... Invoking ASxxxx
Starting an ASxxxx assembler without any arguments provides
the following option list and then exits:
Usage: [-Options] file
Usage: [-Options] outfile file1 [file2 file3 ...]
-d Decimal listing
-q Octal listing
-x Hex listing (default)
-g Undefined symbols made global
-a All user symbols made global
-b Display .define substitutions in listing
-bb and display without .define substitutions
-c Disable instruction cycle count in listing
-j Enable NoICE Debug Symbols
-y Enable SDCC Debug Symbols
-l Create list output (out)file[.lst]
-o Create object output (out)file[.rel]
-s Create symbol output (out)file[.sym]
-p Disable listing pagination
-u Disable .list/.nlist processing
-w Wide listing format for symbol table
-z Disable case sensitivity for symbols
-f Flag relocatable references by ` in listing file
-ff Flag relocatable references by mode in listing file
The ASxxxx assemblers are command line oriented. Most sytems
require the option(s) and file(s) arguments to follow the ASxxxx
assembler name:
as6809 -[Options] file
as6809 [-Options] outfile file1 [file2 ...]
Some systems may request the arguments after the assembler is
started at a system specific prompt:
as6809
argv: -[Options] file
as6809
argv: [-Options] outfile file1 [file2 ...]
The ASxxxx options in some more detail:
-d decimal listing
-q octal listing
-x hex listing (default)
The listing radix affects the
.lst, .rel, and .sym files.
-g undefined symbols made global
Unresolved (external) variables
and symbols are flagged as global.
-a all user symbols made global
All defined (not local or external)
variables and symbols are flagged
as global.
-b display .define substitutions in listing
If a .define substitution has been applied
to an assembler source line the source
line is printed with the substitution.
-bb and display without .define substitutions
If a .define substitution has been applied
to an assembler source line the source
line is first printed without substitution
followed by the line with the substitution.
-c Disable instruction cycle count in listing
This option overrides the listing option
'cyc' in the .list and .nlist directives.
Instruction cycle counts cannot be enabled
if the -c option is specified.
-j enable NOICE debug symbols
-y enable SDCC debug symbols
-l create list output (out)file.lst
If -s (symbol table output) is not
specified the symbol table is included
at the end of the listing file.
-o create object output (out)file.rel
-s create symbol output (out)file.sym
-p disable listing pagination
This option inhibits the generation
of a form-feed character and its
associated page header in the
assembler listing.
-u disable .list/.nlist processing
This option disables all .list and
.nlist directives. The listing mode
is .list with the options err, loc,
bin, eqt, cyc, lin, src, pag, lst,
and md. The options cyc and pag are
overridden by the -c and -p command
line options.
-w wide listing format for symbol table
-z disable case sensitivity for symbols
-f by ` in the listing file
-ff by mode in the listing file
Relocatable modess are flagged by byte
position (LSB, Byte 2, Byte 3, MSB)
*nMN paged,
uvUV unsigned,
rsRS signed,
pqPQ program counter relative.
The file name for the .lst, .rel, and .sym files is the first
file name specified in the command line. All output files are
ascii text files which may be edited, copied, etc. The output
files are the concatenation of all the input files, if files are
to be assembled independently invoke the assembler for each
file.
The .rel file contains a radix directive so that the linker
will use the proper conversion for this file. Linked files may
have different radices.
... Errors
The ASxxxx assemblers provide limited diagnostic error codes
during the assembly process, these errors will be noted in the
listing file and printed on the stderr device.
The assembler reports the errors on the stderr device as
?ASxxxx-Error-<*> in line nnn of filename
where * is the error code, nnn is the line number, and filename
is the source/include file.
The errors are:
(.) This error is caused by an absolute direct assign-
ment of the current location counter
. = expression (incorrect)
rather than the correct
. = . + expression
(a) Indicates a machine specific addressing or address-
ing mode error.
(b) Indicates a direct page boundary error.
(d) Indicates a direct page addressing error.
(e) Caused by a .error or .assume directive.
(i) Caused by an .include file error or an .if/.endif
mismatch.
(m) Multiple definitions of the same label, multiple
.module directives, multiple conflicting attributes
in an .area or .bank directive or the use of .hilo
and lohi within the same assembly.
(n) An .mexit, .endm, or .narg directive outside of a
macro, repeat block or indefinite repeat block.
(o) Directive or mnemonic error or the use of the .org
directive in a relocatable area.
(p) Phase error: label location changing between passes
2 and 3. Normally caused by having more than one
level of forward referencing.
(q) Questionable syntax: missing or improper operators,
terminators, or delimiters.
(r) Relocation error: logic operation attempted on a
relocatable term, addition of two relocatable terms,
subtraction of two relocatable terms not within the
same programming area or external symbols.
(s) String Substitution / recursion error.
(u) Undefined symbol encountered during assembly.
(z) Divide by 0 or Modulus by 0 error: result is 0.
... Listing File
The (-l) option produces an ascii output listing file. Each
page of output contains a five line header:
1. The ASxxxx program name and page number
2. Assembler Radix and Address Bits
3. Title from a .title directive (if any)
4. Subtitle from a .sbttl directive (if any)
5. Blank line
Each succeeding line contains five fields:
1. Error field (first two characters of line)
2. Current location counter
3. Generated code in byte format
4. Opcode cycles count
5. Source text line number
6. Source text
The error field may contain upto 2 error flags indicating any
errors encountered while assembling this line of source code.
The current location counter field displays the 16-bit,
24-bit, or 32-bit program position. This field will be in the
selected radix.
The generated code follows the program location. The listing
radix determines the number of bytes that will be displayed in
this field. Hexidecimal listing allows six bytes of data within
the field, decimal and octal allow four bytes within the field.
If more than one field of data is generated from the assembly of
a single line of source code, then the data field is repeated on
successive lines.
The opcode cycles count is printed within the delimiters [ ]
on the line with the source text. This reduces the number of
generated code bytes displayed on the line with the source list-
ing by one. (The -c option disables all opcode cycle listing.)
The source text line number is printed in decimal and is fol-
lowed by the source text. A Source line with a .page directive
is never listed. (The -u option overrides this behavior.)
Two additional options are available for printing the source
line text. If the -b option is specified then the listed source
line contains all the .define substitutions. If the -bb option
is specified then the original source line is printed before the
source line with substitutions.
Two data field options are available to flag those bytes
which will be relocated by the linker. If the -f option is
specified then each byte to be relocated will be preceeded by
the '`' character. If the -ff option is specified then each
byte to be relocated will be preceeded by one of the following
characters:
1. * paged relocation
2. u low byte of unsigned word or unsigned byte
3. v high byte of unsigned word
4. p PCR low byte of word relocation or PCR byte
5. q PCR high byte of word relocation
6. r low byte relocation or byte relocation
7. s high byte relocation
Assemblers which use 24-bit or 32-bit addressing use an ex-
tended flagging mode:
1. * paged relocation
2. u 1st byte of unsigned value
3. v 2nd byte of unsigned value
4. U 3rd byte of unsigned value
5. V 4th byte of unsigned value
6. p PCR 1st byte of relocation value or PCR byte
7. q PCR 2nd byte of relocation value
8. P PCR 3rd byte of relocation value
9. Q PCR 4th byte of relocation value
10. r 1st byte of relocation value or byte relocation
11. s 2nd byte of relocation value
12. R 3rd byte of relocation value
13. S 4th byte of relocation value
... Symbol Table File
The symbol table has two parts:
1. The alphabetically sorted list of symbols and/or labels
defined or referenced in the source program.
2. A list of the program areas defined during assembly of
the source program.
The sorted list of symbols and/or labels contains the follow-
ing information:
1. Program area number (none if absolute value or exter-
nal)
2. The symbol or label
3. Directly assigned symbol is denoted with an (=) sign
4. The value of a symbol, location of a label relative to
the program area base address (=0), or a **** indicat-
ing the symbol or label is undefined.
5. The characters: G - global, L - local, R - relocatable,
and X - external.
The list of program areas provides the correspondence between
the program area numbers and the defined program areas, the size
of the program areas, and the area flags (attributes).
... Object File
The object file is an ascii file containing the information
needed by the linker to bind multiple object modules into a com-
plete loadable memory image. The object module contains the
following designators:
[XDQ][HL][234]
X Hexidecimal radix
D Decimal radix
Q Octal radix
H Most significant byte first
L Least significant byte first
2 16-Bit Addressing
3 24-Bit Addressing
4 32-Bit Addressing
H Header
M Module
G Merge Mode
B Bank
A Area
S Symbol
T Object code
R Relocation information
P Paging information
Refer to the linker for a detailed description of each of the
designators and the format of the information contained in the
object file.
Return to the Assembler Index
... Exit the ASxxxx Documentation
Last Updated: April 2009