C:0x0382    8982     MOV      DPL(0x82),R1
    C:0x0384    8A83     MOV      DPH(0x83),R2
    C:0x0386    E4       CLR      A
    C:0x0387    93       MOVC     A,@A+DPTR
    C:0x0388    22       RET
                     C?CLDOPTR:
    C:0x0389    BB010C   CJNE     R3,#0x01,C:0398
    C:0x038C    E582     MOV      A,DPL(0x82)
    C:0x038E    29       ADD      A,R1
    C:0x038F    F582     MOV      DPL(0x82),A
    C:0x0391    E583     MOV      A,DPH(0x83)
    C:0x0393    3A       ADDC     A,R2
    C:0x0394    F583     MOV      DPH(0x83),A
    C:0x0396    E0       MOVX     A,@DPTR
    C:0x0397    22       RET
    C:0x0398    5006     JNC      C:03A0
    C:0x039A    E9       MOV      A,R1
    C:0x039B    2582     ADD      A,DPL(0x82)
    C:0x039D    F8       MOV      R0,A
    C:0x039E    E6       MOV      A,@R0
    C:0x039F    22       RET
    C:0x03A0    BBFE06   CJNE     R3,#OCRDL(0xFE),C:03A9
    C:0x03A3    E9       MOV      A,R1
    C:0x03A4    2582     ADD      A,DPL(0x82)
    C:0x03A6    F8       MOV      R0,A
    C:0x03A7    E2       MOVX     A,@R0
    C:0x03A8    22       RET
    C:0x03A9    E582     MOV      A,DPL(0x82)
    C:0x03AB    29       ADD      A,R1
    C:0x03AC    F582     MOV      DPL(0x82),A
    C:0x03AE    E583     MOV      A,DPH(0x83)
    C:0x03B0    3A       ADDC     A,R2
    C:0x03B1    F583     MOV      DPH(0x83),A
    C:0x03B3    E4       CLR      A
    C:0x03B4    93       MOVC     A,@A+DPTR
    C:0x03B5    22       RET
    
    And here is the partial disamsembly file from Hello.hex where it has movx cmd because I can't post the whole file:
    X03b6:	cjne	r3,#1,X03bf
    	mov	dpl,r1
    	mov	dph,r2
    	movx	@dptr,a
    	ret
    ;
    X03c3:	cjne	r3,#0feh,X03c7
    	movx	@r1,a
    X03c7:	ret
    ;
    X037d:	cjne	r3,#0feh,X0382
    	movx	a,@r1
    X0381:	ret
    ;
    X0389:	cjne	r3,#1,X0398
    	mov	a,dpl
    	add	a,r1
    	mov	dpl,a
    	mov	a,dph
    	addc	a,r2
    	mov	dph,a
    	movx	a,@dptr
    	ret
    ;
    X03a0:	cjne	r3,#0feh,X03a9
    	mov	a,r1
    	add	a,dpl
    	mov	r0,a
    	movx	a,@r0
    	ret
    
    The disassembler I'm using is D51.exe.

    Once again, thanks for your input.



    Best Regards,

    T.L

  • The first section of code looks like library code. The libraries can handle all sorts of pointers. Those CJNEs and JNCs you see are looking at the tag byte to figure out what kind of pointer it is. If you're not using xdata, then those branches of the code wouldn't actually be executed.

    I don't remember a xdata-free memory model with libraries that can't reference xdata at all. (Smaller than small? "Tiny"?) But then, I haven't looked in the manual.

  • Yep. That's pretty much it. The printf function takes generic pointers and, therefore, must have code that can access all memory areas.

    Disassembling a program like this and trying to examine it is pointless. It's like writing a book review based on the words from one paragraph in the middle of the novel.

    Jon

  • Thank you Jon and Drew for your explainations. I'm very comfortable programming 8051 with Assembly, but I'm totally new to C, please bare with me. One more thing here Jon as you said that

    The printf function takes generic pointers and,
    therefore, must have code that can access all memory areas
    Are there anyways to tell compiler not generate code that access all the memory areas if it's not needed? Because I see the assembly code is only few lines as it shows in the list file, but the hex code takes roughly more than 1kbyte at the compiling time (if I'm not mistaken because I'm away from my work now). This is not very efficient on the view of code size. Don't you agree? Or there is something that I'm missing here?

    Best Regards,
    T.L

  • Are there anyways to tell compiler not generate code that access all the memory areas if it's not needed?

    What you failed to understand so far is that the movx'es you found are not actually generated by the compiler. They're found in generic routines pulled in from the run-time library, by the linker.

    Nor does this code necessarily access unused memory classes --- it just has the potential to do so, in case that you did have stuff stored there. I.e. your code will only ever reach any of those movx instructions by exercising undefined behaviour.

    If you insist on doing so, the way to tell the tools not to link in these functions is to not call any library functions that operate on generic pointers (in the case at hand, printf()).

  • "Are there anyways to tell compiler not generate code that access all the memory areas if it's not needed?"

    The code to implement printf() was not generated when you compiled your code. printf is a module in a library what was generated by Keil as part of its toolchain distribution. For your code, use the small model and when using pointers in your routines, use explicit memory space qualifiers.

    "Because I see the assembly code is only few lines as it shows in the list file, but the hex code takes roughly more than 1kbyte at the compiling time ... Or there is something that I'm missing here?"

    More accurately, that would be "takes roughly more than 1kbyte at the linking time". Look at the linker map file and find out where all that code is coming from -- printf(), no doubt. Since this example does not need formatted output, printf() is overkill. Try using puts() instead and check the size.

  • Dear Hans and Dan,
    Thank you very much for your kind explanations. I'll try as your suggestions. It might take me a while to understand the whole process of linking, compiling, and calling library ...etc and so on. As Erik used to say: "It's bible time". I think I have to read more Keil C manual and try do digest it as much as I can. Besides, I'm also reading "C51 Primer", and "The Final Word on the 8051". Hopefully, after reading all this I'll get a better grasp of C programming for 8051.
    Once again thanks for your attentions. Have a great day.
    Best Regards,
    T.L

  • Wow!!!!
    I tried the puts instead of printf as Dan said, and the code went from 1186 bytes down to 251 bytes. It's amazing.
    One more question here forks: Is there any penalty for doing this? Because I see the "Hello World" print out on the screen seem to be a little bit slower than using printf. Is it just my feeling or it's something else that I don't know of?
    Thank you all.
    Best Regards,
    T.L

  • "I tried the puts instead of printf as Dan said, and the code went from 1186 bytes down to 251 bytes. It's amazing."

    It shouldn't be in the least amazing at all!

    Look at the description of printf in the Manual - it runs to five pages!
    It should thus be obvious that printf is an extrmely powerful and complex function - it should come as no surprise that it takes a lot of code to implement all that stuff!!

    See: http://www.keil.com/forum/docs/thread2741.asp

  • i like to met some one becouse i don't have no wife and no child so if the is one for me then let her cool me eney time i well be ther i am chritian and am 30 old and i am loking for eney one to start my new life with her

  • 
    i like to met some one becouse i don't have no wife and no child
    so if the is one for me then let her cool me eney time i well be ther i am chritian
    and am 30 old and i am loking for eney one to start my new life with her 
    What's wrong with this guy? What's he doing here?

    T.L

  • "What's he doing here?"

    Well, isn't it just the obvious place to look for a girlfriend...?

  • "Well, isn't it just the obvious place to look for a girlfriend...?"

    You aren't trying to tell me I've been wasting my time here all these years, are you?