NAME
as86 - Assembler for 8086..80386 processors
SYNOPSIS
as86 [-0123agjuw]
[-lm[list]] [-n name]
[-o obj] [-b[bin]] [-s sym]
[-t textseg] src
as86_encap prog.s prog.v [prefix_]
[as86_options]
DESCRIPTION
as86 is an assembler for the 8086..80386
processors, it's syntax is closer to the intel/microsoft form
rather than the more normal generic form of the unix system
assembler.
The src file can be '-' to assemble the standard input.
This assembler can be compiled to support the 6809 cpu and may
even work.
as86_encap is a shell script to call as86 and convert the
created binary into a C file prog.v to be included in or
linked with programs like boot block installers. The prefix_
argument is a prefix to be added to all variables defined by the
source, it defaults to the name of the source file. The variables
defined include prefix_start prefix_size and
prefix_data to define and contain the code, plus integers
containing the values of all exported labels. Either or both the
prog.s and prog.v arguments can be '-' for standard
in/out.
OPTIONS
- -0
- start with 16-bit code segment, warn for all instructions >
8086
- -1
- start with 16-bit code segment, warn for all instructions >
80186
- -2
- start with 16-bit code segment, warn for all instructions >
80286
- -3
- start with 32-bit code segment, don't warn for any
instructions. (not even 486 or 586)
- -a
- enable partial compatibility with Minix asld. This swaps the
interpretation of round brackets and square brackets as well as
making alterations to the code generation and syntax for 16bit
jumps and calls. ("jmp @(bx)" is then a valid instruction)
- -g
- only put global symbols in object or symbol file
- -j
- replace all short jumps with similar 16 or 32 bit jumps, the 16
bit conditional branches are encoded as a short conditional and a
long unconditional branch.
- -O
- this causes the assembler to add extra passes to try to use
forward references to reduce the bytes needed for some
instructions. If the labels move on the last pass the assembler
will keep adding passes until the labels all stabilise (to a
maximum of 30 passes) It's probably not a good idea to use this
with hand written assembler use the explicit
br bmi bcc style opcodes for 8086 code or the
jmp near style for conditional i386 instructions and
make sure all variables are defined before they are used.
- -l
- produce list file, filename may follow
- -m
- print macro expansions in listing
- -n
- name of module follows (goes in object instead of source name)
- -o
- produce object file, filename follows
- -b
- produce a raw binary file, filename may follow. This is a 'raw'
binary file with no header, if there's no -s option the file
starts at location 0.
- -s
- produce an ASCII symbol file, filename follows. The format of
this table is designed to be easy to parse for encapsulation and
related activities in relation to binary files created with the
-b option. If a binary file doesn't start at location zero
the first two items in the table are the start and end addresses of
the binary file.
- -u
- assume undefined symbols are imported-with-unspecified segment.
- -w-
- allow the assembler to print warning messages.
- -t n
- move all text segment data in segment n+3.
AS86 SOURCE
Special characters
- *
- Address of the start of the current line.
- ; !
- Either of these marks the start of a comment. In addition any
'unexpected' character at the start of a line is assumed to be a
comment (but it's also displayed to the terminal).
- $
- Prefix for hexadecimal numbers, the 'C' syntax, eg 0x1234,
is also accepted.
- %
- Prefix for binary numbers.
- #
- Prefix for immediate operands.
- [ ]
- Specifies an indirect operand.
Unlike MASM the assembler has no type information on labels just a
segment and offset. This means that the way this operator and the
immediate prefix work are like traditional assemblers.
Examples:
mov ax,bx
jmp bx
Direct register addressing, the jump copies BX into PC.
mov ax,[bx]
jmp [bx]
Simple indirect register addressing, the jump moves the contents of
the location specified by BX into the PC.
mov ax,#1234
Immediate value, ax becomes 1234.
mov ax,1234
mov ax,_hello
mov ax,[_hello]
Absolute addressing, ax is set to contents of location 1234. Note
the third option is not strictly consistant but is in place mainly
for asld compatibility.
mov ax,_table[bx]
mov ax,_table[bx+si]
mov eax,_table[ebx*4]
mov ax,[bx+_table]
mov ax,[bx+si+_table]
mov eax,[ebx*4+_table]
Indexed addressing, both formats are ok, I think the first is more
correct but I tend to used the second. :-)
Conditionals
- IF, ELSE, ELSEIF, ENDIF
- Numeric condition
- IFC, ELSEIFC
- String compare (str1,str2)
- FAIL .FAIL
- Generate user error. Segment related
- .TEXT .ROM .DATA .BSS
- Set current segment. These can be preceded by the keyword
.SECT
- LOC
- Set numeric segment 0=TEXT, 3=DATA,ROM,BSS, 14=MAX. The segment
order set by the linker is now 0,4,5,6,7,8,9,A,B,C,D,E,1,2,3.
Segment 0 and all segments above 3 are assumed to be text segment.
Note the 64k size restrictions are not imposed for segments 3-14.
Label type definition
- EXPORT PUBLIC .DEFINE
- Export label defined in this object
- ENTRY
- Force linker to include the specified label in a.out
- .GLOBL .GLOBAL
- Define label as external and force import even if it isn't
used.
- EXTRN EXTERN IMPORT .EXTERN
- Import list of externally defined labels
NB: It doesn't make sense to use imports for raw binary files.
- .ENTER
- Mark entry for old binary file (obs) Data definition
- DB .DATA1 .BYTE FCB
- List of 1 byte objects.
- DW .DATA2 .SHORT FDB .WORD
- List of 2 byte objects.
- DD .DATA4 .LONG
- List of 4 byte objects.
- .ASCII FCC
- Ascii string copied to output.
- .ASCIZ
- Ascii string copied to output with trailing nul byte.
Space definition
- .BLKB RMB .SPACE
- Space is counted in bytes.
- .BLKW .ZEROW
- Space is counted in words. (2 bytes each)
- COMM .COMM LCOMM .LCOMM
- Common area data definition Other useful pseudo operations.
- .ALIGN .EVEN
- Alignment
- EQU
- Define label
- SET
- Define re-definable label
- ORG .ORG
- Set assemble location
- BLOCK
- Set assemble location and stack old one
- ENDB
- Return to stacked assemble location
- GET INCLUDE
- Insert new file (no quotes on name)
- USE16 [cpu]
- Define default operand size as 16 bit, argument is cpu type the
code is expected to run on (86, 186, 286, 386, 486, 586)
instructions for cpus later than specified give a warning.
- USE32 [cpu]
- Define default operand size as 32 bit, argument is cpu type the
code is expected to run on (86, 186, 286, 386, 486, 586)
instructions for cpus later than specified give a warning. If the
cpu is not mentioned the assembler ensures it is >= 80386.
- END
- End of compilation for this file.
- .WARN
- Switch warnings
- .LIST
- Listings on/off (1,-1)
- .MACLIST
- Macro listings on/off (1,-1) Macros, now working, the general
form is like this.
MACRO sax
mov ax,#?1
MEND
sax(1)
- Unimplemented/unused.
- IDENT
- Define object identity string.
- SETDP
- Set DP value on 6809
- MAP
- Set binary symbol table map number.
- Registers
-
BP BX DI SI
EAX EBP EBX ECX EDI EDX ESI ESP
AX CX DX SP
AH AL BH BL CH CL DH DL
CS DS ES FS GS SS
CR0 CR2 CR3 DR0 DR1 DR2 DR3 DR6 DR7
TR3 TR4 TR5 TR6 TR7 ST
- Operand type specifiers
- BYTE DWORD FWORD FAR PTR PWORD QWORD TBYTE WORD NEAR
The 'near and 'far' do not allow multi-segment programming, all
'far' operations are specified explicitly through the use of the
instructions: jmpi, jmpf, callf, retf, etc. The 'Near' operator can
be used to force the use of 80386 16bit conditional branches. The
'Dword' and 'word' operators can control the size of operands on
far jumps and calls.
- General instructions.
- These are in general the same as the instructions found in any
8086 assembler, the main exceptions being a few 'Bcc' (BCC, BNE,
BGE, etc) instructions which are shorthands for a short branch plus
a long jump and 'BR' which is the longest unconditional jump (16 or
32 bit).
- Long branches
- BCC BCS BEQ BGE BGT BHI BHIS BLE BLO BLOS BLT BMI BNE BPC BPL
BPS BVC BVS BR
- Intersegment
- CALLI CALLF JMPI JMPF
- Segment modifier instructions
- ESEG FSEG GSEG SSEG
- Byte operation instructions
- ADCB ADDB ANDB CMPB DECB DIVB IDIVB IMULB INB INCB MOVB MULB
NEGB NOTB ORB OUTB RCLB RCRB ROLB RORB SALB SARB SHLB SHRB SBBB
SUBB TESTB XCHGB XORB
- Standard instructions
- AAA AAD AAM AAS ADC ADD AND ARPL BOUND BSF BSR BSWAP BT BTC BTR
BTS CALL CBW CDQ CLC CLD CLI CLTS CMC CMP CMPS CMPSB CMPSD CMPSW
CMPW CMPXCHG CSEG CWD CWDE DAA DAS DEC DIV DSEG ENTER HLT IDIV IMUL
IN INC INS INSB INSD INSW INT INTO INVD INVLPG INW IRET IRETD J JA
JAE JB JBE JC JCXE JCXZ JE JECXE JECXZ JG JGE JL JLE JMP JNA JNAE
JNB JNBE JNC JNE JNG JNGE JNL JNLE JNO JNP JNS JNZ JO JP JPE JPO JS
JZ LAHF LAR LDS LEA LEAVE LES LFS LGDT LGS LIDT LLDT LMSW LOCK LODB
LODS LODSB LODSD LODSW LODW LOOP LOOPE LOOPNE LOOPNZ LOOPZ LSL LSS
LTR MOV MOVS MOVSB MOVSD MOVSW MOVSX MOVW MOVZX MUL NEG NOP NOT OR
OUT OUTS OUTSB OUTSD OUTSW OUTW POP POPA POPAD POPF POPFD PUSH
PUSHA PUSHAD PUSHF PUSHFD RCL RCR RDMSR REP REPE REPNE REPNZ REPZ
RET RETF RETI ROL ROR SAHF SAL SAR SBB SCAB SCAS SCASB SCASD SCASW
SCAW SEG SETA SETAE SETB SETBE SETC SETE SETG SETGE SETL SETLE
SETNA SETNAE SETNB SETNBE SETNC SETNE SETNG SETNGE SETNL SETNLE
SETNO SETNP SETNS SETNZ SETO SETP SETPE SETPO SETS SETZ SGDT SHL
SHLD SHR SHRD SIDT SLDT SMSW STC STD STI STOB STOS STOSB STOSD
STOSW STOW STR SUB TEST VERR VERW WAIT WBINVD WRMSR XADD XCHG XLAT
XLATB XOR
- Floating point
- F2XM1 FABS FADD FADDP FBLD FBSTP FCHS FCLEX FCOM FCOMP FCOMPP
FCOS FDECSTP FDISI FDIV FDIVP FDIVR FDIVRP FENI FFREE FIADD FICOM
FICOMP FIDIV FIDIVR FILD FIMUL FINCSTP FINIT FIST FISTP FISUB
FISUBR FLD FLD1 FLDL2E FLDL2T FLDCW FLDENV FLDLG2 FLDLN2 FLDPI FLDZ
FMUL FMULP FNCLEX FNDISI FNENI FNINIT FNOP FNSAVE FNSTCW FNSTENV
FNSTSW FPATAN FPREM FPREM1 FPTAN FRNDINT FRSTOR FSAVE FSCALE FSETPM
FSIN FSINCOS FSQRT FST FSTCW FSTENV FSTP FSTSW FSUB FSUBP FSUBR
FSUBRP FTST FUCOM FUCOMP FUCOMPP FWAIT FXAM FXCH FXTRACT FYL2X
FYL2XP1
Using GASP
The Gnu assembler preprocessor provides some reasonable
implementations of user biased pseudo opcodes.
It can be invoked in a form similar to:
- gasp
- [-a...] file.s [file2.s] |
as86 [...] -
[-o obj] [-b bin] Be aware though that
Gasp generates an error for .org commands, if you're not
using alternate syntax you can use org instead, otherwise
use block and endb. The directive export is
translated into .global, which forces an import, if you are
making a file using -b use public or .define
instead.
The GASP list options have no support in as86.
SEE ALSO
as(1), ld86(1),
bcc(1)
BUGS
The 6809 version does not support -0, -3, -a or -j.
If this assembler is compiled with BCC this is classed as a
'small' compiler, so there is a maximum input line length of 256
characters and the instruction to cpu checking is not included.
The checking for instructions that work on specific cpus is
probably not complete, the distinction between 80186 and 80286 is
especially problematic.
The .text and .data pseudo operators are not
useful for raw binary files.
When using the org directive the assembler can generate
object files that may break ld86(1).