Uvision

ARM® Compiler v5.
06 for µVision®
Version 5
armasm User Guide
Copyright © 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 ARM. All rights reserved.
ARM DUI0379G
ARM® Compiler v5.06 for µVision®

armasm User Guide
Copyright © 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 ARM. All rights reserved.
Release Information
Document History
Issue Date Confidentiality Change

A May 2007 Non-Confidential Release for RVCT v3.1 for µVision
B December 2008 Non-Confidential Release for RVCT v4.0 for µVision
C June 2011 Non-Confidential Release for ARM Compiler v4.1 for µVision
D July 2012 Non-Confidential Release for ARM Compiler v5.02 for µVision
E 30 May 2014 Non-Confidential Release for ARM Compiler v5.04 for µVision
F 12 December 2014 Non-Confidential Release for ARM Compiler v5.05 for µVision
G 15 August 2015 Non-Confidential Release for ARM Compiler v5.06 for µVision
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The information in this document is Final, that is for a developed product.
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reserved.
Non-Confidential
Contents
ARM® Compiler v5.06 for µVision® armasm User
Guide
Preface
About this book ..................................................... ..................................................... 20
Chapter 1 Overview of the Assembler

1.1 About the ARM Compiler toolchain assemblers ...................................................... 1-23
1.2 Key features of the assembler ........................................ ........................................ 1-24
1.3 How the assembler works ........................................... ........................................... 1-25
1.4 Directives that can be omitted in pass 2 of the assembler ...................................... 1-27
Chapter 2 Overview of the ARM Architecture

2.1 About the ARM architecture .......................................... .......................................... 2-30
2.2 ARM, Thumb, and ThumbEE instruction sets ............................ ............................ 2-31
2.3 Changing between ARM, Thumb, and ThumbEE state ..................... ..................... 2-32
2.4 Processor modes, and privileged and unprivileged software execution .................. 2-33
2.5 Processor modes in ARMv6-M and ARMv7-M ........................... ........................... 2-34
2.6 VFP hardware .......................................................................................................... 2-35
2.7 ARM registers .......................................................................................................... 2-36
2.8 General-purpose registers ........................................... ........................................... 2-38
2.9 Register accesses ................................................. ................................................. 2-39
2.10 Predeclared core register names ...................................... ...................................... 2-40
2.11 Predeclared extension register names .................................................................... 2-41
2.12 Predeclared coprocessor names ...................................... ...................................... 2-42
reserved.
Non-Confidential
2.13 Program Counter .................................................. .................................................. 2-43
2.14 Application Program Status Register ................................... ................................... 2-44
2.15 The Q flag ................................................................................................................ 2-45
2.16 Current Program Status Register ............................................................................ 2-46
2.17 Saved Program Status Registers ............................................................................ 2-47
2.18 ARM and Thumb instruction set overview ............................... ............................... 2-48
2.19 Access to the inline barrel shifter ...................................... ...................................... 2-49
Chapter 3 Structure of Assembly Language Modules

3.1 Syntax of source lines in assembly language .......................................................... 3-51
3.2 Literals .......................................................... .......................................................... 3-53
3.3 ELF sections and the AREA directive ...................................................................... 3-54
3.4 An example ARM assembly language module ........................................................ 3-55
Chapter 4 Writing ARM Assembly Language

4.1 About the Unified Assembler Language .................................................................. 4-58
4.2 Register usage in subroutine calls ..................................... ..................................... 4-59
4.3 Load immediate values ............................................................................................ 4-60
4.4 Load immediate values using MOV and MVN ............................ ............................ 4-61
4.5 Load immediate values using MOV32 .................................. .................................. 4-64
4.6 Load immediate values using LDR Rd, =const ........................... ........................... 4-65
4.7 Literal pools ...................................................... ...................................................... 4-66
4.8 Load addresses into registers ........................................ ........................................ 4-68
4.9 Load addresses to a register using ADR ................................ ................................ 4-69
4.10 Load addresses to a register using ADRL ............................... ............................... 4-71
4.11 Load addresses to a register using LDR Rd, =label ................................................ 4-72
4.12 Other ways to load and store registers .................................................................... 4-74
4.13 Load and store multiple register instructions ............................. ............................. 4-75
4.14 Load and store multiple register instructions in ARM and Thumb ............. ............. 4-76
4.15 Stack implementation using LDM and STM .............................. .............................. 4-77
4.16 Stack operations for nested subroutines ................................ ................................ 4-79
4.17 Block copy with LDM and STM ................................................................................ 4-80
4.18 Memory accesses .................................................................................................... 4-82
4.19 The Read-Modify-Write operation ..................................... ..................................... 4-83
4.20 Optional hash with immediate constants ................................ ................................ 4-84
4.21 Use of macros .................................................... .................................................... 4-85
4.22 Test-and-branch macro example ...................................... ...................................... 4-86
4.23 Unsigned integer division macro example ............................... ............................... 4-87
4.24 Instruction and directive relocations ........................................................................ 4-89
4.25 Frame directives ...................................................................................................... 4-91
4.26 Exception tables and Unwind tables ........................................................................ 4-92
4.27 Assembly language changes after RVCT v2.1 ........................................................ 4-93
Chapter 5 Condition Codes

5.1 Conditional instructions ............................................. ............................................. 5-96
5.2 Conditional execution in ARM state .................................... .................................... 5-97
5.3 Conditional execution in Thumb state .................................. .................................. 5-98
5.4 Updates to the condition flags ........................................ ........................................ 5-99
5.5 Condition code suffixes and related flags .............................................................. 5-100
5.6 Comparison of condition code meanings in integer and floating-point code .... .... 5-101
reserved.
Non-Confidential
5.7 Benefits of using conditional execution ................................ ................................ 5-103
5.8 Example showing the benefits of using conditional instructions ............................ 5-104
5.9 Optimization for execution speed .......................................................................... 5-107
Chapter 6 Using the Assembler

6.1 armasm command-line syntax ....................................... ....................................... 6-109
6.2 Specify command-line options with an environment variable ................................ 6-110
6.3 Using stdin to input source code to the assembler ........................ ........................ 6-111
6.4 Built-in variables and constants ...................................... ...................................... 6-112
6.5 Identifying versions of armasm in source code ...................................................... 6-116
6.6 Diagnostic messages .............................................. .............................................. 6-117
6.7 Interlocks diagnostics .............................................. .............................................. 6-118
6.8 Automatic IT block generation ....................................... ....................................... 6-119
6.9 Thumb branch target alignment ...................................... ...................................... 6-120
6.10 Thumb code size diagnostics ................................................................................ 6-121
6.11 ARM and Thumb instruction portability diagnostics ....................... ....................... 6-122
6.12 Instruction width diagnostics .................................................................................. 6-123
6.13 Two pass assembler diagnostics ..................................... ..................................... 6-124
6.14 Conditional assembly .............................................. .............................................. 6-125
6.15 Using the C preprocessor ...................................................................................... 6-126
6.16 Address alignment ................................................ ................................................ 6-128
6.17 Instruction width selection in Thumb .................................. .................................. 6-129
Chapter 7 Symbols, Literals, Expressions, and Operators

7.1 Symbol naming rules .............................................. .............................................. 7-132
7.2 Variables ................................................................................................................ 7-133
7.3 Numeric constants ................................................ ................................................ 7-134
7.4 Assembly time substitution of variables ................................ ................................ 7-135
7.5 Register-relative and PC-relative expressions ........................... ........................... 7-136
7.6 Labels .................................................................................................................... 7-137
7.7 Labels for PC-relative addresses ..................................... ..................................... 7-138
7.8 Labels for register-relative addresses ................................. ................................. 7-139
7.9 Labels for absolute addresses ....................................... ....................................... 7-140
7.10 Numeric local labels ............................................... ............................................... 7-141
7.11 Syntax of numeric local labels ....................................... ....................................... 7-142
7.12 String expressions ................................................ ................................................ 7-143
7.13 String literals .......................................................................................................... 7-144
7.14 Numeric expressions .............................................. .............................................. 7-145
7.15 Syntax of numeric literals ........................................... ........................................... 7-146
7.16 Syntax of floating-point literals ....................................... ....................................... 7-147
7.17 Logical expressions ............................................... ............................................... 7-148
7.18 Logical literals ........................................................................................................ 7-149
7.19 Unary operators .................................................. .................................................. 7-150
7.20 Binary operators .................................................................................................... 7-151
7.21 Multiplicative operators .......................................................................................... 7-152
7.22 String manipulation operators ................................................................................ 7-153
7.23 Shift operators ................................................... ................................................... 7-154
7.24 Addition, subtraction, and logical operators ............................. ............................. 7-155
7.25 Relational operators ............................................... ............................................... 7-156
7.26 Boolean operators ................................................ ................................................ 7-157
reserved.
Non-Confidential
7.27 Operator precedence .............................................. .............................................. 7-158
7.28 Difference between operator precedence in assembly language and C ....... ....... 7-159
Chapter 8 VFP Programming

8.1 Architecture support for VFP ........................................ ........................................ 8-163
8.2 Half-precision extension for VFP ..................................... ..................................... 8-164
8.3 Fused Multiply-Add extension for VFP .................................................................. 8-165
8.4 Extension register bank mapping in VFP ............................... ............................... 8-166
8.5 VFP views of the extension register bank .............................. .............................. 8-168
8.6 Load values to VFP registers ........................................ ........................................ 8-169
8.7 Conditional execution of VFP instructions .............................. .............................. 8-170
8.8 Floating-point exceptions in VFP ..................................... ..................................... 8-171
8.9 VFP data types ...................................................................................................... 8-172
8.10 Extended notation extension for VFP .................................................................... 8-173
8.11 VFP system registers .............................................. .............................................. 8-174
8.12 Flush-to-zero mode ............................................... ............................................... 8-175
8.13 When to use flush-to-zero mode in VFP ................................................................ 8-176
8.14 The effects of using flush-to-zero mode in VFP .......................... .......................... 8-177
8.15 VFP operations not affected by flush-to-zero mode .............................................. 8-178
8.16 VFP vector mode ................................................. ................................................. 8-179
8.17 Vectors in the VFP extension register bank ............................. ............................. 8-180
8.18 VFP vector wrap-around ........................................................................................ 8-182
8.19 VFP vector stride ................................................. ................................................. 8-183
8.20 Restriction on vector length ......................................... ......................................... 8-184
8.21 Control of scalar, vector, and mixed operations .......................... .......................... 8-185
8.22 Overview of VFP directives and vector notation .................................................... 8-186
8.23 Pre-UAL VFP syntax and mnemonics ................................. ................................. 8-187
8.24 Vector notation ................................................... ................................................... 8-189
8.25 VFPASSERT SCALAR .......................................................................................... 8-190
8.26 VFPASSERT VECTOR .......................................................................................... 8-191
Chapter 9 Assembler Command-line Options

9.1 --16 ........................................................................................................................ 9-195
9.2 --32 ........................................................................................................................ 9-196
9.3 --apcs=qualifier…qualifier ...................................................................................... 9-197
9.4 --arm ...................................................................................................................... 9-199
9.5 --arm_only ...................................................... ...................................................... 9-200
9.6 --bi ............................................................ ............................................................ 9-201
9.7 --bigend ........................................................ ........................................................ 9-202
9.8 --brief_diagnostics, --no_brief_diagnostics ............................................................ 9-203
9.9 --checkreglist .................................................... .................................................... 9-204
9.10 --compatible=name ................................................................................................ 9-205
9.11 --cpreproc .............................................................................................................. 9-206
9.12 --cpreproc_opts=option[,option,…] ........................................................................ 9-207
9.13 --cpu=list ................................................................................................................ 9-208
9.14 --cpu=name ..................................................... ..................................................... 9-209
9.15 --debug ......................................................... ......................................................... 9-211
9.16 --depend=dependfile .............................................. .............................................. 9-212
9.17 --depend_format=string ............................................ ............................................ 9-213
9.18 --diag_error=tag[,tag,…] ........................................................................................ 9-214
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.19 --diag_remark=tag[,tag,…] .......................................... .......................................... 9-215
9.20 --diag_style={arm|ide|gnu} .......................................... .......................................... 9-216
9.21 --diag_suppress=tag[,tag,…] ........................................ ........................................ 9-217
9.22 --diag_warning=tag[,tag,…] ......................................... ......................................... 9-218
9.23 --dllexport_all .................................................... .................................................... 9-219
9.24 --dwarf2 ........................................................ ........................................................ 9-220
9.25 --dwarf3 ........................................................ ........................................................ 9-221
9.26 --errors=errorfile .................................................. .................................................. 9-222
9.27 --execstack, --no_execstack .................................................................................. 9-223
9.28 --execute_only ................................................... ................................................... 9-224
9.29 --exceptions, --no_exceptions ....................................... ....................................... 9-225
9.30 --exceptions_unwind, --no_exceptions_unwind .......................... .......................... 9-226
9.31 --fpmode=model .................................................. .................................................. 9-227
9.32 --fpu=list ........................................................ ........................................................ 9-228
9.33 --fpu=name ............................................................................................................ 9-229
9.34 -g ............................................................. ............................................................. 9-231
9.35 --help .......................................................... .......................................................... 9-232
9.36 -idir[,dir, …] ............................................................................................................ 9-233
9.37 --keep .......................................................... .......................................................... 9-234
9.38 --length=n .............................................................................................................. 9-235
9.39 --li ............................................................. ............................................................. 9-236
9.40 --library_type=lib .................................................................................................... 9-237
9.41 --liclinger=seconds ................................................ ................................................ 9-238
9.42 --licretry .................................................................................................................. 9-239
9.43 --list=file ........................................................ ........................................................ 9-240
9.44 --list= ...................................................................................................................... 9-241
9.45 --littleend ................................................................................................................ 9-242
9.46 -m ............................................................. ............................................................. 9-243
9.47 --maxcache=n ........................................................................................................ 9-244
9.48 --md ........................................................... ........................................................... 9-245
9.49 --no_code_gen ................................................... ................................................... 9-246
9.50 --no_esc ........................................................ ........................................................ 9-247
9.51 --no_hide_all .......................................................................................................... 9-248
9.52 --no_regs ....................................................... ....................................................... 9-249
9.53 --no_terse .............................................................................................................. 9-250
9.54 --no_warn ....................................................... ....................................................... 9-251
9.55 -o filename ...................................................... ...................................................... 9-252
9.56 --pd ........................................................................................................................ 9-253
9.57 --predefine "directive" ............................................................................................ 9-254
9.58 --reduce_paths, --no_reduce_paths ...................................................................... 9-255
9.59 --regnames ............................................................................................................ 9-256
9.60 --report-if-not-wysiwyg ............................................. ............................................. 9-257
9.61 --show_cmdline .................................................. .................................................. 9-258
9.62 --split_ldm .............................................................................................................. 9-259
9.63 --thumb .................................................................................................................. 9-260
9.64 --thumbx ........................................................ ........................................................ 9-261
9.65 --unaligned_access, --no_unaligned_access ........................................................ 9-262
9.66 --unsafe ........................................................ ........................................................ 9-263
9.67 --untyped_local_labels ............................................. ............................................. 9-264
9.68 --version_number ................................................. ................................................. 9-265
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.69 --via=filename ........................................................................................................ 9-266
9.70 --vsn ........................................................... ........................................................... 9-267
9.71 --width=n ................................................................................................................ 9-268
9.72 --xref ...................................................................................................................... 9-269
Chapter 10 ARM and Thumb Instructions

10.1 ARM and Thumb instruction summary ................................................................ 10-274
10.2 Instruction width specifiers ......................................... ......................................... 10-281
10.3 Flexible second operand (Operand2) .................................................................. 10-282
10.4 Syntax of Operand2 as a constant ...................................................................... 10-283
10.5 Syntax of Operand2 as a register with optional shift ..................... ..................... 10-284
10.6 Shift operations .................................................................................................... 10-285
10.7 Saturating instructions ............................................ ............................................ 10-288
10.8 Condition code suffixes ........................................... ........................................... 10-289
10.9 ADC .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-290
10.10 ADD .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-292
10.11 ADR (PC-relative) ................................................................................................ 10-295
10.12 ADR (register-relative) ............................................ ............................................ 10-297
10.13 ADRL pseudo-instruction .......................................... .......................................... 10-299
10.14 AND .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-301
10.15 ASR .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-303
10.16 B .......................................................................................................................... 10-305
10.17 BFC .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-307
10.18 BFI ........................................................... ........................................................... 10-308
10.19 BIC ........................................................... ........................................................... 10-309
10.20 BKPT ......................................................... ......................................................... 10-311
10.21 BL ........................................................................................................................ 10-312
10.22 BLX ...................................................................................................................... 10-314
10.23 BX ........................................................................................................................ 10-316
10.24 BXJ ...................................................................................................................... 10-318
10.25 CBZ and CBNZ .................................................................................................... 10-319
10.26 CDP and CDP2 ................................................. ................................................. 10-320
10.27 CLREX ........................................................ ........................................................ 10-321
10.28 CLZ ...................................................................................................................... 10-322
10.29 CMP and CMN .................................................. .................................................. 10-323
10.30 CPS .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-325
10.31 CPY pseudo-instruction ........................................... ........................................... 10-327
10.32 DBG .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-328
10.33 DMB .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-329
10.34 DSB .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-331
10.35 EOR .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-333
10.36 ERET ......................................................... ......................................................... 10-335
10.37 HVC .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-336
10.38 ISB ........................................................... ........................................................... 10-337
10.39 IT ............................................................ ............................................................ 10-338
10.40 LDC and LDC2 .................................................................................................... 10-340
10.41 LDM .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-342
10.42 LDR (immediate offset) ........................................................................................ 10-344
10.43 LDR (PC-relative) ................................................................................................ 10-347
10.44 LDR (register offset) ............................................................................................ 10-350
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.45 LDR (register-relative) ............................................ ............................................ 10-353
10.46 LDR pseudo-instruction ........................................... ........................................... 10-356
10.47 LDR, unprivileged ................................................................................................ 10-358
10.48 LDREX ........................................................ ........................................................ 10-360
10.49 LSL ...................................................................................................................... 10-362
10.50 LSR ...................................................................................................................... 10-364
10.51 MCR and MCR2 .................................................................................................. 10-366
10.52 MCRR and MCRR2 .............................................. .............................................. 10-367
10.53 MLA .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-368
10.54 MLS .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-369
10.55 MOV .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-370
10.56 MOV32 pseudo-instruction .................................................................................. 10-372
10.57 MOVT .................................................................................................................. 10-373
10.58 MRC and MRC2 .................................................................................................. 10-374
10.59 MRRC and MRRC2 .............................................. .............................................. 10-375
10.60 MRS (PSR to general-purpose register) .............................................................. 10-376
10.61 MRS (system coprocessor register to ARM register) .......................................... 10-378
10.62 MSR (ARM register to system coprocessor register) .......................................... 10-379
10.63 MSR (general-purpose register to PSR) .............................................................. 10-380
10.64 MUL .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-382
10.65 MVN .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-384
10.66 NEG pseudo-instruction ........................................... ........................................... 10-386
10.67 NOP .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-387
10.68 ORN (Thumb only) ............................................... ............................................... 10-388
10.69 ORR .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-389
10.70 PKHBT and PKHTB .............................................. .............................................. 10-391
10.71 PLD and PLI ........................................................................................................ 10-393
10.72 POP .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-395
10.73 PUSH ......................................................... ......................................................... 10-397
10.74 QADD .................................................................................................................. 10-398
10.75 QADD8 ................................................................................................................ 10-399
10.76 QADD16 .............................................................................................................. 10-400
10.77 QASX ......................................................... ......................................................... 10-401
10.78 QDADD ................................................................................................................ 10-402
10.79 QDSUB ................................................................................................................ 10-403
10.80 QSAX ......................................................... ......................................................... 10-404
10.81 QSUB ......................................................... ......................................................... 10-405
10.82 QSUB8 ........................................................ ........................................................ 10-406
10.83 QSUB16 ....................................................... ....................................................... 10-407
10.84 RBIT .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-408
10.85 REV .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-409
10.86 REV16 ........................................................ ........................................................ 10-410
10.87 REVSH ........................................................ ........................................................ 10-411
10.88 RFE .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-412
10.89 ROR .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-414
10.90 RRX .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-416
10.91 RSB .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-418
10.92 RSC .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-420
10.93 SADD8 ........................................................ ........................................................ 10-422
10.94 SADD16 ....................................................... ....................................................... 10-423
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.95 SASX ......................................................... ......................................................... 10-424
10.96 SBC .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-426
10.97 SBFX ......................................................... ......................................................... 10-428
10.98 SDIV .................................................................................................................... 10-429
10.99 SEL ...................................................................................................................... 10-430
10.100 SETEND .............................................................................................................. 10-432
10.101 SEV .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-433
10.102 SHADD8 .............................................................................................................. 10-434
10.103 SHADD16 ............................................................................................................ 10-435
10.104 SHASX ........................................................ ........................................................ 10-436
10.105 SHSAX ........................................................ ........................................................ 10-437
10.106 SHSUB8 .............................................................................................................. 10-438
10.107 SHSUB16 ............................................................................................................ 10-439
10.108 SMC .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-440
10.109 SMLAxy ....................................................... ....................................................... 10-441
10.110 SMLAD ................................................................................................................ 10-443
10.111 SMLAL ........................................................ ........................................................ 10-444
10.112 SMLALD .............................................................................................................. 10-445
10.113 SMLALxy ...................................................... ...................................................... 10-446
10.114 SMLAWy .............................................................................................................. 10-447
10.115 SMLSD ................................................................................................................ 10-448
10.116 SMLSLD .............................................................................................................. 10-449
10.117 SMMLA ................................................................................................................ 10-450
10.118 SMMLS ................................................................................................................ 10-451
10.119 SMMUL ................................................................................................................ 10-452
10.120 SMUAD ................................................................................................................ 10-453
10.121 SMULxy ....................................................... ....................................................... 10-454
10.122 SMULL ........................................................ ........................................................ 10-455
10.123 SMULWy .............................................................................................................. 10-456
10.124 SMUSD ................................................................................................................ 10-457
10.125 SRS .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-458
10.126 SSAT ......................................................... ......................................................... 10-460
10.127 SSAT16 ....................................................... ....................................................... 10-461
10.128 SSAX ......................................................... ......................................................... 10-462
10.129 SSUB8 ........................................................ ........................................................ 10-463
10.130 SSUB16 ....................................................... ....................................................... 10-464
10.131 STC and STC2 .................................................................................................... 10-465
10.132 STM .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-467
10.133 STR (immediate offset) ........................................................................................ 10-469
10.134 STR (register offset) ............................................................................................ 10-472
10.135 STR, unprivileged ................................................................................................ 10-475
10.136 STREX ........................................................ ........................................................ 10-477
10.137 SUB .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-479
10.138 SUBS pc, lr .......................................................................................................... 10-481
10.139 SVC .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-483
10.140 SWP and SWPB .................................................................................................. 10-484
10.141 SXTAB ........................................................ ........................................................ 10-485
10.142 SXTAB16 ...................................................... ...................................................... 10-486
10.143 SXTAH ........................................................ ........................................................ 10-487
10.144 SXTB ......................................................... ......................................................... 10-488
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.145 SXTB16 ....................................................... ....................................................... 10-489
10.146 SXTH ......................................................... ......................................................... 10-490
10.147 SYS .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-492
10.148 TBB and TBH ................................................... ................................................... 10-493
10.149 TEQ .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-494
10.150 TST ...................................................................................................................... 10-496
10.151 UADD8 ........................................................ ........................................................ 10-497
10.152 UADD16 ....................................................... ....................................................... 10-498
10.153 UASX ......................................................... ......................................................... 10-499
10.154 UBFX ......................................................... ......................................................... 10-501
10.155 UDIV .................................................................................................................... 10-502
10.156 UHADD8 .............................................................................................................. 10-503
10.157 UHADD16 ............................................................................................................ 10-504
10.158 UHASX ................................................................................................................ 10-505
10.159 UHSAX ................................................................................................................ 10-506
10.160 UHSUB8 .............................................................................................................. 10-507
10.161 UHSUB16 ............................................................................................................ 10-508
10.162 UMAAL ................................................................................................................ 10-509
10.163 UMLAL ........................................................ ........................................................ 10-510
10.164 UMULL ........................................................ ........................................................ 10-511
10.165 UND pseudo-instruction ........................................... ........................................... 10-512
10.166 UQADD8 .............................................................................................................. 10-513
10.167 UQADD16 ............................................................................................................ 10-514
10.168 UQASX ................................................................................................................ 10-515
10.169 UQSAX ................................................................................................................ 10-516
10.170 UQSUB8 .............................................................................................................. 10-517
10.171 UQSUB16 ............................................................................................................ 10-518
10.172 USAD8 ........................................................ ........................................................ 10-519
10.173 USADA8 .............................................................................................................. 10-520
10.174 USAT ......................................................... ......................................................... 10-521
10.175 USAT16 ....................................................... ....................................................... 10-522
10.176 USAX ......................................................... ......................................................... 10-523
10.177 USUB8 ........................................................ ........................................................ 10-525
10.178 USUB16 ....................................................... ....................................................... 10-526
10.179 UXTAB ........................................................ ........................................................ 10-527
10.180 UXTAB16 ...................................................... ...................................................... 10-528
10.181 UXTAH ........................................................ ........................................................ 10-530
10.182 UXTB ......................................................... ......................................................... 10-531
10.183 UXTB16 ....................................................... ....................................................... 10-532
10.184 UXTH ......................................................... ......................................................... 10-533
10.185 WFE .......................................................... .......................................................... 10-534
10.186 WFI ...................................................................................................................... 10-535
10.187 YIELD .................................................................................................................. 10-536
Chapter 11 VFP Instructions

11.1 Summary of VFP instructions .............................................................................. 11-539
11.2 VABS (floating-point) ............................................. ............................................. 11-541
11.3 VADD (floating-point) ............................................. ............................................. 11-542
11.4 VCMP, VCMPE .................................................................................................... 11-543
11.5 VCVT (between single-precision and double-precision) ...................................... 11-544
reserved.
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11.6 VCVT (between floating-point and integer) .......................................................... 11-545
11.7 VCVT (between floating-point and fixed-point) .................................................... 11-546
11.8 VCVTB, VCVTT (half-precision extension) .......................................................... 11-547
11.9 VDIV .......................................................... .......................................................... 11-548
11.10 VFMA, VFMS, VFNMA, VFNMS (floating-point) .................................................. 11-549
11.11 VLDM (floating-point) ............................................. ............................................. 11-550
11.12 VLDR (floating-point) ............................................. ............................................. 11-551
11.13 VLDR (post-increment and pre-decrement, floating-point) .................................. 11-552
11.14 VLDR pseudo-instruction .......................................... .......................................... 11-553
11.15 VMLA (floating-point) ............................................. ............................................. 11-554
11.16 VMLS (floating-point) ............................................. ............................................. 11-555
11.17 VMOV (floating-point) .......................................................................................... 11-556
11.18 VMOV (between one ARM register and single precision VFP) ............. ............. 11-557
11.19 VMOV (between two ARM registers and one or two extension registers) ..... ..... 11-558
11.20 VMOV (between an ARM register and half a double precision VFP register) .. .. 11-559
11.21 VMRS ......................................................... ......................................................... 11-560
11.22 VMSR ......................................................... ......................................................... 11-561
11.23 VMUL (floating-point) ............................................. ............................................. 11-562
11.24 VNEG (floating-point) ............................................. ............................................. 11-563
11.25 VNMLA (floating-point) ............................................ ............................................ 11-564
11.26 VNMLS (floating-point) ............................................ ............................................ 11-565
11.27 VNMUL (floating-point) ........................................................................................ 11-566
11.28 VPOP (floating-point) ............................................. ............................................. 11-567
11.29 VPUSH (floating-point) ............................................ ............................................ 11-568
11.30 VSQRT ........................................................ ........................................................ 11-569
11.31 VSTM (floating-point) ............................................. ............................................. 11-570
11.32 VSTR (floating-point) ............................................. ............................................. 11-571
11.33 VSTR (post-increment and pre-decrement, floating-point) .................................. 11-572
11.34 VSUB (floating-point) ............................................. ............................................. 11-573
Chapter 12 Directives Reference

12.1 Alphabetical list of directives ....................................... ....................................... 12-576
12.2 About assembly control directives ................................... ................................... 12-577
12.3 About frame directives ............................................ ............................................ 12-578
12.4 ALIAS ......................................................... ......................................................... 12-579
12.5 ALIGN .................................................................................................................. 12-580
12.6 AREA ......................................................... ......................................................... 12-582
12.7 ARM or CODE32 ................................................ ................................................ 12-585
12.8 ASSERT .............................................................................................................. 12-586
12.9 ATTR ......................................................... ......................................................... 12-587
12.10 CN ........................................................... ........................................................... 12-588
12.11 CODE16 .............................................................................................................. 12-589
12.12 COMMON ............................................................................................................ 12-590
12.13 CP ........................................................................................................................ 12-591
12.14 DATA .................................................................................................................... 12-592
12.15 DCB .......................................................... .......................................................... 12-593
12.16 DCD and DCDU ................................................. ................................................. 12-594
12.17 DCDO .................................................................................................................. 12-595
12.18 DCFD and DCFDU .............................................................................................. 12-596
12.19 DCFS and DCFSU ............................................... ............................................... 12-597
reserved.
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12.20 DCI ........................................................... ........................................................... 12-598
12.21 DCQ and DCQU .................................................................................................. 12-599
12.22 DCW and DCWU ................................................ ................................................ 12-600
12.23 DN and SN ..................................................... ..................................................... 12-601
12.24 END .......................................................... .......................................................... 12-602
12.25 ENDFUNC or ENDP ............................................................................................ 12-603
12.26 ENTRY ........................................................ ........................................................ 12-604
12.27 EQU .......................................................... .......................................................... 12-605
12.28 EXPORT or GLOBAL .......................................................................................... 12-606
12.29 EXPORTAS .................................................... .................................................... 12-608
12.30 FIELD ......................................................... ......................................................... 12-609
12.31 FRAME ADDRESS .............................................................................................. 12-610
12.32 FRAME POP ........................................................................................................ 12-611
12.33 FRAME PUSH .................................................. .................................................. 12-612
12.34 FRAME REGISTER .............................................. .............................................. 12-613
12.35 FRAME RESTORE .............................................................................................. 12-614
12.36 FRAME RETURN ADDRESS .............................................................................. 12-615
12.37 FRAME SAVE ...................................................................................................... 12-616
12.38 FRAME STATE REMEMBER .............................................................................. 12-617
12.39 FRAME STATE RESTORE .................................................................................. 12-618
12.40 FRAME UNWIND ON .......................................................................................... 12-619
12.41 FRAME UNWIND OFF ........................................................................................ 12-620
12.42 FUNCTION or PROC ............................................. ............................................. 12-621
12.43 GBLA, GBLL, and GBLS .......................................... .......................................... 12-622
12.44 GET or INCLUDE ................................................................................................ 12-623
12.45 IF, ELSE, ENDIF, and ELIF .................................................................................. 12-624
12.46 IMPORT and EXTERN ........................................................................................ 12-626
12.47 INCBIN ........................................................ ........................................................ 12-628
12.48 INFO .................................................................................................................... 12-629
12.49 KEEP ......................................................... ......................................................... 12-630
12.50 LCLA, LCLL, and LCLS ........................................... ........................................... 12-631
12.51 LTORG ........................................................ ........................................................ 12-632
12.52 MACRO and MEND .............................................. .............................................. 12-633
12.53 MAP .......................................................... .......................................................... 12-636
12.54 MEXIT .................................................................................................................. 12-637
12.55 NOFP ......................................................... ......................................................... 12-638
12.56 OPT .......................................................... .......................................................... 12-639
12.57 RELOC ................................................................................................................ 12-641
12.58 REQUIRE ............................................................................................................ 12-642
12.59 REQUIRE8 and PRESERVE8 ...................................... ...................................... 12-643
12.60 RLIST ......................................................... ......................................................... 12-644
12.61 RN ........................................................... ........................................................... 12-645
12.62 ROUT ......................................................... ......................................................... 12-646
12.63 SETA, SETL, and SETS ...................................................................................... 12-647
12.64 SPACE or FILL .................................................................................................... 12-648
12.65 THUMB ................................................................................................................ 12-649
12.66 THUMBX ...................................................... ...................................................... 12-650
12.67 TTL and SUBT .................................................. .................................................. 12-651
12.68 WHILE and WEND .............................................................................................. 12-652
reserved.
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Chapter 13 Via File Syntax
13.1 Overview of via files .............................................. .............................................. 13-654
13.2 Via file syntax rules .............................................................................................. 13-655
reserved.
Non-Confidential
List of Figures
Guide
Figure 2-1 Organization of general-purpose registers and Program Status Registers ........................... 2-37
Figure 8-1 VFP extension register bank ............................................................................................... 8-166
Figure 8-2 VFPv2 register banks .......................................................................................................... 8-180
Figure 8-3 VFPv3 register banks .......................................................................................................... 8-180
Figure 10-1 ASR #3 .............................................................................................................................. 10-285
Figure 10-2 LSR #3 ............................................................................................................................... 10-286
Figure 10-3 LSL #3 ............................................................................................................................... 10-286
Figure 10-4 ROR #3 .............................................................................................................................. 10-286
Figure 10-5 RRX ................................................................................................................................... 10-287
reserved.
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List of Tables
Guide
Table 2-1 ARM processor modes .......................................................................................................... 2-33

Table 2-2 Predeclared core registers .................................................................................................... 2-40
Table 2-3 Predeclared extension registers ............................................................................................ 2-41
Table 2-4 Predeclared coprocessor registers ........................................................................................ 2-42
Table 2-5 Instruction groups .................................................................................................................. 2-48
Table 4-1 ARM state immediate values (8-bit) ...................................................................................... 4-61
Table 4-2 ARM state immediate values in MOV instructions ................................................................. 4-61
Table 4-3 32-bit Thumb immediate values ............................................................................................ 4-62
Table 4-4 32-bit Thumb immediate values in MOV instructions ............................................................ 4-63
Table 4-5 Stack-oriented suffixes and equivalent addressing mode suffixes ........................................ 4-77
Table 4-6 Suffixes for load and store multiple instructions .................................................................... 4-77
Table 4-7 Changes from earlier ARM assembly language .................................................................... 4-93
Table 4-8 Relaxation of requirements .................................................................................................... 4-93
Table 4-9 Differences between pre-UAL Thumb syntax and UAL syntax ............................................. 4-94
Table 5-1 Condition code suffixes and related flags ............................................................................ 5-100
Table 5-2 Condition codes ................................................................................................................... 5-101
Table 5-3 Conditional branches only ................................................................................................... 5-104
Table 5-4 All instructions conditional ................................................................................................... 5-105
Table 6-1 Built-in variables ................................................................................................................... 6-112
Table 6-2 Built-in Boolean constants ................................................................................................... 6-113
Table 6-3 Predefined macros ............................................................................................................... 6-113
Table 6-4 {TARGET_ARCH_ARM} in relation to {TARGET_ARCH_THUMB} ..................................... 6-114
reserved.
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Table 6-5 Command-line options ......................................................................................................... 6-126
Table 6-6 armcc equivalent command-line options ............................................................................. 6-126
Table 7-1 Unary operators that return strings ...................................................................................... 7-150
Table 7-2 Unary operators that return numeric or logical values ......................................................... 7-150
Table 7-3 Multiplicative operators ........................................................................................................ 7-152
Table 7-4 String manipulation operators .............................................................................................. 7-153
Table 7-5 Shift operators ..................................................................................................................... 7-154
Table 7-6 Addition, subtraction, and logical operators ......................................................................... 7-155
Table 7-7 Relational operators ............................................................................................................ 7-156
Table 7-8 Boolean operators ............................................................................................................... 7-157
Table 7-9 Operator precedence in ARM assembly language .............................................................. 7-159
Table 7-10 Operator precedence in C ................................................................................................... 7-159
Table 8-1 VFP data type specifiers ...................................................................................................... 8-172
Table 8-2 Pre-UAL VFP mnemonics ................................................................................................... 8-187
Table 8-3 Floating-point values for use with FCONST ........................................................................ 8-188
Table 9-1 Compatible processor or architecture combinations ........................................................... 9-205
Table 9-2 Severity of diagnostic messages ......................................................................................... 9-214
Table 9-3 Specifying a command-line option and an AREA directive for GNU-stack sections ........... 9-223
Table 10-1 Summary of ARM and Thumb instructions ........................................................................ 10-274
Table 10-2 Condition code suffixes ..................................................................................................... 10-289
Table 10-3 PC-relative offsets ............................................................................................................. 10-295
Table 10-4 Register-relative offsets ..................................................................................................... 10-297
Table 10-5 B instruction availability and range .................................................................................... 10-305
Table 10-6 BL instruction availability and range .................................................................................. 10-312
Table 10-7 BLX instruction availability and range ................................................................................ 10-314
Table 10-8 BX instruction availability and range .................................................................................. 10-316
Table 10-9 BXJ instruction availability and range ................................................................................ 10-318
Table 10-10 Offsets and architectures, LDR, word, halfword, and byte ................................................ 10-344
Table 10-11 PC-relative offsets ............................................................................................................. 10-348
Table 10-12 Options and architectures, LDR (register offsets) ............................................................. 10-351
Table 10-13 Register-relative offsets ..................................................................................................... 10-353
Table 10-14 Offsets and architectures, LDR (User mode) .................................................................... 10-358
Table 10-15 Offsets and architectures, STR, word, halfword, and byte ................................................ 10-469
Table 10-16 Options and architectures, STR (register offsets) ............................................................. 10-472
Table 10-17 Offsets and architectures, STR (User mode) .................................................................... 10-475
Table 10-18 Range and encoding of expr ............................................................................................. 10-512
Table 11-1 Summary of VFP instructions ............................................................................................ 11-539
Table 12-1 List of directives ................................................................................................................. 12-576
Table 12-2 OPT directive settings ....................................................................................................... 12-639
reserved.
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Preface
This preface introduces the ARM® Compiler v5.06 for µVision® armasm User Guide.
It contains the following:
• About this book on page 20.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
Preface
About this book
About this book

ARM® Compiler for µVision® armasm User Guide. This document provides topic-based documentation
for the ARM assembler (armasm). It contains information on command-line options, instruction sets, and
assembler directives, and is available as PDF.
Using this book

This book is organized into the following chapters:
Chapter 1 Overview of the Assembler
Gives an overview of the assemblers provided with ARM® Compiler toolchain.
Chapter 2 Overview of the ARM Architecture
Gives an overview of the ARM architecture.
Chapter 3 Structure of Assembly Language Modules
Describes the structure of assembly language source files.
Chapter 4 Writing ARM Assembly Language
Describes the use of a few basic assembly language instructions and the use of macros.
Chapter 5 Condition Codes
Describes condition codes and the conditional execution of ARM and Thumb code.
Chapter 6 Using the Assembler
Describes how to use the ARM assembler, armasm.
Chapter 7 Symbols, Literals, Expressions, and Operators
Describes how you can use symbols to represent variables, addresses, and constants in code, and
how you can combine these with operators to create numeric or string expressions.
Chapter 8 VFP Programming
Describes the assembly programming of VFP hardware.
Chapter 9 Assembler Command-line Options
Describes the command-line options supported by the ARM assembler, armasm.
Chapter 10 ARM and Thumb Instructions
Describes the ARM and Thumb instructions supported by the ARM assembler, armasm.
Chapter 11 VFP Instructions
Describes the assembly programming of the VFP hardware.
Chapter 12 Directives Reference
Describes the directives that are provided by the ARM assembler, armasm.
Chapter 13 Via File Syntax
Describes the syntax of via files accepted by armasm.
Glossary
The ARM Glossary is a list of terms used in ARM documentation, together with definitions for those
terms. The ARM Glossary does not contain terms that are industry standard unless the ARM meaning
differs from the generally accepted meaning.
See the ARM Glossary for more information.
Typographic conventions
italic
Introduces special terminology, denotes cross-references, and citations.
bold
Highlights interface elements, such as menu names. Denotes signal names. Also used for terms
in descriptive lists, where appropriate.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
Preface
About this book
monospace
Denotes text that you can enter at the keyboard, such as commands, file and program names,
and source code.
monospace
Denotes a permitted abbreviation for a command or option. You can enter the underlined text
instead of the full command or option name.
monospace italic
Denotes arguments to monospace text where the argument is to be replaced by a specific value.
monospace bold
Denotes language keywords when used outside example code.
<and>
Encloses replaceable terms for assembler syntax where they appear in code or code fragments.
For example:
MRC p15, 0, <Rd>, <CRn>, <CRm>, <Opcode_2>
SMALL CAPITALS
Used in body text for a few terms that have specific technical meanings, that are defined in the
ARM glossary. For example, IMPLEMENTATION DEFINED, IMPLEMENTATION SPECIFIC, UNKNOWN, and
UNPREDICTABLE.
Feedback
Feedback on this product

If you have any comments or suggestions about this product, contact your supplier and give:
• The product name.
• The product revision or version.
• An explanation with as much information as you can provide. Include symptoms and diagnostic
procedures if appropriate.
Feedback on content
If you have comments on content then send an e-mail to [email protected]. Give:
• The title ARM® Compiler v5.06 for µVision® armasm User Guide.
• The number ARM DUI0379G.
• If applicable, the page number(s) to which your comments refer.
• A concise explanation of your comments.
ARM also welcomes general suggestions for additions and improvements.
Note
ARM tests the PDF only in Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat Reader, and cannot guarantee the quality of the
represented document when used with any other PDF reader.
Other information
• ARM Information Center.
• ARM Technical Support Knowledge Articles.
• Support and Maintenance.
• ARM Glossary.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
Chapter 1
Overview of the Assembler
Gives an overview of the assemblers provided with ARM® Compiler toolchain.

It contains the following sections:
• 1.1 About the ARM Compiler toolchain assemblers on page 1-23.
• 1.2 Key features of the assembler on page 1-24.
• 1.3 How the assembler works on page 1-25.
• 1.4 Directives that can be omitted in pass 2 of the assembler on page 1-27.
ARM DUI0379G Copyright © 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 ARM. All rights 1-22
reserved.
Non-Confidential
1 Overview of the Assembler
1.1 About the ARM Compiler toolchain assemblers
1.1 About the ARM Compiler toolchain assemblers

The ARM Compiler toolchain provides different assemblers.
They are:
• A freestanding assembler, armasm.
• An optimizing inline assembler and a non-optimizing embedded assembler built into the C and C++
compilers. These use the same syntax for assembly instructions.
Note
Be aware of the following:
• Generated code might be different between two ARM Compiler releases.
• For a feature release, there might be significant code generation differences.
Note
The command-line option descriptions and related information in the individual ARM Compiler tools
documents describe all the features that ARM Compiler supports. Any features not documented are not
supported and are used at your own risk. You are responsible for making sure that any generated code
using unsupported features is operating correctly.
Related information
Using the Inline and Embedded Assemblers of the ARM Compiler.
reserved.
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1.2 Key features of the assembler
1.2 Key features of the assembler

The ARM assembler supports instructions, directives, and user-defined macros.
It supports:
• Unified Assembly Language (UAL) for both ARM and Thumb® code.
• Vector Floating Point (VFP) instructions in ARM and Thumb code.
• Directives in assembly source code.
• Processing of user-defined macros.
Related concepts
1.3 How the assembler works on page 1-25.
4.1 About the Unified Assembler Language on page 4-58.
4.21 Use of macros on page 4-85.
Related references
Chapter 12 Directives Reference on page 12-574.
reserved.
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1.3 How the assembler works

The ARM assembler reads the assembly language source code twice before it outputs object code. Each
read of the source code is called a pass.
This is because assembly language source code often contains forward references. A forward reference
occurs when a label is used as an operand, for example as a branch target, earlier in the code than the
definition of the label. The assembler cannot know the address of the forward reference label until it
reads the definition of the label.
During each pass, the assembler performs different functions. In the first pass, the assembler:
• Checks the syntax of the instruction or directive. It faults if there is an error in the syntax, for
example if a label is specified on a directive that does not accept one.
• Determines the size of the instruction and data being assembled and reserves space.
• Determines offsets of labels within sections.
• Creates a symbol table containing label definitions and their memory addresses.
In the second pass, the assembler:
• Faults if an undefined reference is specified in an instruction operand or directive.
• Encodes the instructions using the label offsets from pass 1, where applicable.
• Generates relocations.
• Generates debug information if requested.
• Outputs the object file.
Memory addresses of labels are determined and finalized in the first pass. Therefore, the assembly code
must not change during the second pass. All instructions must be seen in both passes. Therefore you
must not define a symbol after a :DEF: test for the symbol. The assembler faults if it sees code in pass 2
that was not seen in pass 1.
Line not seen in pass 1

The following example shows that num EQU 42 is not seen in pass 1 but is seen in pass 2:
AREA x,CODE
[ :DEF: foo
num EQU 42
]
foo DCD num
END
Assembling this code generates the error:

A1903E: Line not seen in first pass; cannot be assembled.
Line not seen in pass 2

The following example shows that MOV r1,r2 is seen in pass 1 but not in pass 2:
AREA x,CODE
[ :LNOT: :DEF: foo
MOV r1, r2
]
foo MOV r3, r4
END
Assembling this code generates the error:

A1909E: Line not seen in second pass; cannot be assembled.
Related concepts
6.13 Two pass assembler diagnostics on page 6-124.
4.24 Instruction and directive relocations on page 4-89.
reserved.
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Related references
1.4 Directives that can be omitted in pass 2 of the assembler on page 1-27.
9.18 --diag_error=tag[,tag,…] on page 9-214.
9.15 --debug on page 9-211.
reserved.
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1.4 Directives that can be omitted in pass 2 of the assembler

Most directives must appear in both passes of the assembly process. You can omit some directives from
the second pass over the source code by the assembler, but doing this is strongly discouraged.
Directives that can be omitted from pass 2 are:
• GBLA, GBLL, GBLS.
• LCLA, LCLL, LCLS.
• SETA, SETL, SETS.
• RN, RLIST.
• CN, CP.
• SN, DN.
• EQU.
• MAP, FIELD.
• GET, INCLUDE.
• IF, ELSE, ELIF, ENDIF.
• WHILE, WEND.
• ASSERT.
• ATTR.
• COMMON.
• EXPORTAS.
• IMPORT.
• EXTERN.
• KEEP.
• MACRO, MEND, MEXIT.
• REQUIRE8.
• PRESERVE8.
Note
Macros that appear only in pass 1 and not in pass 2 must contain only these directives.
ASSERT directive appears in pass 1 only

The code in the following example assembles without error although the ASSERT directive does not
appear in pass 2:
AREA ||.text||,CODE
x EQU 42
IF :LNOT: :DEF: sym
ASSERT x == 42
ENDIF
sym EQU 1
END
Use of ELSE and ELIF directives

Directives that appear in pass 2 but do not appear in pass 1 cause an assembly error. However, this does
not cause an assembly error when using the ELSE and ELIF directives if their matching IF directive
appears in pass 1. The following example assembles without error because the IF directive appears in
pass 1:
AREA ||.text||,CODE
x EQU 42
IF :DEF: sym
ELSE
ASSERT x == 42
ENDIF
sym EQU 1
END
reserved.
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Related concepts
reserved.
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Chapter 2
Overview of the ARM Architecture
Gives an overview of the ARM architecture.

• 2.1 About the ARM architecture on page 2-30.
• 2.2 ARM, Thumb, and ThumbEE instruction sets on page 2-31.
• 2.3 Changing between ARM, Thumb, and ThumbEE state on page 2-32.
• 2.4 Processor modes, and privileged and unprivileged software execution on page 2-33.
• 2.5 Processor modes in ARMv6-M and ARMv7-M on page 2-34.
• 2.6 VFP hardware on page 2-35.
• 2.7 ARM registers on page 2-36.
• 2.8 General-purpose registers on page 2-38.
• 2.9 Register accesses on page 2-39.
• 2.10 Predeclared core register names on page 2-40.
• 2.11 Predeclared extension register names on page 2-41.
• 2.12 Predeclared coprocessor names on page 2-42.
• 2.13 Program Counter on page 2-43.
• 2.14 Application Program Status Register on page 2-44.
• 2.15 The Q flag on page 2-45.
• 2.16 Current Program Status Register on page 2-46.
• 2.17 Saved Program Status Registers on page 2-47.
• 2.18 ARM and Thumb instruction set overview on page 2-48.
• 2.19 Access to the inline barrel shifter on page 2-49.
reserved.
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2 Overview of the ARM Architecture
2.1 About the ARM architecture
2.1 About the ARM architecture

The ARM architecture is a load-store architecture, with a 32-bit addressing range.
ARM processors are typical of RISC processors in that only load and store instructions can access
memory. Data processing instructions operate on register contents only.
It is assumed that you are using a processor that implements the ARMv4 or later architecture. All these
processors have a 32-bit addressing range.
Related information
ARM Architecture Reference Manual.
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2.2 ARM, Thumb, and ThumbEE instruction sets
2.2 ARM, Thumb, and ThumbEE instruction sets

ARM instructions are 32 bits wide. Thumb instructions are 16 or 32-bits wide.
The ARM instruction set is a set of 32-bit instructions providing a comprehensive range of operations.
ARMv4T and later define a 16-bit instruction set called Thumb. Most of the functionality of the 32-bit
ARM instruction set is available, but some operations require more instructions. The Thumb instruction
set provides better code density, at the expense of performance.
ARMv6T2 introduces Thumb-2 technology. This is a major enhancement to the Thumb instruction set by
providing 32-bit Thumb instructions. The 32-bit and 16-bit Thumb instructions together provide almost
exactly the same functionality as the ARM instruction set. This version of the Thumb instruction set
achieves the high performance of ARM code along with the benefits of better code density.
ARMv7 includes Thumb-2 technology. ARMv7-M only supports the Thumb instruction set. Therefore,
interworking instructions in ARMv7-M must not attempt to change to ARM state. ARMv7-R supports
both ARM and Thumb instruction sets.
ARMv7 defines the Thumb Execution Environment (ThumbEE). The ThumbEE instruction set is based
on Thumb, with some changes and additions to make it a better target for dynamically generated code,
that is, code compiled on the device either shortly before or during execution.
Note
ARM deprecates the use of ThumbEE instructions.
Related references
2.18 ARM and Thumb instruction set overview on page 2-48.
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2.3 Changing between ARM, Thumb, and ThumbEE state
2.3 Changing between ARM, Thumb, and ThumbEE state

The processor must be in the correct instruction set state for the instructions it is executing.
A processor that is executing ARM instructions is operating in ARM state. A processor that is executing
Thumb instructions is operating in Thumb state. A processor that is executing ThumbEE instructions is
operating in ThumbEE state. A processor can also operate in another state called the Jazelle® state. These
are called instruction set states. The assembler cannot directly assemble code for the Jazelle state.
A processor in one instruction set state cannot execute instructions from another instruction set. For
example, a processor in ARM state cannot execute Thumb instructions, and a processor in Thumb state
cannot execute ARM instructions. You must ensure that the processor never receives instructions of the
wrong instruction set for the current state.
The initial state after reset depends on the processor being used and its configuration.
To direct the assembler to generate ARM or Thumb instruction encodings, you must set the assembler
mode using an ARM or THUMB directive. To generate ThumbEE code, use the THUMBX directive. Assembly
code using CODE32 and CODE16 directives can still be assembled, but ARM recommends using ARM and
THUMB for new code.
These directives do not change the instruction set state of the processor. To do this, you must use an
appropriate instruction, for example BX or BLX to change between ARM and Thumb states when
performing a branch.
Related references
10.22 BLX on page 10-314.
10.23 BX on page 10-316.
12.7 ARM or CODE32 on page 12-585.
12.65 THUMB on page 12-649.
12.66 THUMBX on page 12-650.
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2.4 Processor modes, and privileged and unprivileged software execution
2.4 Processor modes, and privileged and unprivileged software execution

The ARM architecture supports different levels of execution privilege. The privilege level depends on
the processor mode.
Note
ARMv6-M and ARMv7-M do not support the same modes as other ARM architectures and profiles. The
processor modes listed here do not apply to ARMv6-M and ARMv7-M.
Table 2-1 ARM processor modes
Processor mode Architectures Mode number
User All 0b10000
FIQ All 0b10001
IRQ All 0b10010
Supervisor All 0b10011
Monitor Security Extensions only 0b10110
Abort All 0b10111
Hyp Virtualization Extensions only 0b11010
Undefined All 0b11011
System ARMv4 and later 0b11111
User mode is an unprivileged mode, and has restricted access to system resources. All other modes have
full access to system resources in the current security state, can change mode freely, and execute
software as privileged.
Applications that require task protection usually execute in User mode. Some embedded applications
might run entirely in any mode other than User mode. An application that requires full access to system
resources usually executes in System mode.
Modes other than User mode are entered to service exceptions, or to access privileged resources.
On an implementation that includes the Security Extensions, in all modes except Monitor mode and Hyp
mode, code can run in either a secure state or in a non-secure state. In Monitor mode, code can only run
in a secure state, and in Hyp mode, code can only run in a non-secure state.
Related concepts
2.5 Processor modes in ARMv6-M and ARMv7-M on page 2-34.
Related information
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2.5 Processor modes in ARMv6-M and ARMv7-M
2.5 Processor modes in ARMv6-M and ARMv7-M

The processor modes available in ARMv6-M and ARMv7-M are Thread mode and Handler mode.
Thread mode is the normal mode that programs run in. Thread mode can be privileged or unprivileged
software execution. Handler mode is the mode that exceptions are handled in. It is always privileged
software execution.
Related concepts
2.4 Processor modes, and privileged and unprivileged software execution on page 2-33.
Related information
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2.6 VFP hardware
2.6 VFP hardware

There are several VFP architecture versions and variants.
The VFP hardware, together with associated support code, provides single-precision and double-
precision floating-point arithmetic, as defined by ANSI/IEEE Std. 754-1985 IEEE Standard for Binary
Floating-Point Arithmetic. This document is referred to as the IEEE 754 standard.
The VFP hardware uses a register bank that is distinct from the ARM core register bank.
There are several versions of the VFP architecture, including VFPv2, VFPv3, VFPv3 with half precision
extensions, and VFPv4. In addition, FPv5 is available for ARM Cortex®-M7 processors. There are
variants of VFPv3 and VFPv4 that differ in the number of accessible registers or in their support for
trapping floating-point exceptions.
Related concepts
8.1 Architecture support for VFP on page 8-163.
8.2 Half-precision extension for VFP on page 8-164.
8.5 VFP views of the extension register bank on page 8-168.
Related references
Chapter 8 VFP Programming on page 8-161.
Related information
Vector Floating-Point (VFP) architectures.
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2.7 ARM registers
2.7 ARM registers

ARM processors provide general-purpose and special-purpose registers. Some additional registers are
available in privileged execution modes.
In all ARM processors, the following registers are available and accessible in any processor mode:
• 13 general-purpose registers R0-R12.
• One Stack Pointer (SP).
• One Link Register (LR).
• One Program Counter (PC).
• One Application Program Status Register (APSR).
Note
The Link Register can also be used as a general-purpose register. The Stack Pointer can be used as a
general-purpose register in ARM state only.
Additional registers are available in privileged software execution.

ARM processors, with the exception of ARMv6-M and ARMv7-M based processors, have a total of 37
registers, with 3 additional registers if the Security Extensions are implemented, and in ARMv7-A only,
3 more if the Virtualization Extensions are implemented. The registers are arranged in partially
overlapping banks. There is a different register bank for each processor mode. The banked registers give
rapid context switching for dealing with processor exceptions and privileged operations.
The additional registers that are available in privileged software execution, with the exception of
ARMv6-M and ARMv7-M, are:
• Two Supervisor mode registers for banked SP and LR.
• Two Abort mode registers for banked SP and LR.
• Two Undefined mode registers for banked SP and LR.
• Two Interrupt mode registers for banked SP and LR.
• Seven FIQ mode registers for banked R8-R12, SP and LR.
• Two Monitor mode registers for banked SP and LR. These are only present if the Security Extensions
are implemented.
• Two Hyp mode registers for banked SP, and to hold the return address from Hyp mode. These are
only present if the Virtualization Extensions are implemented.
• One Saved Program Status Register (SPSR) for each exception mode.
Note
In privileged software execution, CPSR is an alias for APSR and gives access to additional bits.
The following figure shows how the registers are banked in the ARM architecture except ARMv6-M and
ARMv7-M:
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2.7 ARM registers
Application
level view System level views
Privileged modes
Exception modes
User System Hyp Supervisor Monitor Abort Undefined IRQ FIQ

mode mode mode † mode mode ‡ mode mode mode mode
R0 R0_usr
R1 R1_usr
R2 R2_usr
R3 R3_usr
R4 R4_usr
R5 R5_usr
R6 R6_usr
R7 R7_usr
R8 R8_usr R8_fiq
R9 R9_usr R9_fiq
R10 R10_usr R10_fiq
R11 R11_usr R11_fiq
R12 R12_usr R12_fiq
SP SP_usr SP_hyp† SP_svc SP_mon ‡ SP_abt SP_und SP_irq SP_fiq
LR LR_usr LR_svc LR_mon ‡ LR_abt LR_und LR_irq LR_fiq
PC PC
APSR CPSR
SPSR_hyp† SPSR_svc SPSR_mon ‡ SPSR_abt SPSR_und SPSR_irq SPSR_fiq
ELR_hyp†
† Hyp mode and the associated banked registers are implemented only as part of the Virtualization Extensions
‡ Monitor mode and the associated banked registers are implemented only as part of the Security Extensions
Figure 2-1 Organization of general-purpose registers and Program Status Registers
In ARMv6-M and ARMv7-M based processors, SP is an alias for the two banked stack pointer registers:
• Main stack pointer register, which is only available in privileged software execution.
• Process stack pointer register.
Related concepts
2.8 General-purpose registers on page 2-38.
2.13 Program Counter on page 2-43.
2.14 Application Program Status Register on page 2-44.
2.17 Saved Program Status Registers on page 2-47.
2.16 Current Program Status Register on page 2-46.
Related information
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2.8 General-purpose registers
2.8 General-purpose registers

There are restrictions on the use of SP and LR as general-purpose registers.
With the exception of ARMv6-M and ARMv7-M based processors, there are 30 (or 32 if Security
Extensions are implemented) general-purpose 32-bit registers, that include the banked SP and LR
registers. Fifteen general-purpose registers are visible at any one time, depending on the current
processor mode. These are R0-R12, SP, LR. The PC (R15) is not considered a general-purpose register.
SP (or R13) is the stack pointer. The C and C++ compilers always use SP as the stack pointer. Use of SP
as a general purpose register is discouraged. In Thumb, SP is strictly defined as the stack pointer. The
instruction descriptions mention when SP and PC can be used.
In User mode, LR (or R14) is used as a link register to store the return address when a subroutine call is
made. It can also be used as a general-purpose register if the return address is stored on the stack.
In the exception handling modes, LR holds the return address for the exception, or a subroutine return
address if subroutine calls are executed within an exception. LR can be used as a general-purpose register
if the return address is stored on the stack.
Note
When using the --use_frame_pointer option with armcc, do not use R11 as a general-purpose register.
Related concepts
2.9 Register accesses on page 2-39.
Related references
2.10 Predeclared core register names on page 2-40.
10.60 MRS (PSR to general-purpose register) on page 10-376.
10.63 MSR (general-purpose register to PSR) on page 10-380.
Related information
--use_frame_pointer (compiler option).
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2.9 Register accesses
2.9 Register accesses

16-bit Thumb instructions can access only a limited set of registers. There are also some restrictions on
the use of special-purpose registers by ARM and 32-bit Thumb instructions.
Most 16-bit Thumb instructions can only access R0 to R7. Only a small number of these instructions can
access R8-R12, SP, LR, and PC. Registers R0 to R7 are called Lo registers. Registers R8-R12, SP, LR,
and PC are called Hi registers.
All 32-bit Thumb instructions can access R0 to R12, and LR. However, apart from a few designated
stack manipulation instructions, most Thumb instructions cannot use SP. Except for a few specific
instructions where PC is useful, most Thumb instructions cannot use PC.
In ARM state, all instructions can access R0 to R12, SP, and LR, and most instructions can also access
PC (R15). However, the use of the SP in an ARM instruction, in any way that is not possible in the
corresponding Thumb instruction, is deprecated. Explicit use of the PC in an ARM instruction is not
usually useful, and except for specific instances that are useful, such use is deprecated. Implicit use of the
PC, for example in branch instructions or load (literal) instructions, is never deprecated.
The MRS instructions can move the contents of a status register to a general-purpose register, where they
can be manipulated by normal data processing operations. You can use the MSR instruction to move the
contents of a general-purpose register to a status register.
Related concepts
4.19 The Read-Modify-Write operation on page 4-83.
Related references
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2.10 Predeclared core register names
2.10 Predeclared core register names

Many of the core register names have synonyms.
The following table shows the predeclared core registers:
Table 2-2 Predeclared core registers
Register names Meaning
r0-r15 and R0-R15 General purpose registers.
a1-a4 Argument, result or scratch registers. These are synonyms for R0 to R3
v1-v8 Variable registers. These are synonyms for R4 to R11.
sb and SB Static base register. This is a synonym for R9.
ip and IP Intra procedure call scratch register. This is a synonym for R12.
sp and SP Stack pointer. This is a synonym for R13.
lr and LR Link register. This is a synonym for R14.
pc and PC Program counter. This is a synonym for R15.
With the exception of a1-a4 and v1-v8, you can write the registers either in all upper case or all lower
case.
Related concepts
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2.11 Predeclared extension register names
2.11 Predeclared extension register names

You can write the names of VFP registers either in upper case or lower case.
The following extension register names are predeclared:
Table 2-3 Predeclared extension registers
Register names Meaning
d0-d31 and D0-D31 VFP double-precision registers.

Note
Some versions of VFP have sixteen double-precision registers, D0-D15.
s0-s31 and S0-S31 VFP single-precision registers
Related concepts
8.4 Extension register bank mapping in VFP on page 8-166.
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2.12 Predeclared coprocessor names
2.12 Predeclared coprocessor names

There are ranges of predeclared coprocessor names and coprocessor register names. All names are case-
sensitive.
Table 2-4 Predeclared coprocessor registers
Register name Meaning
p0-p15 Coprocessors 0-15

c0-c15 Coprocessor registers 0-15
Related references
10.26 CDP and CDP2 on page 10-320.
10.51 MCR and MCR2 on page 10-366.
10.58 MRC and MRC2 on page 10-374.
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2.13 Program Counter
2.13 Program Counter

You can use the Program Counter explicitly, for example in some ARM data processing instructions, and
implicitly, for example in branch instructions.
The Program Counter (PC) is accessed as PC (or R15). It is incremented by the size of the instruction
executed (which is always four bytes in ARM state). Branch instructions load the destination address into
PC. You can also load the PC directly using data processing instructions. For example, to branch to the
address in a general purpose register, use:
MOV PC,R0
During execution, PC does not contain the address of the currently executing instruction. The address of
the currently executing instruction is typically PC–8 for ARM, or PC–4 for Thumb.
Note
ARM recommends you use the BX instruction to jump to an address or to return from a function, rather
than writing to the PC directly.
Related concepts
7.5 Register-relative and PC-relative expressions on page 7-136.
Related references
10.16 B on page 10-305.
10.21 BL on page 10-312.
10.22 BLX on page 10-314.
10.23 BX on page 10-316.
10.24 BXJ on page 10-318.
10.25 CBZ and CBNZ on page 10-319.
10.148 TBB and TBH on page 10-493.
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2.14 Application Program Status Register
2.14 Application Program Status Register

The Application Program Status Register (APSR) holds the program status flags that are accessible in
any processor mode.
It holds copies of the N, Z, C, and V condition flags. The processor uses them to determine whether or
not to execute conditional instructions.
On ARMv5TE, ARMv6 and later architectures, the APSR also holds the Q (saturation) flag.
On ARMv6 and later, the APSR also holds the GE (Greater than or Equal) flags. The GE flags can be set
by the parallel add and subtract instructions. They are used by the SEL instruction to perform byte-based
selection from two registers.
These flags are accessible in all modes, using the MSR and MRS instructions.
Related concepts
5.1 Conditional instructions on page 5-96.
5.4 Updates to the condition flags on page 5-99.
Related references
10.99 SEL on page 10-430.
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2.15 The Q flag
2.15 The Q flag

The Q flag indicates overflow or saturation. It is one of the program status flags held in the APSR.
In ARMv5TE, ARMv6 and later, the Q flag is set to 1 when saturation has occurred in saturating
arithmetic instructions, or when overflow has occurred in certain multiply instructions.
The Q flag is a sticky flag. Although the saturating and certain multiply instructions can set the flag, they
cannot clear it. You can execute a series of such instructions, and then test the flag to find out whether
saturation or overflow occurred at any point in the series, without having to check the flag after each
instruction.
To clear the Q flag, use an MSR instruction to read-modify-write the APSR:
MRS r5, APSR
BIC r5, r5, #(1<<27)
MSR APSR_nzcvq, r5
The state of the Q flag cannot be tested directly by the condition codes. To read the state of the Q flag,
use an MRS instruction.
MRS r6, APSR
TST r6, #(1<<27); Z is clear if Q flag was set
Related concepts
Related references
10.74 QADD on page 10-398.
10.121 SMULxy on page 10-454.
10.123 SMULWy on page 10-456.
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2.16 Current Program Status Register
2.16 Current Program Status Register

The Current Program Status Register (CPSR) holds the same program status flags as the APSR, and
some additional information.
The CPSR holds:
• The APSR flags.
• The processor mode.
• The interrupt disable flags.
• The instruction set state (ARM, Thumb, ThumbEE, or Jazelle).
• The endianness state (on ARMv4T and later).
• The execution state bits for the IT block (on ARMv6T2 and later).
The execution state bits control conditional execution in the IT block.
Only the APSR flags are accessible in all modes. ARM deprecates using an MSR instruction to change the
endianness bit (E) of the CPSR, in any mode. SETEND is the preferred instruction to write to the E bit.
The execution state bits for the IT block (IT[1:0]), Jazelle bit (J), and Thumb bit (T) can be accessed by
MRS only in Debug state.
Note
The CSPR is not present in ARMv6-M and ARMv7-M processors.
Related concepts
Related references
10.39 IT on page 10-338.
10.100 SETEND on page 10-432.
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2.17 Saved Program Status Registers
2.17 Saved Program Status Registers

A Saved Program Status Register (SPSR) stores the current value of the CPSR when an exception is
taken so that the CPSR can be restored after handling the exception.
Each exception handling mode can access its own SPSR. User mode and System mode do not have an
SPSR because they are not exception handling modes.
The execution state bits, including the endianness state and current instruction set state can be accessed
from the SPSR in any exception mode, using the MSR and MRS instruction. You cannot access the SPSR
using MSR or MRS in User or System mode.
Related concepts
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2.18 ARM and Thumb instruction set overview
2.18 ARM and Thumb instruction set overview

ARM and Thumb instructions can be grouped by functional area.
All ARM instructions are 32 bits long. Instructions are stored word-aligned, so the least significant two
bits of instruction addresses are always zero in ARM state.
Thumb instructions are either 16 or 32 bits long. Instructions are stored half-word aligned. Some
instructions use the least significant bit of the address to determine whether the code being branched to is
Thumb code or ARM code.
Before the introduction of 32-bit Thumb instructions, the Thumb instruction set was limited to a
restricted subset of the functionality of the ARM instruction set. Almost all Thumb instructions were 16-
bit. Together, the 32-bit and 16-bit Thumb instructions provide functionality that is almost identical to
that of the ARM instruction set.
The following table describes some of the functional groupings of the available instructions:
Table 2-5 Instruction groups
Instruction Group Description
Branch and control These instructions do the following:

• Branch to subroutines.
• Branch backwards to form loops.
• Branch forward in conditional structures.
• Make following instructions conditional without branching.
• Change the processor between ARM state and Thumb state.
Data processing These instructions operate on the general-purpose registers. They can perform operations such as addition,
subtraction, or bitwise logic on the contents of two registers and place the result in a third register. They can
also operate on the value in a single register, or on a value in a register and an immediate value supplied within
the instruction.
Long multiply instructions give a 64-bit result in two registers.
Register load and These instructions load or store the value of a single register from or to memory. They can load or store a 32-
store bit word, a 16-bit halfword, or an 8-bit unsigned byte. Byte and halfword loads can either be sign extended or
zero extended to fill the 32-bit register.
A few instructions are also defined that can load or store 64-bit doubleword values into two 32-bit registers.
Multiple register load These instructions load or store any subset of the general-purpose registers from or to memory.
and store
Status register access These instructions move the contents of a status register to or from a general-purpose register.
Coprocessor These instructions support a general way to extend the ARM architecture. They also enable the control of the
CP15 System Control coprocessor registers.
Related concepts
4.13 Load and store multiple register instructions on page 4-75.
Related references
Chapter 10 ARM and Thumb Instructions on page 10-270.
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2.19 Access to the inline barrel shifter
2.19 Access to the inline barrel shifter

The ARM arithmetic logic unit has a 32-bit barrel shifter that is capable of shift and rotate operations.
The second operand to many ARM and Thumb data-processing and single register data-transfer
instructions can be shifted, before the data-processing or data-transfer is executed, as part of the
instruction. This supports, but is not limited to:
• Scaled addressing.
• Multiplication by an immediate value.
• Constructing immediate values.
32-bit Thumb instructions give almost the same access to the barrel shifter as ARM instructions.
The 16-bit Thumb instructions only allow access to the barrel shifter using separate instructions.
Related concepts
4.3 Load immediate values on page 4-60.
4.4 Load immediate values using MOV and MVN on page 4-61.
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Chapter 3
Structure of Assembly Language Modules
Describes the structure of assembly language source files.

• 3.1 Syntax of source lines in assembly language on page 3-51.
• 3.2 Literals on page 3-53.
• 3.3 ELF sections and the AREA directive on page 3-54.
• 3.4 An example ARM assembly language module on page 3-55.
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3 Structure of Assembly Language Modules
3.1 Syntax of source lines in assembly language

The assembler parses and assembles assembly language to produce object code.
Syntax
Each line of assembly language source code has this general form:
{symbol} {instruction|directive|pseudo-instruction} {;comment}
All three sections of the source line are optional.

symbol is usually a label. In instructions and pseudo-instructions it is always a label. In some directives it
is a symbol for a variable or a constant. The description of the directive makes this clear in each case.
symbol must begin in the first column. It cannot contain any white space character such as a space or a
tab unless it is enclosed by bars (|).
Labels are symbolic representations of addresses. You can use labels to mark specific addresses that you
want to refer to from other parts of the code. Numeric local labels are a subclass of labels that begin with
a number in the range 0-99. Unlike other labels, a numeric local label can be defined many times. This
makes them useful when generating labels with a macro.
Directives provide important information to the assembler that either affects the assembly process or
affects the final output image.
Instructions and pseudo-instructions make up the code a processor uses to perform tasks.
Note
Instructions, pseudo-instructions, and directives must be preceded by white space, such as a space or a
tab, irrespective of whether there is a preceding label or not.
Some directives do not allow the use of a label.
A comment is the final part of a source line. The first semicolon on a line marks the beginning of a
comment except where the semicolon appears inside a string literal. The end of the line is the end of the
comment. A comment alone is a valid line. The assembler ignores all comments. You can use blank lines
to make your code more readable.
Considerations when writing assembly language source code

You must write instruction mnemonics, pseudo-instructions, directives, and symbolic register names
(except a1-a4, v1-v8, and Wireless MMX registers) in either all uppercase or all lowercase. You must not
use mixed case. Labels and comments can be in uppercase, lowercase, or mixed case.
AREA ARMex, CODE, READONLY
; Name this block of code ARMex
ENTRY ; Mark first instruction to execute
start
MOV r0, #10 ; Set up parameters
MOV r1, #3
ADD r0, r0, r1 ; r0 = r0 + r1
stop
MOV r0, #0x18 ; angel_SWIreason_ReportException
LDR r1, =0x20026 ; ADP_Stopped_ApplicationExit
SVC #0x123456 ; ARM semihosting (formerly SWI)
END ; Mark end of file
To make source files easier to read, you can split a long line of source into several lines by placing a
backslash character (\) at the end of the line. The backslash must not be followed by any other
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characters, including spaces and tabs. The assembler treats the backslash followed by end-of-line
sequence as white space. You can also use blank lines to make your code more readable.
Note
Do not use the backslash followed by end-of-line sequence within quoted strings.
The limit on the length of lines, including any extensions using backslashes, is 4095 characters.
Related concepts
7.6 Labels on page 7-137.
7.10 Numeric local labels on page 7-141.
7.13 String literals on page 7-144.
Related references
3.2 Literals on page 3-53.
7.1 Symbol naming rules on page 7-132.
7.15 Syntax of numeric literals on page 7-146.
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3.2 Literals
3.2 Literals
Assembly language source code can contain numeric, string, Boolean, and single character literals.
Literals can be expressed as:
• Decimal numbers, for example 123.
• Hexadecimal numbers, for example 0x7B.
• Numbers in any base from 2 to 9, for example 5_204 is a number in base 5.
• Floating point numbers, for example 123.4.
• Boolean values {TRUE} or {FALSE}.
• Single character values enclosed by single quotes, for example 'w'.
• Strings enclosed in double quotes, for example "This is a string".
Note
In most cases, a string containing a single character is accepted as a single character value. For example
ADD r0,r1,#"a" is accepted, but ADD r0,r1,#"ab" is faulted.
You can also use variables and names to represent literals.
Related references
3.1 Syntax of source lines in assembly language on page 3-51.
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3.3 ELF sections and the AREA directive
3.3 ELF sections and the AREA directive

Object files produced by the assembler are divided into sections. In assembly source code, you use the
AREA directive to mark the start of a section.
ELF sections are independent, named, indivisible sequences of code or data. A single code section is the
minimum required to produce an application.
The output of an assembly or compilation can include:
• One or more code sections. These are usually read-only sections.
• One or more data sections. These are usually read-write sections. They might be zero-initialized (ZI).
The linker places each section in a program image according to section placement rules. Sections that are
adjacent in source files are not necessarily adjacent in the application image
Use the AREA directive to name the section and set its attributes. The attributes are placed after the name,
separated by commas.
You can choose any name for your sections. However, names starting with any non-alphabetic character
must be enclosed in bars, or an AREA name missing error is generated. For example, |1_DataArea|.
The following example defines a single read-only section called ARMex that contains code:
AREA ARMex, CODE, READONLY ; Name this block of code ARMex
Related concepts
3.4 An example ARM assembly language module on page 3-55.
Related references
12.6 AREA on page 12-582.
Related information
Information about scatter files.
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3.4 An example ARM assembly language module
3.4 An example ARM assembly language module

An ARM assembly language module has several constituent parts.
These are:
• ELF sections (defined by the AREA directive).
• Application entry (defined by the ENTRY directive).
• Application execution.
• Application termination.
• Program end (defined by the END directive).
Constituents of an assembly language module

The following example defines a single section called ARMex that contains code and is marked as being
READONLY.

start
MOV r1, #3
ADD r0, r0, r1 ; r0 = r0 + r1
stop
Application entry
The ENTRY directive declares an entry point to the program. It marks the first instruction to be executed.
In applications using the C library, an entry point is also contained within the C library initialization
code. Initialization code and exception handlers also contain entry points.
Application execution
The application code begins executing at the label start, where it loads the decimal values 10 and 3 into
registers R0 and R1. These registers are added together and the result placed in R0.
Application termination
After executing the main code, the application terminates by returning control to the debugger. You do
this using the ARM semihosting SVC (0x123456 by default), with the following parameters:
• R0 equal to angel_SWIreason_ReportException (0x18).
• R1 equal to ADP_Stopped_ApplicationExit (0x20026).
Program end
The END directive instructs the assembler to stop processing this source file. Every assembly language
source module must finish with an END directive on a line by itself. Any lines following the END directive
are ignored by the assembler.
Related concepts
3.3 ELF sections and the AREA directive on page 3-54.
Related references
12.24 END on page 12-602.
12.26 ENTRY on page 12-604.
Related information
What is semihosting?.
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Chapter 4
Writing ARM Assembly Language
Describes the use of a few basic assembly language instructions and the use of macros.
• 4.1 About the Unified Assembler Language on page 4-58.
• 4.2 Register usage in subroutine calls on page 4-59.
• 4.3 Load immediate values on page 4-60.
• 4.4 Load immediate values using MOV and MVN on page 4-61.
• 4.5 Load immediate values using MOV32 on page 4-64.
• 4.6 Load immediate values using LDR Rd, =const on page 4-65.
• 4.7 Literal pools on page 4-66.
• 4.8 Load addresses into registers on page 4-68.
• 4.9 Load addresses to a register using ADR on page 4-69.
• 4.10 Load addresses to a register using ADRL on page 4-71.
• 4.11 Load addresses to a register using LDR Rd, =label on page 4-72.
• 4.12 Other ways to load and store registers on page 4-74.
• 4.13 Load and store multiple register instructions on page 4-75.
• 4.14 Load and store multiple register instructions in ARM and Thumb on page 4-76.
• 4.15 Stack implementation using LDM and STM on page 4-77.
• 4.16 Stack operations for nested subroutines on page 4-79.
• 4.17 Block copy with LDM and STM on page 4-80.
• 4.18 Memory accesses on page 4-82.
• 4.19 The Read-Modify-Write operation on page 4-83.
• 4.20 Optional hash with immediate constants on page 4-84.
• 4.21 Use of macros on page 4-85.
• 4.22 Test-and-branch macro example on page 4-86.
• 4.23 Unsigned integer division macro example on page 4-87.
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4 Writing ARM Assembly Language
• 4.24 Instruction and directive relocations on page 4-89.

• 4.25 Frame directives on page 4-91.
• 4.26 Exception tables and Unwind tables on page 4-92.
• 4.27 Assembly language changes after RVCT v2.1 on page 4-93.
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4.1 About the Unified Assembler Language
4.1 About the Unified Assembler Language

Unified Assembler Language (UAL) is a common syntax for ARM and Thumb instructions.
UAL supersedes earlier versions of both the ARM and Thumb assembler languages.
Code written using UAL can be assembled for ARM or Thumb for any ARM processor. The assembler
faults the use of unavailable instructions.
RealView® Compilation Tools (RVCT) v2.1 and earlier can only assemble the pre-UAL syntax. Later
versions of RVCT and ARM Compiler toolchain can assemble code written in pre-UAL and UAL
syntax.
You can use directives or command-line options to instruct the assembler whether you are using UAL or
pre-UAL syntax. By default, the assembler expects source code to be written in UAL. If you use any of
the CODE32, ARM, THUMB, or THUMBX directives, or if you assemble with any of the --32, --arm, --thumb,
or --thumbx command-line options, the assembler accepts UAL syntax. The assembler also accepts
source code written in pre-UAL ARM assembly language when you use the CODE32 or ARM directives.
The assembler accepts source code written in pre-UAL Thumb assembly language when you assemble
using the --16 command-line option, or you use the CODE16 directive in the source code.
Note
The pre-UAL Thumb assembly language does not support 32-bit Thumb instructions.
Related references
9.1 --16 on page 9-195.
9.2 --32 on page 9-196.
9.4 --arm on page 9-199.
9.63 --thumb on page 9-260.
9.64 --thumbx on page 9-261.
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4.2 Register usage in subroutine calls
4.2 Register usage in subroutine calls

You use branch instructions to call and return from subroutines. The Procedure Call Standard for the
ARM Architecture defines how to use registers in subroutine calls.
A subroutine is a block of code that performs a task based on some arguments and optionally returns a
result. By convention, you use registers R0 to R3 to pass arguments to subroutines, and R0 to pass a
result back to the callers. A subroutine that requires more than four inputs uses the stack for the
additional inputs.
To call subroutines, use a branch and link instruction. The syntax is:
BL destination
where destination is usually the label on the first instruction of the subroutine.
destination can also be a PC-relative expression.
The BL instruction:
• Places the return address in the link register.
• Sets the PC to the address of the subroutine.
After the subroutine code has executed you can use a BX LR instruction to return.
Note
Calls between separately assembled or compiled modules must comply with the restrictions and
conventions defined by the Procedure Call Standard for the ARM Architecture.
Example
The following example shows a subroutine, doadd, that adds the values of two arguments and returns a
result in R0:
AREA subrout, CODE, READONLY ; Name this block of code
start MOV r0, #10 ; Set up parameters
MOV r1, #3
BL doadd ; Call subroutine
stop MOV r0, #0x18 ; angel_SWIreason_ReportException
doadd ADD r0, r0, r1 ; Subroutine code
BX lr ; Return from subroutine
Related concepts
4.16 Stack operations for nested subroutines on page 4-79.
Related references
10.16 B on page 10-305.
Related information
Procedure Call Standard for the ARM Architecture.
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4.3 Load immediate values
4.3 Load immediate values

To represent some immediate values, you might have to use a sequence of instructions rather than a
single instruction.
ARM and Thumb instructions can only be 32 bits wide. You can use a MOV or MVN instruction to load a
register with an immediate value from a range that depends on the instruction set. Certain 32-bit values
cannot be represented as an immediate operand to a single 32-bit instruction, although you can load these
values from memory in a single instruction.
In ARMv6T2 and later, you can load any 32-bit immediate value into a register with two instructions, a
MOV followed by a MOVT. Or, you can use a pseudo-instruction, MOV32, to construct the instruction
sequence for you.
You can also use the LDR pseudo-instruction to load immediate values into a register.
You can include many commonly-used immediate values directly as operands within data processing
instructions, without a separate load operation. The range of immediate values that you can include as
operands in 16-bit Thumb instructions is much smaller.
Related concepts
4.5 Load immediate values using MOV32 on page 4-64.
4.6 Load immediate values using LDR Rd, =const on page 4-65.
8.6 Load values to VFP registers on page 8-169.
Related references
10.46 LDR pseudo-instruction on page 10-356.
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4.4 Load immediate values using MOV and MVN

The MOV and MVN instructions can write a range of immediate values to a register.
In ARM state:
• MOV can load any 8-bit immediate value, giving a range of 0x0-0xFF (0-255).
It can also rotate these values by any even number.

These values are also available as immediate operands in many data processing operations, without
being loaded in a separate instruction.
• MVN can load the bitwise complements of these values. The numerical values are -(n+1), where n is
the value available in MOV.
• In ARMv6T2 and later, MOV can load any 16-bit number, giving a range of 0x0-0xFFFF (0-65535).
The following table shows the range of 8-bit values that can be loaded in a single ARM MOV or MVN
instruction (for data processing operations). The value to load must be a multiple of the value shown in
the Step column.
Table 4-1 ARM state immediate values (8-bit)
Binary Decimal Step Hexadecimal MVN valuea Notes
000000000000000000000000abcdefgh 0-255 1 0-0xFF –1 to –256 -
0000000000000000000000abcdefgh00 0-1020 4 0-0x3FC –4 to –1024 -
00000000000000000000abcdefgh0000 0-4080 16 0-0xFF0 –16 to –4096 -
000000000000000000abcdefgh000000 0-16320 64 0-0x3FC0 –64 to –16384 -
... ... ... ... ... -

abcdefgh000000000000000000000000 0-255 x 224 224 0-0xFF000000 1-256 x –224 -
cdefgh000000000000000000000000ab (bit pattern) - - (bit pattern) See b in Note

efgh000000000000000000000000abcd (bit pattern) - - (bit pattern) See b in Note
gh000000000000000000000000abcdef (bit pattern) - - (bit pattern) See b in Note
The following table shows the range of 16-bit values that can be loaded in a single MOV ARM instruction
in ARMv6T2 and later:
Table 4-2 ARM state immediate values in MOV instructions
Binary Decimal Step Hexadecimal MVN value Notes
0000000000000000abcdefghijklmnop 0-65535 1 0-0xFFFF - See c in Note
Note
These notes give extra information on both tables.
a
The MVN values are only available directly as operands in MVN instructions.
b
These values are available in ARM state only. All the other values in this table are also available
in 32-bit Thumb instructions.
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c
These values are only available in ARMv6T2 and later. They are not available directly as
operands in other instructions.
In Thumb state in ARMv6T2 and later:

• The 32-bit MOV instruction can load:
— Any 8-bit immediate value, giving a range of 0x0-0xFF (0-255).
— Any 8-bit immediate value, shifted left by any number.
— Any 8-bit pattern duplicated in all four bytes of a register.
— Any 8-bit pattern duplicated in bytes 0 and 2, with bytes 1 and 3 set to 0.
— Any 8-bit pattern duplicated in bytes 1 and 3, with bytes 0 and 2 set to 0.
These values are also available as immediate operands in many data processing operations, without
being loaded in a separate instruction.
• The 32-bit MVN instruction can load the bitwise complements of these values. The numerical values
are -(n+1), where n is the value available in MOV.
• The 32-bit MOV instruction can load any 16-bit number, giving a range of 0x0-0xFFFF (0-65535).
These values are not available as immediate operands in data processing operations.
In architectures with Thumb, the 16-bit Thumb MOV instruction can load any immediate value in the
range 0-255.
The following table shows the range of values that can be loaded in a single 32-bit Thumb MOV or MVN
instruction (for data processing operations). The value to load must be a multiple of the value shown in
the Step column.
Table 4-3 32-bit Thumb immediate values
000000000000000 0-255 1 0x0-0xFF –1 to –256 -

000000000abcdef
gh
000000000000000 0-510 2 0x0-0x1FE –2 to –512 -

00000000abcdefg
h0
000000000000000 0-1020 4 0x0-0x3FC –4 to –1024 -

0000000abcdefgh
00
... ... ... ... ... -

0abcdefgh000000 0-255 x 223 223 0x0-0x7F800000 1-256 x –223 -
000000000000000
00
abcdefgh0000000 0-255 x 224 224 0x0-0xFF000000 1-256 x –224 -

000000000000000
00
abcdefghabcdefg (bit pattern) - 0xXYXYXYXY 0xXYXYXYXY -

habcdefghabcdef
gh
00000000abcdefg (bit pattern) - 0x00XY00XY 0xFFXYFFXY -

h00000000abcdef
gh
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Table 4-3 32-bit Thumb immediate values (continued)
abcdefgh0000000 (bit pattern) - 0xXY00XY00 0xXYFFXYFF -

0abcdefgh000000
00
000000000000000 0-4095 1 0x0-0xFFF - See b in Note

00000abcdefghij
kl
The following table shows the range of 16-bit values that can be loaded by the MOV 32-bit Thumb
instruction:
Table 4-4 32-bit Thumb immediate values in MOV instructions
Binary Decimal Step Hexadecimal MVN value Notes
0000000000000000abcdefghijklmnop 0-65535 1 0x0-0xFFFF - See c in Note
Note
These notes give extra information on the tables.
a
The MVN values are only available directly as operands in MVN instructions.
b
These values are available directly as operands in ADD, SUB, and MOV instructions, but not in MVN
or any other data processing instructions.
c
These values are only available in MOV instructions.
In both ARM and Thumb, you do not have to decide whether to use MOV or MVN. The assembler uses
whichever is appropriate. This is useful if the value is an assembly-time variable.
If you write an instruction with an immediate value that is not available, the assembler reports the error:
Immediate n out of range for this operation.
Related concepts
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4.5 Load immediate values using MOV32
4.5 Load immediate values using MOV32

To load any 32-bit immediate value, a pair of MOV and MOVT instructions is equivalent to a MOV32 pseudo-
instruction.
In ARMv6T2 and later, both ARM and Thumb instruction sets include:
• A MOV instruction that can load any value in the range 0x00000000 to 0x0000FFFF into a register.
• A MOVT instruction that can load any value in the range 0x0000 to 0xFFFF into the most significant
half of a register, without altering the contents of the least significant half.
You can use these two instructions to construct any 32-bit immediate value in a register. Alternatively,
you can use the MOV32 pseudo-instruction. The assembler generates the MOV, MOVT instruction pair for
you.
You can also use the MOV32 instruction to load addresses into registers by using a label or any PC-relative
expression in place of an immediate value. The assembler puts a relocation directive into the object file
for the linker to resolve the address at link-time.
Related concepts
Related references
10.56 MOV32 pseudo-instruction on page 10-372.
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4.6 Load immediate values using LDR Rd, =const
4.6 Load immediate values using LDR Rd, =const

The LDR Rd,=const pseudo-instruction generates the most efficient single instruction to load any 32-bit
number.
You can use this pseudo-instruction to generate constants that are out of range of the MOV and MVN
instructions.
The LDR pseudo-instruction generates the most efficient single instruction for the specified immediate
value:
• If the immediate value can be constructed with a single MOV or MVN instruction, the assembler
generates the appropriate instruction.
• If the immediate value cannot be constructed with a single MOV or MVN instruction, the assembler:
— Places the value in a literal pool (a portion of memory embedded in the code to hold constant
values).
— Generates an LDR instruction with a PC-relative address that reads the constant from the literal
pool.
For example:
LDR rn, [pc, #offset to literal pool]
; load register n with one word
; from the address [pc + offset]
You must ensure that there is a literal pool within range of the LDR instruction generated by the
assembler.
Related concepts
4.7 Literal pools on page 4-66.
Related references
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4.7 Literal pools
4.7 Literal pools

The assembler uses literal pools to store some constant data in code sections. You can use the LTORG
directive to ensure a literal pool is within range.
The assembler places a literal pool at the end of each section. The end of a section is defined either by
the END directive at the end of the assembly or by the AREA directive at the start of the following section.
The END directive at the end of an included file does not signal the end of a section.
In large sections the default literal pool can be out of range of one or more LDR instructions. The offset
from the PC to the constant must be:
• Less than 4KB in ARM or Thumb code when the 32-bit LDR instruction is available, but can be in
either direction.
• Forward and less than 1KB when only the 16-bit Thumb LDR instruction is available.
When an LDR Rd,=const pseudo-instruction requires the immediate value to be placed in a literal pool,
the assembler:
• Checks if the value is available and addressable in any previous literal pools. If so, it addresses the
existing constant.
• Attempts to place the value in the next literal pool if it is not already available.
If the next literal pool is out of range, the assembler generates an error message. In this case you must
use the LTORG directive to place an additional literal pool in the code. Place the LTORG directive after the
failed LDR pseudo-instruction, and within the valid range for an LDR instruction.
You must place literal pools where the processor does not attempt to execute them as instructions. Place
them after unconditional branch instructions, or after the return instruction at the end of a subroutine.
Example of placing literal pools

The following example shows the placement of literal pools. The instructions listed as comments are the
ARM instructions generated by the assembler.
AREA Loadcon, CODE, READONLY
start
BL func1 ; Branch to first subroutine
BL func2 ; Branch to second subroutine
stop
func1
LDR r0, =42 ; => MOV R0, #42
LDR r1, =0x55555555 ; => LDR R1, [PC, #offset to
; Literal Pool 1]
LDR r2, =0xFFFFFFFF ; => MVN R2, #0
BX lr
LTORG ; Literal Pool 1 contains
; literal Ox55555555
func2
LDR r3, =0x55555555 ; => LDR R3, [PC, #offset to
; Literal Pool 1]
; LDR r4, =0x66666666 ; If this is uncommented it
; fails, because Literal Pool 2
; is out of reach
BX lr
LargeTable
SPACE 4200 ; Starting at the current location,
; clears a 4200 byte area of memory
; to zero
END ; Literal Pool 2 is inserted here,
; but is out of range of the LDR
; pseudo-instruction that needs it
Related concepts
reserved.
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4.7 Literal pools
Related references
12.51 LTORG on page 12-632.
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4.8 Load addresses into registers
4.8 Load addresses into registers

It is often necessary to load an address into a register. There are several ways to do this.
For example, you might have to load the address of a variable, a string literal, or the start location of a
jump table.
Addresses are normally expressed as offsets from a label, or from the current PC or other register.
You can load an address into a register either:
• Using the instruction ADR.
• Using the pseudo-instruction ADRL.
• Using the pseudo-instruction MOV32.
• From a literal pool using the pseudo-instruction LDR Rd,=Label.
Related concepts
4.9 Load addresses to a register using ADR on page 4-69.
4.10 Load addresses to a register using ADRL on page 4-71.
4.5 Load immediate values using MOV32 on page 4-64.
4.11 Load addresses to a register using LDR Rd, =label on page 4-72.
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4.9 Load addresses to a register using ADR

The ADR instruction loads an address within a certain range, without performing a data load.
ADR accepts a PC-relative expression, that is, a label with an optional offset where the address of the label
is relative to the PC.
Note
The label used with ADR must be within the same code section. The assembler faults references to labels
that are out of range in the same section.
The available range of addresses for the ADR instruction depends on the instruction set and encoding:
A32
Any value that can be produced by rotating an 8-bit value right by any even number of bits
within a 32-bit word. The range is relative to the PC.
32-bit T32 encoding
±4095 bytes to a byte, halfword, or word-aligned address.
16-bit T32 encoding
0 to 1020 bytes. label must be word-aligned. You can use the ALIGN directive to ensure this.
Example of a jump table implementation with ADR

This example shows ARM code that implements a jump table. Here, the ADR instruction loads the address
of the jump table.
AREA Jump, CODE, READONLY ; Name this block of code
ARM ; Following code is ARM code
num EQU 2 ; Number of entries in jump table

start ; First instruction to call
MOV r0, #0 ; Set up the three arguments
MOV r1, #3
MOV r2, #2
BL arithfunc ; Call the function
stop
arithfunc ; Label the function
CMP r0, #num ; Treat function code as unsigned
; integer
BXHS lr ; If code is >= num then return
ADR r3, JumpTable ; Load address of jump table
LDR pc, [r3,r0,LSL#2] ; Jump to the appropriate routine
JumpTable
DCD DoAdd
DCD DoSub
DoAdd
ADD r0, r1, r2 ; Operation 0
BX lr ; Return
DoSub
SUB r0, r1, r2 ; Operation 1
BX lr ; Return
END ; Mark the end of this file
In this example, the function arithfunc takes three arguments and returns a result in R0. The first
argument determines the operation to be carried out on the second and third arguments:
argument1=0
Result = argument2 + argument3.
argument1=1
Result = argument2 – argument3.
The jump table is implemented with the following instructions and assembler directives:
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EQU
Is an assembler directive. You use it to give a value to a symbol. In this example, it assigns the
value 2 to num. When num is used elsewhere in the code, the value 2 is substituted. Using EQU in
this way is similar to using #define to define a constant in C.
DCD
Declares one or more words of store. In this example, each DCD stores the address of a routine
that handles a particular clause of the jump table.
LDR
The LDR PC,[R3,R0,LSL#2] instruction loads the address of the required clause of the jump
table into the PC. It:
• Multiplies the clause number in R0 by 4 to give a word offset.
• Adds the result to the address of the jump table.
• Loads the contents of the combined address into the PC.
Related concepts
Related references
10.11 ADR (PC-relative) on page 10-295.
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4.10 Load addresses to a register using ADRL
4.10 Load addresses to a register using ADRL

The ADRL pseudo-instruction loads an address within a certain range, without performing a data load. The
range is wider than that of the ADR instruction.
ADRL accepts a PC-relative expression, that is, a label with an optional offset where the address of the
label is relative to the current PC.
Note
The label used with ADRL must be within the same code section. The assembler faults references to labels
that are out of range in the same section.
ADRL is not available in Thumb state on processors before ARMv6T2.
The assembler converts an ADRL rn,label pseudo-instruction by generating:

• Two data processing instructions that load the address, if it is in range.
• An error message if the address cannot be constructed in two instructions.
The available range depends on the instruction set and encoding.
A32
Any value that can be generated by two ADD or two SUB instructions. That is, any value that can
be produced by the addition of two values, each of which is 8 bits rotated right by any even
number of bits within a 32-bit word. The range is relative to the PC.
32-bit T32 encoding
±1MB to a byte, halfword, or word-aligned address.
16-bit T32 encoding
ADRL is not available.
Related concepts
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4.11 Load addresses to a register using LDR Rd, =label

The LDR Rd,=label pseudo-instruction places an address in a literal pool and then loads the address into
a register.
LDR Rd,=label can load any 32-bit numeric value into a register. It also accepts PC-relative expressions
such as labels, and labels with offsets.
The assembler converts an LDR Rd,=label pseudo-instruction by:
• Placing the address of label in a literal pool (a portion of memory embedded in the code to hold
constant values).
• Generating a PC-relative LDR instruction that reads the address from the literal pool, for example:
LDR rn [pc, #offset_to_literal_pool]
; load register n with one word
; from the address [pc + offset]
You must ensure that the literal pool is within range of the LDR pseudo-instruction that needs to access
it.
Example of loading using LDR Rd, =label

The following example shows a section with two literal pools. The final LDR pseudo-instruction needs to
access the second literal pool, but it is out of range. Uncommenting this line causes the assembler to
generate an error.
The instructions listed in the comments are the ARM instructions generated by the assembler.
AREA LDRlabel, CODE, READONLY
start
BL func1 ; Branch to first subroutine
BL func2 ; Branch to second subroutine
stop
func1
LDR r0, =start ; => LDR r0,[PC, #offset into Literal Pool 1]
LDR r1, =Darea + 12 ; => LDR r1,[PC, #offset into Literal Pool 1]
BX lr ; Return
LTORG ; Literal Pool 1
func2
; (sharing with previous literal)
; LDR r4, =Darea + 6004 ; If uncommented, produces an error because
; Literal Pool 2 is out of range.
BX lr ; Return
Darea SPACE 8000 ; Starting at the current location, clears
; a 8000 byte area of memory to zero.
END ; Literal Pool 2 is automatically inserted
; after the END directive.
; It is out of range of all the LDR
; pseudo-instructions in this example.
Example of string copy

The following example shows an ARM code routine that overwrites one string with another. It uses the
LDR pseudo-instruction to load the addresses of the two strings from a data section. The following are
particularly significant:
DCB
The DCB directive defines one or more bytes of store. In addition to integer values, DCB accepts
quoted strings. Each character of the string is placed in a consecutive byte.
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LDR, STR
The LDR and STR instructions use post-indexed addressing to update their address registers. For
example, the instruction:
LDRB r2,[r1],#1
loads R2 with the contents of the address pointed to by R1 and then increments R1 by 1.
The example also shows how, unlike the ADR and ADRL pseudo-instructions, you can use the LDR pseudo-
instruction with labels that are outside the current section. The assembler places a relocation directive in
the object code when the source file is assembled. The relocation directive instructs the linker to resolve
the address at link time. The address remains valid wherever the linker places the section containing the
LDR and the literal pool.
AREA StrCopy, CODE, READONLY

start
LDR r1, =srcstr ; Pointer to first string
LDR r0, =dststr ; Pointer to second string
BL strcopy ; Call subroutine to do copy
stop
strcopy
LDRB r2, [r1],#1 ; Load byte and update address
STRB r2, [r0],#1 ; Store byte and update address
CMP r2, #0 ; Check for zero terminator
BNE strcopy ; Keep going if not
MOV pc,lr ; Return
AREA Strings, DATA, READWRITE
srcstr DCB "First string - source",0
dststr DCB "Second string - destination",0
END
Related concepts
Related references
12.15 DCB on page 12-593.
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4.12 Other ways to load and store registers
4.12 Other ways to load and store registers

You can load and store registers using LDR, STR and MOV (register) instructions.
You can load any 32-bit value from memory into a register with an LDR data load instruction. To store
registers into memory you can use the STR data store instruction.
You can use the MOV instruction to move any 32-bit data from one register to another.
Related concepts
Related references
4.14 Load and store multiple register instructions in ARM and Thumb on page 4-76.
10.55 MOV on page 10-370.
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4.13 Load and store multiple register instructions
4.13 Load and store multiple register instructions

The A32 and T32 instruction sets include instructions that load and store multiple registers. These
instructions can provide a more efficient way of transferring the contents of several registers to and from
memory than using single register loads and stores.
Multiple register transfer instructions are most often used for block copy and for stack operations at
subroutine entry and exit. The advantages of using a multiple register transfer instruction instead of a
series of single data transfer instructions include:
• Smaller code size.
• A single instruction fetch overhead, rather than many instruction fetches.
• On uncached ARM processors, the first word of data transferred by a load or store multiple is always
a nonsequential memory cycle, but all subsequent words transferred can be sequential memory
cycles. Sequential memory cycles are faster in most systems.
Note
The lowest numbered register is transferred to or from the lowest memory address accessed, and the
highest numbered register to or from the highest address accessed. The order of the registers in the
register list in the instructions makes no difference.
You can use the --diag_warning 1206 assembler command line option to check that registers in register
lists are specified in increasing order.
Related concepts
4.15 Stack implementation using LDM and STM on page 4-77.
4.16 Stack operations for nested subroutines on page 4-79.
4.17 Block copy with LDM and STM on page 4-80.
Related references
4.14 Load and store multiple register instructions in ARM and Thumb on page 4-76.
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4.14 Load and store multiple register instructions in ARM and Thumb
4.14 Load and store multiple register instructions in ARM and Thumb
Instructions are available in both the ARM and Thumb instruction sets to load and store multiple
registers.
They are:
LDM
Load Multiple registers.
STM
Store Multiple registers.
PUSH
Store multiple registers onto the stack and update the stack pointer.
POP
Load multiple registers off the stack, and update the stack pointer.
In LDM and STM instructions:
• The list of registers loaded or stored can include:
— In A32 instructions, any or all of R0-R12, SP, LR, and PC.
— In 32-bit T32 instructions, any or all of R0-R12, and optionally LR or PC (LDM only) with some
restrictions.
— In 16-bit T32 instructions, any or all of R0-R7.
• The address must be word-aligned. It can be:
— Incremented after each transfer.
— Incremented before each transfer (A32 instructions only).
— Decremented after each transfer (A32 instructions only).
— Decremented before each transfer (not in 16-bit encoded T32 instructions).
• The base register can be either:
— Updated to point to the next block of data in memory.
— Left as it was before the instruction.
When the base register is updated to point to the next block in memory, this is called writeback, that is,
the adjusted address is written back to the base register.
In PUSH and POP instructions:
• The stack pointer (SP) is the base register, and is always updated.
• The address is incremented after each transfer in POP instructions, and decremented before each
transfer in PUSH instructions.
• The list of registers loaded or stored can include:
— In A32 instructions, any or all of R0-R12, SP, LR, and PC.
— In 32-bit T32 instructions, any or all of R0-R12, and optionally LR or PC (POP only) with some
restrictions.
— In 16-bit T32 instructions, any or all of R0-R7, and optionally LR (PUSH only) or PC (POP only).
Note
Use of SP in the list of registers in these ARM instructions is deprecated.
ARM STM and PUSH instructions that use PC in the list of registers, and ARM LDM and POP instructions
that use both PC and LR in the list of registers are deprecated.
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4.15 Stack implementation using LDM and STM

You can use the LDM and STM instructions to implement pop and push operations respectively. You use a
suffix to indicate the stack type.
The load and store multiple instructions can update the base register. For stack operations, the base
register is usually the stack pointer, SP. This means that you can use these instructions to implement push
and pop operations for any number of registers in a single instruction.
The load and store multiple instructions can be used with several types of stack:
Descending or ascending
The stack grows downwards, starting with a high address and progressing to a lower one (a
descending stack), or upwards, starting from a low address and progressing to a higher address
(an ascending stack).
Full or empty
The stack pointer can either point to the last item in the stack (a full stack), or the next free space
on the stack (an empty stack).
To make it easier for the programmer, stack-oriented suffixes can be used instead of the increment or
decrement, and before or after suffixes. The following table shows the stack-oriented suffixes and their
equivalent addressing mode suffixes for load and store instructions:
Table 4-5 Stack-oriented suffixes and equivalent addressing mode suffixes
Stack-oriented suffix For store or push instructions For load or pop instructions
FD (Full Descending stack) DB (Decrement Before) IA (Increment After)
FA (Full Ascending stack) IB (Increment Before) DA (Decrement After)
ED (Empty Descending stack) DA (Decrement After) IB (Increment Before)
EA (Empty Ascending stack) IA (Increment After) DB (Decrement Before)
The following table shows the load and store multiple instructions with the stack-oriented suffixes for the
various stack types:
Table 4-6 Suffixes for load and store multiple instructions
Stack type Store Load
Full descending STMFD (STMDB, Decrement Before) LDMFD (LDM, increment after)
Full ascending STMFA (STMIB, Increment Before) LDMFA (LDMDA, Decrement After)
Empty descending STMED (STMDA, Decrement After) LDMED (LDMIB, Increment Before)
Empty ascending STMEA (STM, increment after) LDMEA (LDMDB, Decrement Before)
For example:
STMFD sp!, {r0-r5} ; Push onto a Full Descending Stack
LDMFD sp!, {r0-r5} ; Pop from a Full Descending Stack
Note
The Procedure Call Standard for the ARM Architecture (AAPCS), and armcc always use a full
descending stack.
The PUSH and POP instructions assume a full descending stack. They are the preferred synonyms for
STMDB and LDM with writeback.
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Related concepts
Related references
10.41 LDM on page 10-342.
Related information
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4.16 Stack operations for nested subroutines
4.16 Stack operations for nested subroutines

Stack operations can be very useful at subroutine entry and exit to avoid losing register contents if other
subroutines are called.
At the start of a subroutine, any working registers required can be stored on the stack, and at exit they
can be popped off again.
In addition, if the link register is pushed onto the stack at entry, additional subroutine calls can be made
safely without causing the return address to be lost. If you do this, you can also return from a subroutine
by popping the PC off the stack at exit, instead of popping the LR and then moving that value into the
PC. For example:
subroutine PUSH {r5-r7,lr} ; Push work registers and lr
; code
BL somewhere_else
; code
POP {r5-r7,pc} ; Pop work registers and pc
Note
Use this with care in mixed ARM and Thumb systems. In ARMv4T systems, you cannot change state by
popping directly into PC. In these cases you must pop the address into a temporary register and use the
BX instruction.
In ARMv5T and later, you can change state in this way.
Related concepts
4.2 Register usage in subroutine calls on page 4-59.
Related information
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4.17 Block copy with LDM and STM

You can sometimes make code more efficient by using LDM and STM instead of LDR and STR instructions.
Example of block copy without LDM and STM

The following example is an ARM code routine that copies a set of words from a source location to a
destination a single word at a time:
AREA Word, CODE, READONLY ; name the block of code
num EQU 20 ; set number of words to be copied
ENTRY ; mark the first instruction called
start
LDR r0, =src ; r0 = pointer to source block
LDR r1, =dst ; r1 = pointer to destination block
MOV r2, #num ; r2 = number of words to copy
wordcopy
LDR r3, [r0], #4 ; load a word from the source and
STR r3, [r1], #4 ; store it to the destination
SUBS r2, r2, #1 ; decrement the counter
BNE wordcopy ; ... copy more
stop
AREA BlockData, DATA, READWRITE
src DCD 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,1,2,3,4
dst DCD 0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0
END
You can make this module more efficient by using LDM and STM for as much of the copying as possible.
Eight is a sensible number of words to transfer at a time, given the number of available registers. You can
find the number of eight-word multiples in the block to be copied (if R2 = number of words to be copied)
using:
MOVS r3, r2, LSR #3 ; number of eight word multiples
You can use this value to control the number of iterations through a loop that copies eight words per
iteration. When there are fewer than eight words left, you can find the number of words left (assuming
that R2 has not been corrupted) using:
ANDS r2, r2, #7
Example of block copy using LDM and STM

The following example lists the block copy module rewritten to use LDM and STM for copying:
AREA Block, CODE, READONLY ; name this block of code
num EQU 20 ; set number of words to be copied
ENTRY ; mark the first instruction called
start
LDR r0, =src ; r0 = pointer to source block
LDR r1, =dst ; r1 = pointer to destination block
MOV r2, #num ; r2 = number of words to copy
MOV sp, #0x400 ; Set up stack pointer (sp)
blockcopy
MOVS r3,r2, LSR #3 ; Number of eight word multiples
BEQ copywords ; Fewer than eight words to move?
PUSH {r4-r11} ; Save some working registers
octcopy
LDM r0!, {r4-r11} ; Load 8 words from the source
STM r1!, {r4-r11} ; and put them at the destination
SUBS r3, r3, #1 ; Decrement the counter
BNE octcopy ; ... copy more
POP {r4-r11} ; Don't require these now - restore
; originals
copywords
ANDS r2, r2, #7 ; Number of odd words to copy
BEQ stop ; No words left to copy?
wordcopy
LDR r3, [r0], #4 ; Load a word from the source and
STR r3, [r1], #4 ; store it to the destination
SUBS r2, r2, #1 ; Decrement the counter
BNE wordcopy ; ... copy more
stop
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AREA BlockData, DATA, READWRITE
src DCD 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,1,2,3,4
dst DCD 0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0
END
Note
The purpose of this example is to show the use of the LDM and STM instructions. There are other ways to
perform bulk copy operations, the most efficient of which depends on many factors and is outside the
scope of this document.
Related information
What is the fastest way to copy memory on a Cortex-A8?.
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4.18 Memory accesses
4.18 Memory accesses

Many load and store instructions support different addressing modes.
Offset addressing
The offset value is applied to an address obtained from the base register. The result is used as the
address for the memory access. The base register is unchanged. The assembly language syntax
for this mode is:
[Rn, offset]
Pre-indexed addressing
The offset value is applied to an address obtained from the base register. The result is used as the
address for the memory access, and written back into the base register. The assembly language
syntax for this mode is:
[Rn, offset]!
Post-indexed addressing
The address obtained from the base register is used, unchanged, as the address for the memory
access. The offset value is applied to the address, and written back into the base register. The
assembly language syntax for this mode is:
[Rn], offset
In each case, Rn is the base register and offset can be:

• An immediate constant.
• An index register, Rm.
• A shifted index register, such as Rm, LSL #shift.
Related concepts
6.16 Address alignment on page 6-128.
Related references
2.7 ARM registers on page 2-36.
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4.19 The Read-Modify-Write operation
4.19 The Read-Modify-Write operation

The read-modify-write operation ensures that you modify only the specific bits in a system register that
you want to change.
Individual bits in a system register control different system functionality. Modifying the wrong bits in a
system register might cause your program to behave incorrectly.
The following example shows how to use the read-modify-write procedure to change some bits in the
VFP system register FPSCR, without affecting the other bits:
VMRS r10,FPSCR ; copy FPSCR into the general-purpose r10
BIC r10,r10,#0x00370000 ; clear STRIDE bits[21:20] and LEN bits[18:16]
ORR r10,r10,#0x00030000 ; set bits[17:16] (STRIDE =1 and LEN = 4)
VMSR FPSCR,r10 ; copy r10 back into FPSCR
To read-modify-write a system register, the instruction sequence is:

1. The first instruction copies the value from the target system register to a temporary general-purpose
register.
2. The next one or more instructions modify the required bits in the general-purpose register. This can
be one or both of:
• BIC to clear to 0 only the bits that must be cleared.
• ORR to set to 1 only the bits that must be set.
3. The final instruction writes the value from the general-purpose register to the target system register.
Related concepts
2.9 Register accesses on page 2-39.
2.15 The Q flag on page 2-45.
Related references
11.21 VMRS on page 11-560.
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4.20 Optional hash with immediate constants
4.20 Optional hash with immediate constants

You do not have to specify a hash before an immediate constant in any instruction syntax.
This applies to ARM, Thumb, and VFP instructions. For example, the following are valid instructions:
BKPT 100
MOVT R1, 256
VCEQ.I8 Q1, Q2, 0
By default, the assembler warns if you do not specify a hash:

WARNING: A1865W: '#' not seen before constant expression.
This can be suppressed with --diag_suppress=1865.

If you use the assembly code with another assembler, you are advised to use the # before all immediates.
The disassembler always shows the # for clarity.
Related references
Chapter 11 VFP Instructions on page 11-537.
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4.21 Use of macros
4.21 Use of macros

A macro definition is a block of code enclosed between MACRO and MEND directives. It defines a name that
you can use as a convenient alternative to repeating the block of code.
The main uses for a macro are:
• To make it easier to follow the logic of the source code by replacing a block of code with a single
meaningful name.
• To avoid repeating a block of code several times.
Related concepts
4.22 Test-and-branch macro example on page 4-86.
4.23 Unsigned integer division macro example on page 4-87.
Related references
12.52 MACRO and MEND on page 12-633.
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4.22 Test-and-branch macro example
4.22 Test-and-branch macro example

You can use a macro to perform a test-and-branch operation.
In ARM code in any processor and in Thumb code in processors before ARMv6T2, a test-and-branch
operation requires two instructions to implement.
You can define a macro such as this:
MACRO
$label TestAndBranch $dest, $reg, $cc
$label CMP $reg, #0
B$cc $dest
MEND
The line after the MACRO directive is the macro prototype statement. This defines the name
(TestAndBranch) you use to invoke the macro. It also defines parameters ($label, $dest, $reg, and
$cc). Unspecified parameters are substituted with an empty string. For this macro you must give values
for $dest, $reg and $cc to avoid syntax errors. The assembler substitutes the values you give into the
code.
This macro can be invoked as follows:
test TestAndBranch NonZero, r0, NE
...
...
NonZero
After substitution this becomes:

test CMP r0, #0
BNE NonZero
...
...
NonZero
Related concepts
4.23 Unsigned integer division macro example on page 4-87.
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4.23 Unsigned integer division macro example

You can use a macro to perform unsigned integer division.
The macro takes the following parameters:
$Bot
The register that holds the divisor.
$Top
The register that holds the dividend before the instructions are executed. After the instructions
are executed, it holds the remainder.
$Div
The register where the quotient of the division is placed. It can be NULL ("") if only the
remainder is required.
$Temp
A temporary register used during the calculation.
Example unsigned integer division with a macro

MACRO
$Lab DivMod $Div,$Top,$Bot,$Temp
ASSERT $Top <> $Bot ; Produce an error message if the
ASSERT $Top <> $Temp ; registers supplied are
ASSERT $Bot <> $Temp ; not all different
IF "$Div" <> ""
ASSERT $Div <> $Top ; These three only matter if $Div
ASSERT $Div <> $Bot ; is not null ("")
ASSERT $Div <> $Temp ;
ENDIF
$Lab
MOV $Temp, $Bot ; Put divisor in $Temp
CMP $Temp, $Top, LSR #1 ; double it until
90 MOVLS $Temp, $Temp, LSL #1 ; 2 * $Temp > $Top
CMP $Temp, $Top, LSR #1
BLS %b90 ; The b means search backwards
IF "$Div" <> "" ; Omit next instruction if $Div
; is null
MOV $Div, #0 ; Initialize quotient
ENDIF
91 CMP $Top, $Temp ; Can we subtract $Temp?
SUBCS $Top, $Top,$Temp ; If we can, do so
IF "$Div" <> "" ; Omit next instruction if $Div
; is null
ADC $Div, $Div, $Div ; Double $Div
ENDIF
MOV $Temp, $Temp, LSR #1 ; Halve $Temp,
CMP $Temp, $Bot ; and loop until
BHS %b91 ; less than divisor
MEND
The macro checks that no two parameters use the same register. It also optimizes the code produced if
only the remainder is required.
To avoid multiple definitions of labels if DivMod is used more than once in the assembler source, the
macro uses numeric local labels (90, 91).
The following example shows the code that this macro produces if it is invoked as follows:
ratio DivMod R0,R5,R4,R2
Output from the example division macro

ASSERT r5 <> r4 ; Produce an error if the
ASSERT r5 <> r2 ; registers supplied are
ASSERT r4 <> r2 ; not all different
ASSERT r0 <> r5 ; These three only matter if $Div
ASSERT r0 <> r4 ; is not null ("")
ASSERT r0 <> r2 ;
ratio
MOV r2, r4 ; Put divisor in $Temp
CMP r2, r5, LSR #1 ; double it until
90 MOVLS r2, r2, LSL #1 ; 2 * r2 > r5
CMP r2, r5, LSR #1
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BLS %b90 ; The b means search backwards

MOV r0, #0 ; Initialize quotient
91 CMP r5, r2 ; Can we subtract r2?
SUBCS r5, r5, r2 ; If we can, do so
ADC r0, r0, r0 ; Double r0
MOV r2, r2, LSR #1 ; Halve r2,
CMP r2, r4 ; and loop until
BHS %b91 ; less than divisor
Related concepts
4.22 Test-and-branch macro example on page 4-86.
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4.24 Instruction and directive relocations

The assembler can embed relocation directives in object files to indicate labels with addresses that are
unknown at assembly time. The assembler can relocate several types of instruction.
A relocation is a directive embedded in the object file that enables source code to refer to a label whose
target address is unknown or cannot be calculated at assembly time. The assembler emits a relocation in
the object file, and the linker resolves this to the address where the target is placed.
The assembler relocates the data directives DCB, DCW, DCWU, DCD, and DCDU if their syntax contains an
external symbol, that is a symbol declared using IMPORT or EXTERN. This causes the bottom 8, 16, or 32
bits of the address to be used at link-time.
The REQUIRE directive emits a relocation to signal to the linker that the target label must be present if the
current section is present.
The assembler is permitted to emit a relocation for these instructions:
LDR (PC-relative)
All ARM and Thumb instructions, except the Thumb doubleword instruction, can be relocated.
PLD, PLDW, and PLI
All ARM and Thumb instructions can be relocated.
B, BL, and BLX
All ARM and Thumb instructions can be relocated.
CBZ and CBNZ
All Thumb instructions can be relocated but this is discouraged because of the limited branch
range of these instructions.
LDC and LDC2
Only ARM instructions can be relocated.
VLDR
Only ARM instructions can be relocated.
The assembler emits a relocation for these instructions if the label used meets any of the following
requirements, as appropriate for the instruction type:
• The label is WEAK.
• The label is not in the same AREA.
• The label is external to the object (IMPORT or EXTERN).
For B, BL, and BX instructions, the assembler emits a relocation also if:
• The label is a function.
• The label is exported using EXPORT or GLOBAL.
Note
You can use the RELOC directive to control the relocation at a finer level, but this requires knowledge of
the ABI.
Example
IMPORT sym ; sym is an external symbol
DCW sym ; Because DCW only outputs 16 bits, only the lower
; 16 bits of the address of sym are inserted at
; link-time.
Related references
12.28 EXPORT or GLOBAL on page 12-606.
12.46 IMPORT and EXTERN on page 12-626.
12.58 REQUIRE on page 12-642.
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12.57 RELOC on page 12-641.

12.15 DCB on page 12-593.
12.16 DCD and DCDU on page 12-594.
12.22 DCW and DCWU on page 12-600.
10.43 LDR (PC-relative) on page 10-347.
10.11 ADR (PC-relative) on page 10-295.
10.71 PLD and PLI on page 10-393.
10.16 B on page 10-305.
10.40 LDC and LDC2 on page 10-340.
11.12 VLDR (floating-point) on page 11-551.
Related information
ELF for the ARM Architecture.
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4.25 Frame directives
4.25 Frame directives

Frame directives provide information in object files that enables debugging and profiling of assembly
language functions.
You must use frame directives to describe the way that your code uses the stack if you want to be able to
do either of the following:
• Debug your application using stack unwinding.
• Use either flat or call-graph profiling.
The assembler uses frame directives to insert DWARF debug frame information into the object file in
ELF format that it produces. This information is required by a debugger for stack unwinding and for
profiling.
• Frame directives do not affect the code produced by the assembler.
• The assembler does not validate the information in frame directives against the instructions emitted.
Related concepts
4.26 Exception tables and Unwind tables on page 4-92.
Related references
12.3 About frame directives on page 12-578.
Related information
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4.26 Exception tables and Unwind tables
4.26 Exception tables and Unwind tables

You use FRAME directives to enable the assembler to generate unwind tables.
Exception tables are necessary to handle exceptions thrown by functions in high-level languages such as
C++. Unwind tables contain debug frame information which is also necessary for the handling of such
exceptions. An exception can only propagate through a function with an unwind table.
An assembly language function is code enclosed by either PROC and ENDP or FUNC and ENDFUNC
directives. Functions written in C++ have unwind information by default. However, for assembly
language functions that are called from C++ code, you must ensure that there are exception tables and
unwind tables to enable the exceptions to propagate through them.
An exception cannot propagate through a function with a nounwind table. The exception handling
runtime environment terminates the program if it encounters a nounwind table during exception
processing.
The assembler can generate nounwind table entries for all functions and non-functions. The assembler
can generate an unwind table for a function only if the function contains sufficient FRAME directives to
describe the use of the stack within the function. To be able to create an unwind table for a function, each
POP or PUSH instruction must be followed by a FRAME POP or FRAME PUSH directive respectively.
Functions must conform to the conditions set out in the Exception Handling ABI for the ARM
Architecture (EHABI), section 9.1 Constraints on Use. If the assembler cannot generate an unwind table
it generates a nounwind table.
Related concepts
4.25 Frame directives on page 4-91.
Related references
12.3 About frame directives on page 12-578.
9.29 --exceptions, --no_exceptions on page 9-225.
9.30 --exceptions_unwind, --no_exceptions_unwind on page 9-226.
12.40 FRAME UNWIND ON on page 12-619.
12.41 FRAME UNWIND OFF on page 12-620.
12.42 FUNCTION or PROC on page 12-621.
12.25 ENDFUNC or ENDP on page 12-603.
Related information
Exception Handling ABI for the ARM Architecture.
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4.27 Assembly language changes after RVCT v2.1

The assembler accepts ARM and Thumb instructions written in either UAL or pre-UAL syntax. Some
older versions of the assembler only accept pre-UAL syntax.
The assembly language accepted by the RVCT v2.1 assembler and earlier is called pre-UAL ARM and
Thumb. In RVCT 2.2 and later, the assembler accepts both the UAL and the pre-UAL ARM and Thumb
syntax. The assembler accepts the pre-UAL Thumb syntax only if it is preceded by a CODE16 directive, or
if the source file is assembled with the --16 command-line option.
For the convenience of programmers who are familiar with the ARM assembly language accepted in
RVCT v2.1 and earlier, the following table highlights the differences between the UAL and pre-UAL
ARM assembly language syntax:
Table 4-7 Changes from earlier ARM assembly language
Change Pre-UAL ARM syntax Preferred UAL syntax
The default addressing mode for LDM and STM is IA LDMIA, STMIA LDM, STM
You can use the PUSH and POP mnemonics for full, descending STMFD sp!, {reglist} PUSH {reglist}
stack operations in ARM in addition to Thumb. LDMFD sp!, {reglist} POP {reglist}
You can use the LSL, LSR, ASR, ROR, and RRX instruction MOV Rd, Rn, LSL shift LSL Rd, Rn, shift
mnemonics for instructions with rotations and no other operation, MOV Rd, Rn, LSR shift LSR Rd, Rn, shift
in ARM in addition to Thumb. MOV Rd, Rn, ASR shift ASR Rd, Rn, shift
MOV Rd, Rn, ROR shift ROR Rd, Rn, shift
MOV Rd, Rn, RRX RRX Rd, Rn
Use the label form for PC-relative addressing. Do not use the LDR Rd, [pc, #offset] LDR Rd, label
offset form in new code.
Specify both registers for doubleword memory accesses. You must LDRD Rd, addr_mode LDRD Rd, Rd2, addr_mode
still obey rules about the register combinations you can use.
{cond}, if used, is always the last element of all instructions. ADD{cond}S ADDS{cond}
LDR{cond}SB LDRSB{cond}
In addition, some flexibility is permitted that was not permitted in previous assemblers as the following
table shows:
Table 4-8 Relaxation of requirements
Relaxation Permitted syntax Preferred syntax
If the destination register is the same as the first operand, you can use a two register form ADD r1, r3 ADD r1, r1, r3
of the instruction.
You can write source code for Thumb processors earlier than ARMv6T2 using UAL.
If you are writing Thumb code for a processor earlier than ARMv6T2, you must restrict yourself to
instructions that are available on the processor. The assembler generates error messages if you attempt to
use an instruction that is not available.
If you are writing Thumb code for an ARMv6T2 or later processor, you can minimize your code size by
using 16-bit instructions wherever possible.
The following table shows the main differences between the UAL and the pre-UAL Thumb assembly
language:
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Table 4-9 Differences between pre-UAL Thumb syntax and UAL syntax
Change Pre-UAL Thumb syntax UAL syntax
The default addressing mode for LDM and LDMIA, STMIA LDM, STM
STM is IA
You must use the S postfix on instructions ADD r1, r2, r3 ADDS r1, r2, r3
that update the flags. This change is essential SUB r4, r5, #6 SUBS r4, r5, #6
MOV r0, #1 MOVS r0, #1
to avoid conflict with 32-bit Thumb LSR r1, r2, #1 LSRS r1, r2, #1
instructions.
The preferred form for ALU instructions ADD r7, r8 ADD r7, r7, r8
specifies three registers, even if the SUB r1, #80 SUBS r1, r1, #80
destination register is the same as the first
operand. However, the UAL syntax allows
the two register syntax.
If Rd and Rn are both Lo registers, MOV Rd, MOV r2, r3 ADDS r2, r3, #0
Rn is disassembled as ADDS Rd, Rn, #0. MOV r8, r9 MOV r8, r9
CPY r0, r1 MOV r0, r1
LSL r2, r3, #0 MOVS r2, r3
NEG Rd, Rm is disassembled as RSBS Rd, NEG Rd, Rm RSBS Rd, Rm, #0
Rm, #0.
When using the LDR Rd,=const literal LDR r0,=0 LDR r0,=0
load pseudo-instruction, in pre-UAL syntax, ; generates the instruction: ; generates the sequence:
MOVS r0,#0 LDR r0,{pc}+n
the generated instruction might affect the ...
condition code flags. In UAL syntax, the DCD 0
generated instruction sequence is guaranteed
to not affect the condition code flags.
Related references
12.11 CODE16 on page 12-589.
9.1 --16 on page 9-195.
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Chapter 5
Condition Codes
Describes condition codes and the conditional execution of ARM and Thumb code.
• 5.1 Conditional instructions on page 5-96.
• 5.2 Conditional execution in ARM state on page 5-97.
• 5.3 Conditional execution in Thumb state on page 5-98.
• 5.4 Updates to the condition flags on page 5-99.
• 5.5 Condition code suffixes and related flags on page 5-100.
• 5.6 Comparison of condition code meanings in integer and floating-point code on page 5-101.
• 5.7 Benefits of using conditional execution on page 5-103.
• 5.8 Example showing the benefits of using conditional instructions on page 5-104.
• 5.9 Optimization for execution speed on page 5-107.
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5 Condition Codes
5.1 Conditional instructions
5.1 Conditional instructions

ARM and Thumb instructions can execute conditionally on the condition flags set by a previous
instruction.
The conditional instruction can occur either:
• Immediately after the instruction that updated the flags.
• After any number of intervening instructions that have not updated the flags.
The instructions that you can make conditional depends on whether the processor is in ARM state or
Thumb state.
To make an instruction conditional, you must add a condition code suffix to the instruction mnemonic.
The condition code suffix enables the processor to test a condition based on the flags. If the condition test
of a conditional instruction fails, the instruction:
• Does not execute.
• Does not write any value to its destination register.
• Does not affect any of the flags.
• Does not generate any exception.
Related concepts
5.2 Conditional execution in ARM state on page 5-97.
5.3 Conditional execution in Thumb state on page 5-98.
Related references
5.5 Condition code suffixes and related flags on page 5-100.
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5 Condition Codes
5.2 Conditional execution in ARM state
5.2 Conditional execution in ARM state

To execute ARM instructions conditionally you can either append a two letter suffix to the mnemonic, or
you can use a conditional branch instruction.
Almost all ARM instructions can be executed conditionally on the value of the condition flags in the
APSR. You can either add a condition code suffix to the instruction or you can conditionally skip over
the instruction using a conditional branch instruction.
Using conditional branch instructions to control the flow of execution can be more efficient when a
series of instructions depend on the same condition.
Example conditional instructions to control execution

; flags set by a previous instruction
LSLEQ r0, r0, #24
ADDEQ r0, r0, #2
;…
Example conditional branch to control execution

BNE over
LSL r0, r0, #24
ADD r0, r0, #2
over
;…
Related concepts
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5 Condition Codes
5.3 Conditional execution in Thumb state
5.3 Conditional execution in Thumb state

To execute Thumb instructions conditionally, you can either use an IT instruction, or a conditional
branch instruction.
In Thumb state on processors before ARMv6T2, the only mechanism for conditional execution is a
conditional branch. You can conditionally skip over the instruction using a conditional branch
instruction.
In Thumb state on ARMv6T2 or later processors, instructions can also be conditionally executed by
using any of the following:
• CBZ and CBNZ instructions.
• The IT (If-Then) instruction.
The Thumb CBZ (Conditional Branch on Zero) and CBNZ (Conditional Branch on Non-Zero) instructions
compare the value of a register against zero and branch on the result.
IT is a 16-bit instruction that enables almost all Thumb instructions to be conditionally executed, based
on the value of the condition flags and the condition code suffix specified. Each IT instruction provides
conditional execution for up to four following instructions.
Example conditional instructions using IT block

ITT EQ
LSLEQ r0, r0, #24
ADDEQ r0, r0, #2
;…
Related concepts
Related references
10.39 IT on page 10-338.
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5 Condition Codes
5.4 Updates to the condition flags
5.4 Updates to the condition flags

Most ARM and Thumb data processing instructions only update the condition flags if you append an S
suffix to the mnemonic. These instructions can update all or a subset of the flags.
In ARM state, and in Thumb state on ARMv6T2 or later processors, most data processing instructions
have an option to update the condition flags in the Application Program Status Register (APSR)
according to the result of the operation. Instructions with the optional S suffix update the flags.
Conditional instructions that are not executed have no effect on the flags.
In Thumb state on processors before ARMv6T2, most data processing instructions update the condition
flags automatically according to the result of the operation. There is no option to leave the flags
unchanged and not update them. Other instructions cannot update the flags.
The instruction also determines the flags that get updated. Some instructions update all flags, and some
instructions only update a subset of the flags. If a flag is not updated, the original value is preserved. The
description of each ARM and Thumb instruction includes the effect it has on the flags.
Note
Most instructions update the condition flags only if the S suffix is specified. The instructions CMP, CMN,
TEQ, and TST always update the flags.
The condition flags are held in the APSR. They are set or cleared as follows:
N
Set to 1 when the result of the operation is negative, cleared to 0 otherwise.
Z
Set to 1 when the result of the operation is zero, cleared to 0 otherwise.
C
Set to 1 when the operation results in a carry, or when a subtraction results in no borrow, cleared
to 0 otherwise.
V
Set to 1 when the operation causes overflow, cleared to 0 otherwise.
C is set in one of the following ways:
• For an addition, including the comparison instruction CMN, C is set to 1 if the addition produced a
carry (that is, an unsigned overflow), and to 0 otherwise.
• For a subtraction, including the comparison instruction CMP, C is set to 0 if the subtraction produced a
borrow (that is, an unsigned underflow), and to 1 otherwise.
• For non-addition/subtractions that incorporate a shift operation, C is set to the last bit shifted out of
the value by the shifter.
• For other non-addition/subtractions, C is normally left unchanged, but see the individual instruction
descriptions for any special cases.
Overflow occurs if the result of a signed add, subtract, or compare is greater than or equal to 231, or less
than –231.
Related concepts
Related references
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5 Condition Codes
5.5 Condition code suffixes and related flags
5.5 Condition code suffixes and related flags

Condition code suffixes define the conditions that must be met for the instruction to execute.
The following table shows the condition codes that you can use and the flag settings they depend on:
Table 5-1 Condition code suffixes and related flags
Suffix Flags Meaning
EQ Z set Equal
NE Z clear Not equal
CS or HS C set Higher or same (unsigned >= )
CC or LO C clear Lower (unsigned < )
MI N set Negative
PL N clear Positive or zero
VS V set Overflow
VC V clear No overflow
HI C set and Z clear Higher (unsigned >)
LS C clear or Z set Lower or same (unsigned <=)
GE N and V the same Signed >=
LT N and V differ Signed <
GT Z clear, N and V the same Signed >
LE Z set, N and V differ Signed <=
AL Any Always. This suffix is normally omitted.
The optional condition code is shown in syntax descriptions as {cond}. This condition is encoded in
ARM instructions, and encoded in a preceding IT instruction for Thumb instructions. An instruction with
a condition code is only executed if the condition flags in the APSR meet the specified condition.
In Thumb state on processors before ARMv6T2, the {cond} field is only permitted on certain branch
instructions because there is no IT instruction on these processors.
The following is an example of conditional execution:
ADD r0, r1, r2 ; r0 = r1 + r2, don't update flags
ADDS r0, r1, r2 ; r0 = r1 + r2, and update flags
ADDSCS r0, r1, r2 ; If C flag set then r0 = r1 + r2,
; and update flags
CMP r0, r1 ; update flags based on r0-r1.
Related concepts
Related references
5.6 Comparison of condition code meanings in integer and floating-point code on page 5-101.
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5 Condition Codes
5.6 Comparison of condition code meanings in integer and floating-point code

The meaning of the condition code mnemonic suffixes depends on whether the condition flags were set
by a floating-point instruction or by an A32 or T32 data processing instruction.
This is because:
• Floating-point values are never unsigned, so the unsigned conditions are not required.
• Not-a-Number (NaN) values have no ordering relationship with numbers or with each other, so
additional conditions are required to account for unordered results.
The meaning of the condition code mnemonic suffixes is shown in the following table:
Table 5-2 Condition codes
Suffix Meaning after integer data processing instruction Meaning after floating-point instruction
EQ Equal Equal
NE Not equal Not equal, or unordered
CS Carry set Greater than or equal, or unordered
HS Unsigned higher or same Greater than or equal, or unordered
CC Carry clear Less than
LO Unsigned lower Less than
MI Negative Less than
PL Positive or zero Greater than or equal, or unordered
VS Overflow Unordered (at least one NaN operand)
VC No overflow Not unordered
HI Unsigned higher Greater than, or unordered
LS Unsigned lower or same Less than or equal
GE Signed greater than or equal Greater than or equal
LT Signed less than Less than, or unordered
GT Signed greater than Greater than
LE Signed less than or equal Less than or equal, or unordered
AL Always (normally omitted) Always (normally omitted)
Note
The type of the instruction that last updated the condition flags determines the meaning of the condition
codes.
Related concepts
Related references
11.4 VCMP, VCMPE on page 11-543.
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Related information
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5 Condition Codes
5.7 Benefits of using conditional execution
5.7 Benefits of using conditional execution

It can be more efficient to use conditional instructions rather than conditional branches.
You can use conditional execution of ARM instructions to reduce the number of branch instructions in
your code. This improves code density. The IT instruction in Thumb achieves a similar improvement.
Branch instructions are also expensive in processor cycles. On ARM processors without branch
prediction hardware, it typically takes three processor cycles to refill the processor pipeline each time a
branch is taken.
Some ARM processors, for example the ARM Cortex-R7 processor, have branch prediction hardware. In
systems using these processors, the pipeline only has to be flushed and refilled when there is a
misprediction.
Related concepts
5.8 Example showing the benefits of using conditional instructions on page 5-104.
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5 Condition Codes
5.8 Example showing the benefits of using conditional instructions

Using conditional instructions rather than conditional branches can save both code size and cycles.
This topic illustrates the difference between using branches and using conditional instructions. It uses the
Euclid algorithm for the Greatest Common Divisor (gcd) to demonstrate how conditional instructions
improve code size and speed.
In C the gcd algorithm can be expressed as:
int gcd(int a, int b)
{
while (a != b)
{
if (a > b)
a = a - b;
else
b = b - a;
}
return a;
}
The following examples show implementations of the gcd algorithm with and without conditional
instructions:
Note
The detailed analysis of execution speed only applies to an ARM7™ processor. The code density
calculations apply to all ARM processors.
Example of conditional execution using branches in ARM code

This is an ARM code implementation of the gcd algorithm using branches, without using any other
conditional instructions. Conditional execution is achieved by using conditional branches, rather than
individual conditional instructions:
gcd CMP r0, r1
BEQ end
BLT less
SUBS r0, r0, r1 ; could be SUB r0, r0, r1 for ARM
B gcd
less
SUBS r1, r1, r0 ; could be SUB r1, r1, r0 for ARM
B gcd
end
The code is seven instructions long because of the number of branches. Every time a branch is taken, the
processor must refill the pipeline and continue from the new location. The other instructions and non-
executed branches use a single cycle each.
The following table shows the number of cycles this implementation uses on an ARM7 processor when
R0 equals 1 and R1 equals 2:
Table 5-3 Conditional branches only
R0: a R1: b Instruction Cycles (ARM7)
1 2 CMP r0, r1 1
1 2 BEQ end 1 (not executed)
1 2 BLT less 3
1 2 SUB r1, r1, r0 1
1 2 B gcd 3
1 1 CMP r0, r1 1
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5 Condition Codes
Table 5-3 Conditional branches only (continued)
1 1 BEQ end 3
Total = 13
Example of conditional execution using conditional instructions in ARM code

This is an ARM code implementation of the gcd algorithm using individual conditional instructions in
ARM code. The gcd algorithm only takes four instructions:
gcd
CMP r0, r1
SUBGT r0, r0, r1
SUBLE r1, r1, r0
BNE gcd
In addition to improving code size, in most cases this code executes faster than the version that uses only
branches.
The following table shows the number of cycles this implementation uses on an ARM7 processor when
R0 equals 1 and R1 equals 2:
Table 5-4 All instructions conditional
1 2 CMP r0, r1 1
1 2 SUBGT r0,r0,r1 1 (not executed)
1 1 SUBLT r1,r1,r0 1
1 1 BNE gcd 3
1 1 CMP r0,r1 1
1 1 SUBGT r0,r0,r1 1 (not executed)
1 1 SUBLT r1,r1,r0 1 (not executed)
1 1 BNE gcd 1 (not executed)
Total = 10
Comparing this with the example that uses only branches:

• Replacing branches with conditional execution of all instructions saves three cycles.
• Where R0 equals R1, both implementations execute in the same number of cycles. For all other cases,
the implementation that uses conditional instructions executes in fewer cycles than the
implementation that uses branches only.
Example of conditional execution using conditional instructions in Thumb code

In ARMv6T2 and later architectures, you can use the IT instruction to write conditional instructions in
Thumb code. The Thumb code implementation of the gcd algorithm using conditional instructions is
very similar to the implementation in ARM code. The implementation in Thumb code is:
gcd
CMP r0, r1
ITE GT
SUBGT r0, r0, r1
SUBLE r1, r1, r0
BNE gcd
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5 Condition Codes
This assembles equally well to ARM or Thumb code. The assembler checks the IT instructions, but
omits them on assembly to ARM code.
It requires one more instruction in Thumb code (the IT instruction) than in ARM code, but the overall
code size is 10 bytes in Thumb code compared with 16 bytes in ARM code.
Example of conditional execution code using branches in Thumb code

In architectures before ARMv6T2, there is no IT instruction and therefore Thumb instructions cannot be
executed conditionally except for the B branch instruction. The gcd algorithm must be written with
conditional branches and is very similar to the ARM code implementation using branches, without
conditional instructions.
The Thumb code implementation of the gcd algorithm without conditional instructions requires seven
instructions. The overall code size is 14 bytes. This is even less than the ARM implementation that uses
conditional instructions, which uses 16 bytes.
In addition, on a system using 16-bit memory, this Thumb implementation runs faster than both ARM
implementations because only one memory access is required for each 16-bit Thumb instruction,
whereas each 32-bit ARM instruction requires two fetches.
Related concepts
5.7 Benefits of using conditional execution on page 5-103.
5.9 Optimization for execution speed on page 5-107.
Related references
10.39 IT on page 10-338.
Related information
reserved.
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5 Condition Codes
5.9 Optimization for execution speed
5.9 Optimization for execution speed

To optimize code for execution speed you must have detailed knowledge of the instruction timings,
branch prediction logic, and cache behavior of your target system.
For more information, see the Technical Reference Manual for your processor.
Related information
Further reading.
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Chapter 6
Using the Assembler
Describes how to use the ARM assembler, armasm.

• 6.1 armasm command-line syntax on page 6-109.
• 6.2 Specify command-line options with an environment variable on page 6-110.
• 6.3 Using stdin to input source code to the assembler on page 6-111.
• 6.4 Built-in variables and constants on page 6-112.
• 6.5 Identifying versions of armasm in source code on page 6-116.
• 6.6 Diagnostic messages on page 6-117.
• 6.7 Interlocks diagnostics on page 6-118.
• 6.8 Automatic IT block generation on page 6-119.
• 6.9 Thumb branch target alignment on page 6-120.
• 6.10 Thumb code size diagnostics on page 6-121.
• 6.11 ARM and Thumb instruction portability diagnostics on page 6-122.
• 6.12 Instruction width diagnostics on page 6-123.
• 6.13 Two pass assembler diagnostics on page 6-124.
• 6.14 Conditional assembly on page 6-125.
• 6.15 Using the C preprocessor on page 6-126.
• 6.16 Address alignment on page 6-128.
• 6.17 Instruction width selection in Thumb on page 6-129.
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6 Using the Assembler
6.1 armasm command-line syntax
6.1 armasm command-line syntax

You can use a command line to invoke armasm. You must specify an input source file and you can
specify various options.
The command for invoking the assembler is:
armasm {options} inputfile
where:
options
are commands that instruct the assembler how to assemble the inputfile. You can invoke
armasm with any combination of options separated by spaces. You can specify values for some
options. To specify a value for an option, use either ‘=’ (option=value) or a space character
(option value).
inputfile
is an assembly source file. It must contain UAL or pre-UAL ARM or Thumb assembly
language.
Note
The inline and embedded assemblers are part of the C and C++ compilers and do not use any command-
line syntax for invocation. However, to pass additional assembler options when the compiler invokes
armasm for embedded assembly, you can use the armcc –A option.
The assembler command line is case-insensitive, except in filenames and where specified. The assembler
uses the same command-line ordering rules as the compiler. This means that if the command line
contains options that conflict with each other, then the last option found always takes precedence.
Related information
Order of compiler command-line options.
Compiler command-line options listed by group.
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6.2 Specify command-line options with an environment variable
6.2 Specify command-line options with an environment variable

The ARMCC5_ASMOPT environment variable can hold command-line options for the assembler.
The syntax is identical to the command-line syntax. The assembler reads the value of ARMCC5_ASMOPT
and inserts it at the front of the command string. This means that options specified in ARMCC5_ASMOPT
can be overridden by arguments on the command line.
Related concepts
6.1 armasm command-line syntax on page 6-109.
Related information
Toolchain environment variables.
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6.3 Using stdin to input source code to the assembler
6.3 Using stdin to input source code to the assembler

You can use stdin to pipe output from another program into armasm or to input source code directly on
the command line. This is useful if you want to test a short piece of code without having to create a file
for it.
To use stdin to pipe output from another program into armasm, invoke the program and the assembler
using the pipe character (|). Use the minus character (-) as the source filename to instruct the assembler
to take input from stdin. You must specify the output filename using the -o option. You can specify the
command-line options you want to use. For example to pipe output from fromelf:
fromelf --disassemble input.o | armasm -o output.o -
Note
The source code from stdin is stored in an internal cache that can hold up to 8 MB. You can increase
this cache size using the --maxcache command-line option.
To use stdin to input source code directly on the command line:
Procedure
1. Invoke the assembler with the command-line options you want to use. Use the minus character (-) as
the source filename to instruct the assembler to take input from stdin. You must specify the output
filename using the -o option. For example:
armasm --bigend -o output.o -
2. Enter your input. For example:
start
MOV r1, #3
ADD r0, r0, r1 ; r0 = r0 + r1
stop
3. Terminate your input by entering:

• Ctrl+Z then Return on Microsoft Windows systems.
Related concepts
6.1 armasm command-line syntax on page 6-109.
13.1 Overview of via files on page 13-654.
Related references
9.47 --maxcache=n on page 9-244.
Related information
Rules for specifying command-line options.
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6.4 Built-in variables and constants

armasm defines built-in variables that hold information about, for example, the state of armasm, the
command-line options used, and the target architecture or processor.
The following table lists the built-in variables defined by armasm:
Table 6-1 Built-in variables
{ARCHITECTURE} Holds the name of the selected ARM architecture.

{AREANAME} Holds the name of the current AREA.
{ARMASM_VERSION} Holds an integer that increases with each version of armasm. The format of the
version number is PVVbbbb where:
P
is the major version.
VV
is the minor version.
bbbb
is the build number.
|ads$version| Has the same value as {ARMASM_VERSION}.
{CODESIZE} Is a synonym for {CONFIG}.
{COMMANDLINE} Holds the contents of the command line.

{CONFIG} Has the value 32 if the assembler is assembling ARM code, or 16 if it is assembling
Thumb code.
{CPU} Holds the name of the selected processor. The default is "ARM7TDMI". If an
architecture was specified in the command-line --cpu option, {CPU} holds the value
"Generic ARM".
{ENDIAN} Has the value "big" if the assembler is in big-endian mode, or "little" if it is in
little-endian mode.
{FPIC} Has the Boolean value {True} if --apcs=/fpic is set. The default is {False}.
{FPU} Holds the name of the selected FPU. The default is "SoftVFP".
{INPUTFILE} Holds the name of the current source file.

{INTER} Has the Boolean value True if --apcs=/inter is set. The default is {False}.
{LINENUM} Holds an integer indicating the line number in the current source file.
{LINENUMUP} When used in a macro, holds an integer indicating the line number of the current
macro. The value is the same as {LINENUM} when used in a non-macro context.
{LINENUMUPPER} When used in a macro, holds an integer indicating the line number of the top macro.
The value is the same as {LINENUM} when used in a non-macro context.
{OPT} Value of the currently-set listing option. You can use the OPT directive to save the
current listing option, force a change in it, or restore its original value.
{PC} or . Address of current instruction.
{PCSTOREOFFSET} Is the offset between the address of the STR PC,[…] or STM Rb,{…, PC}
instruction and the value of PC stored out. This varies depending on the processor or
architecture specified.
{ROPI} Has the Boolean value {True} if --apcs=/ropi is set. The default is {False}.
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{RWPI} Has the Boolean value {True} if --apcs=/rwpi is set. The default is {False}.
{VAR} or @ Current value of the storage area location counter.
You can use built-in variables in expressions or conditions in assembly source code. For example:
IF {ARCHITECTURE} = "4T"
They cannot be set using the SETA, SETL, or SETS directives.

The built-in variable |ads$version| must be all in lowercase. The names of the other built-in variables
can be in uppercase, lowercase, or mixed, for example:
IF {CpU} = "Generic ARM"
Note
All built-in string variables contain case-sensitive values. Relational operations on these built-in
variables do not match with strings that contain an incorrect case. Use the command-line options --cpu
and --fpu to determine valid values for {CPU}, {ARCHITECTURE}, and {FPU}.
The assembler defines the built-in Boolean constants TRUE and FALSE.
Table 6-2 Built-in Boolean constants
{FALSE} Logical constant false.
{TRUE} Logical constant true.
The following table lists the target processor-related built-in variables that are predefined by the
assembler. Where the value field is empty, the symbol is a Boolean value and the meaning column
describes when its value is {TRUE}.
Table 6-3 Predefined macros
Name Value Meaning
{TARGET_ARCH_ARM} num The number of the ARM base architecture of the target processor
irrespective of whether the assembler is assembling for ARM or Thumb.
{TARGET_ARCH_THUMB} num The number of the Thumb base architecture of the target processor
irrespective of whether the assembler is assembling for ARM or Thumb.
The value is defined as zero if the target does not support Thumb.
{TARGET_ARCH_XX} – XX represents the target architecture and its value depends on the target
processor. For example, if you specify the assembler option --cpu=4T or
--cpu=ARM7TDMI then {TARGET_ARCH_4T} is defined.
{TARGET_FEATURE_EXTENSION_REGIST num The number of 64-bit extension registers available in VFP.

ER_COUNT}
{TARGET_FEATURE_CLZ} – If the target processor supports the CLZ instruction (that is, ARMv5T and
later except ARMv6-M).
{TARGET_FEATURE_DIVIDE} – If the target processor supports the hardware divide instructions SDIV and
UDIV.
{TARGET_FEATURE_DOUBLEWORD} – If the target processor supports the LDRD and STRD instructions (that is,
ARMv5TE and later except ARMv6-M).
{TARGET_FEATURE_DSPMUL} – If the DSP-enhanced multiplier (for example the SMLAxy instruction) is
available, for example in ARMv5TE.
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Table 6-3 Predefined macros (continued)
Name Value Meaning
{TARGET_FEATURE_MULTIPLY} – If the target processor supports the long multiply instructions SMULL,
SMLAL, UMULL, and UMLAL (that is, all architectures except ARMv6-M).
{TARGET_FEATURE_UNALIGNED} – If the target processor has support for unaligned access (that is, ARMv6
and later except ARMv6-M).
{TARGET_FPU_SOFTVFP} – If assembling with the option --fpu=softvfp.
{TARGET_FPU_SOFTVFP_VFP} – If assembling for a target processor with softvfp and VFP hardware, for
example --fpu=softvfp+vfpv3.
{TARGET_FPU_VFP} – If assembling for a target processor with VFP hardware, without using
softvfp, for example --fpu=vfpv3.
{TARGET_FPU_VFPV2} – If assembling for a target processor with VFPv2.

{TARGET_PROFILE_M} – If assembling for a Cortex-M profile processor, for example, if you
specify the assembler option --cpu=7-M.
{TARGET_PROFILE_R} – If assembling for a Cortex-R profile processor, for example, if you specify
the assembler option --cpu=7-R.
The following table shows the possible values for {TARGET_ARCH_ARM} and {TARGET_ARCH_THUMB}, and
for XX in the TARGET_ARCH_XX built-in variables. It also shows how these values relate to versions of the
ARM architecture.
Table 6-4 {TARGET_ARCH_ARM} in relation to {TARGET_ARCH_THUMB}
ARM architecture {TARGET_ARCH_ARM} {TARGET_ARCH_THUMB} xx
v4 4 0 4
v4T 4 1 4T
v5T 5 2 5T
v5TE 5 2 5TE
v5TEJ 5 2 5TEJ
v6 6 3 6
v6K 6 3 6K
v6Z 6 3 6Z
v6T2 6 4 6T2
v6-M 0 3 6_M
v6S-M 0 3 6S_M
v7-R 7 4 7_R
v7-M 0 4 7_M
v7E-M 0 4 7E_M
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Related concepts
6.5 Identifying versions of armasm in source code on page 6-116.
Related references
9.14 --cpu=name on page 9-209.
9.33 --fpu=name on page 9-229.
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6.5 Identifying versions of armasm in source code
6.5 Identifying versions of armasm in source code

The assembler defines the built-in variable ARMASM_VERSION to hold the version number of the
assembler.
You can use it as follows:
IF ( {ARMASM_VERSION} / 1000000) >= 5
; using armasm in ARM Compiler 5 or above
ELSE
; using armasm in ARM Compiler 4.1 or earlier
ENDIF
The assembler also defines the built-in variable |ads$version| for legacy code. This variable did not
exist before ADS and RVCT. If you have to build versions of your code using legacy development tools,
you can test for the built-in variable |ads$version|. If this variable is not defined, then the assembler is
part of a legacy development toolchain. Use code similar to the following:
IF :DEF: |ads$version|
; code for RealView or ADS
ELSE
; code for SDT (a legacy development toolchain)
ENDIF
Related references
6.4 Built-in variables and constants on page 6-112.
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6.6 Diagnostic messages
6.6 Diagnostic messages

The assembler can provide extra error, warning, and remark diagnostic messages in addition to the
default ones.
By default, these additional diagnostic messages are not displayed. However, you can enable them using
the command-line options --diag_error, --diag_warning, and --diag_remark.
Related concepts
6.7 Interlocks diagnostics on page 6-118.
6.8 Automatic IT block generation on page 6-119.
6.9 Thumb branch target alignment on page 6-120.
6.10 Thumb code size diagnostics on page 6-121.
6.11 ARM and Thumb instruction portability diagnostics on page 6-122.
6.12 Instruction width diagnostics on page 6-123.
Related references
reserved.
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6.7 Interlocks diagnostics
6.7 Interlocks diagnostics

armasm can report warning messages about possible interlocks in your code caused by the pipeline of the
processor chosen by the --cpu option.
To do this, use the --diag_warning 1563 command-line option when invoking armasm.
Related concepts
6.6 Diagnostic messages on page 6-117.
Related references
9.22 --diag_warning=tag[,tag,…] on page 9-218.
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6.8 Automatic IT block generation
6.8 Automatic IT block generation

The assembler can automatically insert an IT block for conditional instructions in Thumb code, without
requiring the use of explicit IT instructions.
If you write the following code:
AREA x, CODE
THUMB
MOVNE r0,r1
NOP
IT NE
MOVNE r0,r1
END
the assembler generates the following instructions:

IT NE
MOVNE r0,r1
NOP
IT NE
MOVNE r0,r1
You can receive warning messages about this automatic generation of IT blocks when assembling
Thumb code. To do this, use the following command-line option when invoking the assembler:
armasm --diag_warning 1763
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
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6.9 Thumb branch target alignment
6.9 Thumb branch target alignment

The assembler can issue warnings about non word-aligned branch targets in Thumb code.
On some processors, non word-aligned Thumb instructions sometimes take one or more additional cycles
to execute in loops. This means that it can be an advantage to ensure that branch targets are word-
aligned. To ensure the assembler reports such warnings, use the following command-line option when
invoking the assembler:
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
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6.10 Thumb code size diagnostics
6.10 Thumb code size diagnostics

The assembler can issue a warning when it assembles a Thumb instruction to a 32-bit encoding when it
could have used a 16-bit encoding.
In Thumb code, some instructions, for example a branch or LDR (PC-relative), can be encoded as a 32-bit
or 16-bit instruction. The assembler chooses the size of the encoded instruction.
To enable this warning, use the following command-line option when invoking the assembler:
Related concepts
6.17 Instruction width selection in Thumb on page 6-129.
2.2 ARM, Thumb, and ThumbEE instruction sets on page 2-31.
Related references
reserved.
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6.11 ARM and Thumb instruction portability diagnostics
6.11 ARM and Thumb instruction portability diagnostics

The assembler can issue warnings about instructions that cannot assemble to both ARM and Thumb
code.
There are a few UAL instructions that can assemble as either ARM code or Thumb code, but not both.
You can identify these instructions in the source code using the following command-line option when
invoking the assembler:
It warns for any instruction that cannot be assembled in the other instruction set. This is only a hint, and
other factors, like relocation availability or target distance might affect the accuracy of the message.
Related concepts
2.2 ARM, Thumb, and ThumbEE instruction sets on page 2-31.
Related references
reserved.
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6.12 Instruction width diagnostics
6.12 Instruction width diagnostics

The assembler can issue a warning when it assembles a Thumb branch instruction to a 32-bit encoding
when it could have used a 16-bit encoding.
If you use the .W specifier, the instruction is encoded in 32 bits even if it can be encoded in 16 bits. You
can use a diagnostic warning to detect when a branch instruction could have been encoded in 16 bits, but
has been encoded in 32 bits. To do this, use the following command-line option when invoking the
assembler:
Note
This diagnostic does not produce a warning for relocated branch instructions, because the final address is
not known. The linker might even insert a veneer, if the branch is out of range for a 32-bit instruction.
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
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6.13 Two pass assembler diagnostics
6.13 Two pass assembler diagnostics

armasm can issue a warning about code that might not be identical in both assembler passes.
armasm is a two pass assembler and the input code that the assembler reads must be identical in both
passes. If a symbol is defined after the :DEF: test for that symbol, then the code read in pass one might
be different from the code read in pass two. armasm can warn in this situation.
To do this, use the --diag_warning 1907 command-line option when invoking armasm.
Example
The following example shows that the symbol foo is defined after the :DEF: foo test.
AREA x,CODE
[ :DEF: foo
]
foo MOV r3, r4
END
Assembling this code with --diag_warning 1907 generates the message:

Warning A1907W: Test for this symbol has been seen and may cause failure in the second pass.
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
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6.14 Conditional assembly
6.14 Conditional assembly

Conditional assembly works differently from conditional compilation using the C preprocessor.
The C preprocessor performs textual transformations of macro identifiers into their definitions.
Transformation occurs at the point at which the identifier is used. The C preprocessor is controlled by the
following:
• Preprocessor directives embedded in the C source file, for example, #define.
• Compiler command-line options, for example -D and -U. These have the same effect as a #define or
#undef directive at the beginning of each source file.
For example, in the following code, the C preprocessor replaces y with x+1 at the point at which y is
used, and therefore example() returns 0:
#define x 1
#define y x+1
#define x 2
int example()
{
#if y == 2
return 1;
#else
return 0;
#endif
}
Conditional assembly is based on variables, and works on each line in turn. Unlike the C preprocessor,
the assembler evaluates expressions. Conditional assembly is controlled by the following:
• Assembler directives that declare and set the value of variables, for example GBLx, LCLx and SETx.
• Assembler directives that control the flow of the assembly, for example WHILE, IF and ELSE.
• Assembler directives that define macros, for example MACRO.
• The assembler command-line option --predefine, which pre-executes a GBLx and SETx directive.
For example, in the following code, the assembler evaluates x+1 at the point at which the SETA directive
occurs, and therefore MOV sets r0 to 1:
GBLA x
GBLA y
x SETA 1
y SETA x+1
x SETA 2
AREA example, CODE
IF y == 2
MOV r0, #1
ELSE
MOV r0, #0
ENDIF
END
Related references
12.2 About assembly control directives on page 12-577.
9.57 --predefine "directive" on page 9-254.
Related information
-Dname[(parm-list)][=def] compiler option.
-Uname compiler option.
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6.15 Using the C preprocessor

The assembler can invoke the compiler to preprocess an assembly language source file before
assembling it. This allows you to use C preprocessor commands in assembly source code.
If you do this, you must use the --cpreproc command-line option when invoking the assembler. This
causes armasm to call armcc to preprocess the file before assembling it.
armasm looks for the armcc binary in the same directory as the armasm binary. If it does not find the
binary, it expects it to be on the PATH.
armasm passes certain options to armcc if present on the command line. These are shown in the following
table:
Table 6-5 Command-line options
--16 --bi --diag_suppress --li
--32 --cpu --diag_warning --library_type
--apcs --diag_error --fpu --thumb
--arm --diag_remark --fpumode --unaligned_access,

--no_unaligned_access
--arm_only --diag_style -i
Some of the options that armasm passes to armcc are converted to the armcc equivalent beforehand.
These are shown in the following table:
Table 6-6 armcc equivalent command-line options
armasm armcc
--16 --thumb
--32 --arm
-i -I
To pass other simple compiler options, such as the preprocessor option -D, you must use the
--cpreproc_opts command-line option. armasm correctly interprets the preprocessed #line commands.
It can generate error messages and debug_line tables using the information in the #line commands.
Preprocessing an assembly language source file

The following example shows the command you write to preprocess and assemble a file, source.s. The
example also passes the compiler options to define a macro called RELEASE, and to undefine a macro
called ALPHA.
armasm --cpreproc --cpreproc_opts=-D,RELEASE,-U,ALPHA source.s
Preprocessing an assembly language source file manually

If you want to use complex preprocessor options, you must manually call armcc to preprocess the file
before calling armasm. The following example shows the commands you write to manually preprocess
and assemble a file, source.s:
armcc -E source.s > preprocessed.s
armasm preprocessed.s
In this example, the preprocessor outputs a file called preprocessed.s, and armasm assembles it.
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Related references
9.11 --cpreproc on page 9-206.
9.12 --cpreproc_opts=option[,option,…] on page 9-207.
Related information
Compiler command-line options listed by group.
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6.16 Address alignment
6.16 Address alignment

The handling of unaligned addresses in load and store instructions depends on the ARM architecture
version.
ARMv7
In ARMv7-R, the A bit in the System Control Register, SCTLR, controls whether alignment checking is
enabled or disabled. In ARMv7-M, the UNALIGN_TRP bit, bit 3, in the Configuration and Control Register
(CCR) controls this.
If alignment checking is enabled, all unaligned word and halfword transfers cause an alignment
exception. If disabled, unaligned accesses are permitted for the LDR, LDRH, STR, STRH, LDRSH, LDRT, STRT,
LDRSHT, LDRHT, STRHT, and TBH instructions. Other data-accessing instructions always cause an alignment
exception for unaligned data.
For STRD and LDRD, the specified address must be word-aligned.
ARMv5 and earlier

For word transfers, you must ensure that addresses are 4-byte aligned. Otherwise, if alignment checking
is enabled, an alignment exception occurs. If alignment checking is unavailable, or if it is available but
disabled, the following occur:
• For STR, LDR, STM, and LDM, the specified address is rounded down to a multiple of four.
• Additionally, for LDR only:
1. Four bytes of data are loaded from the resulting address.
2. The loaded data is rotated right by one, two or three bytes according to bits [1:0] of the address.
For a little-endian memory system, this causes the addressed byte to occupy the least significant byte
of the register. For a big-endian memory system, it causes the addressed byte to occupy:
— Bits[31:24] if bit[0] of the address is 0.
— Bits[15:8] if bit[0] of the address is 1.
Addresses must be halfword-aligned for halfword transfers, and doubleword-aligned for doubleword
transfers.
ARMv6
ARMv6 can be configured to support either the ARMv5 or ARMv7 alignment models, depending on the
value of the U bit in the SCTLR. ARMv6-M faults all unaligned data accesses.
--no_unaligned_access
If all your data accesses are aligned, you can use the --no_unaligned_access command-line option to
avoid linking in any library functions that support unaligned accesses.
Related references
9.65 --unaligned_access, --no_unaligned_access on page 9-262.
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6.17 Instruction width selection in Thumb
6.17 Instruction width selection in Thumb

If the assembler can select either a 16-bit or a 32-bit encoding for a Thumb instruction, in general it
selects the 16-bit encoding. You can override this by specifying a .W or .N mnemonic qualifier.
If you are writing Thumb code for ARMv6T2 or later processors, some instructions can have either a 16-
bit encoding or a 32-bit encoding.
If you do not specify the instruction size, by default:
• For forward reference LDR, ADR, and B instructions, the assembler always generates a 16-bit
instruction, even if that results in failure for a target that could be reached using a 32-bit instruction.
• For external reference LDR and B instructions, the assembler always generates a 32-bit instruction.
• In all other cases, the assembler generates the smallest size encoding that can be output.
If you want to override this behavior, you can use the .W or .N width specifier to ensure a particular
instruction size. The assembler faults if it cannot generate an instruction with the specified width.
The .W specifier is ignored when assembling to ARM code, so you can safely use this specifier in code
that might assemble to either ARM or Thumb code. However, the .N specifier is faulted when
assembling to ARM code.
Related concepts
10.2 Instruction width specifiers on page 10-281.
6.10 Thumb code size diagnostics on page 6-121.
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Chapter 7
Symbols, Literals, Expressions, and Operators
Describes how you can use symbols to represent variables, addresses, and constants in code, and how
you can combine these with operators to create numeric or string expressions.
• 7.1 Symbol naming rules on page 7-132.
• 7.2 Variables on page 7-133.
• 7.3 Numeric constants on page 7-134.
• 7.4 Assembly time substitution of variables on page 7-135.
• 7.5 Register-relative and PC-relative expressions on page 7-136.
• 7.6 Labels on page 7-137.
• 7.7 Labels for PC-relative addresses on page 7-138.
• 7.8 Labels for register-relative addresses on page 7-139.
• 7.9 Labels for absolute addresses on page 7-140.
• 7.10 Numeric local labels on page 7-141.
• 7.11 Syntax of numeric local labels on page 7-142.
• 7.12 String expressions on page 7-143.
• 7.13 String literals on page 7-144.
• 7.14 Numeric expressions on page 7-145.
• 7.15 Syntax of numeric literals on page 7-146.
• 7.16 Syntax of floating-point literals on page 7-147.
• 7.17 Logical expressions on page 7-148.
• 7.18 Logical literals on page 7-149.
• 7.19 Unary operators on page 7-150.
• 7.20 Binary operators on page 7-151.
• 7.21 Multiplicative operators on page 7-152.
• 7.22 String manipulation operators on page 7-153.
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7 Symbols, Literals, Expressions, and Operators
• 7.23 Shift operators on page 7-154.

• 7.24 Addition, subtraction, and logical operators on page 7-155.
• 7.25 Relational operators on page 7-156.
• 7.26 Boolean operators on page 7-157.
• 7.27 Operator precedence on page 7-158.
• 7.28 Difference between operator precedence in assembly language and C on page 7-159.
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7.1 Symbol naming rules
7.1 Symbol naming rules

You must follow some rules when naming symbols in assembly language source code.
The following rules apply:
• Symbol names must be unique within their scope.
• You can use uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numeric characters, or the underscore character in
symbol names. Symbol names are case-sensitive, and all characters in the symbol name are
significant.
• Do not use numeric characters for the first character of symbol names, except in numeric local labels.
• Symbols must not use the same name as built-in variable names or predefined symbol names.
• If you use the same name as an instruction mnemonic or directive, use double bars to delimit the
symbol name. For example:
||ASSERT||
The bars are not part of the symbol.

• You must not use the symbols |$a|, |$t|, |$t.x|, or |$d| as program labels. These are mapping
symbols that mark the beginning of ARM, Thumb, ThumbEE, and data within the object file.
• Symbols beginning with the characters $v are mapping symbols that relate to VFP and might be
output when building for a target with VFP. ARM recommends you avoid using symbols beginning
with $v in your source code.
If you have to use a wider range of characters in symbols, for example, when working with compilers,
use single bars to delimit the symbol name. For example:
|.text|
The bars are not part of the symbol. You cannot use bars, semicolons, or newlines within the bars.
Related concepts
Related references
2.11 Predeclared extension register names on page 2-41.
2.12 Predeclared coprocessor names on page 2-42.
6.4 Built-in variables and constants on page 6-112.
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7.2 Variables
7.2 Variables
You can declare numeric, logical, or string variables using assembler directives.
The value of a variable can be changed as assembly proceeds. Variables are local to the assembler. This
means that in the generated code or data, every instance of the variable has a fixed value.
The type of a variable cannot be changed. Variables are one of the following types:
• Numeric.
• Logical.
• String.
The range of possible values of a numeric variable is the same as the range of possible values of a
numeric constant or numeric expression.
The possible values of a logical variable are {TRUE} or {FALSE}.
The range of possible values of a string variable is the same as the range of values of a string expression.
Use the GBLA, GBLL, GBLS, LCLA, LCLL, and LCLS directives to declare symbols representing variables, and
assign values to them using the SETA, SETL, and SETS directives.
Example
a SETA 100
L1 MOV R1, #(a*5) ; In the object file, this is MOV R1, #500
a SETA 200 ; Value of 'a' is 200 only after this point.
; The previous instruction is always MOV R1, #500
…
BNE L1 ; When the processor branches to L1, it executes
; MOV R1, #500
Related concepts
7.14 Numeric expressions on page 7-145.
7.12 String expressions on page 7-143.
7.3 Numeric constants on page 7-134.
7.17 Logical expressions on page 7-148.
Related references
12.43 GBLA, GBLL, and GBLS on page 12-622.
12.50 LCLA, LCLL, and LCLS on page 12-631.
12.63 SETA, SETL, and SETS on page 12-647.
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7.3 Numeric constants
7.3 Numeric constants

You can define 32-bit numeric constants using the EQU assembler directive.
Numeric constants are 32-bit integers. You can set them using unsigned numbers in the range 0 to 232-1,
or signed numbers in the range -231 to 231 -1. However, the assembler makes no distinction between -n
and 232-n.
Relational operators such as >= use the unsigned interpretation. This means that 0 > -1 is {FALSE}.
Use the EQU directive to define constants. You cannot change the value of a numeric constant after you
define it. You can construct expressions by combining numeric constants and binary operators.
Related concepts
Related references
12.27 EQU on page 12-605.
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7.4 Assembly time substitution of variables
7.4 Assembly time substitution of variables

You can assign a string variable to all or part of a line of assembly language code. A string variable can
contain numeric and logical variables.
Use the variable with a $ prefix in the places where the value is to be substituted for the variable. The
dollar character instructs armasm to substitute the string into the source code line before checking the
syntax of the line. armasm faults if the substituted line is larger than the source line limit.
Numeric and logical variables can also be substituted. The current value of the variable is converted to a
hexadecimal string (or T or F for logical variables) before substitution.
Use a dot to mark the end of the variable name if the following character would be permissible in a
symbol name. You must set the contents of the variable before you can use it.
If you require a $ that you do not want to be substituted, use $$. This is converted to a single $.
You can include a variable with a $ prefix in a string. Substitution occurs in the same way as anywhere
else.
Substitution does not occur within vertical bars, except that vertical bars within double quotes do not
affect substitution.
Example
; straightforward substitution
GBLS add4ff
;
add4ff SETS "ADD r4,r4,#0xFF" ; set up add4ff
$add4ff.00 ; invoke add4ff
; this produces
ADD r4,r4,#0xFF00
; elaborate substitution
GBLS s1
GBLS s2
GBLS fixup
GBLA count
;
count SETA 14
s1 SETS "a$$b$count" ; s1 now has value a$b0000000E
s2 SETS "abc"
fixup SETS "|xy$s2.z|" ; fixup now has value |xyabcz|
|C$$code| MOV r4,#16 ; but the label here is C$$code
Related references
7.1 Symbol naming rules on page 7-132.
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7.5 Register-relative and PC-relative expressions
7.5 Register-relative and PC-relative expressions

The assembler supports PC-relative and register-relative expressions.
A register-relative expression evaluates to a named register combined with a numeric expression.
You write a PC-relative expression in source code as a label or the PC, optionally combined with a
numeric expression. Some instructions can also accept PC-relative expressions in the form [PC,
#number].
If you specify a label, the assembler calculates the offset from the PC value of the current instruction to
the address of the label. The assembler encodes the offset in the instruction. If the offset is too large, the
assembler produces an error. The offset is either added to or subtracted from the PC value to form the
required address.
ARM recommends you write PC-relative expressions using labels rather than the PC because the value
of the PC depends on the instruction set.
Note
• In ARM code, the value of the PC is the address of the current instruction plus 8 bytes.
• In Thumb code:
— For B, BL, CBNZ, and CBZ instructions, the value of the PC is the address of the current instruction
plus 4 bytes.
— For all other instructions that use labels, the value of the PC is the address of the current
instruction plus 4 bytes, with bit[1] of the result cleared to 0 to make it word-aligned.
Example
LDR r4,=data+4*n ; n is an assembly-time variable
; code
MOV pc,lr
data DCD value_0
; n-1 DCD directives
DCD value_n ; data+4*n points here
; more DCD directives
Related concepts
Related references
12.53 MAP on page 12-636.
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7.6 Labels
7.6 Labels
A label is a symbol that represents the memory address of an instruction or data.
The address can be PC-relative, register-relative, or absolute. Labels are local to the source file unless
you make them global using the EXPORT directive.
The address given by a label is calculated during assembly. armasm calculates the address of a label
relative to the origin of the section where the label is defined. A reference to a label within the same
section can use the PC plus or minus an offset. This is called PC-relative addressing.
Addresses of labels in other sections are calculated at link time, when the linker has allocated specific
locations in memory for each section.
Related concepts
7.7 Labels for PC-relative addresses on page 7-138.
7.8 Labels for register-relative addresses on page 7-139.
7.9 Labels for absolute addresses on page 7-140.
Related references
reserved.
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7.7 Labels for PC-relative addresses
7.7 Labels for PC-relative addresses

A label can represent the PC value plus or minus the offset from the PC to the label. Use these labels as
targets for branch instructions, or to access small items of data embedded in code sections.
You can define PC-relative labels using a label on an instruction or on one of the data definition
directives.
You can also use the section name of an AREA directive as a label for PC-relative addresses. In this case
the label points to the first byte of the specified AREA. ARM does not recommend using AREA names as
branch targets because when branching from ARM to Thumb state or Thumb to ARM state in this way,
the processor does not change the state properly.
Related references
12.15 DCB on page 12-593.
12.18 DCFD and DCFDU on page 12-596.
12.19 DCFS and DCFSU on page 12-597.
12.20 DCI on page 12-598.
12.21 DCQ and DCQU on page 12-599.
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7.8 Labels for register-relative addresses
7.8 Labels for register-relative addresses

A label can represent a named register plus a numeric value. You define these labels in a storage map.
They are most commonly used to access data in data sections.
You can use the EQU directive to define additional register-relative labels, based on labels defined in
storage maps.
Example of storage map definitions

MAP 0,r9
MAP 0xff,r9
Related references
12.17 DCDO on page 12-595.
12.27 EQU on page 12-605.
12.53 MAP on page 12-636.
12.64 SPACE or FILL on page 12-648.
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7.9 Labels for absolute addresses
7.9 Labels for absolute addresses

A label can represent the absolute address of code or data.
These labels are numeric constants in the range 0 to 232-1. They address the memory directly. You can
use labels to represent absolute addresses using the EQU directive. To ensure that the labels are used
correctly when referenced in code, you can specify the absolute address as:
• ARM code with the ARM directive.
• Thumb code with the THUMB directive.
• data.
Example of defining labels for absolute address

abc EQU 2 ; assigns the value 2 to the symbol abc
xyz EQU label+8 ; assigns the address (label+8) to the symbol xyz
fiq EQU 0x1C, ARM ; assigns the absolute address 0x1C to the symbol fiq
; and marks it as ARM code
Related concepts
7.7 Labels for PC-relative addresses on page 7-138.
7.8 Labels for register-relative addresses on page 7-139.
Related references
12.27 EQU on page 12-605.
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7.10 Numeric local labels
7.10 Numeric local labels

Numeric local labels are a type of label that you refer to by number rather than by name. They are used
in a similar way to PC-relative labels, but their scope is more limited.
A numeric local label is a number in the range 0-99, optionally followed by a name. Unlike other labels,
a numeric local label can be defined many times and the same number can be used for more than one
numeric local label in an area.
Numeric local labels do not appear in the object file. This means that, for example, a debugger cannot set
a breakpoint directly on a numeric local label, like it can for named local labels kept using the KEEP
directive.
A numeric local label can be used in place of symbol in source lines in an assembly language module:
• On its own, that is, where there is no instruction or directive.
• On a line that contains an instruction.
• On a line that contains a code- or data-generating directive.
A numeric local label is generally used where you might use a PC-relative label.
Numeric local labels are typically used for loops and conditional code within a routine, or for small
subroutines that are only used locally. They are particularly useful when you are generating labels in
macros.
The scope of numeric local labels is limited by the AREA directive. Use the ROUT directive to limit the
scope of numeric local labels more tightly. A reference to a numeric local label refers to a matching label
within the same scope. If there is no matching label within the scope in either direction, armasm
generates an error message and the assembly fails.
You can use the same number for more than one numeric local label even within the same scope. By
default, armasm links a numeric local label reference to:
• The most recent numeric local label with the same number, if there is one within the scope.
• The next following numeric local label with the same number, if there is not a preceding one within
the scope.
Use the optional parameters to modify this search pattern if required.
Related concepts
Related references
7.11 Syntax of numeric local labels on page 7-142.
12.49 KEEP on page 12-630.
12.62 ROUT on page 12-646.
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7.11 Syntax of numeric local labels
7.11 Syntax of numeric local labels

When referring to numeric local labels you can specify how armasm searches for the label.
Syntax
n[routname] ; a numeric local label
%[F|B][A|T]n[routname] ; a reference to a numeric local label
where:
n
is the number of the numeric local label in the range 0-99.
routname
is the name of the current scope.
%
introduces the reference.
F
instructs armasm to search forwards only.
B
instructs armasm to search backwards only.
A
instructs armasm to search all macro levels.
T
instructs armasm to look at this macro level only.
Usage
If neither F nor B is specified, armasm searches backwards first, then forwards.
If neither A nor T is specified, armasm searches all macros from the current level to the top level, but does
not search lower level macros.
If routname is specified in either a label or a reference to a label, armasm checks it against the name of
the nearest preceding ROUT directive. If it does not match, armasm generates an error message and the
assembly fails.
Related concepts
Related references
12.62 ROUT on page 12-646.
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7.12 String expressions
7.12 String expressions

String expressions consist of combinations of string literals, string variables, string manipulation
operators, and parentheses.
Characters that cannot be placed in string literals can be placed in string expressions using the :CHR:
unary operator. Any ASCII character from 0 to 255 is permitted.
The value of a string expression cannot exceed 5120 characters in length. It can be of zero length.
Example
improb SETS "literal":CC:(strvar2:LEFT:4)
; sets the variable improb to the value "literal"
; with the left-most four characters of the
; contents of string variable strvar2 appended
Related concepts
7.19 Unary operators on page 7-150.
7.2 Variables on page 7-133.
Related references
7.22 String manipulation operators on page 7-153.
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7.13 String literals
7.13 String literals

String literals consist of a series of characters or spaces contained between double quote characters.
The length of a string literal is restricted by the length of the input line.
To include a double quote character or a dollar character within the string literal, include the character
twice as a pair. For example, you must use $$ if you require a single $ in the string.
C string escape sequences are also enabled and can be used within the string, unless --no_esc is
specified.
Examples
abc SETS "this string contains only one "" double quote"
def SETS "this string contains only one $$ dollar symbol"
Related references
9.50 --no_esc on page 9-247.
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7.14 Numeric expressions
7.14 Numeric expressions

Numeric expressions consist of combinations of numeric constants, numeric variables, ordinary numeric
literals, binary operators, and parentheses.
Numeric expressions can contain register-relative or program-relative expressions if the overall
expression evaluates to a value that does not include a register or the PC.
Numeric expressions evaluate to 32-bit integers. You can interpret them as unsigned numbers in the
range 0 to 232-1, or signed numbers in the range -231 to 231-1. However, armasm makes no distinction
between -n and 232-n. Relational operators such as >= use the unsigned interpretation. This means that 0
> -1 is {FALSE}.
Example
a SETA 256*256 ; 256*256 is a numeric expression
MOV r1,#(a*22) ; (a*22) is a numeric expression
Related concepts
7.20 Binary operators on page 7-151.
7.2 Variables on page 7-133.
Related references
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7.15 Syntax of numeric literals
7.15 Syntax of numeric literals

Numeric literals consist of a sequence of characters, or a single character in quotes, evaluating to an
integer.
They can take any of the following forms:
• decimal-digits.
• 0xhexadecimal-digits.
• &hexadecimal-digits.
• n_base-n-digits.
• 'character'.
where:
decimal-digits
Is a sequence of characters using only the digits 0 to 9.
hexadecimal-digits
Is a sequence of characters using only the digits 0 to 9 and the letters A to F or a to f.
n_
Is a single digit between 2 and 9 inclusive, followed by an underscore character.
base-n-digits
Is a sequence of characters using only the digits 0 to (n –1)
character
Is any single character except a single quote. Use the standard C escape character (\') if you
require a single quote. The character must be enclosed within opening and closing single quotes.
In this case, the value of the numeric literal is the numeric code of the character.
You must not use any other characters. The sequence of characters must evaluate to an integer in the
range 0 to 232-1 (except in DCQ and DCQU directives, where the range is 0 to 264-1).
Examples
a SETA 34906
addr DCD 0xA10E
LDR r4,=&1000000F
DCD 2_11001010
c3 SETA 8_74007
DCQ 0x0123456789abcdef
LDR r1,='A' ; pseudo-instruction loading 65 into r1
ADD r3,r2,#'\'' ; add 39 to contents of r2, result to r3
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7.16 Syntax of floating-point literals
7.16 Syntax of floating-point literals

Floating-point literals consist of a sequence of characters evaluating to a floating-point number.
They can take any of the following forms:
• {-}digitsE{-}digits
• {-}{digits}.digits
• {-}{digits}.digitsE{-}digits
• 0xhexdigits
• &hexdigits
• 0f_hexdigits
• 0d_hexdigits
where:
digits
Are sequences of characters using only the digits 0 to 9. You can write E in uppercase or
lowercase. These forms correspond to normal floating-point notation.
hexdigits
Are sequences of characters using only the digits 0 to 9 and the letters A to F or a to f. These
forms correspond to the internal representation of the numbers in the computer. Use these forms
to enter infinities and NaNs, or if you want to be sure of the exact bit patterns you are using.
The 0x and & forms allow the floating-point bit pattern to be specified by any number of hex digits.
The 0f_ form requires the floating-point bit pattern to be specified by exactly 8 hex digits.
The 0d_ form requires the floating-point bit pattern to be specified by exactly 16 hex digits.
The range for single-precision floating-point values is:
• Maximum 3.40282347e+38.
• Minimum 1.17549435e–38.
The range for double-precision floating-point values is:
• Maximum 1.79769313486231571e+308.
• Minimum 2.22507385850720138e–308.
Floating-point numbers are only available if your system has VFP.
Examples
DCFD 1E308,-4E-100
DCFS 1.0
DCFS 0.02
DCFD 3.725e15
DCFS 0x7FC00000 ; Quiet NaN
DCFD &FFF0000000000000 ; Minus infinity
Related concepts
Related references
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7.17 Logical expressions
7.17 Logical expressions

Logical expressions consist of combinations of logical literals ({TRUE} or {FALSE}), logical variables,
Boolean operators, relations, and parentheses.
Relations consist of combinations of variables, literals, constants, or expressions with appropriate
relational operators.
Related references
7.26 Boolean operators on page 7-157.
7.25 Relational operators on page 7-156.
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7.18 Logical literals
7.18 Logical literals

Logical or Boolean literals can have one of two values, {TRUE} or {FALSE}.
Related concepts
Related references
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7.19 Unary operators
7.19 Unary operators

Unary operators return a string, numeric, or logical value. They have higher precedence than other
operators and are evaluated first.
A unary operator precedes its operand. Adjacent operators are evaluated from right to left.
The following table lists the unary operators that return strings:
Table 7-1 Unary operators that return strings
Operator Usage Description
:CHR: :CHR:A Returns the character with ASCII code A.

:LOWERCASE: :LOWERCASE:string Returns the given string, with all uppercase characters converted to lowercase.
:REVERSE_CC: :REVERSE_CC:cond_code Returns the inverse of the condition code in cond_code, or an error if cond_code
does not contain a valid condition code.
:STR: :STR:A Returns an 8-digit hexadecimal string corresponding to a numeric expression, or the
string "T" or "F" if used on a logical expression.
:UPPERCASE: :UPPERCASE:string Returns the given string, with all lowercase characters converted to uppercase.
The following table lists the unary operators that return numeric values:
Table 7-2 Unary operators that return numeric or logical values
Operator Usage Description
? ?A Number of bytes of code generated by line defining symbol A.
+ and - +A Unary plus. Unary minus. + and – can act on numeric and PC-relative expressions.
-A
:BASE: :BASE:A If A is a PC-relative or register-relative expression, :BASE: returns the number of

its register component. :BASE: is most useful in macros.
:CC_ENCODING: :CC_ENCODING:cond_code Returns the numeric value of the condition code in cond_code, or an error if
cond_code does not contain a valid condition code.
:DEF: :DEF:A {TRUE} if A is defined, otherwise {FALSE}.
:INDEX: :INDEX:A If A is a register-relative expression, :INDEX: returns the offset from that base
register. :INDEX: is most useful in macros.
:LEN: :LEN:A Length of string A.

:LNOT: :LNOT:A Logical complement of A.
:NOT: :NOT:A Bitwise complement of A (~ is an alias, for example ~A).
:RCONST: :RCONST:Rn Number of register, 0-15 corresponding to R0-R15.
Related concepts
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7.20 Binary operators
7.20 Binary operators

You write binary operators between the pair of sub-expressions they operate on. They have lower
precedence than unary operators.
Note
The order of precedence is not the same as in C.
Related concepts
7.28 Difference between operator precedence in assembly language and C on page 7-159.
Related references
7.21 Multiplicative operators on page 7-152.
7.23 Shift operators on page 7-154.
7.24 Addition, subtraction, and logical operators on page 7-155.
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7.21 Multiplicative operators
7.21 Multiplicative operators

Multiplicative operators have the highest precedence of all binary operators. They act only on numeric
expressions.
The following table shows the multiplicative operators:
Table 7-3 Multiplicative operators
Operator Alias Usage Explanation
* A*B Multiply
/ A/B Divide
:MOD: % A:MOD:B A modulo B
You can use the :MOD: operator on PC-relative expressions to ensure code is aligned correctly. These
alignment checks have the form PC-relative:MOD:Constant. For example:
AREA x,CODE
ASSERT ({PC}:MOD:4) == 0
DCB 1
y DCB 2
ASSERT (y:MOD:4) == 1
ASSERT ({PC}:MOD:4) == 2
END
Related concepts
Related references
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7.22 String manipulation operators
7.22 String manipulation operators

You can use string manipulation operators to concatenate two strings, or to extract a substring.
The following table shows the string manipulation operators. In CC, both A and B must be strings. In the
slicing operators LEFT and RIGHT:
• A must be a string.
• B must be a numeric expression.
Table 7-4 String manipulation operators
Operator Usage Explanation
:CC: A:CC:B B concatenated onto the end of A

:LEFT: A:LEFT:B The left-most B characters of A
:RIGHT: A:RIGHT:B The right-most B characters of A
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7.23 Shift operators
7.23 Shift operators

Shift operators act on numeric expressions, by shifting or rotating the first operand by the amount
specified by the second.
The following table shows the shift operators:
Table 7-5 Shift operators
:ROL: A:ROL:B Rotate A left by B bits
:ROR: A:ROR:B Rotate A right by B bits
:SHL: << A:SHL:B Shift A left by B bits
:SHR: >> A:SHR:B Shift A right by B bits
Note
SHR is a logical shift and does not propagate the sign bit.
Related concepts
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7.24 Addition, subtraction, and logical operators
7.24 Addition, subtraction, and logical operators

Addition, subtraction, and logical operators act on numeric expressions.
Logical operations are performed bitwise, that is, independently on each bit of the operands to produce
the result.
The following table shows the addition, subtraction, and logical operators:
Table 7-6 Addition, subtraction, and logical operators
+ A+B Add A to B
- A-B Subtract B from A
:AND: & A:AND:B Bitwise AND of A and B
:EOR: ^ A:EOR:B Bitwise Exclusive OR of A and B
:OR: A:OR:B Bitwise OR of A and B
The use of | as an alias for :OR: is deprecated.
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7.25 Relational operators
7.25 Relational operators

Relational operators act on two operands of the same type to produce a logical value.
The operands can be one of:
• Numeric.
• PC-relative.
• Register-relative.
• Strings.
Strings are sorted using ASCII ordering. String A is less than string B if it is a leading substring of string
B, or if the left-most character in which the two strings differ is less in string A than in string B.
Arithmetic values are unsigned, so the value of 0>-1 is {FALSE}.

The following table shows the relational operators:
Table 7-7 Relational operators
= == A=B A equal to B
> A>B A greater than B
>= A>=B A greater than or equal to B
< A<B A less than B
<= A<=B A less than or equal to B
/= <> != A/=B A not equal to B
Related concepts
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7.26 Boolean operators
7.26 Boolean operators

Boolean operators perform standard logical operations on their operands. They have the lowest
precedence of all operators.
In all three cases, both A and B must be expressions that evaluate to either {TRUE} or {FALSE}.
The following table shows the Boolean operators:
Table 7-8 Boolean operators
:LAND: && A:LAND:B Logical AND of A and B
:LEOR: A:LEOR:B Logical Exclusive OR of A and B
:LOR: || A:LOR:B Logical OR of A and B
Related concepts
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7.27 Operator precedence
7.27 Operator precedence

armasm includes an extensive set of operators for use in expressions. It evaluates them using a strict order
of precedence.
Many of the operators resemble their counterparts in high-level languages such as C.
armasm evaluates operators in the following order:
1. Expressions in parentheses are evaluated first.
2. Operators are applied in precedence order.
3. Adjacent unary operators are evaluated from right to left.
4. Binary operators of equal precedence are evaluated from left to right.
Related concepts
7.19 Unary operators on page 7-150.
7.28 Difference between operator precedence in assembly language and C on page 7-159.
Related references
7.21 Multiplicative operators on page 7-152.
7.23 Shift operators on page 7-154.
7.24 Addition, subtraction, and logical operators on page 7-155.
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7.28 Difference between operator precedence in assembly language and C

armasm does not follow exactly the same order of precedence when evaluating operators as a C compiler.
For example, (1 + 2 :SHR: 3) evaluates as (1 + (2 :SHR: 3)) = 1 in assembly language. The

equivalent expression in C evaluates as ((1 + 2) >> 3) = 0.
ARM recommends you use brackets to make the precedence explicit.
If your code contains an expression that would parse differently in C, and you are not using the --unsafe
option, armasm gives a warning:
A1466W: Operator precedence means that expression would evaluate differently in C
In the following tables:

• The highest precedence operators are at the top of the list.
• The highest precedence operators are evaluated first.
• Operators of equal precedence are evaluated from left to right.
The following table shows the order of precedence of operators in assembly language, and a comparison
with the order in C.
Table 7-9 Operator precedence in ARM assembly language
assembly language precedence equivalent C operators
unary operators unary operators
* / :MOD: * / %
string manipulation n/a

:SHL: :SHR: :ROR: :ROL: << >>
+ - :AND: :OR: :EOR: + - & | ^
= > >= < <= /= <> == > >= < <= !=
:LAND: :LOR: :LEOR: && ||
The following table shows the order of precedence of operators in C.
Table 7-10 Operator precedence in C
C precedence
unary operators
* / %
+ - (as binary operators)
<< >>
< <= > >=
== !=
&
&&
||
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Related concepts
Related references
7.27 Operator precedence on page 7-158.
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Chapter 8
VFP Programming
Describes the assembly programming of VFP hardware.

• 8.1 Architecture support for VFP on page 8-163.
• 8.2 Half-precision extension for VFP on page 8-164.
• 8.3 Fused Multiply-Add extension for VFP on page 8-165.
• 8.4 Extension register bank mapping in VFP on page 8-166.
• 8.5 VFP views of the extension register bank on page 8-168.
• 8.6 Load values to VFP registers on page 8-169.
• 8.7 Conditional execution of VFP instructions on page 8-170.
• 8.8 Floating-point exceptions in VFP on page 8-171.
• 8.9 VFP data types on page 8-172.
• 8.10 Extended notation extension for VFP on page 8-173.
• 8.11 VFP system registers on page 8-174.
• 8.12 Flush-to-zero mode on page 8-175.
• 8.13 When to use flush-to-zero mode in VFP on page 8-176.
• 8.14 The effects of using flush-to-zero mode in VFP on page 8-177.
• 8.15 VFP operations not affected by flush-to-zero mode on page 8-178.
• 8.16 VFP vector mode on page 8-179.
• 8.17 Vectors in the VFP extension register bank on page 8-180.
• 8.18 VFP vector wrap-around on page 8-182.
• 8.19 VFP vector stride on page 8-183.
• 8.20 Restriction on vector length on page 8-184.
• 8.21 Control of scalar, vector, and mixed operations on page 8-185.
• 8.22 Overview of VFP directives and vector notation on page 8-186.
• 8.23 Pre-UAL VFP syntax and mnemonics on page 8-187.
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• 8.24 Vector notation on page 8-189.

• 8.25 VFPASSERT SCALAR on page 8-190.
• 8.26 VFPASSERT VECTOR on page 8-191.
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8.1 Architecture support for VFP
8.1 Architecture support for VFP

VFP is an optional extension to the ARM architecture. There are versions that provide additional
instructions.
Most VFP and the shared instructions are available in all versions of the VFP architecture. Where this is
not true, the descriptions of the instructions specify the applicable VFP architecture versions.
VFPv3 has variants that do not support all VFPv3 registers and floating-point data types. VFPv3 with
half-precision extension and fused multiply-add extension is called VFPv4. There is a single-precision
only version of VFPv4, called FPv4-SP.
For details of the implemented VFP architecture and variant, you must always refer to the Technical
Reference Manual for your processor. To get VFP, you must specify the FPU or have it implicit in the
processor specified with --cpu.
VFP instructions, including the half-precision and fused multiply-add instructions, are treated as
Undefined Instructions on systems that do not support the necessary architecture extension. Even on
systems that support VFP, the instructions are undefined if the necessary coprocessors are not enabled in
the Coprocessor Access Control Register (CP15 CPACR).
Related concepts
8.2 Half-precision extension for VFP on page 8-164.
8.3 Fused Multiply-Add extension for VFP on page 8-165.
8.16 VFP vector mode on page 8-179.
Related information
Floating-point support.
Further reading.
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8 VFP Programming
8.2 Half-precision extension for VFP
8.2 Half-precision extension for VFP

The Half-precision extension optionally extends the VFPv3 architecture.
It provides VFP instructions that perform conversion between single-precision (32-bit) and half-precision
(16-bit) floating-point numbers.
The half-precision instructions are only available on VFP systems that implement the half-precision
extension. The VFP variants that implement the half-precision extension are VFPv3-FP16, VFPv3-D16-
FP16, and VFPv4.
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8.3 Fused Multiply-Add extension for VFP
8.3 Fused Multiply-Add extension for VFP

The Fused Multiply-Add extension optionally extends the VFPv3 architecture.
It provides VFP instructions that perform multiply and accumulate operations with a single rounding
step, so suffers from less loss of accuracy than performing a multiplication followed by an add.
The fused multiply-add instructions are only available on VFP systems that implement the fused
multiply-add extension. The VFP system that implements the fused multiply-add extension is VFPv4.
Related concepts
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8.4 Extension register bank mapping in VFP

The VFP extension register bank is a collection of registers that can be accessed as either 32-bit or 64-bit
registers.
The following figure shows the views of the VFP extension register bank, and the overlap between the
different size registers. For example, the 64-bit register D0 is an alias for two consecutive 32-bit registers
S0, S1.
S0
D0
S1
S2
D1
S3
S4
D2
S5
S6
D3
S7
... ...
S28
D14
S29
S30
D15
S31
D16
D17
...
D30
D31
Figure 8-1 VFP extension register bank
Note
The figure applies to a VFP implementation with 32 double precision registers. The following versions
of VFP use 16 double precision registers, D0-D15.
• VFPv2.
• VFPv3-D16.
• VFPv4-D16.
The aliased views enable half-precision, single-precision, and double-precision values to coexist in
different non-overlapped registers at the same time.
You can also use the same overlapped registers to store half-precision, single-precision, and double-
precision values at different times.
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8 VFP Programming
Do not attempt to use overlapped 32-bit and 64-bit registers at the same time because it creates
meaningless results.
The mapping between the registers is as follows:
• S<2n> maps to the least significant half of D<n>.
• S<2n+1> maps to the most significant half of D<n>.
For example, you can access the least significant half of the elements of a vector in D6 by referring to
S12, and the most significant half of the elements by referring to S13.
Related concepts
8.5 VFP views of the extension register bank on page 8-168.
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8.5 VFP views of the extension register bank
8.5 VFP views of the extension register bank

VFP can view the extension register bank as thirty-two 32-bit registers, or as either sixteen or thirty-two
64-bit registers, depending on the VFP version.
VFPv3, VFPv3-FP16, and VFPv4 can view the extension register bank as:
• Thirty-two 64-bit registers, D0-D31.
• Thirty-two 32-bit registers, S0-S31. Only half of the register bank is accessible in this view.
• A combination of registers from these views.
VFPv2, VFPv3-D16, VFPv3-D16-FP16, and VFPv4-D16 can view the extension register bank as:
• Sixteen 64-bit registers, D0-D15.
• Thirty-two 32-bit registers, S0-S31.
• A combination of registers from these views.
In VFP, 64-bit registers are called double-precision registers and can contain double-precision floating-
point values. 32-bit registers are called single-precision registers and can contain either a single-precision
or two half-precision floating-point values.
Related concepts
8.4 Extension register bank mapping in VFP on page 8-166.
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8.6 Load values to VFP registers
8.6 Load values to VFP registers

There are different ways to load immediate values into VFP registers.
In VFPv3 and later, the VMOV and VMVN instructions load a limited range of floating-point immediate
values.
You can load any 64-bit integer, single-precision, or double-precision floating-point value from a literal
pool, in a single instruction, using the VLDR pseudo-instruction.
Related references
11.14 VLDR pseudo-instruction on page 11-553.
11.17 VMOV (floating-point) on page 11-556.
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8.7 Conditional execution of VFP instructions
8.7 Conditional execution of VFP instructions

You can execute VFP instructions conditionally, in the same way as most ARM and Thumb instructions.
In ARM state, you can use a condition code to control the execution of VFP instructions. The instruction
is executed conditionally, according to the status flags in the APSR, in the same way as almost all ARM
instructions.
In Thumb state, you can use an IT instruction to set condition codes on up to four following VFP
instructions.
Related concepts
Related references
10.8 Condition code suffixes on page 10-289.
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8.8 Floating-point exceptions in VFP
8.8 Floating-point exceptions in VFP

The VFP extension records floating-point exceptions in the FPSCR cumulative flags.
It records the following exceptions:
Invalid operation
The exception is caused if the result of an operation has no mathematical value or cannot be
represented.
Division by zero
The exception is caused if a divide operation has a zero divisor and a dividend that is not zero,
an infinity or a NaN.
Overflow
The exception is caused if the absolute value of the result of an operation, produced after
rounding, is greater than the maximum positive normalized number for the destination precision.
Underflow
The exception is caused if the absolute value of the result of an operation, produced before
rounding, is less than the minimum positive normalized number for the destination precision,
and the rounded result is inexact.
Inexact
The exception is caused if the result of an operation is not equivalent to the value that would be
produced if the operation were performed with unbounded precision and exponent range.
Input denormal
The exception is caused if a denormalized input operand is replaced in the computation by a
zero.
The descriptions of VFP instructions that can cause floating-point exceptions include a subsection listing
the exceptions. If there is no such subsection, that instruction cannot cause any floating-point exception.
See also the Technical Reference Manual for your processor.
Related concepts
8.12 Flush-to-zero mode on page 8-175.
Related references
Chapter 11 VFP Instructions on page 11-537.
Related information
Further reading.
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8.9 VFP data types
8.9 VFP data types

Most VFP instructions use a data type specifier to define the size and type of data that the instruction
operates on.
Data type specifiers in VFP instructions usually consist of a letter indicating the type of data, followed by
a number indicating the width. They are separated from the instruction mnemonic by a point.
The following table shows the data type specifiers available in VFP instructions:
Table 8-1 VFP data type specifiers
16-bit 32-bit 64-bit
Unsigned integer U16 U32 not available
Signed integer S16 S32 not available
Floating-point number F16 F32 (or F) F64 (or D)
The data type of the second (or only) operand is specified in the instruction.
Note
• Most instructions have a restricted range of permitted data types. See the instruction pages for details.
However, the data type description is flexible:
— If only the data size is specified, you can specify a type (S, U, P or F).
— If no data type is specified, you can specify a data type.
• The F16 data type is only available on systems that implement the half-precision architecture
extension.
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8.10 Extended notation extension for VFP
8.10 Extended notation extension for VFP

The assembler supports an extension to the architectural VFP assembly syntax, called extended notation.
This allows you to define register names that include data type specifiers or scalar indexes, for
convenience.
If you use extended notation, you do not have to include the data type or scalar index information in
every instruction.
Register names can be any of the following:
Untyped
The register name specifies the register, but not what datatype it contains, nor any index to a
particular scalar within the register.
Untyped with scalar index
The register name specifies the register, but not what datatype it contains, It specifies an index to
a particular scalar within the register.
Typed
The register name specifies the register, and what datatype it contains, but not any index to a
particular scalar within the register.
Typed with scalar index
The register name specifies the register, what datatype it contains, and an index to a particular
scalar within the register.
Use the SN and DN directives to define names for typed and scalar registers.
Related concepts
8.9 VFP data types on page 8-172.
Related references
12.23 DN and SN on page 12-601.
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8.11 VFP system registers
8.11 VFP system registers

Some VFP system registers are accessible in all implementations of VFP.
These registers are:
• FPSCR, the floating-point status and control register.
• FPEXC, the floating-point exception register.
• FPSID, the floating-point system ID register.
A particular implementation of VFP can have additional registers. For more information, see the
Technical Reference Manual for your processor.
Related concepts
Related information
Further reading.
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8.12 Flush-to-zero mode
8.12 Flush-to-zero mode

Flush-to-zero mode replaces denormalized numbers with zero. This does not comply with IEEE 754
arithmetic, but in some circumstances can improve performance considerably.
Some implementations of VFP use support code to handle denormalized numbers. The performance of
such systems, in calculations involving denormalized numbers, is much less than it is in normal
calculations.
In VFPv2, flush-to-zero mode can either preserve the sign bit or flush to +0, depending on the
implementation. Flush-to-zero mode in VFPv3 and VFPv4 always preserves the sign bit.
Related concepts
8.14 The effects of using flush-to-zero mode in VFP on page 8-177.
Related references
8.13 When to use flush-to-zero mode in VFP on page 8-176.
8.15 VFP operations not affected by flush-to-zero mode on page 8-178.
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8.13 When to use flush-to-zero mode in VFP
8.13 When to use flush-to-zero mode in VFP

You can change between flush-to-zero mode and normal mode, depending on the requirements of
different parts of your code.
You must select flush-to-zero mode if all the following are true:
• IEEE 754 compliance is not a requirement for your system.
• The algorithms you are using sometimes generate denormalized numbers.
• Your system uses support code to handle denormalized numbers.
• The algorithms you are using do not depend for their accuracy on the preservation of denormalized
numbers.
• The algorithms you are using do not generate frequent exceptions as a result of replacing
denormalized numbers with 0.
You select flush-to-zero mode by setting the FZ bit in the FPSCR to 1. You do this using the VMRS and
VMSR instructions.
Numbers already in registers are not affected by changing mode.
Related concepts
8.14 The effects of using flush-to-zero mode in VFP on page 8-177.
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8.14 The effects of using flush-to-zero mode in VFP
8.14 The effects of using flush-to-zero mode in VFP

In flush-to-zero mode, denormalized inputs are treated as zero. Results that are too small to be
represented in a normalized number are replaced with zero.
With certain exceptions, flush-to-zero mode has the following effects on floating-point operations:
• A denormalized number is treated as 0 when used as an input to a floating-point operation. The
source register is not altered.
• If the result of a single-precision floating-point operation, before rounding, is in the range -2-126 to
+2-126, it is replaced by 0.
• If the result of a double-precision floating-point operation, before rounding, is in the range -2-1022 to
+2-1022, it is replaced by 0.
In flush-to-zero mode, an Input Denormal exception occurs whenever a denormalized number is used as
an operand. An Underflow exception occurs when a result is flushed-to-zero.
Related concepts
Related references
8.15 VFP operations not affected by flush-to-zero mode on page 8-178.
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8.15 VFP operations not affected by flush-to-zero mode
8.15 VFP operations not affected by flush-to-zero mode

Some VFP instructions can be carried out on denormalized numbers even in flush-to-zero mode, without
flushing the results to zero.
These instructions are as follows:
• Absolute value and negate (VABS and VNEG).
• Load and store (VLDR and VSTR).
• Load multiple and store multiple (VLDM and VSTM).
• Transfer between extension registers and ARM general-purpose registers (VMOV).
Related concepts
Related references
11.2 VABS (floating-point) on page 11-541.
11.24 VNEG (floating-point) on page 11-563.
11.32 VSTR (floating-point) on page 11-571.
11.11 VLDM (floating-point) on page 11-550.
11.31 VSTM (floating-point) on page 11-570.
11.18 VMOV (between one ARM register and single precision VFP) on page 11-557.
11.19 VMOV (between two ARM registers and one or two extension registers) on page 11-558.
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8 VFP Programming
8.16 VFP vector mode
8.16 VFP vector mode

VFP vector mode allows you to use VFP instructions on vectors of floating-point numbers. ARM
deprecates VFP vector mode.
Usually the VFP core only works on a single register. However, many VFP arithmetic instructions can
also operate on vectors of up to eight single-precision or four double-precision numbers, enabling Single
Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD) vectorization.
In addition, the floating-point load and store instructions have multiple register forms, enabling vectors
to be transferred to and from memory easily.
Note
ARM deprecates the use of VFP vector mode.
Related concepts
8.17 Vectors in the VFP extension register bank on page 8-180.
Related information
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8 VFP Programming
8.17 Vectors in the VFP extension register bank

In VFP vector mode, the VFP extension register bank can be viewed as a collection of smaller banks. A
vector consists of multiple registers from the same bank. Each of these smaller banks is treated either as a
bank of 8 single-precision registers or 4 double-precision registers.
In VFPv2, VFPv3-D16, and VFPv3-D16-FP16 the VFP extension register bank can be viewed as a
collection of:
• Four banks of single-precision registers, s0 to s7, s8 to s15, s16 to s23, and s24 to s31.
• Four banks of double-precision registers, d0 to d3, d4 to d7, d8 to d11, and d12 to d15.
• Any combination of single-precision and double-precision banks.
s0s1s2s3s4s5s6s7s8 ... s15s16 ... s23s24 ... s31
d0 d1 d2 d3 d4 ... d7 d8 ... d11 d12 ... d15
Bank 0 Bank 1 Bank 2 Bank 3

Figure 8-2 VFPv2 register banks
In VFPv3 and VFPv3-FP16, the VFP extension register bank can be viewed as a collection of:
• Four banks of single-precision registers, s0 to s7, s8 to s15, s16 to s23, and s24 to s31.
• Eight banks of double-precision registers, d0 to d3, d4 to d7, d8 to d11, d12 to d15, d16 to d19, d20
to d23, d24 to d27, and d28 to d31.
• Any combination of single-precision and double-precision banks.
s0s1s2s3s4s5s6s7s8 s31
... ...
d0 d1 d2 d3 d4 d15 d16 d27 d28 ... d31
Bank 0 Bank 1 Bank 3 Bank 4 Bank 6 Bank 7

Figure 8-3 VFPv3 register banks
A vector, in a VFP instruction, can use up to eight single-precision registers, or four double-precision
registers, from the same bank. The number of registers used by a vector is controlled by the LEN bits in
the FPSCR.
Note
The value of the LEN bits is not a sufficient condition to perform vector operations using VFP. Whether a
VFP operation is scalar, vector or mixed depends on which bank the specified operand and destination
registers are in.
A vector can start from any register and wraps around to the beginning of the bank. The first register
used by an operand vector is the register that is specified as the operand in the individual VFP
instructions. The first register used by the destination vector is the register that is specified as the
destination in the individual VFP instructions.
Related concepts
8.18 VFP vector wrap-around on page 8-182.
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8.19 VFP vector stride on page 8-183.

8.20 Restriction on vector length on page 8-184.
8.21 Control of scalar, vector, and mixed operations on page 8-185.
Related information
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8 VFP Programming
8.18 VFP vector wrap-around
8.18 VFP vector wrap-around

In VFP vector mode, if a vector extends beyond the end of a bank, it wraps around to the beginning of
the same bank.
For example:
• A vector of length 6 starting at s5 is {s5, s6, s7, s0, s1, s2}.
• A vector of length 3 starting at s15 is {s15, s8, s9}.
• A vector of length 4 starting at s22 is {s22, s23, s16, s17}.
• A vector of length 2 starting at d7 is {d7, d4}.
• A vector of length 3 starting at d10 is {d10, d11, d8}.
A vector cannot contain registers from more than one bank.
Related concepts
Related information
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8 VFP Programming
8.19 VFP vector stride
8.19 VFP vector stride

In VFP vector mode, vectors can occupy consecutive or alternate registers. This is controlled by the
STRIDE bits in the FPSCR.
For example:
• A vector of length 3, stride 2, starting at s1, is {s1, s3, s5}.
• A vector of length 4, stride 2, starting at s6, is {s6, s0, s2, s4}.
• A vector of length 2, stride 2, starting at d1, is {d1, d3}.
• A vector of length 4, stride 1, starting at d0, is {d0, d1, d2, d3}.
Related concepts
Related information
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8 VFP Programming
8.20 Restriction on vector length
8.20 Restriction on vector length

In VFP vector mode, a vector cannot use the same register twice. This means that vector length is
restricted.
Enabling for vector wrap-around, you cannot have:
• A single-precision vector with length > 4 and stride = 2.
• A double-precision vector with length > 4 and stride = 1.
• A double-precision vector with length > 2 and stride = 2.
Related concepts
Related information
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8 VFP Programming
8.21 Control of scalar, vector, and mixed operations
8.21 Control of scalar, vector, and mixed operations

Whether a VFP arithmetic instruction operates on scalars, vectors, or a mixture of both depends on the
LEN bits in the FPSCR and also on which register bank the destination and operand registers are in.
Use the LEN bits in the FPSCR to control the length of vectors. When LEN is 1 all VFP operations are
scalar.
When LEN is greater than 1, the VFP operation can be scalar, vector or mixed. The behavior of VFP
arithmetic operations depends on which register bank the destination and operand registers are in.
The first bank of registers, s0 to s7 or d0 to d3 and the fifth bank of registers d16 to d19 are scalar banks.
All other banks are vector banks. A vector operation or mixed operation is one where the destination
register is in one of the vector banks.
Given instructions of the following general forms:
Op Fd,Fn,Fm
Op Fd,Fm
where:
Op
is the VFP instruction.
Fd
is the destination register.
Fn
is an operand register.
Fm
is the only or second operand register.
the behavior of the operation is as follows:
• If Fd is in the first or fifth bank of registers then the operation is scalar.
• If Fm is in the first or fifth bank of registers, but Fd is not, then the operation is mixed.
• If neither Fd nor Fm are in the first or fifth bank of registers, the operation is vector.
In scalar operations, Op acts on the value in Fm, and the value in Fn if present. The result is placed in Fd.
In vector operations, Op acts on the values in the vector starting at Fm, together with the values in the
vector starting at Fn if present. The results are placed in the vector starting at Fd.
In mixed operations, with a single operand, Op acts on the single value in Fm and LEN copies of the result
are placed in the vector starting at Fd.
In mixed operations, with two operands, Op acts on the single value in Fm, together with the values in the
vector starting at Fn. The results are placed in the vector starting at Fd.
Related concepts
Related information
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8 VFP Programming
8.22 Overview of VFP directives and vector notation
8.22 Overview of VFP directives and vector notation

To use vector notation, you must use pre-UAL syntax and mnemonics. You can use assembler directives
to check you are using the correct syntax.
This applies only to armasm. The inline assemblers in the C and C++ compilers do not accept these
directives or vector notation.
The use of VFP vector mode is deprecated, and vector notation is not supported in UAL. To use vector
notation, you must use the pre-UAL mnemonics. You can mix pre-UAL VFP mnemonics and UAL VFP
mnemonics.
You can make assertions about VFP vector lengths and strides in your code, and have them checked by
the assembler, by using the following directives:
• VFPASSERT SCALAR.
• VFPASSERT VECTOR.
If you use the VFPASSERT directives, you must specify vector details in all VFP data processing
instructions written using pre-UAL mnemonics. If you do not use the VFPASSERT directives you must not
use this notation.
Related concepts
8.23 Pre-UAL VFP syntax and mnemonics on page 8-187.
Related references
8.25 VFPASSERT SCALAR on page 8-190.
8.26 VFPASSERT VECTOR on page 8-191.
8.24 Vector notation on page 8-189.
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8 VFP Programming
8.23 Pre-UAL VFP syntax and mnemonics

There are differences between pre-UAL and UAL syntax and mnemonics for VFP instructions.
Where UAL mnemonics use .F32 to specify single-precision data, pre-UAL mnemonics use S appended
to the instruction mnemonic. For example, VABS.F32 was FABSS.
Where UAL mnemonics use .F64 to specify double-precision data, pre-UAL mnemonics use D appended
to the instruction mnemonic. For example, VCMPE.F64 was FCMPED.
Pre-UAL VFP mnemonics

The following table shows the pre-UAL mnemonics of those instructions that are affected by VFP vector
mode. All other VFP instructions are always scalar regardless of the settings of LEN and STRIDE.
Table 8-2 Pre-UAL VFP mnemonics
UAL mnemonic Equivalent pre-UAL mnemonic
VABS FABS
VADD FADD
VDIV FDIV
VMLA FMAC
VMLS FNMAC
VMOV (immediate) FCONST a
VMOV (register) FCPY
VMUL FMUL
VNEG FNEG
VNMLA FNMSC
VNMLS FMSC
VNMUL FNMUL
VSQRT FSQRT
VSUB FSUB
Immediate values in FCONST

The following table shows the floating-point values you can load using FCONST. Trailing zeroes are
omitted for clarity. The immediate value you must put in the FCONST instruction is the decimal
representation of the binary number abcdefgh, where:
a
is 0 for positive numbers, or 1 for negative numbers.
bcd
is shown in the column headings.
efgh
is shown in the row headings.
Alternatively, you can use 0x followed by the hexadecimal representation.
a The immediate in VMOV (immediate) is the floating-point number you want to load. The immediate in FCONST is the number encoded in the instruction to produce
the floating-point number you want to load.
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Table 8-3 Floating-point values for use with FCONST
bcd 000 001 010 011 100 101 110 111
efgh
0000 2.0 4.0 8.0 16.0 0.125 0.25 0.5 1.0
0001 2.125 4.25 8.5 17.0 0.1328125 0.265625 0.53125 1.0625
0010 2.25 4.5 9.0 18.0 0.140625 0.28125 0.5625 1.125
0011 2.375 4.75 9.5 19.0 0.1484375 0.296875 0.59375 1.1875
0100 2.5 5.0 10.0 20.0 0.15625 0.3125 0.625 1.25
0101 2.625 5.25 10.5 21.0 0.1640625 0.328125 0.65625 1.3125
0110 2.75 5.5 11.0 22.0 0.171875 0.34375 0.6875 1.375
0111 2.875 5.75 11.5 23.0 0.1796875 0.359375 0.71875 1.4375
1000 3.0 6.0 12.0 24.0 0.1875 0.375 0.75 1.5
1001 3.125 6.25 12.5 25.0 0.1953125 0.390625 0.78125 1.5625
1010 3.25 6.5 13.0 26.0 0.203125 0.40625 0.8125 1.625
1011 3.375 6.75 13.5 27.0 0.2109375 0.421875 0.84375 1.6875
1100 3.5 7.0 14.0 28.0 0.21875 0.4375 0.875 1.75
1101 3.625 7.25 14.5 29.0 0.2265625 0.453125 0.90625 1.8125
1110 3.75 7.5 15.0 30.0 0.234375 0.46875 0.9375 1.875
1111 3.875 7.75 15.5 31.0 0.2421875 0.484375 0.96875 1.9375
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8 VFP Programming
8.24 Vector notation
8.24 Vector notation

In vector notation, you specify vectors of VFP registers using angle brackets.
You specify scalar and vector registers in pre-UAL VFP data processing instructions as follows:
• sn is a single-precision scalar register n.
• sn<> is a single-precision vector whose length and stride are given by the current vector length and
stride, as defined by VFPASSERT VECTOR. The vector starts at register n.
• sn<L> is a single-precision vector of length L, stride 1. The vector starts at register n.
• sn<L:S> is a single-precision vector of length L, stride S. The vector starts at register n.
• dn is a double-precision scalar register n.
• dn<> is a double-precision vector whose length and stride are given by the current vector length and
stride, as defined by VFPASSERT VECTOR. The vector starts at register n.
• dn<L> is a double-precision vector of length L, stride 1. The vector starts at register n.
• dn<L:S> is a double-precision vector of length L, stride S. The vector starts at register n.
You can use this vector notation with names defined using the DN and SN directives.
You must not use this vector notation in the DN and SN directives themselves.
Related references
12.23 DN and SN on page 12-601.
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8 VFP Programming
8.25 VFPASSERT SCALAR
8.25 VFPASSERT SCALAR

The VFPASSERT SCALAR directive informs the assembler that the following VFP instructions are in scalar
mode. This forces the instruction syntax to be scalar.
Syntax
VFPASSERT SCALAR
Usage
Use the VFPASSERT SCALAR directive to mark the end of any block of code where the VFP mode is
VECTOR.
Place the VFPASSERT SCALAR directive immediately after the instruction where the change occurs. This is
usually an FMXR instruction, but might be a BL instruction.
If a function expects VFP to be in vector mode on exit, place a VFPASSERT SCALAR directive immediately
after the last instruction. Such a function would not be AAPCS compliant.
Note
This directive does not generate any code. It is only an assertion by the programmer. The assembler
produces error messages if any such assertions are inconsistent with each other, or with any vector
notation in VFP data processing instructions.
The assembler faults vector notation in VFP data processing instructions following a VFPASSERT SCALAR
directive, even if the vector length is 1.
Example
VFPASSERT SCALAR ; scalar mode
faddd d4, d4, d0 ; okay
fadds s4<3>, s8<3>, s0 ; ERROR, vectors in scalar mode
fabss s24<1>, s28<1> ; ERROR, vectors in scalar mode
; (even though length==1)
Related references
Related information
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8 VFP Programming
8.26 VFPASSERT VECTOR

The VFPASSERT VECTOR directive informs the assembler that the following VFP instructions are in vector
mode. It can also specify the length and stride of the vectors.
Syntax
VFPASSERT VECTOR{<{n{:s}}>}
where:
n
is the vector length, 1-8.
s
is the vector stride, 1-2.
Usage
Use the VFPASSERT VECTOR directive to mark the start of a block of instructions where the VFP mode is
VECTOR, and to mark changes in the length or stride of vectors.
Place the VFPASSERT VECTOR directive immediately after the instruction where the change occurs. This is
usually an FMXR instruction, but might be a BL instruction.
If a function expects VFP to be in vector mode on entry, place a VFPASSERT VECTOR directive
immediately before the first instruction. Such a function would not be AAPCS compliant.
Note
This directive does not generate any code. It is only an assertion by the programmer. The assembler
produces error messages if any such assertions are inconsistent with each other, or with any vector
notation in VFP data processing instructions.
Example
VMRS r10,FPSCR ; UAL mnemonic - could be FMRX instead.
BIC r10,r10,#0x00370000
ORR r10,r10,#0x00020000 ; set length = 3, stride = 1
VMSR FPSCR,r10
VFPASSERT VECTOR ; assert vector mode, unspecified length
; and stride
faddd d4, d4, d0 ; ERROR, scalars in vector mode
fadds s16<3>, s8<3>, s0 ; okay
fabss s24<1>, s28<1> ; wrong length, but not faulted
; (unspecified)
VMRS r10,FPSCR
BIC r10,r10,#0x00370000
VMSR FPSCR,r10
VFPASSERT VECTOR<4> ; assert vector mode, length 4, stride 1
fadds s24<4>, s8<4>, s0 ; okay
fabss s24<2>, s24<2> ; ERROR, wrong length
VMRS r10,FPSCR
BIC r10,r10,#0x00370000
VMSR FPSCR,r10
VFPASSERT VECTOR<4:2> ; assert vector mode, length 4, stride 2
fadds s8<4>, s16<4>, s0 ; ERROR, wrong stride because omitting
; stride causes a default stride of 1.
fabss s16<4:2>, s28<4:2> ; okay
fadds s8<>, s16<>, s2 ; okay (s8 and s16 both have
; length 4 and stride 2. s2 is scalar.)
Related references
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Related information
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Chapter 9
Assembler Command-line Options
Describes the command-line options supported by the ARM assembler, armasm.

• 9.1 --16 on page 9-195.
• 9.2 --32 on page 9-196.
• 9.3 --apcs=qualifier…qualifier on page 9-197.
• 9.4 --arm on page 9-199.
• 9.5 --arm_only on page 9-200.
• 9.6 --bi on page 9-201.
• 9.7 --bigend on page 9-202.
• 9.8 --brief_diagnostics, --no_brief_diagnostics on page 9-203.
• 9.9 --checkreglist on page 9-204.
• 9.10 --compatible=name on page 9-205.
• 9.11 --cpreproc on page 9-206.
• 9.12 --cpreproc_opts=option[,option,…] on page 9-207.
• 9.13 --cpu=list on page 9-208.
• 9.14 --cpu=name on page 9-209.
• 9.15 --debug on page 9-211.
• 9.16 --depend=dependfile on page 9-212.
• 9.17 --depend_format=string on page 9-213.
• 9.18 --diag_error=tag[,tag,…] on page 9-214.
• 9.19 --diag_remark=tag[,tag,…] on page 9-215.
• 9.20 --diag_style={arm|ide|gnu} on page 9-216.
• 9.21 --diag_suppress=tag[,tag,…] on page 9-217.
• 9.22 --diag_warning=tag[,tag,…] on page 9-218.
• 9.23 --dllexport_all on page 9-219.
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• 9.24 --dwarf2 on page 9-220.

• 9.25 --dwarf3 on page 9-221.
• 9.26 --errors=errorfile on page 9-222.
• 9.27 --execstack, --no_execstack on page 9-223.
• 9.28 --execute_only on page 9-224.
• 9.29 --exceptions, --no_exceptions on page 9-225.
• 9.30 --exceptions_unwind, --no_exceptions_unwind on page 9-226.
• 9.31 --fpmode=model on page 9-227.
• 9.32 --fpu=list on page 9-228.
• 9.33 --fpu=name on page 9-229.
• 9.34 -g on page 9-231.
• 9.35 --help on page 9-232.
• 9.36 -idir[,dir, …] on page 9-233.
• 9.37 --keep on page 9-234.
• 9.38 --length=n on page 9-235.
• 9.39 --li on page 9-236.
• 9.40 --library_type=lib on page 9-237.
• 9.41 --liclinger=seconds on page 9-238.
• 9.42 --licretry on page 9-239.
• 9.43 --list=file on page 9-240.
• 9.44 --list= on page 9-241.
• 9.45 --littleend on page 9-242.
• 9.46 -m on page 9-243.
• 9.47 --maxcache=n on page 9-244.
• 9.48 --md on page 9-245.
• 9.49 --no_code_gen on page 9-246.
• 9.50 --no_esc on page 9-247.
• 9.51 --no_hide_all on page 9-248.
• 9.52 --no_regs on page 9-249.
• 9.53 --no_terse on page 9-250.
• 9.54 --no_warn on page 9-251.
• 9.55 -o filename on page 9-252.
• 9.56 --pd on page 9-253.
• 9.57 --predefine "directive" on page 9-254.
• 9.58 --reduce_paths, --no_reduce_paths on page 9-255.
• 9.59 --regnames on page 9-256.
• 9.60 --report-if-not-wysiwyg on page 9-257.
• 9.61 --show_cmdline on page 9-258.
• 9.62 --split_ldm on page 9-259.
• 9.63 --thumb on page 9-260.
• 9.64 --thumbx on page 9-261.
• 9.65 --unaligned_access, --no_unaligned_access on page 9-262.
• 9.66 --unsafe on page 9-263.
• 9.67 --untyped_local_labels on page 9-264.
• 9.68 --version_number on page 9-265.
• 9.69 --via=filename on page 9-266.
• 9.70 --vsn on page 9-267.
• 9.71 --width=n on page 9-268.
• 9.72 --xref on page 9-269.
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9.1 --16
9.1 --16
Instructs the assembler to interpret instructions as Thumb instructions using the pre-UAL Thumb syntax.
This option is equivalent to a CODE16 directive at the head of the source file. Use the --thumb option to
specify Thumb instructions using the UAL syntax.
Related references
12.11 CODE16 on page 12-589.
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9.2 --32
9.2 --32
A synonym for the --arm command-line option.
Related references
9.4 --arm on page 9-199.
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9.3 --apcs=qualifier…qualifier
Controls interworking and position independence when generating code.
Syntax
--apcs=qualifier...qualifier
Where qualifier...qualifier denotes a list of qualifiers. There must be:
• At least one qualifier present.
• No spaces or commas separating individual qualifiers in the list.
Each instance of qualifier must be one of:
none
Specifies that the input file does not use AAPCS. AAPCS registers are not set up. Other
qualifiers are not permitted if you use none.
/interwork, /nointerwork
/interwork specifies that the code in the input file can interwork between ARM and Thumb
safely. The default is /nointerwork.
/inter, /nointer
Are synonyms for /interwork and /nointerwork.
/ropi, /noropi
/ropi specifies that the code in the input file is Read-Only Position-Independent (ROPI). The
default is /noropi.
/pic, /nopic
Are synonyms for /ropi and /noropi.
/rwpi, /norwpi
/rwpi specifies that the code in the input file is Read-Write Position-Independent (RWPI). The
default is /norwpi.
/pid, /nopid
Are synonyms for /rwpi and /norwpi.
/fpic, /nofpic
/fpic specifies that the code in the input file is read-only independent and references to
addresses are suitable for use in a Linux shared object. The default is /nofpic.
/hardfp, /softfp
Requests hardware or software floating-point linkage. This enables the procedure call standard
to be specified separately from the version of the floating-point hardware available through the
--fpu option. It is still possible to specify the procedure call standard by using the --fpu option,
but ARM recommends you use --apcs. If floating-point support is not permitted (for example,
because --fpu=none is specified, or because of other means), then /hardfp and /softfp are
ignored. If floating-point support is permitted and the softfp calling convention is used
(--fpu=softvfp or --fpu=softvfp+vfp...), then /hardfp gives an error.
Usage
This option specifies whether you are using the Procedure Call Standard for the ARM Architecture
(AAPCS). It can also specify some attributes of code sections.
The AAPCS forms part of the Base Standard Application Binary Interface for the ARM Architecture
(BSABI) specification. By writing code that adheres to the AAPCS, you can ensure that separately
compiled and assembled modules can work together.
Note
AAPCS qualifiers do not affect the code produced by armasm. They are an assertion by the programmer
that the code in the input file complies with a particular variant of AAPCS. They cause attributes to be
set in the object file produced by armasm. The linker uses these attributes to check compatibility of files,
and to select appropriate library variants.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
Example
armasm --apcs=/inter/ropi inputfile.s
Related information
--apcs=qualifier...qualifier compiler option.
Application Binary Interface (ABI) for the ARM Architecture.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.4 --arm
9.4 --arm
Targets the ARM instruction set. The assembler is permitted to generate both ARM and Thumb code, but
recognizes that ARM code is preferred.
This option instructs the assembler to interpret instructions as ARM instructions. It does not, however,
guarantee ARM-only code in the object file. This is the default. Using this option is equivalent to
specifying the ARM or CODE32 directive at the start of the source file.
Related references
9.5 --arm_only on page 9-200.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.5 --arm_only
9.5 --arm_only
Enforces ARM-only code. The assembler behaves as if Thumb is absent from the target architecture.
This option instructs the assembler to only generate ARM code. This is similar to --arm but also has the
property that the assembler does not permit the generation of any Thumb code.
Related references
9.4 --arm on page 9-199.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.6 --bi
9.6 --bi
A synonym for the --bigend command-line option.
Related references
9.7 --bigend on page 9-202.
9.45 --littleend on page 9-242.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.7 --bigend
9.7 --bigend
Generates code suitable for an ARM processor using big-endian memory access.
The default is --littleend.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.8 --brief_diagnostics, --no_brief_diagnostics
9.8 --brief_diagnostics, --no_brief_diagnostics

Enables and disables the output of brief diagnostic messages.
This option instructs the assembler whether to use a shorter form of the diagnostic output. In this form,
the original source line is not displayed and the error message text is not wrapped when it is too long to
fit on a single line. The default is --no_brief_diagnostics.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.9 --checkreglist
9.9 --checkreglist
Instructs the armasm to check RLIST, LDM, and STM register lists to ensure that all registers are provided in
increasing register number order.
When this option is used, armasm gives a warning if the registers are not listed in order.
Note
This option is deprecated. Use --diag_warning 1206 instead.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.10 --compatible=name
9.10 --compatible=name
Generates code that is compatible with multiple target processors.
Syntax
--compatible=name
Where:
name
is the name of a target processor or None.
Processor names are not case-sensitive.
Specifying None generates code only for the processor specified by --cpu.
If multiple instances of this option are present on the command line, the last one specified
overrides the previous instances. Specify --compatible=None at the end of the command line to
turn off all other instances of the option.
Default
The default is None.
Usage
Using this option avoids having to reassemble the same source code for different targets.
See the following table. The valid combinations are:
• --cpu=CPU_from_group1 --compatible=CPU_from_group2.
• --cpu=CPU_from_group2 --compatible=CPU_from_group1.
Table 9-1 Compatible processor or architecture combinations
Group 1 ARM7TDMI
Group 2 Cortex-M0, Cortex-M1, Cortex-M3, Cortex-M4, 7-M, 6-M, 6S-M, SC300, SC000
No other combinations are permitted.

The effect is to generate code that is compatible with both --cpu and --compatible. This means that
only 16-bit Thumb instructions are used. (This is the intersection of the capabilities of group 1 and group
2.)
Note
Although the generated code is compatible with multiple targets, this code might be less efficient than
compiling for a single target processor or architecture.
Example
To generate code that is compatible with both the ARM7TDMI processor and the Cortex-M4 processor,
specify:
armasm --cpu=arm7tdmi --compatible=cortex-m4 inputfile.s
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.11 --cpreproc
9.11 --cpreproc
Instructs the assembler to call armcc to preprocess the input file before assembling it.
Related concepts
6.15 Using the C preprocessor on page 6-126.
Related references
9.12 --cpreproc_opts=option[,option,…] on page 9-207.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.12 --cpreproc_opts=option[,option,…]
9.12 --cpreproc_opts=option[,option,…]
Enables the assembler to pass options to the compiler when using the C preprocessor.
Syntax
--cpreproc_opts=option[,option,…]
Where option[,option,…] is a comma-separated list of C preprocessing options.

At least one option must be specified.
Example
armasm --cpreproc --cpreproc_opts=-DDEBUG=1,-UALPHA inputfile.s
Related concepts
6.15 Using the C preprocessor on page 6-126.
Related references
9.11 --cpreproc on page 9-206.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.13 --cpu=list
9.13 --cpu=list
Lists the architecture and processor names that are supported by the --cpu=name option.
Syntax
--cpu=list
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.14 --cpu=name
9.14 --cpu=name
Enables code generation for the selected ARM processor
Syntax
--cpu=name
Where name is the name of a processor. Enter name as shown on ARM data sheets, for example, Cortex-
M3.
Processor names are not case-sensitive.
Default
armasm assumes --cpu=ARM7TDMI if you do not specify a --cpu option.
Usage
The following general points apply to processor options:
Processors
• Selecting the processor selects the appropriate architecture, Floating-Point Unit (FPU), and
memory organization.
• If you specify a processor for the --cpu option, the generated code is optimized for that
processor. This enables the assembler to use specific coprocessors or instruction scheduling
for optimum performance.
FPU
• Some specifications of --cpu imply an --fpu selection.
For example, when building with the --arm option, --cpu=Cortex-R4F implies
--fpu=vfpv3_d16.
Note
Any explicit FPU, set with --fpu on the command line, overrides an implicit FPU.
• If no --fpu option is specified and no --cpu option is specified, --fpu=softvfp is used.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.14 --cpu=name
ARM/Thumb
• Specifying a processor or architecture that supports Thumb instructions, such as
--cpu=ARM7TDMI, does not make the assembler generate Thumb code. It only enables
features of the processor to be used, such as long multiply. Use the --thumb option to
generate Thumb code, unless the processor is a Thumb-only processor, for example Cortex-
M4. In this case, --thumb is not required.
Note
Specifying the target processor or architecture might make the generated object code
incompatible with other ARM processors. For example, code generated for architecture
ARMv6 might not run on an ARM920T processor, if the generated object code includes
instructions specific to ARMv6. Therefore, you must choose the lowest common
denominator processor suited to your purpose.
• If you are building for mixed ARM/Thumb systems for processors that support ARMv4T or
ARMv5T, then you must specify the interworking option --apcs=/interwork. By default,
this is enabled for processors that support ARMv5T or above.
• If you build for Thumb, that is with the --thumb option on the command line, the assembler
generates as much of the code as possible using the Thumb instruction set. However, the
assembler might generate ARM code for some parts of the compilation. For example, if you
are generating code for a 16-bit Thumb processor and using VFP, any function containing
floating-point operations is compiled for ARM.
Restrictions
You cannot specify both a processor and an architecture on the same command-line.
Example
armasm --cpu=Cortex-A17 inputfile.s
Related references
9.3 --apcs=qualifier…qualifier on page 9-197.
9.10 --compatible=name on page 9-205.
9.13 --cpu=list on page 9-208.
9.66 --unsafe on page 9-263.
Related information
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.15 --debug
9.15 --debug
Instructs the assembler to generate DWARF debug tables.
--debug is a synonym for -g. The default is DWARF 3.
Note
Local symbols are not preserved with --debug. You must specify --keep if you want to preserve the
local symbols to aid debugging.
Related references
9.24 --dwarf2 on page 9-220.
9.25 --dwarf3 on page 9-221.
9.37 --keep on page 9-234.
9.34 -g on page 9-231.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.16 --depend=dependfile
9.16 --depend=dependfile
Writes makefile dependency lines to a file.
Source file dependency lists are suitable for use with make utilities.
Related references
9.48 --md on page 9-245.
9.17 --depend_format=string on page 9-213.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.17 --depend_format=string
9.17 --depend_format=string
Specifies the format of output dependency files, for compatibility with some UNIX make programs.
Syntax
--depend_format=string
Where string is one of:

unix
generates dependency file entries using UNIX-style path separators.
unix_escaped
is the same as unix, but escapes spaces with \.
unix_quoted
is the same as unix, but surrounds path names with double quotes.
Related references
9.16 --depend=dependfile on page 9-212.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.18 --diag_error=tag[,tag,…]
9.18 --diag_error=tag[,tag,…]
Sets diagnostic messages that have a specific tag to Error severity.
Syntax
--diag_error=tag[,tag,…]
Where tag can be:
• A diagnostic message number to set to error severity. This is the four-digit number, nnnn, with the
tool letter prefix, but without the letter suffix indicating the severity.
• warning, to treat all warnings as errors.
Usage
Diagnostic messages output by the assembler can be identified by a tag in the form of {prefix}number,
where the prefix is A.
You can specify more than one tag with this option by separating each tag using a comma. You can
specify the optional assembler prefix A before the tag number. If any prefix other than A is included, the
message number is ignored.
The following table shows the meaning of the term severity used in the option descriptions:
Table 9-2 Severity of diagnostic messages
Severity Description
Error Errors indicate violations in the syntactic or semantic rules of assembly language. Assembly continues, but object code is
not generated.
Warning Warnings indicate unusual conditions in your code that might indicate a problem. Assembly continues, and object code is
generated unless any problems with an Error severity are detected.
Remark Remarks indicate common, but not recommended, use of assembly language. These diagnostics are not issued by default.
Assembly continues, and object code is generated unless any problems with an Error severity are detected.
Related references
9.8 --brief_diagnostics, --no_brief_diagnostics on page 9-203.
9.19 --diag_remark=tag[,tag,…] on page 9-215.
9.21 --diag_suppress=tag[,tag,…] on page 9-217.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.19 --diag_remark=tag[,tag,…]
9.19 --diag_remark=tag[,tag,…]
Sets diagnostic messages that have a specific tag to Remark severity.
Syntax
--diag_remark=tag[,tag,…]
Where tag is a comma-separated list of diagnostic message numbers. This is the four-digit number,
nnnn, with the tool letter prefix, but without the letter suffix indicating the severity.
Usage
You can specify more than one tag with this option by separating each tag using a comma. You can
specify the optional assembler prefix A before the tag number. If any prefix other than A is included, the
message number is ignored.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.20 --diag_style={arm|ide|gnu}
9.20 --diag_style={arm|ide|gnu}
Specifies the display style for diagnostic messages.
Syntax
--diag_style=string
Where string is one of:

arm
Display messages using the ARM compiler style.
ide
Include the line number and character count for any line that is in error. These values are
displayed in parentheses.
Usage
--diag_style=ide matches the format reported by Microsoft Visual Studio.
Choosing the option --diag_style=ide implicitly selects the option --brief_diagnostics. Explicitly
selecting --no_brief_diagnostics on the command line overrides the selection of
--brief_diagnostics implied by --diag_style=ide.
Default
The default is --diag_style=arm.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.21 --diag_suppress=tag[,tag,…]
9.21 --diag_suppress=tag[,tag,…]
Suppresses diagnostic messages that have a specific tag.
Syntax
--diag_suppress=tag[,tag,…]
Where tag can be:
• A diagnostic message number to be suppressed. This is the four-digit number, nnnn, with the tool
letter prefix, but without the letter suffix indicating the severity.
• error, to suppress all errors that can be downgraded.
• warning, to suppress all warnings.
Diagnostic messages output by armasm can be identified by a tag in the form of {prefix}number, where
the prefix is A.
You can specify more than one tag with this option by separating each tag using a comma.
Example
For example, to suppress the warning messages that have numbers 1293 and 187, use the following
command:
armasm --diag_suppress=1293,187
You can specify the optional assembler prefix A before the tag number. For example:
armasm --diag_suppress=A1293,A187
If any prefix other than A is included, the message number is ignored. Diagnostic message tags can be
cut and pasted directly into a command line.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.22 --diag_warning=tag[,tag,…]
9.22 --diag_warning=tag[,tag,…]
Sets diagnostic messages that have a specific tag to Warning severity.
Syntax
--diag_warning=tag[,tag,…]
Where tag can be:
• A diagnostic message number to set to warning severity. This is the four-digit number, nnnn, with the
tool letter prefix, but without the letter suffix indicating the severity.
• error, to set all errors that can be downgraded to warnings.
You can specify more than one tag with this option by separating each tag using a comma.
You can specify the optional assembler prefix A before the tag number. If any prefix other than A is
included, the message number is ignored.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.23 --dllexport_all
9.23 --dllexport_all
Controls symbol visibility when building DLLs.
This option gives all exported global symbols STV_PROTECTED visibility in ELF rather than STV_HIDDEN,
unless overridden by source directives.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.24 --dwarf2
9.24 --dwarf2
Uses DWARF 2 debug table format.
This option can be used with --debug, to instruct armasm to generate DWARF 2 debug tables.
Related references
9.25 --dwarf3 on page 9-221.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.25 --dwarf3
9.25 --dwarf3
Uses DWARF 3 debug table format.
This option can be used with --debug, to instruct the assembler to generate DWARF 3 debug tables. This
is the default if --debug is specified.
Related references
9.24 --dwarf2 on page 9-220.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.26 --errors=errorfile
9.26 --errors=errorfile
Redirects the output of diagnostic messages from stderr to the specified errors file.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.27 --execstack, --no_execstack
9.27 --execstack, --no_execstack

Generates a .note.GNU-stack section marking the stack as either executable or non-executable.
You can also use the AREA directive to generate either an executable or non-executable .note.GNU-stack
section. The following code generates an executable .note.GNU-stack section. Omitting the CODE
attribute generates a non-executable .note.GNU-stack section.
AREA |.note.GNU-stack|,ALIGN=0,READONLY,NOALLOC,CODE
In the absence of --execstack and --no_execstack, the .note.GNU-stack section is not generated
unless it is specified by the AREA directive.
If both the command-line option and source directive are used and are different, then the stack is marked
as executable.
Table 9-3 Specifying a command-line option and an AREA directive for GNU-stack sections
--execstack command-line option --no_execstack command-line

option
execstack AREA directive execstack execstack
no_execstack AREA directive execstack no_execstack
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.28 --execute_only
9.28 --execute_only
Adds the EXECONLY AREA attribute to all code sections.
Usage
The EXECONLY AREA attribute causes the linker to treat the section as execute-only.
It is the user's responsibility to ensure that the code in the section is safe to run in execute-only memory.
For example:
• The code must not contain literal pools.
• The code must not attempt to load data from the same, or another, execute-only section.
Restrictions
This option is only supported for:
• Processors that support the ARMv7-M architecture, such as Cortex-M3, Cortex-M4, and Cortex-M7.
• Processors that support the ARMv6-M architecture.
Note
ARM has only performed limited testing of execute-only code on ARMv6-M targets.
Related references
Related information
Execute-only memory.
Building applications for execute-only memory.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.29 --exceptions, --no_exceptions
9.29 --exceptions, --no_exceptions

Enables or disables exception handling.
These options instruct armasm to switch on or off exception table generation for all functions defined by
FUNCTION (or PROC) and ENDFUNC (or ENDP) directives.
--no_exceptions causes no tables to be generated. It is the default.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.30 --exceptions_unwind, --no_exceptions_unwind
9.30 --exceptions_unwind, --no_exceptions_unwind

Enables or disables function unwinding for exception-aware code. This option is only effective if
--exceptions is enabled.
The default is --exceptions_unwind.

For finer control, use the FRAME UNWIND ON and FRAME UNWIND OFF directives.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.31 --fpmode=model
9.31 --fpmode=model
Specifies floating-point standard conformance and sets library attributes and floating-point
optimizations.
Syntax
--fpmode=model
Where model is one of:

none
Source code is not permitted to use any floating-point type or floating-point instruction. This
option overrides any explicit --fpu=name option.
ieee_full
All facilities, operations, and representations guaranteed by the IEEE standard are available in
single and double-precision. Modes of operation can be selected dynamically at runtime.
ieee_fixed
IEEE standard with round-to-nearest and no inexact exceptions.
ieee_no_fenv
IEEE standard with round-to-nearest and no exceptions. This mode is compatible with the Java
floating-point arithmetic model.
std
IEEE finite values with denormals flushed to zero, round-to-nearest and no exceptions. It is C
and C++ compatible. This is the default option.
Finite values are as predicted by the IEEE standard. It is not guaranteed that NaNs and infinities
are produced in all circumstances defined by the IEEE model, or that when they are produced,
they have the same sign. Also, it is not guaranteed that the sign of zero is that predicted by the
IEEE model.
fast
Some value altering optimizations, where accuracy is sacrificed to fast execution. This is not
IEEE compatible, and is not standard C.
Note
This does not cause any changes to the code that you write.
Example
armasm --fpmode ieee_full inputfile.s
Related references
Related information
IEEE Standards Association.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.32 --fpu=list
9.32 --fpu=list
Lists the FPU architecture names that are supported by the --fpu=name option.
Example
armasm --fpu=list
Related references
9.31 --fpmode=model on page 9-227.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.33 --fpu=name
9.33 --fpu=name
Specifies the target FPU architecture.
Syntax
--fpu=name
Where name is one of:

none
Selects no floating-point option. No floating-point code is to be used. This produces an error if
your code contains floating-point instructions.
vfpv2
Selects a hardware floating-point unit conforming to architecture VFPv2.
vfpv3
Selects a hardware vector floating-point unit conforming to architecture VFPv3. VFPv3 is
backwards compatible with VFPv2 except that VFPv3 cannot trap floating-point exceptions.
vfpv3_fp16
Selects a hardware vector floating-point unit conforming to architecture VFPv3 that also
provides the half-precision extensions.
vfpv3_d16
Selects a hardware vector floating-point unit conforming to VFPv3-D16 architecture.
vfpv3_d16_fp16
Selects a hardware vector floating-point unit conforming to VFPv3-D16 architecture, that also
provides the half-precision extensions.
vfpv4
Selects a hardware floating-point unit conforming to the VFPv4 architecture.
vfpv4_d16
Selects a hardware floating-point unit conforming to the VFPv4-D16 architecture.
fpv4-sp
Selects a hardware floating-point unit conforming to the single precision variant of the FPv4
architecture.
fpv5_d16
Selects a hardware floating-point unit conforming to the FPv5-D16 architecture.
fpv5-sp
Selects a hardware floating-point unit conforming to the single precision variant of the FPv5
architecture.
softvfp
Selects software floating-point support where floating-point operations are performed by a
floating-point library, fplib. This is the default if you do not specify a --fpu option, or if you
select a CPU that does not have an FPU.
softvfp+vfpv2
Selects a hardware floating-point unit conforming to VFPv2, with software floating-point
linkage. Select this option if you are interworking Thumb code with ARM code on a system that
implements a VFP unit.
softvfp+vfpv3
Selects a hardware vector floating-point unit conforming to VFPv3, with software floating-point
linkage.
softvfp+vfpv3_fp16
Selects a hardware vector floating-point unit conforming to VFPv3-fp16, with software floating-
point linkage.
softvfp+vfpv3_d16
Selects a hardware vector floating-point unit conforming to VFPv3-D16, with software floating-
point linkage.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.33 --fpu=name
softvfp+vfpv3_d16_fp16
Selects a hardware vector floating-point unit conforming to VFPv3-D16-fp16, with software
floating-point linkage.
softvfp+vfpv4
Selects a hardware floating-point unit conforming to FPv4, with software floating-point linkage.
softvfp+vfpv4_d16
Selects a hardware floating-point unit conforming to VFPv4-D16, with software floating-point
linkage.
softvfp+fpv4-sp
Selects a hardware floating-point unit conforming to FPv4-SP, with software floating-point
linkage.
softvfp+fpv5_d16
Selects a hardware floating-point unit conforming to FPv5-D16, with software floating-point
linkage.
softvfp+fpv5-sp
Selects a hardware floating-point unit conforming to FPv5-SP, with software floating-point
linkage.
To obtain a full list of FPU architectures use the --fpu=list option.
Usage
If you specify this option, it overrides any implicit FPU option that appears on the command line, for
example, where you use the --cpu option.
Any FPU explicitly selected using the --fpu option always overrides any FPU implicitly selected using
the --cpu option. For example, the option --cpu=ARM1136JF-S --fpu=softvfp generates code that
uses the software floating-point library fplib, even though the choice of CPU implies the use of
architecture VFPv2.
armasm sets a build attribute corresponding to name in the object file. The linker determines
compatibility between object files, and selection of libraries, accordingly.
To control floating-point linkage without affecting the choice of FPU, you can use --apcs=/softfp or
--apcs=/hardfp.
Restrictions
armasm only permits hardware VFP architectures, such as --fpu=vfpv3 or --fpu=softvfp+vfpv2, to be
specified when MRRC and MCRR instructions are supported in the processor instruction set. MRRC and MCRR
instructions are not supported in 4, 4T, 5T and 6-M. Therefore, armasm does not allow the use of these
CPU architectures with hardware VFP architectures.
Other than this, armasm does not check that --cpu and --fpu combinations are valid. Beyond the scope
of the assembler, additional architectural constraints apply. For example, VFPv3 is not supported with
architectures prior to ARMv7. Therefore, the combination of --fpu and --cpu options permitted by
armasm does not necessarily translate to the actual device in use.
Default
The default target FPU architecture is derived from use of the --cpu option.
If the CPU specified with --cpu has a VFP coprocessor, the default target FPU architecture is the VFP
architecture for that CPU. For example, the option --cpu ARM1136JF-S implies the option --fpu vfpv2.
If a VFP coprocessor is present, VFP instructions are generated.
Related references
9.31 --fpmode=model on page 9-227.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.34 -g
9.34 -g
Enables the generation of debug tables.
This option is a synonym for --debug.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.35 --help
9.35 --help
Displays a summary of the main command-line options.
Default
This is the default if you specify armasm without any options or source files.
Related references
9.68 --version_number on page 9-265.
9.70 --vsn on page 9-267.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.36 -idir[,dir, …]
9.36 -idir[,dir, …]
Adds directories to the source file include path.
Any directories added using this option have to be fully qualified.
Related references
12.44 GET or INCLUDE on page 12-623.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.37 --keep
9.37 --keep
Instructs the assembler to keep named local labels in the symbol table of the object file, for use by the
debugger.
Related references
12.49 KEEP on page 12-630.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.38 --length=n
9.38 --length=n
Sets the listing page length.
Length zero means an unpaged listing. The default is 66 lines.
Related references
9.43 --list=file on page 9-240.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.39 --li
9.39 --li
A synonym for the --littleend command-line option.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.40 --library_type=lib
9.40 --library_type=lib
Enables the selected library to be used at link time.
Syntax
--library_type=lib
Where lib is one of:

standardlib
Specifies that the full ARM runtime libraries are selected at link time. This is the default.
microlib
Specifies that the C micro-library (microlib) is selected at link time.
Note
• This option can be used with the compiler, assembler, or linker when use of the libraries require more
specialized optimizations.
• This option can be overridden at link time by providing it to the linker.
Related information
Building an application with microlib.
--library_type=lib compiler option.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.41 --liclinger=seconds
9.41 --liclinger=seconds
The time in seconds that a license is to remain checked out.
Syntax
--liclinger=seconds
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.42 --licretry
9.42 --licretry
If you are using floating licenses, armasm makes up to 10 attempts to obtain a license when invoked.
Note
This option is always enabled. armasm ignores this option if you specify it.
Related information
Toolchain environment variables.
ARM DS-5 License Management Guide.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.43 --list=file
9.43 --list=file
Instructs the assembler to output a detailed listing of the assembly language produced by the assembler to
a file.
If - is given as file, the listing is sent to stdout.
Use the following command-line options to control the behavior of --list:
• --no_terse.
• --width.
• --length.
• --xref.
Related references
9.53 --no_terse on page 9-250.
9.71 --width=n on page 9-268.
9.38 --length=n on page 9-235.
9.72 --xref on page 9-269.
12.56 OPT on page 12-639.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.44 --list=
9.44 --list=
Instructs the assembler to send the detailed assembly language listing to inputfile.lst.
Note
You can use --list without the equals sign and filename to send the output to inputfile.lst.
However, this syntax is deprecated and the assembler issues a warning. This syntax is to be removed in a
later release. Use --list= instead.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.45 --littleend
9.45 --littleend
Generates code suitable for an ARM processor using little-endian memory access.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.46 -m
9.46 -m
Instructs the assembler to write source file dependency lists to stdout.
Related references
9.48 --md on page 9-245.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.47 --maxcache=n
9.47 --maxcache=n
Sets the maximum source cache size in bytes.
The default is 8MB. armasm gives a warning if the size is less than 8MB.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.48 --md
9.48 --md
Creates makefile dependency lists.
This option instructs the assembler to write source file dependency lists to inputfile.d.
Related references
9.46 -m on page 9-243.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.49 --no_code_gen
9.49 --no_code_gen
Instructs the assembler to exit after pass 1, generating no object file. This option is useful if you only
want to check the syntax of the source code or directives.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.50 --no_esc
9.50 --no_esc
Instructs the assembler to ignore C-style escaped special characters, such as \n and \t.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.51 --no_hide_all
9.51 --no_hide_all
Gives all exported and imported global symbols STV_DEFAULT visibility in ELF rather than STV_HIDDEN,
unless overridden using source directives.
You can use the following directives to specify an attribute that overrides the implicit symbol visibility:
• EXPORT.
• EXTERN.
• GLOBAL.
• IMPORT.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.52 --no_regs
9.52 --no_regs
Instructs armasm not to predefine register names.
Note
This option is deprecated. Use --regnames=none instead.
Related references
9.59 --regnames on page 9-256.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.53 --no_terse
9.53 --no_terse
Instructs the assembler to show in the list file the lines of assembly code that it has skipped because of
conditional assembly.
If you do not specify this option, the assembler does not output the skipped assembly code to the list file.
This option turns off the terse flag. By default the terse flag is on.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.54 --no_warn
9.54 --no_warn
Turns off warning messages.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.55 -o filename
9.55 -o filename
Specifies the name of the output file.
If this option is not used, the assembler creates an object filename in the form inputfilename.o. This
option is case-sensitive.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.56 --pd
9.56 --pd
A synonym for the --predefine command-line option.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.57 --predefine "directive"
9.57 --predefine "directive"

Instructs armasm to pre-execute one of the SETA, SETL, or SETS directives.
You must enclose directive in quotes, for example:
armasm --predefine "VariableName SETA 20" inputfile.s
armasm also executes a corresponding GBLL, GBLS, or GBLA directive to define the variable before setting
its value.
The variable name is case-sensitive. The variables defined using the command line are global to armasm
source files specified on the command line.
Considerations when using --predefine

• The command-line interface of your system might require you to enter special character
combinations, such as \", to include strings in directive. Alternatively, you can use --via file to
include a --predefine argument. The command-line interface does not alter arguments from --via
files.
• --predefine is not equivalent to the compiler option -Dname. --predefine defines a global variable
whereas -Dname defines a macro that the C preprocessor expands.
Although you can use predefined global variables in combination with assembly control directives,
for example IF and ELSE to control conditional assembly, they are not intended to provide the same
functionality as the C preprocessor in armasm. If you require this functionality, ARM recommends
you use the compiler to pre-process your assembly code.
Related concepts
6.14 Conditional assembly on page 6-125.
Related references
9.56 --pd on page 9-253.
12.45 IF, ELSE, ENDIF, and ELIF on page 12-624.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.58 --reduce_paths, --no_reduce_paths
9.58 --reduce_paths, --no_reduce_paths

Enables or disables the elimination of redundant path name information in file paths.
Windows systems impose a 260 character limit on file paths. Where relative pathnames exist whose
absolute names expand to longer than 260 characters, you can use the --reduce_paths option to reduce
absolute pathname length by matching up directories with corresponding instances of .. and eliminating
the directory/.. sequences in pairs.
--no_reduce_paths is the default.
Note
ARM recommends that you avoid using long and deeply nested file paths, in preference to minimizing
path lengths using the --reduce_paths option.
Note
This option is valid for 32-bit Windows systems only.
Related information
--reduce_paths, --no_reduce_paths compiler option.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.59 --regnames
9.59 --regnames
Controls the predefinition of register names.
Syntax
--regnames=option
Where option is one of the following:

none
Instructs armasm not to predefine register names.
callstd
Defines additional register names based on the AAPCS variant that you are using, as specified
by the --apcs option.
all
Defines all AAPCS registers regardless of the value of --apcs.
Related references
9.52 --no_regs on page 9-249.
9.3 --apcs=qualifier…qualifier on page 9-197.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.60 --report-if-not-wysiwyg
9.60 --report-if-not-wysiwyg
Instructs armasm to report when it outputs an encoding that was not directly requested in the source code.
This can happen when armasm:
• Uses a pseudo-instruction that is not available in other assemblers, for example MOV32.
• Outputs an encoding that does not directly match the instruction mnemonic, for example if the
assembler outputs the MVN encoding when assembling the MOV instruction.
• Inserts additional instructions where necessary for instruction syntax semantics, for example armasm
can insert a missing IT instruction before a conditional Thumb instruction.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.61 --show_cmdline
9.61 --show_cmdline
Outputs the command line used by the assembler.
Usage
Shows the command line after processing by the assembler, and can be useful to check:
• The command line a build system is using.
• How the assembler is interpreting the supplied command line, for example, the ordering of
command-line options.
The commands are shown normalized, and the contents of any via files are expanded.
The output is sent to the standard error stream (stderr).
Related references
9.69 --via=filename on page 9-266.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.62 --split_ldm
9.62 --split_ldm
Instructs the assembler to fault LDM and STM instructions with a large number of registers.
Note
This option is deprecated.
This option faults LDM instructions if the maximum number of registers transferred exceeds:
• Five, for LDMs that do not load the PC.
• Four, for LDMs that load the PC.
This option faults STM instructions if the maximum number of registers transferred exceeds 5.
Avoiding large multiple register transfers can reduce interrupt latency on ARM systems that:
• Do not have a cache or a write buffer (for example, a cacheless ARM7TDMI).
• Use zero wait-state, 32-bit memory.
Also, avoiding large multiple register transfers:
• Always increases code size.
• Has no significant benefit for cached systems or processors with a write buffer.
• Has no benefit for systems without zero wait-state memory, or for systems with slow peripheral
devices. Interrupt latency in such systems is determined by the number of cycles required for the
slowest memory or peripheral access. This is typically much greater than the latency introduced by
multiple register transfers.
Related references
10.41 LDM on page 10-342.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.63 --thumb
9.63 --thumb
Targets the Thumb instruction set.
This option instructs the assembler to interpret instructions as Thumb instructions, using the UAL syntax.
This is equivalent to a THUMB directive at the start of the source file.
Related references
9.4 --arm on page 9-199.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.64 --thumbx
9.64 --thumbx
Targets the ThumbEE instruction set.
This option instructs the assembler to interpret instructions as ThumbEE instructions, using the UAL
syntax. This is equivalent to a THUMBX directive at the start of the source file.
Note
• ARM deprecates the use of ThumbEE instructions.
• For descriptions of ThumbEE instructions, see the ARM Architecture Reference Manual.
Related references
Related information
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.65 --unaligned_access, --no_unaligned_access
9.65 --unaligned_access, --no_unaligned_access

Enables or disables unaligned accesses to data on ARM architecture-based processors.
These options instruct the assembler to set an attribute in the object file to enable or disable the use of
unaligned accesses.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.66 --unsafe
9.66 --unsafe
Enables instructions for other architectures to be assembled without error.
It downgrades error messages to corresponding warning messages. It also suppresses warnings about
operator precedence.
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.67 --untyped_local_labels
9.67 --untyped_local_labels
Causes the assembler not to set the Thumb bit for the address of a numeric local label referenced in an
LDR pseudo instruction.
When this option is not used, if you reference a numeric local label in an LDR pseudo-instruction, and the
label is in Thumb code, then the assembler sets the Thumb bit (bit 0) of the address. You can then use the
address as the target for a BX or BLX instruction.
If you require the actual address of the numeric local label, without the Thumb bit set, then use this
option.
Note
When using this option, if you use the address in a branch (register) instruction, the assembler treats it as
an ARM code address, causing the branch to arrive in ARM state, meaning it would interpret this code as
ARM instructions.
Example
THUMB
...
1
...
LDR r0,=%B1 ; r0 contains the address of numeric local label "1".
; Thumb bit is not set if --untyped_local_labels was
; used.
...
Related concepts
Related references
10.16 B on page 10-305.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.68 --version_number
9.68 --version_number
Displays the version of armasm you are using.
Usage
The assembler displays the version number in the format nnnbbbb, where:
• nnn is the version number.
• bbbb is the build number.
Example
Version 5.06 build 0019 is displayed as 5060019.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.69 --via=filename
9.69 --via=filename
Reads an additional list of input filenames and assembler options from filename.
Syntax
--via=filename
Where filename is the name of a via file containing options to be included on the command line.
Usage
You can enter multiple --via options on the assembler command line. The --via options can also be
included within a via file.
Related concepts
Related references
13.2 Via file syntax rules on page 13-655.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.70 --vsn
9.70 --vsn
Displays the version information and the license details.
Example
> armasm --vsn
Product: ARM Compiler N.nn
Component: ARM Compiler N.nn (toolchain_build_number)
Tool: armasm [build_number]
license_type
Software supplied by: ARM Limited
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.71 --width=n
9.71 --width=n
Sets the listing page width.
The default is 79 characters.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
9.72 --xref
9.72 --xref
Instructs the assembler to list cross-referencing information on symbols, including where they were
defined and where they were used, both inside and outside macros.
The default is off.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
Chapter 10
ARM and Thumb Instructions
Describes the ARM and Thumb instructions supported by the ARM assembler, armasm.
Some instruction descriptions have an Architectures section. Instructions that do not have this section are
available in all versions of the ARM instruction set, and all versions of the Thumb instruction set.
• 10.1 ARM and Thumb instruction summary on page 10-274.
• 10.2 Instruction width specifiers on page 10-281.
• 10.3 Flexible second operand (Operand2) on page 10-282.
• 10.4 Syntax of Operand2 as a constant on page 10-283.
• 10.5 Syntax of Operand2 as a register with optional shift on page 10-284.
• 10.6 Shift operations on page 10-285.
• 10.7 Saturating instructions on page 10-288.
• 10.8 Condition code suffixes on page 10-289.
• 10.9 ADC on page 10-290.
• 10.10 ADD on page 10-292.
• 10.11 ADR (PC-relative) on page 10-295.
• 10.12 ADR (register-relative) on page 10-297.
• 10.13 ADRL pseudo-instruction on page 10-299.
• 10.14 AND on page 10-301.
• 10.15 ASR on page 10-303.
• 10.16 B on page 10-305.
• 10.17 BFC on page 10-307.
• 10.18 BFI on page 10-308.
• 10.19 BIC on page 10-309.
• 10.20 BKPT on page 10-311.
• 10.21 BL on page 10-312.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10 ARM and Thumb Instructions
• 10.22 BLX on page 10-314.

• 10.23 BX on page 10-316.
• 10.24 BXJ on page 10-318.
• 10.25 CBZ and CBNZ on page 10-319.
• 10.26 CDP and CDP2 on page 10-320.
• 10.27 CLREX on page 10-321.
• 10.28 CLZ on page 10-322.
• 10.29 CMP and CMN on page 10-323.
• 10.30 CPS on page 10-325.
• 10.31 CPY pseudo-instruction on page 10-327.
• 10.32 DBG on page 10-328.
• 10.33 DMB on page 10-329.
• 10.34 DSB on page 10-331.
• 10.35 EOR on page 10-333.
• 10.36 ERET on page 10-335.
• 10.37 HVC on page 10-336.
• 10.38 ISB on page 10-337.
• 10.39 IT on page 10-338.
• 10.40 LDC and LDC2 on page 10-340.
• 10.41 LDM on page 10-342.
• 10.42 LDR (immediate offset) on page 10-344.
• 10.43 LDR (PC-relative) on page 10-347.
• 10.44 LDR (register offset) on page 10-350.
• 10.45 LDR (register-relative) on page 10-353.
• 10.46 LDR pseudo-instruction on page 10-356.
• 10.47 LDR, unprivileged on page 10-358.
• 10.48 LDREX on page 10-360.
• 10.49 LSL on page 10-362.
• 10.50 LSR on page 10-364.
• 10.51 MCR and MCR2 on page 10-366.
• 10.52 MCRR and MCRR2 on page 10-367.
• 10.53 MLA on page 10-368.
• 10.54 MLS on page 10-369.
• 10.55 MOV on page 10-370.
• 10.56 MOV32 pseudo-instruction on page 10-372.
• 10.57 MOVT on page 10-373.
• 10.58 MRC and MRC2 on page 10-374.
• 10.59 MRRC and MRRC2 on page 10-375.
• 10.60 MRS (PSR to general-purpose register) on page 10-376.
• 10.61 MRS (system coprocessor register to ARM register) on page 10-378.
• 10.62 MSR (ARM register to system coprocessor register) on page 10-379.
• 10.63 MSR (general-purpose register to PSR) on page 10-380.
• 10.64 MUL on page 10-382.
• 10.65 MVN on page 10-384.
• 10.66 NEG pseudo-instruction on page 10-386.
• 10.67 NOP on page 10-387.
• 10.68 ORN (Thumb only) on page 10-388.
• 10.69 ORR on page 10-389.
• 10.70 PKHBT and PKHTB on page 10-391.
• 10.71 PLD and PLI on page 10-393.
• 10.72 POP on page 10-395.
• 10.73 PUSH on page 10-397.
• 10.74 QADD on page 10-398.
• 10.75 QADD8 on page 10-399.
• 10.76 QADD16 on page 10-400.
• 10.77 QASX on page 10-401.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
• 10.78 QDADD on page 10-402.

• 10.79 QDSUB on page 10-403.
• 10.80 QSAX on page 10-404.
• 10.81 QSUB on page 10-405.
• 10.82 QSUB8 on page 10-406.
• 10.83 QSUB16 on page 10-407.
• 10.84 RBIT on page 10-408.
• 10.85 REV on page 10-409.
• 10.86 REV16 on page 10-410.
• 10.87 REVSH on page 10-411.
• 10.88 RFE on page 10-412.
• 10.89 ROR on page 10-414.
• 10.90 RRX on page 10-416.
• 10.91 RSB on page 10-418.
• 10.92 RSC on page 10-420.
• 10.93 SADD8 on page 10-422.
• 10.94 SADD16 on page 10-423.
• 10.95 SASX on page 10-424.
• 10.96 SBC on page 10-426.
• 10.97 SBFX on page 10-428.
• 10.98 SDIV on page 10-429.
• 10.99 SEL on page 10-430.
• 10.100 SETEND on page 10-432.
• 10.101 SEV on page 10-433.
• 10.102 SHADD8 on page 10-434.
• 10.103 SHADD16 on page 10-435.
• 10.104 SHASX on page 10-436.
• 10.105 SHSAX on page 10-437.
• 10.106 SHSUB8 on page 10-438.
• 10.107 SHSUB16 on page 10-439.
• 10.108 SMC on page 10-440.
• 10.109 SMLAxy on page 10-441.
• 10.110 SMLAD on page 10-443.
• 10.111 SMLAL on page 10-444.
• 10.112 SMLALD on page 10-445.
• 10.113 SMLALxy on page 10-446.
• 10.114 SMLAWy on page 10-447.
• 10.115 SMLSD on page 10-448.
• 10.116 SMLSLD on page 10-449.
• 10.117 SMMLA on page 10-450.
• 10.118 SMMLS on page 10-451.
• 10.119 SMMUL on page 10-452.
• 10.120 SMUAD on page 10-453.
• 10.121 SMULxy on page 10-454.
• 10.122 SMULL on page 10-455.
• 10.123 SMULWy on page 10-456.
• 10.124 SMUSD on page 10-457.
• 10.125 SRS on page 10-458.
• 10.126 SSAT on page 10-460.
• 10.127 SSAT16 on page 10-461.
• 10.128 SSAX on page 10-462.
• 10.129 SSUB8 on page 10-463.
• 10.130 SSUB16 on page 10-464.
• 10.131 STC and STC2 on page 10-465.
• 10.132 STM on page 10-467.
• 10.133 STR (immediate offset) on page 10-469.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
• 10.134 STR (register offset) on page 10-472.

• 10.135 STR, unprivileged on page 10-475.
• 10.136 STREX on page 10-477.
• 10.137 SUB on page 10-479.
• 10.138 SUBS pc, lr on page 10-481.
• 10.139 SVC on page 10-483.
• 10.140 SWP and SWPB on page 10-484.
• 10.141 SXTAB on page 10-485.
• 10.142 SXTAB16 on page 10-486.
• 10.143 SXTAH on page 10-487.
• 10.144 SXTB on page 10-488.
• 10.145 SXTB16 on page 10-489.
• 10.146 SXTH on page 10-490.
• 10.147 SYS on page 10-492.
• 10.148 TBB and TBH on page 10-493.
• 10.149 TEQ on page 10-494.
• 10.150 TST on page 10-496.
• 10.151 UADD8 on page 10-497.
• 10.152 UADD16 on page 10-498.
• 10.153 UASX on page 10-499.
• 10.154 UBFX on page 10-501.
• 10.155 UDIV on page 10-502.
• 10.156 UHADD8 on page 10-503.
• 10.157 UHADD16 on page 10-504.
• 10.158 UHASX on page 10-505.
• 10.159 UHSAX on page 10-506.
• 10.160 UHSUB8 on page 10-507.
• 10.161 UHSUB16 on page 10-508.
• 10.162 UMAAL on page 10-509.
• 10.163 UMLAL on page 10-510.
• 10.164 UMULL on page 10-511.
• 10.165 UND pseudo-instruction on page 10-512.
• 10.166 UQADD8 on page 10-513.
• 10.167 UQADD16 on page 10-514.
• 10.168 UQASX on page 10-515.
• 10.169 UQSAX on page 10-516.
• 10.170 UQSUB8 on page 10-517.
• 10.171 UQSUB16 on page 10-518.
• 10.172 USAD8 on page 10-519.
• 10.173 USADA8 on page 10-520.
• 10.174 USAT on page 10-521.
• 10.175 USAT16 on page 10-522.
• 10.176 USAX on page 10-523.
• 10.177 USUB8 on page 10-525.
• 10.178 USUB16 on page 10-526.
• 10.179 UXTAB on page 10-527.
• 10.180 UXTAB16 on page 10-528.
• 10.181 UXTAH on page 10-530.
• 10.182 UXTB on page 10-531.
• 10.183 UXTB16 on page 10-532.
• 10.184 UXTH on page 10-533.
• 10.185 WFE on page 10-534.
• 10.186 WFI on page 10-535.
• 10.187 YIELD on page 10-536.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.1 ARM and Thumb instruction summary

Different ARM architectures support different sets of ARM and Thumb instructions.
The following table gives a summary of the availability of ARM and Thumb instructions in different
versions of the ARM architecture:
Table 10-1 Summary of ARM and Thumb instructions
Mnemonic Brief description Arch. on page 10-280
ADC Add with Carry All

ADD Add All
ADR Load program or register-relative address (short range) All
ADRL pseudo-instruction Load program or register-relative address (medium range) x6M
AND Logical AND All

ASR Arithmetic Shift Right All
B Branch All
BFC Bit Field Clear T2
BFI Bit Field Insert T2
BIC Bit Clear All
BKPT Breakpoint 5
BL Branch with Link All
BLX Branch with Link, change instruction set T
BX Branch, change instruction set T
BXJ Branch, change to Jazelle J, x7M
CBZ, CBNZ Compare and Branch if {Non}Zero T2
CDP Coprocessor Data Processing operation x6M
CDP2 Coprocessor Data Processing operation 5, x6M
CLREX Clear Exclusive K, x6M
CLZ Count leading zeros 5, x6M
CMN, CMP Compare Negative, Compare All
CPS Change Processor State 6
CPY pseudo-instruction Copy 6
DBG Debug 7
DMB Data Memory Barrier 7, 6M
DSB Data Synchronization Barrier 7, 6M
EOR Exclusive OR All
ERET Exception Return 7VE
HVC Hypervisor Call 7VE
ISB Instruction Synchronization Barrier 7, 6M
reserved.
Non-Confidential
Table 10-1 Summary of ARM and Thumb instructions (continued)
IT If-Then T2
LDC Load Coprocessor x6M
LDC2 Load Coprocessor 5, x6M
LDM Load Multiple registers All
LDR Load Register with word All
LDR pseudo-instruction Load Register pseudo-instruction All
LDRB Load Register with byte All

LDRBT Load Register with byte, user mode x6M
LDRD Load Registers with two words 5E, x6M
LDREX Load Register Exclusive 6, x6M
LDREXB, LDREXH Load Register Exclusive Byte, Halfword K, x6M
LDREXD Load Register Exclusive Doubleword K, x7M

LDRH Load Register with halfword All
LDRHT Load Register with halfword, user mode T2
LDRSB Load Register with signed byte All
LDRSBT Load Register with signed byte, user mode T2
LDRSH Load Register with signed halfword All
LDRSHT Load Register with signed halfword, user mode T2
LDRT Load Register with word, user mode x6M
LSL Logical Shift Left All
LSR Logical Shift Right All
MCR Move from Register to Coprocessor x6M
MCR2 Move from Register to Coprocessor 5, x6M
MCRR Move from Registers to Coprocessor 5E, x6M
MCRR2 Move from Registers to Coprocessor 6, x6M
MLA Multiply Accumulate x6M
MLS Multiply and Subtract T2
MOV Move All
MOVT Move Top T2
MOV32 pseudo-instruction Move 32-bit immediate to register T2
MRC Move from Coprocessor to Register x6M

MRC2 Move from Coprocessor to Register 5, x6M
MRRC Move from Coprocessor to Registers 5E, x6M
MRRC2 Move from Coprocessor to Registers 6, x6M
MRS Move from PSR to register All
reserved.
Non-Confidential
MRS Move from system Coprocessor to Register 7R

MSR Move from register to PSR All
MSR Move from Register to system Coprocessor 7R
MUL Multiply All
MVN Move Not All
NEG pseudo-instruction Negate All
NOP No Operation All

ORN Logical OR NOT T2
ORR Logical OR All
PKHBT, PKHTB Pack Halfwords 6, 7EM
PLD Preload Data 5E, x6M

PLDW Preload Data with intent to Write 7MP
PLI Preload Instruction 7
POP POP registers from stack All
PUSH PUSH registers to stack All
QADD Signed saturating Add 5E, 7EM
QADD8 Signed saturating parallel byte-wise addition 6, 7EM
QADD16 Signed saturating parallel halfword-wise addition 6, 7EM
QASX Signed saturating parallel add and subtract halfwords with exchange 6, 7EM
QDADD Signed saturating Double and Add 5E, 7EM
QDSUB Signed saturating Double and Subtract 5E, 7EM
QSAX Signed saturating parallel subtract and add halfwords with exchange 6, 7EM
QSUB Signed saturating Subtract 5E, 7EM
QSUB8 Signed saturating parallel byte-wise subtraction 6, 7EM
QSUB16 Signed saturating parallel halfword-wise subtraction 6, 7EM
RBIT Reverse Bits T2
REV Reverse byte order in a word 6
REV16 Reverse byte order in two halfwords 6
REVSH Reverse byte order in a halfword and sign extend 6
RFE Return From Exception T2, x7M
ROR Rotate Right Register All
RRX Rotate Right with Extend x6M
RSB Reverse Subtract All
RSC Reverse Subtract with Carry x7M
SADD8 Signed parallel byte-wise addition 6, 7EM
reserved.
Non-Confidential
SADD16 Signed parallel halfword-wise addition 6, 7EM

SASX Signed parallel add and subtract halfwords with exchange 6, 7EM
SBC Subtract with Carry All
SBFX Signed Bit Field eXtract T2
SDIV Signed divide 7M, 7R
SEL Select bytes according to APSR GE flags 6, 7EM
SETEND Set Endianness for memory accesses 6, x7M
SEV Set Event K, 6M
SHADD8 Signed halving parallel byte-wise addition 6, 7EM
SHADD16 Signed halving parallel halfword-wise addition 6, 7EM
SHASX Signed halving parallel add and subtract halfwords with exchange 6, 7EM
SHSAX Signed halving parallel subtract and add halfwords with exchange 6, 7EM
SHSUB8 Signed halving parallel byte-wise subtraction 6, 7EM
SHSUB16 Signed halving parallel halfword-wise subtraction 6, 7EM
SMC Secure Monitor Call Z
SMLAxy Signed Multiply with Accumulate (32 <= 16 x 16 + 32) 5E, 7EM
SMLAD Dual Signed Multiply Accumulate 6, 7EM
(32 <= 32 + 16 x 16 + 16 x 16)

SMLAL Signed Multiply Accumulate (64 <= 64 + 32 x 32) x6M
SMLALxy Signed Multiply Accumulate (64 <= 64 + 16 x 16) 5E, 7EM
SMLALD Dual Signed Multiply Accumulate Long 6, 7EM
(64 <= 64 + 16 x 16 + 16 x 16)

SMLAWy Signed Multiply with Accumulate (32 <= 32 x 16 + 32) 5E, 7EM
SMLSD Dual Signed Multiply Subtract Accumulate 6, 7EM
(32 <= 32 + 16 x 16 – 16 x 16)

SMLSLD Dual Signed Multiply Subtract Accumulate Long 6, 7EM
(64 <= 64 + 16 x 16 – 16 x 16)

SMMLA Signed top word Multiply with Accumulate (32 <= TopWord(32 x 6, 7EM
32 + 32))
SMMLS Signed top word Multiply with Subtract (32 <= TopWord(32 - 32 x 6, 7EM
32))
SMMUL Signed top word Multiply (32 <= TopWord(32 x 32)) 6, 7EM
SMUAD, SMUSD Dual Signed Multiply, and Add or Subtract products 6, 7EM
SMULxy Signed Multiply (32 <= 16 x 16) 5E, 7EM

SMULL Signed Multiply (64 <= 32 x 32) x6M
reserved.
Non-Confidential
SMULWy Signed Multiply (32 <= 32 x 16) 5E, 7EM

SRS Store Return State T2, x7M
SSAT Signed Saturate 6, x6M
SSAT16 Signed Saturate, parallel halfwords 6, 7EM
SSAX Signed parallel subtract and add halfwords with exchange 6, 7EM
SSUB8 Signed parallel byte-wise subtraction 6, 7EM
SSUB16 Signed parallel halfword-wise subtraction 6, 7EM
STC Store Coprocessor x6M
STC2 Store Coprocessor 5, x6M
STM Store Multiple registers All
STR Store Register with word All
STRB Store Register with byte All
STRBT Store Register with byte, user mode x6M
STRD Store Registers with two words 5E, x6M
STREX Store Register Exclusive 6, x6M
STREXB, STREXH Store Register Exclusive Byte, Halfword K, x6M
STREXD Store Register Exclusive Doubleword K, x7M

STRH Store Register with halfword All
STRHT Store Register with halfword, user mode T2
STRT Store Register with word, user mode x6M
SUB Subtract All
SUBS pc, lr Exception return, no stack T2, x7M
SVC (formerly SWI) SuperVisor Call All
SWP, SWPB Swap registers and memory (ARM only) All, x7M
SXTAB Sign extend Byte, with Addition 6, 7EM

SXTAB16 Sign extend two Bytes, with Addition 6, 7EM
SXTAH Sign extend Halfword, with Addition 6, 7EM
SXTB Sign extend Byte 6
SXTH Sign extend Halfword 6
SXTB16 Sign extend two Bytes 6, 7EM
SYS Execute system coprocessor instruction 7R
TBB, TBH Table Branch Byte, Halfword T2
TEQ Test Equivalence x6M

TST Test All
UADD8 Unsigned parallel byte-wise addition 6, 7EM
reserved.
Non-Confidential
UADD16 Unsigned parallel halfword-wise addition

UASX Unsigned parallel add and subtract halfwords with exchange
UBFX Unsigned Bit Field eXtract T2
UDIV Unsigned divide 7M, 7R
UHADD8 Unsigned halving parallel byte-wise addition 6, 7EM
UHADD16 Unsigned halving parallel halfword-wise addition 6, 7EM
UHASX Unsigned halving parallel add and subtract halfwords with 6, 7EM
exchange
UHSAX Unsigned halving parallel subtract and add halfwords with 6, 7EM
exchange
UHSUB8 Unsigned halving parallel byte-wise subtraction 6, 7EM
UHSUB16 Unsigned halving parallel halfword-wise subtraction 6, 7EM
UMAAL Unsigned Multiply Accumulate Accumulate Long 6, 7EM
(64 <= 32 + 32 + 32 x 32)

UMLAL Unsigned Multiply Accumulate x6M
(64 <= 32 x 32 + 64), (64 <= 32 x 32)

UMULL Unsigned Multiply x6M
(64 <= 32 x 32 + 64), (64 <= 32 x 32)

UQADD8 Unsigned saturating parallel byte-wise addition 6, 7EM
UQADD16 Unsigned saturating parallel halfword-wise addition 6, 7EM
UQASX Unsigned saturating parallel add and subtract halfwords with 6, 7EM
exchange
UQSAX Unsigned saturating parallel subtract and add halfwords with 6, 7EM
exchange
UQSUB8 Unsigned saturating parallel byte-wise subtraction 6, 7EM
UQSUB16 Unsigned saturating parallel halfword-wise subtraction 6, 7EM
USAD8 Unsigned Sum of Absolute Differences 6, 7EM
USADA8 Accumulate Unsigned Sum of Absolute Differences 6, 7EM
USAT Unsigned Saturate 6, x6M
USAT16 Unsigned Saturate, parallel halfwords 6, 7EM
USAX Unsigned parallel subtract and add halfwords with exchange 6, 7EM
USUB8 Unsigned parallel byte-wise subtraction 6, 7EM
USUB16 Unsigned parallel halfword-wise subtraction 6, 7EM
UXTAB Zero extend Byte with Addition 6, 7EM
UXTAB16 Zero extend two bytes with Addition 6, 7EM
UXTAH Zero extend Halfword with Addition 6, 7EM
reserved.
Non-Confidential
UXTB Zero extend Byte 6

UXTH Zero extend Halfword 6
UXTB16 Zero extend two bytes 6, 7EM
V* VFP instructions
WFE Wait For Event T2, 6M
WFI Wait For Interrupt T2, 6M
YIELD Yield T2, 6M
Entries in the Architecture column indicate that the instructions are available as follows:
All
All versions of the ARM architecture.
5
The ARMv5T*, ARMv6*, and ARMv7 architectures.
5E
The ARMv5TE, ARMv6*, and ARMv7 architectures.
6
The ARMv6* and ARMv7 architectures.
6M
The ARMv6-M and ARMv7 architectures.
x6M
Not available in the ARMv6-M architecture.
7
The ARMv7 architectures.
7M
The ARMv7-M architecture, including ARMv7E-M implementations.
x7M
Not available in the ARMv6-M or ARMv7-M architecture, or any ARMv7E-M implementation.
7EM
ARMv7E-M implementations but not in the ARMv7-M or ARMv6-M architecture.
7R
The ARMv7-R architecture.
7VE
The ARMv7 architectures that implement the Virtualization Extensions.
J
The ARMv5TEJ, ARMv6*, and ARMv7 architectures.
K
The ARMv6K, and ARMv7 architectures.
T
The ARMv4T, ARMv5T*, ARMv6*, and ARMv7 architectures.
T2
The ARMv6T2 and above architectures.
Z
If Security Extensions are implemented.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.2 Instruction width specifiers
10.2 Instruction width specifiers

The instruction width specifiers .W and .N control the size of Thumb instruction encodings for
ARMv6T2 or later.
In Thumb code (ARMv6T2 or later) the .W width specifier forces the assembler to generate a 32-bit
encoding, even if a 16-bit encoding is available. The .W specifier has no effect when assembling to ARM
code.
In Thumb code the .N width specifier forces the assembler to generate a 16-bit encoding. In this case, if
the instruction cannot be encoded in 16 bits or if .N is used in ARM code, the assembler generates an
error.
If you use an instruction width specifier, you must place it immediately after the instruction mnemonic
and any condition code, for example:
BCS.W label ; forces 32-bit instruction even for a short branch
B.N label ; faults if label out of range for 16-bit instruction
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.3 Flexible second operand (Operand2)
10.3 Flexible second operand (Operand2)

Many ARM and Thumb general data processing instructions have a flexible second operand.
This is shown as Operand2 in the descriptions of the syntax of each instruction.
Operand2 can be either of the following:
• A constant.
• A register with optional shift.
Related concepts
10.6 Shift operations on page 10-285.
Related references
10.4 Syntax of Operand2 as a constant on page 10-283.
10.5 Syntax of Operand2 as a register with optional shift on page 10-284.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.4 Syntax of Operand2 as a constant
10.4 Syntax of Operand2 as a constant

An Operand2 constant in an instruction has a limited range of values.
Syntax
#constant
where constant is an expression evaluating to a numeric value.
Usage
In ARM instructions, constant can have any value that can be produced by rotating an 8-bit value right
by any even number of bits within a 32-bit word.
In Thumb instructions, constant can be:
• Any constant that can be produced by shifting an 8-bit value left by any number of bits within a 32-
bit word.
• Any constant of the form 0x00XY00XY.
• Any constant of the form 0xXY00XY00.
• Any constant of the form 0xXYXYXYXY.
Note
In these constants, X and Y are hexadecimal digits.
In addition, in a small number of instructions, constant can take a wider range of values. These are
listed in the individual instruction descriptions.
When an Operand2 constant is used with the instructions MOVS, MVNS, ANDS, ORRS, ORNS, EORS, BICS, TEQ
or TST, the carry flag is updated to bit[31] of the constant, if the constant is greater than 255 and can be
produced by shifting an 8-bit value. These instructions do not affect the carry flag if Operand2 is any
other constant.
Instruction substitution
If the value of an Operand2 constant is not available, but its logical inverse or negation is available, then
the assembler produces an equivalent instruction and inverts or negates the constant.
For example, an assembler might assemble the instruction CMP Rd, #0xFFFFFFFE as the equivalent
instruction CMN Rd, #0x2.
Be aware of this when comparing disassembly listings with source code.
You can use the --diag_warning 1645 assembler command line option to check when an instruction
substitution occurs.
Related concepts
Related references
10.3 Flexible second operand (Operand2) on page 10-282.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.5 Syntax of Operand2 as a register with optional shift
10.5 Syntax of Operand2 as a register with optional shift

When you use an Operand2 register in an instruction, you can optionally also specify a shift value.
Syntax
Rm {, shift}
where:
Rm
is the register holding the data for the second operand.
shift
is an optional constant or register-controlled shift to be applied to Rm. It can be one of:
ASR #n
arithmetic shift right n bits, 1 ≤ n ≤ 32.
LSL #n
logical shift left n bits, 1 ≤ n ≤ 31.
LSR #n
logical shift right n bits, 1 ≤ n ≤ 32.
ROR #n
rotate right n bits, 1 ≤ n ≤ 31.
RRX
rotate right one bit, with extend.
type Rs
register-controlled shift is available in ARM code only, where:
type
is one of ASR, LSL, LSR, ROR.
Rs
is a register supplying the shift amount, and only the least significant byte is
used.
-
if omitted, no shift occurs, equivalent to LSL #0.
Usage
If you omit the shift, or specify LSL #0, the instruction uses the value in Rm.
If you specify a shift, the shift is applied to the value in Rm, and the resulting 32-bit value is used by the
instruction. However, the contents of the register Rm remain unchanged. Specifying a register with shift
also updates the carry flag when used with certain instructions.
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.6 Shift operations

Register shift operations move the bits in a register left or right by a specified number of bits, called the
shift length.
Register shift can be performed:
• Directly by the instructions ASR, LSR, LSL, ROR, and RRX, and the result is written to a destination
register.
• During the calculation of Operand2 by the instructions that specify the second operand as a register
with shift. The result is used by the instruction.
The permitted shift lengths depend on the shift type and the instruction, see the individual instruction
description or the flexible second operand description. If the shift length is 0, no shift occurs. Register
shift operations update the carry flag except when the specified shift length is 0.
Arithmetic shift right (ASR)

Arithmetic shift right by n bits moves the left-hand 32-n bits of a register to the right by n places, into the
right-hand 32-n bits of the result. It copies the original bit[31] of the register into the left-hand n bits of
the result.
You can use the ASR #n operation to divide the value in the register Rm by 2n, with the result being
rounded towards negative-infinity.
When the instruction is ASRS or when ASR #n is used in Operand2 with the instructions MOVS, MVNS,
ANDS, ORRS, ORNS, EORS, BICS, TEQ or TST, the carry flag is updated to the last bit shifted out, bit[n-1], of
the register Rm.
Note
• If n is 32 or more, then all the bits in the result are set to the value of bit[31] of Rm.
• If n is 32 or more and the carry flag is updated, it is updated to the value of bit[31] of Rm.
Carry
Flag
31 54 3 2 1 0
...
Figure 10-1 ASR #3
Logical shift right (LSR)

Logical shift right by n bits moves the left-hand 32-n bits of a register to the right by n places, into the
right-hand 32-n bits of the result. It sets the left-hand n bits of the result to 0.
You can use the LSR #n operation to divide the value in the register Rm by 2n, if the value is regarded as
an unsigned integer.
When the instruction is LSRS or when LSR #n is used in Operand2 with the instructions MOVS, MVNS,
ANDS, ORRS, ORNS, EORS, BICS, TEQ or TST, the carry flag is updated to the last bit shifted out, bit[n-1], of
the register Rm.
Note
• If n is 32 or more, then all the bits in the result are cleared to 0.
• If n is 33 or more and the carry flag is updated, it is updated to 0.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
0 0 0 Carry
Flag
31 5 4 3 2 10
...
Figure 10-2 LSR #3
Logical shift left (LSL)

Logical shift left by n bits moves the right-hand 32-n bits of a register to the left by n places, into the left-
hand 32-n bits of the result. It sets the right-hand n bits of the result to 0.
You can use the LSL #n operation to multiply the value in the register Rm by 2n, if the value is regarded
as an unsigned integer or a two’s complement signed integer. Overflow can occur without warning.
When the instruction is LSLS or when LSL #n, with non-zero n, is used in Operand2 with the instructions
MOVS, MVNS, ANDS, ORRS, ORNS, EORS, BICS, TEQ or TST, the carry flag is updated to the last bit shifted out,
bit[32-n], of the register Rm. These instructions do not affect the carry flag when used with LSL #0.
Note
• If n is 32 or more, then all the bits in the result are cleared to 0.
• If n is 33 or more and the carry flag is updated, it is updated to 0.
0 0 0
31 5 4 3 2 10
Carry
Flag ...
Figure 10-3 LSL #3
Rotate right (ROR)

Rotate right by n bits moves the left-hand 32-n bits of a register to the right by n places, into the right-
hand 32-n bits of the result. It also moves the right-hand n bits of the register into the left-hand n bits of
the result.
When the instruction is RORS or when ROR #n is used in Operand2 with the instructions MOVS, MVNS,
ANDS, ORRS, ORNS, EORS, BICS, TEQ or TST, the carry flag is updated to the last bit rotation, bit[n-1], of the
register Rm.
Note
• If n is 32, then the value of the result is same as the value in Rm, and if the carry flag is updated, it is
updated to bit[31] of Rm.
• ROR with shift length, n, more than 32 is the same as ROR with shift length n-32.
Carry
Flag
31 5 4 3 2 10
...
Figure 10-4 ROR #3
reserved.
Non-Confidential
Rotate right with extend (RRX)

Rotate right with extend moves the bits of a register to the right by one bit. It copies the carry flag into
bit[31] of the result.
When the instruction is RRXS or when RRX is used in Operand2 with the instructions MOVS, MVNS, ANDS,
ORRS, ORNS, EORS, BICS, TEQ or TST, the carry flag is updated to bit[0] of the register Rm.
Carry
Flag
31 1 0
... ...
Figure 10-5 RRX
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.7 Saturating instructions
10.7 Saturating instructions

Some ARM and Thumb instructions perform saturating arithmetic.
The saturating instructions are:
• QADD.
• QDADD.
• QDSUB.
• QSUB.
• SSAT.
• USAT.
Some of the parallel instructions are also saturating.
Saturating arithmetic
Saturation means that, for some value of 2n that depends on the instruction:
• For a signed saturating operation, if the full result would be less than -2n, the result returned is -2n.
• For an unsigned saturating operation, if the full result would be negative, the result returned is zero.
• If the full result would be greater than 2n-1, the result returned is 2n-1.
When any of these occurs, it is called saturation. Some instructions set the Q flag when saturation occurs.
Note
Saturating instructions do not clear the Q flag when saturation does not occur. To clear the Q flag, use an
MSR instruction.
The Q flag can also be set by two other instructions, but these instructions do not saturate.
Related references
10.74 QADD on page 10-398.
10.81 QSUB on page 10-405.
10.78 QDADD on page 10-402.
10.79 QDSUB on page 10-403.
10.109 SMLAxy on page 10-441.
10.114 SMLAWy on page 10-447.
10.121 SMULxy on page 10-454.
10.123 SMULWy on page 10-456.
10.126 SSAT on page 10-460.
10.174 USAT on page 10-521.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.8 Condition code suffixes
10.8 Condition code suffixes

Instructions that can be conditional have an optional two character condition code suffix.
Condition codes are shown in syntax descriptions as {cond}. The following table shows the condition
codes that you can use:
Table 10-2 Condition code suffixes
Suffix Meaning
EQ Equal
NE Not equal
CS Carry set (identical to HS)
HS Unsigned higher or same (identical to CS)
CC Carry clear (identical to LO)
LO Unsigned lower (identical to CC)
MI Minus or negative result
PL Positive or zero result
VS Overflow
VC No overflow
HI Unsigned higher
LS Unsigned lower or same
GE Signed greater than or equal
LT Signed less than
GT Signed greater than
LE Signed less than or equal
AL Always (this is the default)
Note
The meaning of some of these condition codes depends on whether the instruction that last updated the
condition flags is a floating-point or integer instruction.
Related concepts
8.7 Conditional execution of VFP instructions on page 8-170.
Related references
10.39 IT on page 10-338.
11.21 VMRS on page 11-560.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.9 ADC
10.9 ADC
Add with Carry.
Syntax
ADC{S}{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Operand2
where:
S
is an optional suffix. If S is specified, the condition flags are updated on the result of the
operation.
cond
is an optional condition code.
Rd
Rn
is the register holding the first operand.
Operand2
is a flexible second operand.
Usage
The ADC (Add with Carry) instruction adds the values in Rn and Operand2, together with the carry flag.
You can use ADC to synthesize multiword arithmetic.
In certain circumstances, the assembler can substitute one instruction for another. Be aware of this when
reading disassembly listings.
Use of PC and SP in Thumb instructions

You cannot use PC (R15) for Rd, or any operand with the ADC command.
You cannot use SP (R13) for Rd, or any operand with the ADC command.
Use of PC and SP in ARM instructions

You cannot use PC for Rd or any operand in any data processing instruction that has a register-controlled
shift.
Use of PC for any operand, in instructions without register-controlled shift, is deprecated.
If you use PC (R15) as Rn or Operand2, the value used is the address of the instruction plus 8.
If you use PC as Rd:
• Execution branches to the address corresponding to the result.
• If you use the S suffix, see the SUBS pc,lr instruction.
Use of SP with the ADC ARM instruction is deprecated.
Note
The deprecation of SP and PC in ARM instructions is only in ARMv6T2 and above.
Condition flags
If S is specified, the ADC instruction updates the N, Z, C and V flags according to the result.
16-bit instructions
The following forms of this instruction are available in Thumb code, and are 16-bit instructions:
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.9 ADC
ADCS Rd, Rd, Rm

Rd and Rm must both be Lo registers. This form can only be used outside an IT block.
ADC{cond} Rd, Rd, Rm
Rd and Rm must both be Lo registers. This form can only be used inside an IT block.
Multiword arithmetic examples

These two instructions add a 64-bit integer contained in R2 and R3 to another 64-bit integer contained in
R0 and R1, and place the result in R4 and R5.
ADDS r4, r0, r2 ; adding the least significant words

ADC r5, r1, r3 ; adding the most significant words
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.10 ADD
10.10 ADD
Add without Carry.
Syntax
ADD{S}{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Operand2
ADD{cond} {Rd}, Rn, #imm12 ; Thumb, 32-bit encoding only
where:
S
operation.
cond
Rd
Rn
Operand2
imm12
is any value in the range 0-4095.
Operation
The ADD instruction adds the values in Rn and Operand2 or imm12.

Generally, you cannot use PC (R15) for Rd, or any operand.
The exceptions are:
• you can use PC for Rn in 32-bit encodings of Thumb ADD instructions, with a constant Operand2
value in the range 0-4095, and no S suffix. These instructions are useful for generating PC-relative
addresses. Bit[1] of the PC value reads as 0 in this case, so that the base address for the calculation is
always word-aligned.
• you can use PC in 16-bit encodings of Thumb ADD{cond} Rd, Rd, Rm instructions, where both
registers cannot be PC. However, the following 16-bit Thumb instructions are deprecated in
ARMv6T2 and above:
— ADD{cond} PC, SP, PC.
— ADD{cond} SP, SP, PC.
Generally, you cannot use SP (R13) for Rd, or any operand. Except that:
• You can use SP for Rn in ADD instructions.
• ADD{cond} SP, SP, SP is permitted but is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
• ADD{S}{cond} SP, SP, Rm{,shift} and SUB{S}{cond} SP, SP, Rm{,shift} are permitted if
shift is omitted or LSL #1, LSL #2, or LSL #3.

shift.
In ADD instructions without register-controlled shift, use of PC is deprecated except for the following
cases:
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.10 ADD
• Use of PC for Rd in instructions that do not add SP to a register.

• Use of PC for Rn and use of PC for Rm in instructions that add two registers other than SP.
• Use of PC for Rn in the instruction ADD{cond} Rd, Rn, #Constant.
If you use PC (R15) as Rn or Rm, the value used is the address of the instruction plus 8.
You can use SP for Rn in ADD instructions, however, ADDS PC, SP, #Constant is deprecated.
You can use SP in ADD (register) if Rn is SP and shift is omitted or LSL #1, LSL #2, or LSL #3.
Other uses of SP in these ARM instructions are deprecated.
Note
Condition flags
If S is specified, these instructions update the N, Z, C and V flags according to the result.
16-bit instructions
The following forms of these instructions are available in Thumb code, and are 16-bit instructions:
ADDS Rd, Rn, #imm
imm range 0-7. Rd and Rn must both be Lo registers. This form can only be used outside an IT
block.
ADD{cond} Rd, Rn, #imm
imm range 0-7. Rd and Rn must both be Lo registers. This form can only be used inside an IT
block.
ADDS Rd, Rn, Rm
Rd, Rn and Rm must all be Lo registers. This form can only be used outside an IT block.
ADD{cond} Rd, Rn, Rm
Rd, Rn and Rm must all be Lo registers. This form can only be used inside an IT block.
ADD Rd, Rd, Rm
ARMv6 and earlier: either Rd or Rm, or both, must be a Hi register. ARMv6T2 and above: this
restriction does not apply.
ADDS Rd, Rd, #imm
imm range 0-255. Rd must be a Lo register. This form can only be used outside an IT block.
ADD{cond} Rd, Rd, #imm
imm range 0-255. Rd must be a Lo register. This form can only be used inside an IT block.
ADD SP, SP, #imm
imm range 0-508, word aligned.
ADD Rd, SP, #imm
imm range 0-1020, word aligned. Rd must be a Lo register.
ADD Rd, pc, #imm
imm range 0-1020, word aligned. Rd must be a Lo register. Bits[1:0] of the PC are read as 0 in
this instruction.
Example
ADD r2, r1, r3
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.10 ADD
Multiword arithmetic example

These two instructions add a 64-bit integer contained in R2 and R3 to another 64-bit integer contained in
R0 and R1, and place the result in R4 and R5.
ADDS r4, r0, r2 ; adding the least significant words

ADC r5, r1, r3 ; adding the most significant words
Related references
10.138 SUBS pc, lr on page 10-481.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.11 ADR (PC-relative)

Generate a PC-relative address in the destination register, for a label in the current area.
Syntax
ADR{cond}{.W} Rd,label
where:
cond
.W
is an optional instruction width specifier.
Rd
is the destination register to load.
label
is a PC-relative expression.
label must be within a limited distance of the current instruction.
Usage
ADR produces position-independent code, because the assembler generates an instruction that adds or
subtracts a value to the PC.
Use the ADRL pseudo-instruction to assemble a wider range of effective addresses.
label must evaluate to an address in the same assembler area as the ADR instruction.
If you use ADR to generate a target for a BX or BLX instruction, it is your responsibility to set the Thumb
bit (bit 0) of the address if the target contains Thumb instructions.
Offset range and architectures

The assembler calculates the offset from the PC for you. The assembler generates an error if label is out
of range.
The following table shows the possible offsets between the label and the current instruction:
Table 10-3 PC-relative offsets
Instruction Offset range Architectures
ARM ADR Any value that can be produced by rotating All

an 8-bit value right by any even number of
bits within a 32-bit word.
Thumb ADR, 32-bit encoding +/– 4095 T2
Thumb ADR, 16-bit encoding b 0-1020 c T
Notes about the Architectures column

Entries in the Architectures column indicate that the instructions are available as follows:
All
T2
b Rd must be in the range R0-R7.

c Must be a multiple of 4.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
T
ADR in Thumb
You can use the .W width specifier to force ADR to generate a 32-bit instruction in Thumb code. ADR
with .W always generates a 32-bit instruction, even if the address can be generated in a 16-bit instruction.
For forward references, ADR without .W always generates a 16-bit instruction in Thumb code, even if that
results in failure for an address that could be generated in a 32-bit Thumb ADD instruction.
Restrictions
In Thumb code, Rd cannot be PC or SP.
In ARM code, Rd can be PC or SP but use of SP is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
Related concepts
Related references
10.13 ADRL pseudo-instruction on page 10-299.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.12 ADR (register-relative)

Generate a register-relative address in the destination register, for a label defined in a storage map.
Syntax
ADR{cond}{.W} Rd,label
where:
cond
.W
Rd
is the destination register to load.
label
is a symbol defined by the FIELD directive. label specifies an offset from the base register
which is defined using the MAP directive.
label must be within a limited distance from the base register.
Usage
ADR generates code to easily access named fields inside a storage map.
Use the ADRL pseudo-instruction to assemble a wider range of effective addresses.
Restrictions
In Thumb code:
• Rd cannot be PC.
• Rd can be SP only if the base register is SP.

The assembler calculates the offset from the base register for you. The assembler generates an error if
label is out of range.
Table 10-4 Register-relative offsets
ARM ADR Any value that can be produced by rotating an 8-bit value right by All
any even number of bits within a 32-bit word.
Thumb ADR, 32-bit encoding +/– 4095 T2
Thumb ADR, 16-bit encoding, base register is 0-1020 e T

SP d

All
T2
d Rd must be in the range R0-R7 or SP. If Rd is SP, the offset range is –508 to 508 and must be a multiple of 4
e Must be a multiple of 4.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
T
ADR in Thumb
You can use the .W width specifier to force ADR to generate a 32-bit instruction in Thumb code. ADR
with .W always generates a 32-bit instruction, even if the address can be generated in a 16-bit instruction.
For forward references, ADR without .W, with base register SP, always generates a 16-bit instruction in
Thumb code, even if that results in failure for an address that could be generated in a 32-bit Thumb ADD
instruction.
Related concepts
Related references
10.13 ADRL pseudo-instruction on page 10-299.
12.53 MAP on page 12-636.
12.30 FIELD on page 12-609.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.13 ADRL pseudo-instruction

Load a PC-relative or register-relative address into a register.
Syntax
ADRL{cond} Rd,label
where:
cond
Rd
is the register to load.
label
is a PC-relative or register-relative expression.
Usage
ADRL always assembles to two 32-bit instructions. Even if the address can be reached in a single
instruction, a second, redundant instruction is produced.
If the assembler cannot construct the address in two instructions, it generates an error message and the
assembly fails. You can use the LDR pseudo-instruction for loading a wider range of addresses.
ADRL is similar to the ADR instruction, except ADRL can load a wider range of addresses because it
generates two data processing instructions.
ADRL produces position-independent code, because the address is PC-relative or register-relative.
If label is PC-relative, it must evaluate to an address in the same assembler area as the ADRL pseudo-
instruction.
If you use ADRL to generate a target for a BX or BLX instruction, it is your responsibility to set the Thumb
bit (bit 0) of the address if the target contains Thumb instructions.
Architectures and range

The available range depends on the instruction set in use:
ARM
The range of the instruction is any value that can be generated by two ADD or two SUB
instructions. That is, any value that can be produced by the addition of two values, each of
which is 8 bits rotated right by any even number of bits within a 32-bit word.
Thumb, 32-bit encoding
±1MB bytes to a byte, halfword, or word-aligned address.
Thumb, 16-bit encoding
ADRL is not available.
The given range is relative to a point four bytes (in Thumb code) or two words (in ARM code) after the
address of the current instruction.
Note
When assembling Thumb instructions, ADRL is only available in ARMv6T2 and later.
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential

10.10 ADD on page 10-292.
Related information
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.14 AND
10.14 AND
Logical AND.
Syntax
AND{S}{cond} Rd, Rn, Operand2
where:
S
operation.
cond
Rd
Rn
Operand2
Operation
The AND instruction performs bitwise AND operations on the values in Rn and Operand2.
In certain circumstances, the assembler can substitute BIC for AND, or AND for BIC. Be aware of this when
Use of PC in Thumb instructions

You cannot use PC (R15) for Rd or any operand with the AND instruction.

You can use PC and SP with the AND ARM instruction but this is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
If you use PC as Rn, the value used is the address of the instruction plus 8.
You cannot use PC for any operand in any data processing instruction that has a register-controlled shift.
Condition flags
If S is specified, the AND instruction:
• Updates the N and Z flags according to the result.
• Can update the C flag during the calculation of Operand2.
• Does not affect the V flag.
16-bit instructions
ANDS Rd, Rd, Rm
AND{cond} Rd, Rd, Rm
It does not matter if you specify AND{S} Rd, Rm, Rd. The instruction is the same.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.14 AND
Examples
AND r9,r2,#0xFF00
ANDS r9, r8, #0x19
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.15 ASR
10.15 ASR
Arithmetic Shift Right. This instruction is a preferred synonym for MOV instructions with shifted register
operands.
Syntax
ASR{S}{cond} Rd, Rm, Rs
ASR{S}{cond} Rd, Rm, #sh
where:
S
operation.
Rd
Rm
is the register holding the first operand. This operand is shifted right.
Rs
is a register holding a shift value to apply to the value in Rm. Only the least significant byte is
used.
sh
is a constant shift. The range of values permitted is 1-32.
Operation
ASR provides the signed value of the contents of a register divided by a power of two. It copies the sign
bit into vacated bit positions on the left.
Restrictions in Thumb code

Thumb instructions must not use PC or SP.
Use of SP and PC in ARM instructions

You can use SP in the ASR ARM instruction but this is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
You cannot use PC in instructions with the ASR{S}{cond} Rd, Rm, Rs syntax. You can use PC for Rd
and Rm in the other syntax, but this is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
If you use PC as Rm, the value used is the address of the instruction plus 8.
• If you use the S suffix, the SPSR of the current mode is copied to the CPSR. You can use this to
return from exceptions.
Note
The ARM instruction ASRS{cond} pc,Rm,#sh always disassembles to the preferred form
MOVS{cond} pc,Rm{,shift}.
Caution
Do not use the S suffix when using PC as Rd in User mode or System mode. The assembler cannot warn
you about this because it has no information about what the processor mode is likely to be at execution
time.
You cannot use PC for Rd or any operand in the ASR instruction if it has a register-controlled shift.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.15 ASR
Condition flags
If S is specified, the ASR instruction updates the N and Z flags according to the result.
The C flag is unaffected if the shift value is 0. Otherwise, the C flag is updated to the last bit shifted out.
16-bit instructions
ASRS Rd, Rm, #sh
ASR{cond} Rd, Rm, #sh
ASRS Rd, Rd, Rs
Rd and Rs must both be Lo registers. This form can only be used outside an IT block.
ASR{cond} Rd, Rd, Rs
Rd and Rs must both be Lo registers. This form can only be used inside an IT block.
Architectures
The ASR ARM instruction is available in all architectures.
The ASR 32-bit Thumb instruction is available in ARMv6T2 and above.
The ASR 16-bit Thumb instruction is available in ARMv4T and above.
Example
ASR r7, r8, r9
Related references
10.55 MOV on page 10-370.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.16 B
10.16 B
Branch.
Syntax
B{cond}{.W} label
where:
cond
.W
is an optional instruction width specifier to force the use of a 32-bit B instruction in Thumb.
label
Operation
The B instruction causes a branch to label.
Instruction availability and branch ranges

The following table shows the B instructions that are available in ARM and Thumb state. Instructions
that are not shown in this table are not available. Notes in brackets show the first architecture version
where the instruction is available.
Table 10-5 B instruction availability and range
Instruction ARM Thumb, 16-bit encoding Thumb, 32-bit encoding
B label ±32MB (All) ±2KB (All T) ±16MB f (All T2)
B{cond} label ±32MB (All) –252 to +258 (All T) ±1MB f (All T2)
Extending branch ranges

Machine-level B instructions have restricted ranges from the address of the current instruction. However,
you can use these instructions even if label is out of range. Often you do not know where the linker
places label. When necessary, the linker adds code to enable longer branches. The added code is called
a veneer.
B in Thumb
You can use the .W width specifier to force B to generate a 32-bit instruction in Thumb code.
B.W always generates a 32-bit instruction, even if the target could be reached using a 16-bit instruction.
For forward references, B without .W always generates a 16-bit instruction in Thumb code, even if that
results in failure for a target that could be reached using a 32-bit Thumb instruction.
Condition flags
The B instruction does not change the flags.
Architectures
See the preceding table for details of availability of the B instruction in each architecture.
Example
B loopA
f Use .W to instruct the assembler to use this 32-bit instruction.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.16 B
Related concepts
Related references
Related information
Information about image structure and generation.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.17 BFC
10.17 BFC
Bit Field Clear.
Syntax
BFC{cond} Rd, #lsb, #width
where:
cond
Rd
lsb
is the least significant bit that is to be cleared.
width
is the number of bits to be cleared. width must not be 0, and (width+lsb) must be less than or
equal to 32.
Operation
Clears adjacent bits in a register. width bits in Rd are cleared, starting at lsb. Other bits in Rd are
unchanged.
Register restrictions
You cannot use PC for any register.
You can use SP in the BFC ARM instruction but this is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above. You cannot
use SP in the BFC Thumb instruction.
Condition flags
The BFC instruction does not change the flags.
Architectures
This ARM instruction is available in ARMv6T2 and above.
This 32-bit Thumb instruction is available in ARMv6T2 and above.
There is no 16-bit version of this instruction in Thumb.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.18 BFI
10.18 BFI
Bit Field Insert.
Syntax
BFI{cond} Rd, Rn, #lsb, #width
where:
cond
Rd
Rn
is the source register.
lsb
is the least significant bit that is to be copied.
width
is the number of bits to be copied. width must not be 0, and (width+lsb) must be less than or
equal to 32.
Operation
Inserts adjacent bits from one register into another. width bits in Rd, starting at lsb, are replaced by
width bits from Rn, starting at bit[0]. Other bits in Rd are unchanged.
You can use SP in the BFI ARM instruction but this is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above. You cannot
use SP in the BFI Thumb instruction.
Condition flags
The BFI instruction does not change the flags.
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.19 BIC
10.19 BIC
Bit Clear.
Syntax
BIC{S}{cond} Rd, Rn, Operand2
where:
S
operation.
cond
Rd
Rn
Operand2
Operation
The BIC (Bit Clear) instruction performs an AND operation on the bits in Rn with the complements of the
corresponding bits in the value of Operand2.
In certain circumstances, the assembler can substitute BIC for AND, or AND for BIC. Be aware of this when

You cannot use PC (R15) for Rd or any operand in a BIC instruction.

You can use PC and SP with the BIC instruction but they are deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
Condition flags
If S is specified, the BIC instruction:
16-bit instructions
The following forms of the BIC instruction are available in Thumb code, and are 16-bit instructions:
BICS Rd, Rd, Rm
BIC{cond} Rd, Rd, Rm
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.19 BIC
Example
BIC r0, r1, #0xab
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.20 BKPT
10.20 BKPT
Breakpoint.
Syntax
BKPT #imm
where:
imm
is an expression evaluating to an integer in the range:
• 0-65535 (a 16-bit value) in an ARM instruction.
• 0-255 (an 8-bit value) in a 16-bit Thumb instruction.
Usage
The BKPT instruction causes the processor to enter Debug state. Debug tools can use this to investigate
system state when the instruction at a particular address is reached.
In both ARM state and Thumb state, imm is ignored by the ARM hardware. However, a debugger can use
it to store additional information about the breakpoint.
BKPT is an unconditional instruction. It must not have a condition code in ARM code. In Thumb code, the
BKPT instruction does not require a condition code suffix because BKPT always executes irrespective of its
condition code suffix.
Architectures
This ARM instruction is available in ARMv5T and above.
This 16-bit Thumb instruction is available in ARMv5T and above.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.21 BL
10.21 BL
Branch with Link.
Syntax
BL{cond}{.W} label
where:
cond
is an optional condition code. cond is not available on all forms of this instruction.
.W
is an optional instruction width specifier to force the use of a 32-bit BL instruction in Thumb.
label
Operation
The BL instruction causes a branch to label, and copies the address of the next instruction into LR (R14,
the link register).

The following table shows the BL instructions that are available in ARM and Thumb state. Instructions
Table 10-6 BL instruction availability and range
BL label ±32MB (All) ±4MB g (All T) ±16MB (All T2)

BL{cond} label ±32MB (All) - - -
Extending branch ranges

Machine-level BL instructions have restricted ranges from the address of the current instruction.
However, you can use these instructions even if label is out of range. Often you do not know where the
linker places label. When necessary, the linker adds code to enable longer branches. The added code is
called a veneer.
Condition flags
The BL instruction does not change the flags.
Architectures
See the preceding table for details of availability of the BL instruction in each architecture.
Examples
BLE ng+8
BL subC
BLLT rtX
Related concepts
g BL label and BLX label are an instruction pair.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.21 BL
Related references
Related information
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.22 BLX
10.22 BLX
Branch with Link and exchange instruction set.
Syntax
BLX{cond}{.W} label
BLX{cond} Rm
where:
cond
.W
is an optional instruction width specifier to force the use of a 32-bit BLX instruction in Thumb.
label
Rm
is a register containing an address to branch to.
Operation
The BLX instruction causes a branch to label, or to the address contained in Rm. In addition:
• The BLX instruction copies the address of the next instruction into LR (R14, the link register).
• The BLX instruction can change the instruction set.
BLX label always changes the instruction set. It changes a processor in ARM state to Thumb state,
or a processor in Thumb state to ARM state.
BLX Rm derives the target instruction set from bit[0] of Rm:
— if bit[0] of Rm is 0, the processor changes to, or remains in, ARM state
— if bit[0] of Rm is 1, the processor changes to, or remains in, Thumb state.

The following table shows the BLX instructions that are available in ARM and Thumb state. Instructions
Table 10-7 BLX instruction availability and range
BLX label ±32MB (5) ±4MB h (5T) ±16MB (All T2 except

ARMv7-M)
BLX Rm Available (5) Available (5T) Use 16-bit (All T2)
BLX{cond} Rm Available (5) - - -
You can use PC for Rm in the ARM BLX instruction, but this is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above. You
cannot use PC in other ARM instructions.
You can use PC for Rm in the Thumb BLX instruction. You cannot use PC in other Thumb instructions.
You can use SP for Rm in this ARM instruction but this is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
You can use SP for Rm in the Thumb BLX instruction, but this is deprecated. You cannot use SP in the
other Thumb instructions.
h BLX label and BL label are an instruction pair.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.22 BLX
Condition flags
This instruction does not change the flags.
Architectures
See the preceding table for details of availability of the BLX instruction in each architecture.
Related concepts
Related references
Related information
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.23 BX
10.23 BX
Branch and exchange instruction set.
Syntax
BX{cond} Rm
where:
cond
Rm
Operation
The BX instruction causes a branch to the address contained in Rm and exchanges the instruction set, if
required:
• BX Rm derives the target instruction set from bit[0] of Rm:
— If bit[0] of Rm is 0, the processor changes to, or remains in, ARM state.
— If bit[0] of Rm is 1, the processor changes to, or remains in, Thumb state.

The following table shows the instructions that are available in ARM and Thumb state. Instructions that
are not shown in this table are not available. Notes in brackets show the first architecture version where
the instruction is available.
Table 10-8 BX instruction availability and range
BX Rm i Available (4T, 5) Available (All T) Use 16-bit (All T2)
BX{cond} Rm i Available (4T, 5) - - -
You can use PC for Rm in the ARM BX instruction, but this is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above. You
cannot use PC in other ARM instructions.
You can use PC for Rm in the Thumb BX instruction. You cannot use PC in other Thumb instructions.
You can use SP for Rm in the ARM BX instruction but this is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
You can use SP for Rm in the Thumb BX instruction, but this is deprecated.
Condition flags
The BX instruction does not change the flags.
Architectures
See the preceding table for details of availability of the BX instruction in each architecture.
Related concepts
i The assembler accepts BX{cond} Rm for code assembled for ARMv4 and converts it to MOV{cond} PC, Rm at link time, unless objects targeted for ARMv4T
are present.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.23 BX
Related references
Related information
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.24 BXJ
10.24 BXJ
Branch and change to Jazelle state.
Syntax
BXJ{cond} Rm
where:
cond
Rm
Operation
The BXJ instruction causes a branch to the address contained in Rm and changes the instruction set state to
Jazelle.

The following table shows the BXJ instructions that are available in ARM and Thumb state. Instructions
Table 10-9 BXJ instruction availability and range
BXJ Rm Available (5J, 6) - Available (All T2 except ARMv7-M)

BXJ{cond} Rm Available (5J, 6) - - -
You can use SP for Rm in the BXJ ARM instruction but this is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
You cannot use SP in the BXJ Thumb instruction.
Condition flags
The BXJ instruction does not change the flags.
Architectures
See the preceding table for details of availability of the BXJ instruction in each architecture.
Related concepts
Related references
Related information
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.25 CBZ and CBNZ
10.25 CBZ and CBNZ

Compare and Branch on Zero, Compare and Branch on Non-Zero.
Syntax
CBZ Rn, label
CBNZ Rn, label
where:
Rn
is the register holding the operand.
label
is the branch destination.
Usage
You can use the CBZ or CBNZ instructions to avoid changing the condition flags and to reduce the number
of instructions.
Except that it does not change the condition flags, CBZ Rn, label is equivalent to:
CMP Rn, #0
BEQ label
Except that it does not change the condition flags, CBNZ Rn, label is equivalent to:
CMP Rn, #0
BNE label
Restrictions
The branch destination must be within 4 to 130 bytes after the instruction and in the same execution
state.
These instructions must not be used inside an IT block.
Condition flags
These instructions do not change the flags.
Architectures
These 16-bit Thumb instructions are available in ARMv6T2 and above.
There are no ARM or 32-bit Thumb encodings of these instructions.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.26 CDP and CDP2
10.26 CDP and CDP2

Coprocessor data operations.
Syntax
CDP{cond} coproc, #opcode1, CRd, CRn, CRm{, #opcode2}
CDP2{cond} coproc, #opcode1, CRd, CRn, CRm{, #opcode2}
where:
cond
is an optional condition code. In ARM code, cond is not permitted for CDP2.
coproc
is the name of the coprocessor the instruction is for. The standard name is pn, where n is an
integer in the range 0 to 15.
opcode1
is a 4-bit coprocessor-specific opcode.
opcode2
is an optional 3-bit coprocessor-specific opcode.
CRd, CRn, CRm
are coprocessor registers.
Usage
The use of these instructions depends on the coprocessor. See the coprocessor documentation for details.
Architectures
The CDP ARM instruction is available in all versions of the ARM architecture.
The CDP2 ARM instruction is available in ARMv5T and above.
There are no 16-bit versions of these instructions in Thumb.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.27 CLREX
10.27 CLREX
Clear Exclusive.
Syntax
CLREX{cond}
where:
cond
Note
cond is permitted only in Thumb code, using a preceding IT instruction. This is an
unconditional instruction in ARM.
Usage
Use the CLREX instruction to clear the local record of the executing processor that an address has had a
request for an exclusive access.
CLREX returns a closely-coupled exclusive access monitor to its open-access state. This removes the
requirement for a dummy store to memory.
It is implementation defined whether CLREX also clears the global record of the executing processor that
an address has had a request for an exclusive access.
Architectures
This ARM instruction is available in ARMv6K and above.
This 32-bit Thumb instruction is available in ARMv7 and above.
There is no 16-bit CLREX instruction in Thumb.
Related references
Related information
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.28 CLZ
10.28 CLZ
Count Leading Zeros.
Syntax
CLZ{cond} Rd, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm
is the operand register.
Operation
The CLZ instruction counts the number of leading zeros in the value in Rm and returns the result in Rd.
The result value is 32 if no bits are set in the source register, and zero if bit 31 is set.
You cannot use PC for any operand.
You can use SP in these ARM instructions but this is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
You cannot use SP in Thumb instructions.
Condition flags
Architectures
This ARM instruction is available in ARMv5T and above.
Examples
CLZ r4,r9
CLZNE r2,r3
Use the CLZ Thumb instruction followed by a left shift of Rm by the resulting Rd value to normalize the
value of register Rm. Use MOVS, rather than MOV, to flag the case where Rm is zero:
CLZ r5, r9
MOVS r9, r9, LSL r5
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.29 CMP and CMN
10.29 CMP and CMN

Compare and Compare Negative.
Syntax
CMP{cond} Rn, Operand2
CMN{cond} Rn, Operand2
where:
cond
Rn
is the ARM register holding the first operand.
Operand2
Operation
These instructions compare the value in a register with Operand2. They update the condition flags on the
result, but do not place the result in any register.
The CMP instruction subtracts the value of Operand2 from the value in Rn. This is the same as a SUBS
instruction, except that the result is discarded.
The CMN instruction adds the value of Operand2 to the value in Rn. This is the same as an ADDS
instruction, except that the result is discarded.
In certain circumstances, the assembler can substitute CMN for CMP, or CMP for CMN. Be aware of this when
Use of PC in ARM and Thumb instructions

You can use PC (R15) in these ARM instructions without register controlled shift but this is deprecated in
ARMv6T2 and above.
If you use PC as Rn in ARM instructions, the value used is the address of the instruction plus 8.
You cannot use PC for any operand in these Thumb instructions.
Use of SP in ARM and Thumb instructions

You can use SP for Rn in ARM and Thumb instructions.
You can use SP for Rm in ARM instructions but this is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
You can use SP for Rm in a 16-bit Thumb CMP Rn, Rm instruction but this is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and
above. Other uses of SP for Rm are not permitted in Thumb.
Condition flags
These instructions update the N, Z, C and V flags according to the result.
16-bit instructions
CMP Rn, Rm
Lo register restriction does not apply.
CMN Rn, Rm
Rn and Rm must both be Lo registers.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.29 CMP and CMN
CMP Rn, #imm

Rn must be a Lo register. imm range 0-255.
Correct examples
CMP r2, r9
CMN r0, #6400
CMPGT sp, r7, LSL #2
Incorrect example
CMP r2, pc, ASR r0 ; PC not permitted with register-controlled shift.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.30 CPS
10.30 CPS
Change Processor State.
Syntax
CPSeffect iflags{, #mode}
CPS #mode
where:
effect
is one of:
IE
Interrupt or abort enable.
ID
Interrupt or abort disable.
iflags
is a sequence of one or more of:
a
Enables or disables imprecise aborts.
i
Enables or disables IRQ interrupts.
f
Enables or disables FIQ interrupts.
mode
specifies the number of the mode to change to.
Usage
Changes one or more of the mode, A, I, and F bits in the CPSR, without changing the other CPSR bits.
CPS is only permitted in privileged software execution, and has no effect in User mode.
CPS cannot be conditional, and is not permitted in an IT block.
Condition flags
This instruction does not change the condition flags.
16-bit instructions
• CPSIE iflags.
• CPSID iflags.
You cannot specify a mode change in a 16-bit Thumb instruction.
Architectures
This ARM instruction is available in ARMv6 and above.
This 32-bit Thumb instruction are available in ARMv6T2 and above.
This 16-bit Thumb instruction is available in T variants of ARMv6 and above.
Examples
CPSIE if ; Enable IRQ and FIQ interrupts.
CPSID A ; Disable imprecise aborts.
CPSID ai, #17 ; Disable imprecise aborts and interrupts, and enter FIQ mode.
CPS #16 ; Enter User mode.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.30 CPS
Related concepts
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.31 CPY pseudo-instruction
10.31 CPY pseudo-instruction

Copy a value from one register to another.
Syntax
CPY{cond} Rd, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm
is the register holding the value to be copied.
Operation
The CPY pseudo-instruction copies a value from one register to another, without changing the condition
flags.
CPY Rd, Rm assembles to MOV Rd, Rm.
Architectures
This pseudo-instruction is available in ARMv6 and above in ARM code and in T variants of ARMv6 and
above in Thumb code.
Using SP or PC for both Rd and Rm is deprecated.
Condition flags
This instruction does not change the condition flags.
Related references
10.55 MOV on page 10-370.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.32 DBG
10.32 DBG
Debug.
Syntax
DBG{cond} {option}
where:
cond
option
is an optional limitation on the operation of the hint. The range is 0-15.
Usage
DBG is a hint instruction. It is optional whether it is implemented or not. If it is not implemented, it
behaves as a NOP. The assembler produces a diagnostic message if the instruction executes as NOP on the
target.
DBG executes as a NOP instruction in ARMv6K and ARMv6T2.
Debug hint provides a hint to a debugger and related tools. See your debugger and related tools
documentation to determine the use, if any, of this instruction.
Architectures
Related references
10.67 NOP on page 10-387.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.33 DMB
10.33 DMB
Data Memory Barrier.
Syntax
DMB{cond} {option}
where:
cond
Note
cond is permitted only in Thumb code. This is an unconditional instruction in ARM code.
option
is an optional limitation on the operation of the hint. Permitted values are:
SY
Full system DMB operation. This is the default and can be omitted.
ST
DMB operation that waits only for stores to complete.
ISH
DMB operation only to the inner shareable domain.
ISHST
DMB operation that waits only for stores to complete, and only to the inner shareable
domain.
NSH
DMB operation only out to the point of unification.
NSHST
DMB operation that waits only for stores to complete and only out to the point of
unification.
OSH
DMB operation only to the outer shareable domain.
OSHST
DMB operation that waits only for stores to complete, and only to the outer shareable
domain.
Operation
Data Memory Barrier acts as a memory barrier. It ensures that all explicit memory accesses that appear in
program order before the DMB instruction are observed before any explicit memory accesses that appear
in program order after the DMB instruction. It does not affect the ordering of any other instructions
executing on the processor.
Alias
The following alternative values of option are supported, but ARM recommends that you do not use
them:
• SH is an alias for ISH.
• SHST is an alias for ISHST.
• UN is an alias for NSH.
• UNST is an alias for NSHST.
Architectures
This ARM and 32-bit Thumb instruction is available in ARMv7.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.33 DMB
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.34 DSB
10.34 DSB
Data Synchronization Barrier.
Syntax
DSB{cond} {option}
where:
cond
Note
cond is permitted only in Thumb code. This is an unconditional instruction in ARM.
option
is an optional limitation on the operation of the hint. Permitted values are:
SY
Full system DSB operation. This is the default and can be omitted.
ST
DSB operation that waits only for stores to complete.
ISH
DSB operation only to the inner shareable domain.
ISHST
DSB operation that waits only for stores to complete, and only to the inner shareable
domain.
NSH
DSB operation only out to the point of unification.
NSHST
DSB operation that waits only for stores to complete and only out to the point of
unification.
OSH
DSB operation only to the outer shareable domain.
OSHST
DSB operation that waits only for stores to complete, and only to the outer shareable
domain.
Operation
Data Synchronization Barrier acts as a special kind of memory barrier. No instruction in program order
after this instruction executes until this instruction completes. This instruction completes when:
• All explicit memory accesses before this instruction complete.
• All Cache, Branch predictor and TLB maintenance operations before this instruction complete.
Alias
The following alternative values of option are supported for DSB, but ARM recommends that you do not
use them:
• SH is an alias for ISH.
• SHST is an alias for ISHST.
• UN is an alias for NSH.
• UNST is an alias for NSHST.
Architectures
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.34 DSB
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.35 EOR
10.35 EOR
Logical Exclusive OR.
Syntax
EOR{S}{cond} Rd, Rn, Operand2
where:
S
operation.
cond
Rd
Rn
Operand2
Operation
The EOR instruction performs bitwise Exclusive OR operations on the values in Rn and Operand2.

You cannot use PC (R15) for Rd or any operand in an EOR instruction.

You can use PC and SP with the EOR instruction but they are deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
Condition flags
If S is specified, the EOR instruction:
16-bit instructions
The following forms of the EOR instruction are available in Thumb code, and are 16-bit instructions:
EORS Rd, Rd, Rm
EOR{cond} Rd, Rd, Rm
It does not matter if you specify EOR{S} Rd, Rm, Rd. The instruction is the same.
Correct examples
EORS r0,r0,r3,ROR r6
EORS r7, r11, #0x18181818
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.35 EOR
Incorrect example
EORS r0,pc,r3,ROR r6 ; PC not permitted with register
; controlled shift
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.36 ERET
10.36 ERET
Exception Return.
Syntax
ERET{cond}
where:
cond
Usage
In a processor that implements the Virtualization Extensions, you can use ERET to perform a return from
an exception taken to Hyp mode.
Operation
When executed in Hyp mode, ERET loads the PC from ELR_hyp and loads the CPSR from SPSR_hyp.
When executed in any other mode, apart from User or System, it behaves as:
• MOVS PC, LR in the ARM instruction set.
• SUBS PC, LR, #0 in the Thumb instruction set.
Notes
You must not use ERET in User or System mode. The assembler cannot warn you about this because it
has no information about what the processor mode is likely to be at execution time.
ERET is the preferred synonym for SUBS PC, LR, #0 in the Thumb instruction set.
Architectures
This ARM instruction is available in ARMv7 architectures that include the Virtualization Extensions.
This 32-bit Thumb instruction is available in ARMv7 architectures that include the Virtualization
Extensions.
Related concepts
Related references
10.55 MOV on page 10-370.
10.37 HVC on page 10-336.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.37 HVC
10.37 HVC
Hypervisor Call.
Syntax
HVC #imm
where:
imm
is an expression evaluating to an integer in the range 0-65535.
Operation
In a processor that implements the Virtualization Extensions, the HVC instruction causes a Hypervisor
Call exception. This means that the processor enters Hyp mode, the CPSR value is saved to the Hyp
mode SPSR, and execution branches to the HVC vector.
HVC must not be used if the processor is in Secure state, or in User mode in Non-secure state.
imm is ignored by the processor. However, it can be retrieved by the exception handler to determine what
service is being requested.
HVC cannot be conditional, and is not permitted in an IT block.
Notes
The ERET instruction performs an exception return from Hyp mode.
Architectures
This ARM and 32-bit Thumb instruction is available in ARMv7 architectures that include the
Virtualization Extensions.
There is no 16-bit version of this instruction in Thumb
Related concepts
Related references
10.36 ERET on page 10-335.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.38 ISB
10.38 ISB
Instruction Synchronization Barrier.
Syntax
ISB{cond} {option}
where:
cond
Note
cond is permitted only in Thumb code. This is an unconditional instruction in ARM code.
option
is an optional limitation on the operation of the hint. The permitted value is:
SY
Full system DMB operation. This is the default and can be omitted.
Operation
Instruction Synchronization Barrier flushes the pipeline in the processor, so that all instructions following
the ISB are fetched from cache or memory, after the instruction has been completed. It ensures that the
effects of context altering operations, such as changing the ASID, or completed TLB maintenance
operations, or branch predictor maintenance operations, in addition to all changes to the CP15 registers,
executed before the ISB instruction are visible to the instructions fetched after the ISB.
In addition, the ISB instruction ensures that any branches that appear in program order after it are always
written into the branch prediction logic with the context that is visible after the ISB instruction. This is
required to ensure correct execution of the instruction stream.
Note
When the target architecture is ARMv7-M, you cannot use an ISB instruction in an IT block, unless it is
the last instruction in the block.
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.39 IT
10.39 IT
If-Then.
Syntax
IT{x{y{z}}} {cond}
where:
x
specifies the condition switch for the second instruction in the IT block.
y
specifies the condition switch for the third instruction in the IT block.
z
specifies the condition switch for the fourth instruction in the IT block.
cond
specifies the condition for the first instruction in the IT block.
The condition switch for the second, third and fourth instruction in the IT block can be either:
T
Then. Applies the condition cond to the instruction.
E
Else. Applies the inverse condition of cond to the instruction.
Usage
The IT instruction makes up to four following instructions (the IT block) conditional. The conditions can
be all the same, or some of them can be the logical inverse of the others.
The instructions (including branches) in the IT block, except the BKPT instruction, must specify the
condition in the {cond} part of their syntax.
You are not required to write IT instructions in your code, because the assembler generates them for you
automatically according to the conditions specified on the following instructions. However, if you do
write IT instructions, the assembler validates the conditions specified in the IT instructions against the
conditions specified in the following instructions.
Writing the IT instructions ensures that you consider the placing of conditional instructions, and the
choice of conditions, in the design of your code.
When assembling to ARM code, the assembler performs the same checks, but does not generate any IT
instructions.
With the exception of CMP, CMN, and TST, the 16-bit instructions that normally affect the condition flags,
do not affect them when used inside an IT block.
A BKPT instruction in an IT block is always executed, so it does not require a condition in the {cond} part
of its syntax. The IT block continues from the next instruction.
Note
You can use an IT block for unconditional instructions by using the AL condition.
Conditional branches inside an IT block have a longer branch range than those outside the IT block.
Restrictions
The following instructions are not permitted in an IT block:
• IT.
• CBZ and CBNZ.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.39 IT
• TBB and TBH.

• CPS, CPSID and CPSIE.
• SETEND.
Other restrictions when using an IT block are:

• A branch or any instruction that modifies the PC is only permitted in an IT block if it is the last
instruction in the block.
• You cannot branch to any instruction in an IT block, unless when returning from an exception
handler.
• You cannot use any assembler directives in an IT block.
Note
The assembler shows a diagnostic message when any of these instructions are used in an IT block.
Condition flags
Exceptions
Exceptions can occur between an IT instruction and the corresponding IT block, or within an IT block.
This exception results in entry to the appropriate exception handler, with suitable return information in
LR and SPSR.
Instructions designed for use as exception returns can be used as normal to return from the exception,
and execution of the IT block resumes correctly. This is the only way that a PC-modifying instruction
can branch to an instruction in an IT block.
Architectures
In ARM code, IT is a pseudo-instruction that does not generate any code.
There is no 32-bit version of this instruction.
Correct examples
ITTE NE ; IT can be omitted
ANDNE r0,r0,r1 ; 16-bit AND, not ANDS
ADDSNE r2,r2,#1 ; 32-bit ADDS (16-bit ADDS does not set flags in
; IT block)
MOVEQ r2,r3 ; 16-bit MOV
ITT AL ; emit 2 non-flag setting 16-bit instructions
ADDAL r0,r0,r1 ; 16-bit ADD, not ADDS
SUBAL r2,r2,#1 ; 16-bit SUB, not SUB
ADD r0,r0,r1 ; expands into 32-bit ADD, and is not in IT block
ITT EQ
MOVEQ r0,r1
BEQ dloop ; branch at end of IT block is permitted
ITT EQ
MOVEQ r0,r1
BKPT #1 ; BKPT always executes
ADDEQ r0,r0,#1
Incorrect example
IT NE
ADD r0,r0,r1 ; syntax error: no condition code used in IT block
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.40 LDC and LDC2
10.40 LDC and LDC2

Transfer Data from memory to Coprocessor.
Syntax
op{L}{cond} coproc, CRd, [Rn]
op{L}{cond} coproc, CRd, [Rn, #{-}offset] ; offset addressing
op{L}{cond} coproc, CRd, [Rn, #{-}offset]! ; pre-index addressing
op{L}{cond} coproc, CRd, [Rn], #{-}offset ; post-index addressing
op{L}{cond} coproc, CRd, label
op{L}{cond} coproc, CRd, [Rn], {option}
where:
op
is LDC or LDC2.
cond
In ARM code, cond is not permitted for LDC2.
L
is an optional suffix specifying a long transfer.
coproc
CRd
is the coprocessor register to load.
Rn
is the register on which the memory address is based. If PC is specified, the value used is the
address of the current instruction plus eight.
-
is an optional minus sign. If - is present, the offset is subtracted from Rn. Otherwise, the offset is
added to Rn.
offset
is an expression evaluating to a multiple of 4, in the range 0 to 1020.
!
is an optional suffix. If ! is present, the address including the offset is written back into Rn.
label
is a word-aligned PC-relative expression.
label must be within 1020 bytes of the current instruction.
option
is a coprocessor option in the range 0-255, enclosed in braces.
Usage
Architectures
LDC is available in all versions of the ARM architecture.
LDC2 is available in ARMv5T and above.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.40 LDC and LDC2
You cannot use PC for Rn in the pre-index and post-index instructions. These are the forms that write
back to Rn.
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.41 LDM
10.41 LDM
Load Multiple registers.
Syntax
LDM{addr_mode}{cond} Rn{!}, reglist{^}
where:
addr_mode
is any one of the following:
IA
Increment address After each transfer. This is the default, and can be omitted.
IB
Increment address Before each transfer (ARM only).
DA
Decrement address After each transfer (ARM only).
DB
Decrement address Before each transfer.
You can also use the stack oriented addressing mode suffixes, for example, when implementing
stacks.
cond
Rn
is the base register, the ARM register holding the initial address for the transfer. Rn must not be
PC.
!
is an optional suffix. If ! is present, the final address is written back into Rn.
reglist
is a list of one or more registers to be loaded, enclosed in braces. It can contain register ranges.
It must be comma separated if it contains more than one register or register range. Any
combination of registers R0 to R15 (PC) can be transferred in ARM state, but there are some
restrictions in Thumb state.
^
is an optional suffix, available in ARM state only. You must not use it in User mode or System
mode. It has the following purposes:
• If reglist contains the PC (R15), in addition to the normal multiple register transfer, the
SPSR is copied into the CPSR. This is for returning from exception handlers. Use this only
from exception modes.
• Otherwise, data is transferred into or out of the User mode registers instead of the current
mode registers.
Restrictions on reglist in 32-bit Thumb instructions

In 32-bit Thumb instructions:
• The SP cannot be in the list.
• The PC and LR cannot both be in the list.
• There must be two or more registers in the list.
If you write an LDM instruction with only one register in reglist, the assembler automatically substitutes
the equivalent LDR instruction. Be aware of this when comparing disassembly listings with source code.
You can use the --diag_warning 1645 assembler command line option to check when an instruction
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.41 LDM
Restrictions on reglist in ARM instructions

ARM load instructions can have SP and PC in the reglist but these instructions that include SP in the
reglist or both PC and LR in the reglist are deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
16-bit instructions
16-bit versions of a subset of these instructions are available in Thumb code.
The following restrictions apply to the 16-bit instructions:
• All registers in reglist must be Lo registers.
• Rn must be a Lo register.
• addr_mode must be omitted (or IA), meaning increment address after each transfer.
• Writeback must be specified for LDM instructions where Rn is not in the reglist.
In addition, the PUSH and POP instructions are subsets of the STM and LDM instructions and can therefore
be expressed using the STM and LDM instructions. Some forms of PUSH and POP are also 16-bit
instructions.
Loading to the PC
A load to the PC causes a branch to the instruction at the address loaded.
In ARMv4, bits[1:0] of the address loaded must be 0b00.
In ARMv5T and above:
• Bits[1:0] must not be 0b10.
• If bit[0] is 1, execution continues in Thumb state.
• If bit[0] is 0, execution continues in ARM state.
Loading or storing the base register, with writeback

In ARM or 16-bit Thumb instructions, if Rn is in reglist, and writeback is specified with the ! suffix:
• If the instruction is STM{addr_mode}{cond} and Rn is the lowest-numbered register in reglist, the
initial value of Rn is stored. These instructions are deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
• Otherwise, the loaded or stored value of Rn cannot be relied on, so these instructions are not
permitted.
32-bit Thumb instructions are not permitted if Rn is in reglist, and writeback is specified with the !
suffix.
Correct example
LDM r8,{r0,r2,r9} ; LDMIA is a synonym for LDM
Incorrect example
LDMDA r2, {} ; must be at least one register in list
Related concepts
Related references
10.72 POP on page 10-395.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.42 LDR (immediate offset)

Load with immediate offset, pre-indexed immediate offset, or post-indexed immediate offset.
Syntax
LDR{type}{cond} Rt, [Rn {, #offset}] ; immediate offset
LDR{type}{cond} Rt, [Rn, #offset]! ; pre-indexed
LDR{type}{cond} Rt, [Rn], #offset ; post-indexed
LDRD{cond} Rt, Rt2, [Rn {, #offset}] ; immediate offset, doubleword
LDRD{cond} Rt, Rt2, [Rn, #offset]! ; pre-indexed, doubleword
LDRD{cond} Rt, Rt2, [Rn], #offset ; post-indexed, doubleword
where:
type
can be any one of:
B
unsigned Byte (Zero extend to 32 bits on loads.)
SB
signed Byte (LDR only. Sign extend to 32 bits.)
H
unsigned Halfword (Zero extend to 32 bits on loads.)
SH
signed Halfword (LDR only. Sign extend to 32 bits.)
-
omitted, for Word.
cond
Rt
Rn
is the register on which the memory address is based.
offset
is an offset. If offset is omitted, the address is the contents of Rn.
Rt2
is the additional register to load for doubleword operations.
Not all options are available in every instruction set and architecture.
Offset ranges and architectures

The following table shows the ranges of offsets and availability of these instructions:
Table 10-10 Offsets and architectures, LDR, word, halfword, and byte
Instruction Immediate offset Pre-indexed Post-indexed Arch.
ARM, word or byte j –4095 to 4095 –4095 to 4095 –4095 to 4095 All
ARM, signed byte, halfword, or signed halfword –255 to 255 –255 to 255 –255 to 255 All
ARM, doubleword –255 to 255 –255 to 255 –255 to 255 5E
reserved.
Non-Confidential
Table 10-10 Offsets and architectures, LDR, word, halfword, and byte (continued)
Thumb 32-bit encoding, word, halfword, signed halfword, byte, or –255 to 4095 –255 to 255 –255 to 255 T2
signed byte j
Thumb 32-bit encoding, doubleword –1020 to 1020 k –1020 to 1020 k –1020 to 1020 k T2
Thumb 16-bit encoding, word l 0 to 124 k Not available Not available T
Thumb 16-bit encoding, unsigned halfword l 0 to 62 m Not available Not available T
Thumb 16-bit encoding, unsigned byte l 0 to 31 Not available Not available T
Thumb 16-bit encoding, word, Rn is SP n 0 to 1020 k Not available Not available T

All
5E
T2
T
Rn must be different from Rt in the pre-index and post-index forms.
Doubleword register restrictions

Rn must be different from Rt2 in the pre-index and post-index forms.
For Thumb instructions, you must not specify SP or PC for either Rt or Rt2.
For ARM instructions:
• Rt must be an even-numbered register.
• Rt must not be LR.
• ARM strongly recommends that you do not use R12 for Rt.
• Rt2 must be R(t + 1).
Use of PC
In ARM code you can use PC for Rt in LDR word instructions and PC for Rn in LDR instructions.
Other uses of PC are not permitted in these ARM instructions.
In Thumb code you can use PC for Rt in LDR word instructions and PC for Rn in LDR instructions. Other
uses of PC in these Thumb instructions are not permitted.
Use of SP
You can use SP for Rn.
j For word loads, Rt can be the PC. A load to the PC causes a branch to the address loaded. In ARMv4, bits[1:0] of the address loaded must be 0b00. In ARMv5T and
above, bits[1:0] must not be 0b10, and if bit[0] is 1, execution continues in Thumb state, otherwise execution continues in ARM state.
k Must be divisible by 4.
l Rt and Rn must be in the range R0-R7.
m Must be divisible by 2.
n Rt must be in the range R0-R7.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
In ARM code, you can use SP for Rt in word instructions. You can use SP for Rt in non-word
instructions in ARM code but this is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
In Thumb code, you can use SP for Rt in word instructions only. All other use of SP for Rt in these
instructions are not permitted in Thumb code.
Examples
LDR r8,[r10] ; loads R8 from the address in R10.
LDRNE r2,[r5,#960]! ; (conditionally) loads R2 from a word
; 960 bytes above the address in R5, and
; increments R5 by 960.
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.43 LDR (PC-relative)

Load register. The address is an offset from the PC.
Syntax
LDR{type}{cond}{.W} Rt, label
LDRD{cond} Rt, Rt2, label ; Doubleword
where:
type
can be any one of:
B
SB
H
SH
-
omitted, for Word.
cond
.W
Rt
is the register to load or store.
Rt2
is the second register to load or store.
label
label must be within a limited distance of the current instruction.
Note
Equivalent syntaxes are available for the STR instruction in ARM code but they are deprecated in
ARMv6T2 and above.

of range.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
Table 10-11 PC-relative offsets
ARM LDR, LDRB, LDRSB, LDRH, LDRSH o +/– 4095 All
ARM LDRD +/– 255 5E
32-bit Thumb LDR, LDRB, LDRSB, LDRH, LDRSH o +/– 4095 T2
32-bit Thumb LDRD p +/– 1020 q T2
16-bit Thumb LDR r 0-1020 q T

All
5E
T2
T
LDR (PC-relative) in Thumb

You can use the .W width specifier to force LDR to generate a 32-bit instruction in Thumb code. LDR.W
always generates a 32-bit instruction, even if the target could be reached using a 16-bit LDR.
For forward references, LDR without .W always generates a 16-bit instruction in Thumb code, even if that
results in failure for a target that could be reached using a 32-bit Thumb LDR instruction.

For 32-bit Thumb instructions, you must not specify SP or PC for either Rt or Rt2.
Use of SP
In ARM code, you can use SP for Rt in LDR word instructions. You can use SP for Rt in LDR non-word
ARM instructions but this is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
In Thumb code, you can use SP for Rt in LDR word instructions only. All other uses of SP in these
Related concepts
o For word loads, Rt can be the PC. A load to the PC causes a branch to the address loaded. In ARMv4, bits[1:0] of the address loaded must be 0b00. In ARMv5T and
p In ARMv7-M, LDRD (PC-relative) instructions must be on a word-aligned address.
q Must be a multiple of 4.
r Rt must be in the range R0-R7. There are no byte, halfword, or doubleword 16-bit instructions.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.44 LDR (register offset)

Load with register offset, pre-indexed register offset, or post-indexed register offset.
Syntax
LDR{type}{cond} Rt, [Rn, ±Rm {, shift}] ; register offset
LDR{type}{cond} Rt, [Rn, ±Rm {, shift}]! ; pre-indexed ; ARM only
LDR{type}{cond} Rt, [Rn], ±Rm {, shift} ; post-indexed ; ARM only
LDRD{cond} Rt, Rt2, [Rn, ±Rm] ; register offset, doubleword ; ARM only
LDRD{cond} Rt, Rt2, [Rn, ±Rm]! ; pre-indexed, doubleword ; ARM only
LDRD{cond} Rt, Rt2, [Rn], ±Rm ; post-indexed, doubleword ; ARM only
where:
type
can be any one of:
B
SB
H
SH
-
omitted, for Word.
cond
Rt
Rn
Rm
is a register containing a value to be used as the offset. –Rm is not permitted in Thumb code.
shift
is an optional shift.
Rt2
is the additional register to load for doubleword operations.
Offset register and shift options

The following table shows the ranges of offsets and availability of these instructions:
reserved.
Non-Confidential
Table 10-12 Options and architectures, LDR (register offsets)
Instruction +/–Rm s shift Arch.
ARM, word or byte t +/–Rm LSL #0-31 LSR #1-32 All
ASR #1-32 ROR #1-31 RRX
ARM, signed byte, halfword, or signed halfword +/–Rm Not available All
ARM, doubleword +/–Rm Not available 5E
Thumb 32-bit encoding, word, halfword, signed halfword, byte, or signed byte t +Rm LSL #0-3 T2
Thumb 16-bit encoding, all except doubleword u +Rm Not available T
Notes about the Architecture column

All
5E
T2
T
In the pre-index and post-index forms:
• Rn must be different from Rt.
• Rn must be different from Rm in architectures before ARMv6.

• Rm must be different from Rt and Rt2 in LDRD instructions.
• Rn must be different from Rt2 in the pre-index and post-index forms.
Use of PC
In ARM instructions you can use PC for Rt in LDR word instructions, and you can use PC for Rn in LDR
instructions with register offset syntax (that is the forms that do not writeback to the Rn).
Other uses of PC are not permitted in ARM instructions.
In Thumb instructions you can use PC for Rt in LDR word instructions. Other uses of PC in these Thumb
instructions are not permitted.
Use of SP
In ARM code, you can use SP for Rt in word instructions. You can use SP for Rt in non-word ARM
instructions but this is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
s Where +/–Rm is shown, you can use –Rm, +Rm, or Rm. Where +Rm is shown, you cannot use –Rm.
t For word loads, Rt can be the PC. A load to the PC causes a branch to the address loaded. In ARMv4, bits[1:0] of the address loaded must be 0b00. In ARMv5T and
u Rt, Rn, and Rm must all be in the range R0-R7.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
Use of SP for Rm is not permitted in Thumb state.
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.45 LDR (register-relative)

Load register. The address is an offset from a base register.
Syntax
LDR{type}{cond}{.W} Rt, label
LDRD{cond} Rt, Rt2, label ; Doubleword
where:
type
can be any one of:
B
SB
H
SH
-
omitted, for Word.
cond
.W
Rt
Rt2
is the second register to load or store.
label
is a symbol defined by the FIELD directive. label specifies an offset from the base register
which is defined using the MAP directive.
label must be within a limited distance of the value in the base register.

The assembler calculates the offset from the base register for you. The assembler generates an error if
label is out of range.
Table 10-13 Register-relative offsets
ARM LDR, LDRB v +/– 4095 All
ARM LDRSB, LDRH, LDRSH +/– 255 All
ARM LDRD +/– 255 5E
v For word loads, Rt can be the PC. A load to the PC causes a branch to the address loaded. In ARMv4, bits[1:0] of the address loaded must be 0b00. In ARMv5T and
w Must be a multiple of 4.
x Rt and base register must be in the range R0-R7.
y Must be a multiple of 2.
z Rt must be in the range R0-R7.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
Table 10-13 Register-relative offsets (continued)
Thumb, 32-bit LDR, LDRB, LDRSB, LDRH, LDRSH v –255 to 4095 T2
Thumb, 32-bit LDRD +/– 1020 w T2
Thumb, 16-bit LDR x 0 to 124 w T
Thumb, 16-bit LDRH x 0 to 62 y T
Thumb, 16-bit LDRB x 0 to 31 T
Thumb, 16-bit LDR, base register is SP z 0 to 1020 w T

All
5E
T2
T
LDR (register-relative) in Thumb

You can use the .W width specifier to force LDR to generate a 32-bit instruction in Thumb code. LDR.W
always generates a 32-bit instruction, even if the target could be reached using a 16-bit LDR.
For forward references, LDR without .W always generates a 16-bit instruction in Thumb code, even if that
results in failure for a target that could be reached using a 32-bit Thumb LDR instruction.

For 32-bit Thumb instructions, you must not specify SP or PC for either Rt or Rt2.
Use of PC
You can use PC for Rt in word instructions. Other uses of PC are not permitted in these instructions.
Use of SP
Related concepts
reserved.
Non-Confidential
Related references
12.53 MAP on page 12-636.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.46 LDR pseudo-instruction

Load a register with either a 32-bit immediate value or an address.
Note
This describes the LDR pseudo-instruction only, and not the LDR instruction.
Syntax
LDR{cond}{.W} Rt, =expr
LDR{cond}{.W} Rt, =label_expr
where:
cond
.W
Rt
is the register to be loaded.
expr
evaluates to a numeric value.
label_expr
is a PC-relative or external expression of an address in the form of a label plus or minus a
numeric value.
Usage
When using the LDR pseudo-instruction:
• If the value of expr can be loaded with a valid MOV or MVN instruction, the assembler uses that
instruction.
• If a valid MOV or MVN instruction cannot be used, or if the label_expr syntax is used, the assembler
places the constant in a literal pool and generates a PC-relative LDR instruction that reads the constant
from the literal pool.
Note
— An address loaded in this way is fixed at link time, so the code is not position-independent.
— The address holding the constant remains valid regardless of where the linker places the ELF
section containing the LDR instruction.
The assembler places the value of label_expr in a literal pool and generates a PC-relative LDR
instruction that loads the value from the literal pool.
If label_expr is an external expression, or is not contained in the current section, the assembler places a
linker relocation directive in the object file. The linker generates the address at link time.
If label_expr is either a named or numeric local label, the assembler places a linker relocation directive
in the object file and generates a symbol for that local label. The address is generated at link time. If the
local label references Thumb code, the Thumb bit (bit 0) of the address is set.
The offset from the PC to the value in the literal pool must be less than ±4KB (in an ARM or 32-bit
Thumb encoding) or in the range 0 to +1KB (16-bit Thumb encoding). You are responsible for ensuring
that there is a literal pool within range.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
If the label referenced is in Thumb code, the LDR pseudo-instruction sets the Thumb bit (bit 0) of
label_expr.
Note
In RealView Compilation Tools (RVCT) v2.2, the Thumb bit of the address was not set. If you have code
that relies on this behavior, use the command line option --untyped_local_labels to force the
assembler not to set the Thumb bit when referencing labels in Thumb code.
LDR in Thumb code

You can use the .W width specifier to force LDR to generate a 32-bit instruction in Thumb code on
ARMv6T2 and above processors. LDR.W always generates a 32-bit instruction, even if the immediate
value could be loaded in a 16-bit MOV, or there is a literal pool within reach of a 16-bit PC-relative load.
If the value to be loaded is not known in the first pass of the assembler, LDR without .W generates a 16-bit
instruction in Thumb code, even if that results in a 16-bit PC-relative load for a value that could be
generated in a 32-bit MOV or MVN instruction. However, if the value is known in the first pass, and it can
be generated using a 32-bit MOV or MVN instruction, the MOV or MVN instruction is used.
In UAL syntax, the LDR pseudo-instruction never generates a 16-bit flag-setting MOV instruction. Use the
--diag_warning 1727 assembler command line option to check when a 16-bit instruction could have
been used.
You can use the MOV32 pseudo-instruction for generating immediate values or addresses without loading
from a literal pool.
Examples
LDR r3,=0xff0 ; loads 0xff0 into R3
; => MOV.W r3,#0xff0
LDR r1,=0xfff ; loads 0xfff into R1
; => LDR r1,[pc,offset_to_litpool]
; ...
; litpool DCD 0xfff
LDR r2,=place ; loads the address of
; place into R2
; => LDR r2,[pc,offset_to_litpool]
; ...
; litpool DCD place
Related concepts
Related references
9.67 --untyped_local_labels on page 9-264.
12.51 LTORG on page 12-632.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.47 LDR, unprivileged

Unprivileged load byte, halfword, or word.
Syntax
LDR{type}T{cond} Rt, [Rn {, #offset}] ; immediate offset (32-bit Thumb encoding only)
LDR{type}T{cond} Rt, [Rn] {, #offset} ; post-indexed (ARM only)
LDR{type}T{cond} Rt, [Rn], ±Rm {, shift} ; post-indexed (register) (ARM only)
where:
type
can be any one of:
B
SB
signed Byte (Sign extend to 32 bits.)
H
SH
signed Halfword (Sign extend to 32 bits.)
-
omitted, for Word.
cond
Rt
Rn
offset
is an offset. If offset is omitted, the address is the value in Rn.
Rm
is a register containing a value to be used as the offset. Rm must not be PC.
shift
Operation
When these instructions are executed by privileged software, they access memory with the same
restrictions as they would have if they were executed by unprivileged software.
When executed by unprivileged software these instructions behave in exactly the same way as the
corresponding load instruction, for example LDRSBT behaves in the same way as LDRSB.

The following table shows the ranges of offsets and availability of these instructions.
Table 10-14 Offsets and architectures, LDR (User mode)
Instruction Immediate offset Post-indexed +/–Rm aa shift Arch.
ARM, word or byte Not available –4095 to 4095 +/–Rm LSL #0-31 All
LSR #1-32
aa You can use –Rm, +Rm, or Rm.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
Table 10-14 Offsets and architectures, LDR (User mode) (continued)
Instruction Immediate offset Post-indexed +/–Rm aa shift Arch.
ASR #1-32
ROR #1-31
RRX
ARM, signed byte, halfword, or signed halfword Not available –255 to 255 +/–Rm Not available T2
Thumb, 32-bit encoding, word, halfword, signed halfword, 0 to 255 Not available Not available T2
byte, or signed byte
Notes on the Architecture column

All
T2
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.48 LDREX
10.48 LDREX
Load Register Exclusive.
Syntax
LDREX{cond} Rt, [Rn {, #offset}]
LDREXB{cond} Rt, [Rn]
LDREXH{cond} Rt, [Rn]
LDREXD{cond} Rt, Rt2, [Rn]
where:
cond
Rt
Rt2
is the second register for doubleword loads.
Rn
offset
is an optional offset applied to the value in Rn. offset is permitted only in 32-bit Thumb
instructions. If offset is omitted, an offset of zero is assumed.
Operation
LDREX loads data from memory.
• If the physical address has the Shared TLB attribute, LDREX tags the physical address as exclusive
access for the current processor, and clears any exclusive access tag for this processor for any other
physical address.
• Otherwise, it tags the fact that the executing processor has an outstanding tagged physical address.
LDREXB and LDREXH zero extend the value loaded.
Restrictions
PC must not be used for any of Rt, Rt2, or Rn.
• SP can be used but use of SP for Rt or Rt2 is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
• For LDREXD, Rt must be an even numbered register, and not LR.
• Rt2 must be R(t+1).
• offset is not permitted.
For Thumb instructions:

• SP can be used for Rn, but must not be used for Rt or Rt2.
• For LDREXD, Rt and Rt2 must not be the same register.
• The value of offset can be any multiple of four in the range 0-1020.
Usage
Use LDREX and STREX to implement interprocess communication in multiple-processor and shared-
memory systems.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.48 LDREX
For reasons of performance, keep the number of instructions between corresponding LDREX and STREX
instructions to a minimum.
Note
The address used in a STREX instruction must be the same as the address in the most recently executed
LDREX instruction.
Architectures
ARM LDREX and STREX are available in ARMv6 and above.
ARM LDREXB, LDREXH, LDREXD, STREXB, STREXD, and STREXH are available in ARMv6K and above.
All these 32-bit Thumb instructions are available in ARMv6T2 and above, except that LDREXD and
STREXD are not available in the ARMv7-M architecture.
There are no 16-bit versions of these instructions.
Examples
MOV r1, #0x1 ; load the ‘lock taken’ value
try
LDREX r0, [LockAddr] ; load the lock value
CMP r0, #0 ; is the lock free?
STREXEQ r0, r1, [LockAddr] ; try and claim the lock
CMPEQ r0, #0 ; did this succeed?
BNE try ; no – try again
.... ; yes – we have the lock
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.49 LSL
10.49 LSL
Logical Shift Left. This instruction is a preferred synonym for MOV instructions with shifted register
operands.
Syntax
LSL{S}{cond} Rd, Rm, Rs
LSL{S}{cond} Rd, Rm, #sh
where:
S
operation.
Rd
Rm
is the register holding the first operand. This operand is shifted left.
Rs
used.
sh
Operation
LSL provides the value of a register multiplied by a power of two, inserting zeros into the vacated bit
positions.

You cannot specify zero for the sh value in an LSL instruction in an IT block.

You cannot use PC in instructions with the LSL{S}{cond} Rd, Rm, Rs syntax. You can use PC for Rd
Note
The ARM instruction LSLS{cond} pc,Rm,#sh always disassembles to the preferred form
Caution
time.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.49 LSL
You cannot use PC for Rd or any operand in the LSL instruction if it has a register-controlled shift.
Condition flags
If S is specified, the LSL instruction updates the N and Z flags according to the result.
16-bit instructions
LSLS Rd, Rm, #sh
LSL{cond} Rd, Rm, #sh
LSLS Rd, Rd, Rs
LSL{cond} Rd, Rd, Rs
Architectures
This ARM instruction is available in all architectures.
Example
LSLS r1, r2, r3
Related references
10.55 MOV on page 10-370.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.50 LSR
10.50 LSR
Logical Shift Right. This instruction is a preferred synonym for MOV instructions with shifted register
operands.
Syntax
LSR{S}{cond} Rd, Rm, Rs
LSR{S}{cond} Rd, Rm, #sh
where:
S
operation.
Rd
Rm
Rs
used.
sh
Operation
LSR provides the unsigned value of a register divided by a variable power of two, inserting zeros into the
vacated bit positions.


You can use SP in these ARM instructions but they are deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
You cannot use PC in instructions with the LSR{S}{cond} Rd, Rm, Rs syntax. You can use PC for Rd
Note
The ARM instruction LSRS{cond} pc,Rm,#sh always disassembles to the preferred form
Caution
time.
You cannot use PC for Rd or any operand in the LSR instruction if it has a register-controlled shift.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.50 LSR
Condition flags
If S is specified, the instruction updates the N and Z flags according to the result.
16-bit instructions
LSRS Rd, Rm, #sh
LSR{cond} Rd, Rm, #sh
LSRS Rd, Rd, Rs
LSR{cond} Rd, Rd, Rs
Architectures
Example
LSR r4, r5, r6
Related references
10.55 MOV on page 10-370.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.51 MCR and MCR2
10.51 MCR and MCR2

Move to Coprocessor from ARM Register. Depending on the coprocessor, you might be able to specify
various additional operations.
Syntax
MCR{cond} coproc, #opcode1, Rt, CRn, CRm{, #opcode2}
MCR2{cond} coproc, #opcode1, Rt, CRn, CRm{, #opcode2}
where:
cond
is an optional condition code. In ARM code, cond is not permitted for MCR2.
coproc
opcode1
opcode2
Rt
is an ARM source register. Rt must not be PC.
CRn, CRm
Usage
Architectures
The MCR ARM instruction is available in all versions of the ARM architecture.
The MCR2 ARM instruction is available in ARMv5T and above.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.52 MCRR and MCRR2
10.52 MCRR and MCRR2

Move to Coprocessor from ARM Registers. Depending on the coprocessor, you might be able to specify
Syntax
MCRR{cond} coproc, #opcode, Rt, Rt2, CRn
MCRR2{cond} coproc, #opcode, Rt, Rt2, CRn
where:
cond
is an optional condition code. In ARM code, cond is not permitted for MCRR2.
coproc
opcode
Rt, Rt2
are ARM source registers. Rt and Rt2 must not be PC.
CRn
is a coprocessor register.
Usage
Architectures
The MCRR ARM instruction is available in ARMv6 and above, and E variants of ARMv5T.
The MCRR2 ARM instruction is available in ARMv6 and above.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.53 MLA
10.53 MLA
Multiply-Accumulate with signed or unsigned 32-bit operands, giving the least significant 32 bits of the
result.
Syntax
MLA{S}{cond} Rd, Rn, Rm, Ra
where:
cond
S
operation.
Rd
Rn, Rm
are registers holding the values to be multiplied.
Ra
is a register holding the value to be added.
Operation
The MLA instruction multiplies the values from Rn and Rm, adds the value from Ra, and places the least
significant 32 bits of the result in Rd.
Rn must be different from Rd in architectures before ARMv6.

You can use SP in ARM instructions but this is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above. You cannot use SP
in Thumb instructions.
Condition flags
If S is specified, the MLA instruction:
• Corrupts the C and V flag in ARMv4.
• Does not affect the C or V flag in ARMv5T and above.
Architectures
The MLA ARM instruction is available in all versions of the ARM architecture.
Example
MLA r10, r2, r1, r5
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.54 MLS
10.54 MLS
Multiply-Subtract, with signed or unsigned 32-bit operands, giving the least significant 32 bits of the
result.
Syntax
MLS{cond} Rd, Rn, Rm, Ra
where:
cond
S
operation.
Rd
Rn, Rm
Ra
is a register holding the value to be subtracted from.
Operation
The MLS instruction multiplies the values in Rn and Rm, subtracts the result from the value in Ra, and
places the least significant 32 bits of the final result in Rd.
Architectures
The MLS ARM instruction is available in ARMv6T2 and above.
Example
MLS r4, r5, r6, r7
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.55 MOV
10.55 MOV
Move.
Syntax
MOV{S}{cond} Rd, Operand2
MOV{cond} Rd, #imm16
where:
S
operation.
cond
Rd
Operand2
imm16
Operation
The MOV instruction copies the value of Operand2 into Rd.
In certain circumstances, the assembler can substitute MVN for MOV, or MOV for MVN. Be aware of this when
Use of PC and SP in 32-bit Thumb encodings

You cannot use PC (R15) for Rd, or in Operand2, in 32-bit Thumb MOV instructions. With the following
exceptions, you cannot use SP (R13) for Rd, or in Operand2:
• MOV{cond}.W Rd, SP, where Rd is not SP.
• MOV{cond}.W SP, Rm, where Rm is not SP.
Use of PC and SP in 16-bit Thumb encodings

You can use PC or SP in 16-bit Thumb MOV{cond} Rd, Rm instructions but these instructions in which
both Rd and Rm are SP or PC are deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
You cannot use PC or SP in any other MOV{S} 16-bit Thumb instructions.
Use of PC and SP in ARM MOV

shift.
In instructions without register-controlled shift, the use of PC is deprecated except for the following
cases:
• MOVS PC, LR.
• MOV PC, Rm when Rm is not PC or SP.
• MOV Rd, PC when Rd is not PC or SP.
You can use SP for Rd or Rm. But this is deprecated except for the following cases:
• MOV SP, Rm when Rm is not PC or SP.
• MOV Rd, SP when Rd is not PC or SP.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.55 MOV
Note
• You cannot use PC for Rd in MOV Rd, #imm16 if the #imm16 value is not a permitted Operand2 value.
You can use PC in forms with Operand2 without register-controlled shift.
• The deprecation of PC and SP in ARM instructions only applies to ARMv6T2 and above.
Condition flags
If S is specified, the instruction:
16-bit instructions
MOVS Rd, #imm
Rd must be a Lo register. imm range 0-255. This form can only be used outside an IT block.
MOV{cond} Rd, #imm
Rd must be a Lo register. imm range 0-255. This form can only be used inside an IT block.
MOVS Rd, Rm
MOV{cond} Rd, Rm
In architectures before ARMv6, either Rd or Rm, or both, must be a Hi register. In ARMv6 and
above, this restriction does not apply.
Architectures
The #imm16 form of the ARM instruction is available in ARMv6T2 and above. The other forms of the
ARM instruction are available in all versions of the ARM architecture.
This 16-bit Thumb instruction is available in all T variants of the ARM architecture.
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.56 MOV32 pseudo-instruction
10.56 MOV32 pseudo-instruction

Load a register with either a 32-bit immediate value or any address.
Syntax
MOV32{cond} Rd, expr
where:
cond
Rd
is the register to be loaded. Rd must not be SP or PC.
expr
can be any one of the following:
symbol
A label in this or another program area.
#constant
Any 32-bit immediate value.
symbol + constant
A label plus a 32-bit immediate value.
Usage
MOV32 always generates two 32-bit instructions, a MOV, MOVT pair. This enables you to load any 32-bit
immediate, or to access the whole 32-bit address space.
The main purposes of the MOV32 pseudo-instruction are:
• To generate literal constants when an immediate value cannot be generated in a single instruction.
• To load a PC-relative or external address into a register. The address remains valid regardless of
where the linker places the ELF section containing the MOV32.
Note
An address loaded in this way is fixed at link time, so the code is not position-independent.
MOV32 sets the Thumb bit (bit 0) of the address if the label referenced is in Thumb code.
Architectures
This pseudo-instruction is available in ARMv6T2 and above in both ARM and Thumb.
Examples
MOV32 r3, #0xABCDEF12 ; loads 0xABCDEF12 into R3
MOV32 r1, Trigger+12 ; loads the address that is 12 bytes
; higher than the address Trigger into R1
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.57 MOVT
10.57 MOVT
Move Top.
Syntax
MOVT{cond} Rd, #imm16
where:
cond
Rd
imm16
is a 16-bit immediate value.
Usage
MOVT writes imm16 to Rd[31:16], without affecting Rd[15:0].
You can generate any 32-bit immediate with a MOV, MOVT instruction pair. The assembler implements the
MOV32 pseudo-instruction for convenient generation of this instruction pair.
You cannot use PC in ARM or Thumb instructions.
You can use SP for Rd in ARM instructions but this is deprecated.
You cannot use SP in Thumb instructions.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.58 MRC and MRC2
10.58 MRC and MRC2

Move to ARM Register from Coprocessor. Depending on the coprocessor, you might be able to specify
Syntax
MRC{cond} coproc, #opcode1, Rt, CRn, CRm{, #opcode2}
MRC2{cond} coproc, #opcode1, Rt, CRn, CRm{, #opcode2}
where:
cond
is an optional condition code. In ARM code, cond is not permitted for MRC2.
coproc
opcode1
opcode2
Rt
is the ARM destination register. Rt must not be PC.
Rt can be APSR_nzcv. This means that the coprocessor executes an instruction that changes the
value of the condition flags in the APSR.
CRn, CRm
Usage
Architectures
The MRC ARM instruction is available in all versions of the ARM architecture.
The MRC2 ARM instruction is available in ARMv5T and above.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.59 MRRC and MRRC2
10.59 MRRC and MRRC2

Move to ARM Registers from Coprocessor. Depending on the coprocessor, you might be able to specify
Syntax
MRRC{cond} coproc, #opcode, Rt, Rt2, CRm
MRRC2{cond} coproc, #opcode, Rt, Rt2, CRm
where:
cond
is an optional condition code. In ARM code, cond is not permitted for MRRC2.
coproc
opcode
Rt, Rt2
are ARM destination registers. Rt and Rt2 must not be PC.
CRm
is a coprocessor register.
Usage
Architectures
The MRRC ARM instruction is available in ARMv6 and above, and E variants of ARMv5T.
The MRRC2 ARM instruction is available in ARMv6 and above.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.60 MRS (PSR to general-purpose register)

Move the contents of a PSR to a general-purpose register.
Syntax
MRS{cond} Rd, psr
where:
cond
Rd
psr
is one of:
APSR
on any processor, in any mode.
CPSR
deprecated synonym for APSR and for use in Debug state, on any processor except
ARMv7-M and ARMv6-M.
SPSR
on any processor except ARMv7-M and ARMv6-M, in privileged software execution
only.
Mpsr
on ARMv7-M and ARMv6-M processors only.
Mpsr
can be any of: IPSR, EPSR, IEPSR, IAPSR, EAPSR, MSP, PSP, XPSR, PRIMASK, BASEPRI,
BASEPRI_MAX, FAULTMASK, or CONTROL.
Usage
Use MRS in combination with MSR as part of a read-modify-write sequence for updating a PSR, for
example to change processor mode, or to clear the Q flag.
In process swap code, the programmers’ model state of the process being swapped out must be saved,
including relevant PSR contents. Similarly, the state of the process being swapped in must also be
restored. These operations make use of MRS/store and load/MSR instruction sequences.
SPSR
You must not attempt to access the SPSR when the processor is in User or System mode. This is your
responsibility. The assembler cannot warn you about this, because it has no information about the
processor mode at execution time.
CPSR
ARM deprecates reading the CPSR endianness bit (E) with an MRS instruction.
The CPSR execution state bits, other than the E bit, can only be read when the processor is in Debug
state, halting debug-mode. Otherwise, the execution state bits in the CPSR read as zero.
The condition flags can be read in any mode on any processor. Use APSR if you are only interested in
accessing the condition flags in User mode.
You cannot use PC for Rd in ARM instructions. You can use SP for Rd in ARM instructions but this is
deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
You cannot use PC or SP for Rd in Thumb instructions.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
Condition flags
Architectures
This ARM instruction is available in all versions of the ARM architecture.
Related concepts
Related references
10.61 MRS (system coprocessor register to ARM register) on page 10-378.
10.62 MSR (ARM register to system coprocessor register) on page 10-379.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.61 MRS (system coprocessor register to ARM register)
10.61 MRS (system coprocessor register to ARM register)

Move to ARM register from system coprocessor register.
Syntax
MRS{cond} Rn, coproc_register
MRS{cond} APSR_nzcv, special_register
where:
cond
coproc_register
is the name of the coprocessor register.
special_register
is the name of the coprocessor register that can be written to APSR_nzcv. This is only possible
for the coprocessor register DBGDSCRint.
Rn
is the ARM destination register. Rn must not be PC.
Usage
You can use this pseudo-instruction to read CP14 or CP15 coprocessor registers, with the exception of
write-only registers. A complete list of the applicable coprocessor register names is in the ARMv7-AR
Architecture Reference Manual. For example:
MRS R1, SCTLR ; writes the contents of the CP15 coprocessor
; register SCTLR into R1
Architectures
This pseudo-instruction is available in ARMv7-R in ARM and 32-bit Thumb code.
There is no 16-bit version of this pseudo-instruction in Thumb.
Related references
Related information
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.62 MSR (ARM register to system coprocessor register)
10.62 MSR (ARM register to system coprocessor register)

Move to system coprocessor register from ARM register.
Syntax
MSR{cond} coproc_register, Rn
where:
cond
coproc_register
is the name of the coprocessor register.
Rn
is the ARM source register. Rn must not be PC.
Usage
You can use this pseudo-instruction to write to any CP14 or CP15 coprocessor writable register. A
complete list of the applicable coprocessor register names is in the ARMv7-AR Architecture Reference
Manual. For example:
MSR SCTLR, R1 ; writes the contents of R1 into the CP15
; coprocessor register SCTLR
Architectures
This pseudo-instruction is available in ARMv7-R in ARM and 32-bit Thumb code.
There is no 16-bit version of this pseudo-instruction in Thumb.
Related references
10.147 SYS on page 10-492.
Related information
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.63 MSR (general-purpose register to PSR)

Load an immediate value, or the contents of a general-purpose register, into the specified fields of a
Program Status Register (PSR).
Syntax
MSR{cond} APSR_flags, Rm
where:
cond
flags
specifies the APSR flags to be moved. flags can be one or more of:
nzcvq
ALU flags field mask, PSR[31:27] (User mode)
g
SIMD GE flags field mask, PSR[19:16] (User mode).
Rm
is the source register. Rm must not be PC.
Syntax
You can also use the following syntax on architectures other than ARMv7-M and ARMv6-M:
MSR{cond} APSR_flags, #constant
MSR{cond} psr_fields, #constant
MSR{cond} psr_fields, Rm
where:
cond
flags
specifies the APSR flags to be moved. flags can be one or more of:
nzcvq
ALU flags field mask, PSR[31:27] (User mode)
g
SIMD GE flags field mask, PSR[19:16] (User mode).
constant
is an expression evaluating to a numeric value. The value must correspond to an 8-bit pattern
rotated by an even number of bits within a 32-bit word. Not available in Thumb.
Rm
psr
is one of:
CPSR
for use in Debug state, also deprecated synonym for APSR
SPSR
on any processor, in privileged software execution only.
fields
specifies the SPSR or CPSR fields to be moved. fields can be one or more of:
c
control field mask byte, PSR[7:0] (privileged software execution)
x
extension field mask byte, PSR[15:8] (privileged software execution)
reserved.
Non-Confidential
s
status field mask byte, PSR[23:16] (privileged software execution)
f
flags field mask byte, PSR[31:24] (privileged software execution).
Syntax
You can also use the following syntax on ARMv7-M and ARMv6-M only:
MSR{cond} psr, Rm
where:
cond
Rm
psr
can be any of: APSR, IPSR, EPSR, IEPSR, IAPSR, EAPSR, XPSR, MSP, PSP, PRIMASK, BASEPRI,
BASEPRI_MAX, FAULTMASK, or CONTROL.
Usage
In User mode:
• Use APSR to access the condition flags, Q, or GE bits.
• Writes to unallocated, privileged or execution state bits in the CPSR are ignored. This ensures that
User mode programs cannot change to privileged software execution.
ARM deprecates using MSR to change the endianness bit (E) of the CPSR, in any mode.
You must not attempt to access the SPSR when the processor is in User or System mode.
You cannot use PC in ARM instructions. You can use SP for Rm in ARM instructions but this is
You cannot use PC or SP in Thumb instructions.
Condition flags
This instruction updates the flags explicitly if the APSR_nzcvq or CPSR_f field is specified.
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.64 MUL
10.64 MUL
Multiply with signed or unsigned 32-bit operands, giving the least significant 32 bits of the result.
Syntax
MUL{S}{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
S
operation.
Rd
Rn, Rm
Operation
The MUL instruction multiplies the values from Rn and Rm, and places the least significant 32 bits of the
result in Rd.
Rn must be different from Rd in architectures before ARMv6.

Condition flags
If S is specified, the MUL instruction:
• Corrupts the C and V flag in ARMv4.
• Does not affect the C or V flag in ARMv5T and above.
16-bit instructions
The following forms of the MUL instruction are available in Thumb code, and are 16-bit instructions:
MULS Rd, Rn, Rd
Rd and Rn must both be Lo registers. This form can only be used outside an IT block.
MUL{cond} Rd, Rn, Rd
Rd and Rn must both be Lo registers. This form can only be used inside an IT block.
Architectures
MUL is available in a 32-bit encoding in Thumb in ARMv6T2 and above. MULS is not available in a 32-bit
encoding in Thumb.
Examples
MUL r10, r2, r5
MULS r0, r2, r2
MULLT r2, r3, r2
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.64 MUL
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.65 MVN
10.65 MVN
Move Not.
Syntax
MVN{S}{cond} Rd, Operand2
where:
S
operation.
cond
Rd
Operand2
Operation
The MVN instruction takes the value of Operand2, performs a bitwise logical NOT operation on the value,
and places the result into Rd.
In certain circumstances, the assembler can substitute MVN for MOV, or MOV for MVN. Be aware of this when
Use of PC and SP in 32-bit Thumb MVN

You cannot use PC (R15) for Rd, or in Operand2, in 32-bit Thumb MVN instructions. You cannot use SP
(R13) for Rd, or in Operand2.
Use of PC and SP in 16-bit Thumb instructions

You cannot use PC or SP in any MVN{S} 16-bit Thumb instructions.
Use of PC and SP in ARM MVN

shift.
In instructions without register-controlled shift, use of PC is deprecated.
You can use SP for Rd or Rm, but this is deprecated.
Note
The deprecation of PC and SP in ARM instructions only applies to ARMv6T2 and above.
Condition flags
If S is specified, the instruction:
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.65 MVN
16-bit instructions
MVNS Rd, Rm
MVN{cond} Rd, Rm
Architectures
Correct example
MVNNE r11, #0xF000000B ; ARM only. This immediate value is not available in Thumb.
Incorrect example
MVN pc,r3,ASR r0 ; PC not permitted with register-controlled shift
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.66 NEG pseudo-instruction
10.66 NEG pseudo-instruction

Negate the value in a register.
Syntax
NEG{cond} Rd, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm
is the register containing the value that is subtracted from zero.
Operation
The NEG pseudo-instruction negates the value in one register and stores the result in a second register.
NEG{cond} Rd, Rm assembles to RSBS{cond} Rd, Rm, #0.
Architectures
The ARM encoding of this pseudo-instruction is available in all versions of the ARM architecture.
The 32-bit Thumb encoding of this pseudo-instruction is available in ARMv6T2 and later.
In ARM instructions, using SP or PC for Rd or Rm is deprecated. In Thumb instructions, you cannot use
SP or PC for Rd or Rm.
Condition flags
This pseudo-instruction updates the condition flags, based on the result.
Related references
10.10 ADD on page 10-292.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.67 NOP
10.67 NOP
No Operation.
Syntax
NOP{cond}
where:
cond
Usage
NOP does nothing. If NOP is not implemented as a specific instruction on your target architecture, the
assembler treats it as a pseudo-instruction and generates an alternative instruction that does nothing, such
as MOV r0, r0 (ARM) or MOV r8, r8 (Thumb).
NOP is not necessarily a time-consuming NOP. The processor might remove it from the pipeline before it
reaches the execution stage.
You can use NOP for padding, for example to place the following instruction on a 64-bit boundary in
ARM, or a 32-bit boundary in Thumb.
Architectures
NOP is available on all other ARM and Thumb architectures as a pseudo-instruction.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.68 ORN (Thumb only)
10.68 ORN (Thumb only)

Logical OR NOT.
Syntax
ORN{S}{cond} Rd, Rn, Operand2
where:
S
operation.
cond
Rd
Rn
Operand2
Operation
The ORN Thumb instruction performs an OR operation on the bits in Rn with the complements of the
corresponding bits in the value of Operand2.
In certain circumstances, the assembler can substitute ORN for ORR, or ORR for ORN. Be aware of this when
Use of PC
You cannot use PC (R15) for Rd or any operand in the ORN instruction.
Condition flags
If S is specified, the ORN instruction:
Examples
ORN r7, r11, lr, ROR #4
ORNS r7, r11, lr, ASR #32
Architectures
There is no ARM or 16-bit Thumb ORN instruction.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.69 ORR
10.69 ORR
Logical OR.
Syntax
ORR{S}{cond} Rd, Rn, Operand2
where:
S
operation.
cond
Rd
Rn
Operand2
Operation
The ORR instruction performs bitwise OR operations on the values in Rn and Operand2.
In certain circumstances, the assembler can substitute ORN for ORR, or ORR for ORN. Be aware of this when
Use of PC in 32-bit Thumb instructions

You cannot use PC (R15) for Rd or any operand with the ORR instruction.

You can use PC and SP with the ORR instruction but this is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
Condition flags
If S is specified, the ORR instruction:
16-bit instructions
The following forms of the ORR instruction are available in Thumb code, and are 16-bit instructions:
ORRS Rd, Rd, Rm
ORR{cond} Rd, Rd, Rm
It does not matter if you specify ORR{S} Rd, Rm, Rd. The instruction is the same.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.69 ORR
Example
ORREQ r2,r0,r5
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.70 PKHBT and PKHTB

Halfword Packing instructions that combine a halfword from one register with a halfword from another
register. One of the operands can be shifted before extraction of the halfword.
Syntax
PKHBT{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm{, LSL #leftshift}
PKHTB{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm{, ASR #rightshift}
where:
PKHBT
Combines bits[15:0] of Rn with bits[31:16] of the shifted value from Rm.
PKHTB
Combines bits[31:16] of Rn with bits[15:0] of the shifted value from Rm.
cond
Rd
Rn
Rm
leftshift
is in the range 0 to 31.
rightshift
is in the range 1 to 32.
Condition flags
These instructions do not change the flags.
Architectures
These ARM instructions are available in ARMv6 and above.
These 32-bit Thumb instructions are available in ARMv6T2 and above. For the ARMv7-M architecture,
they are only available in an ARMv7E-M implementation.
Correct examples
PKHBT r0, r3, r5 ; combine the bottom halfword of R3
; with the top halfword of R5
PKHBT r0, r3, r5, LSL #16 ; combine the bottom halfword of R3
; with the bottom halfword of R5
PKHTB r0, r3, r5, ASR #16 ; combine the top halfword of R3
; with the top halfword of R5
You can also scale the second operand by using different values of shift.
Incorrect example
PKHBTEQ r4, r5, r1, ASR #8 ; ASR not permitted with PKHBT
reserved.
Non-Confidential
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.71 PLD and PLI
10.71 PLD and PLI

Preload Data and Preload Instruction allow the processor to signal the memory system that a data or
instruction load from an address is likely in the near future.
Syntax
PLtype{cond} [Rn {, #offset}]
PLtype{cond} [Rn, ±Rm {, shift}]
PLtype{cond} label
where:
type
can be one of:
D
Data address.
I
Instruction address.
cond
Note
unconditional instruction in ARM code and you must not use cond.
Rn
offset
is an immediate offset. If offset is omitted, the address is the value in Rn.
Rm
is a register containing a value to be used as the offset.
shift
label
Range of offsets
The offset is applied to the value in Rn before the preload takes place. The result is used as the memory
address for the preload. The range of offsets permitted is:
• –4095 to +4095 for ARM instructions.
• –255 to +4095 for Thumb instructions, when Rn is not PC.
• –4095 to +4095 for Thumb instructions, when Rn is PC.
of range.
Register or shifted register offset

In ARM code, the value in Rm is added to or subtracted from the value in Rn. In Thumb code, the value in
Rm can only be added to the value in Rn. The result is used as the memory address for the preload.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.71 PLD and PLI
The range of shifts permitted is:

• LSL #0 to #3 for Thumb instructions.
• Any one of the following for ARM instructions:
— LSL #0 to #31.
— LSR #1 to #32.
— ASR #1 to #32.
— ROR #1 to #31.
— RRX.
Address alignment for preloads

No alignment checking is performed for preload instructions.
Rm must not be PC. For Thumb instructions Rm must also not be SP.
Rn must not be PC for Thumb instructions of the syntax PLtype{cond} [Rn, ±Rm{, #shift}].
Architectures
ARM PLD is available in ARMv5TE and above.
The 32-bit Thumb encoding of PLD is available in ARMv6T2 and above.
PLI is available only in ARMv7 and above.
There are no 16-bit encodings of PLD or PLI in Thumb.

These are hint instructions, and their implementation is optional. If they are not implemented, they
execute as NOPs.
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.72 POP
10.72 POP
Pop registers off a full descending stack.
Syntax
POP{cond} reglist
where:
cond
reglist
is a non-empty list of registers, enclosed in braces. It can contain register ranges. It must be
comma separated if it contains more than one register or register range.
Operation
POP is a synonym for LDMIA sp! reglist. POP is the preferred mnemonic.
Note
LDM and LDMFD are synonyms of LDMIA.
Registers are stored on the stack in numerical order, with the lowest numbered register at the lowest
address.
POP, with reglist including the PC

This instruction causes a branch to the address popped off the stack into the PC. This is usually a return
from a subroutine, where the LR was pushed onto the stack at the start of the subroutine.
In ARMv5T and above:
• Bits[1:0] must not be 0b10.
• If bit[0] is 1, execution continues in Thumb state.
• If bit[0] is 0, execution continues in ARM state.
In ARMv4, bits[1:0] of the address loaded must be 0b00.
Thumb instructions
A subset of these instructions are available in the Thumb instruction set.
The following restriction applies to the 16-bit POP instruction:
• reglist can only include the Lo registers and the PC.
The following restrictions apply to the 32-bit POP instruction:

• reglist must not include the SP.
• reglist can include either the LR or the PC, but not both.

ARM POP instructions cannot have SP but can have PC in the reglist. These instructions that include
both PC and LR in the reglist are deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
Example
POP {r0,r10,pc} ; no 16-bit version available
Related references
10.41 LDM on page 10-342.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.72 POP
10.73 PUSH on page 10-397.

reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.73 PUSH
10.73 PUSH
Push registers onto a full descending stack.
Syntax
PUSH{cond} reglist
where:
cond
reglist
is a non-empty list of registers, enclosed in braces. It can contain register ranges. It must be
comma separated if it contains more than one register or register range.
Operation
PUSH is a synonym for STMDB sp!, reglist. PUSH is the preferred mnemonic.
Note
STMFD is a synonym of STMDB.
Registers are stored on the stack in numerical order, with the lowest numbered register at the lowest
address.
Thumb instructions
The following restriction applies to the 16-bit PUSH instruction:
• reglist can only include the Lo registers and the LR.
The following restrictions apply to the 32-bit PUSH instruction:

• reglist must not include the SP.
• reglist must not include the PC.

ARM PUSH instructions can have SP and PC in the reglist but these instructions that include SP or PC
in the reglist are deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
Examples
PUSH {r0,r4-r7}
PUSH {r2,lr}
Related references
10.41 LDM on page 10-342.
10.72 POP on page 10-395.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.74 QADD
10.74 QADD
Signed saturating addition.
Syntax
QADD{cond} {Rd}, Rm, Rn
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
are the registers holding the operands.
Operation
The QADD instruction adds the values in Rm and Rn. It saturates the result to the signed range –231 ≤ x ≤
231–1.
Note
All values are treated as two’s complement signed integers by this instruction.
Q flag
If saturation occurs, this instruction sets the Q flag. To read the state of the Q flag, use an MRS instruction.
Architectures
This ARM instruction is available in ARMv6 and above, and E variants of ARMv5T.
This 32-bit Thumb instruction is available in ARMv6T2 and above. For the ARMv7-M architecture, it is
only available in an ARMv7E-M implementation.
Example
QADD r0, r1, r9
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.75 QADD8
10.75 QADD8
Signed saturating parallel byte-wise addition.
Syntax
QADD8{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
are the ARM registers holding the operands.
Operation
This instruction performs four signed integer additions on the corresponding bytes of the operands and
writes the results into the corresponding bytes of the destination. It saturates the results to the signed
range –27 ≤ x ≤ 27 –1. The Q flag is not affected even if this operation saturates.
Condition flags
This instruction does not affect the N, Z, C, V, Q, or GE flags.
Architectures
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.76 QADD16
10.76 QADD16
Signed saturating parallel halfword-wise addition.
Syntax
QADD16{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
This instruction performs two signed integer additions on the corresponding halfwords of the operands
and writes the results into the corresponding halfwords of the destination. It saturates the results to the
signed range –215 ≤ x ≤ 215 –1. The Q flag is not affected even if this operation saturates.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.77 QASX
10.77 QASX
Signed saturating parallel add and subtract halfwords with exchange.
Syntax
QASX{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
This instruction exchanges the two halfwords of the second operand, then performs an addition on the
two top halfwords of the operands and a subtraction on the bottom two halfwords. It writes the results
into the corresponding halfwords of the destination. It saturates the results to the signed range –215 ≤ x ≤
215 –1. The Q flag is not affected even if this operation saturates.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.78 QDADD
10.78 QDADD
Signed saturating Double and Add.
Syntax
QDADD{cond} {Rd}, Rm, Rn
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
QDADD calculates SAT(Rm + SAT(Rn * 2)). It saturates the result to the signed range –231 ≤ x ≤ 231–1.
Saturation can occur on the doubling operation, on the addition, or on both. If saturation occurs on the
doubling but not on the addition, the Q flag is set but the final result is unsaturated.
Note
Q flag
Architectures
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.79 QDSUB
10.79 QDSUB
Signed saturating Double and Subtract.
Syntax
QDSUB{cond} {Rd}, Rm, Rn
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
QDSUB calculates SAT(Rm - SAT(Rn * 2)). It saturates the result to the signed range –231 ≤ x ≤ 231–1.
Saturation can occur on the doubling operation, on the subtraction, or on both. If saturation occurs on the
doubling but not on the subtraction, the Q flag is set but the final result is unsaturated.
Note
Q flag
Architectures
Example
QDSUBLT r9, r0, r1
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.80 QSAX
10.80 QSAX
Signed saturating parallel subtract and add halfwords with exchange.
Syntax
QSAX{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
This instruction exchanges the two halfwords of the second operand, then performs a subtraction on the
two top halfwords of the operands and an addition on the bottom two halfwords. It writes the results into
the corresponding halfwords of the destination. It saturates the results to the signed range –215 ≤ x ≤ 215
–1. The Q flag is not affected even if this operation saturates.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.81 QSUB
10.81 QSUB
Signed saturating Subtract.
Syntax
QSUB{cond} {Rd}, Rm, Rn
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
The QSUB instruction subtracts the value in Rn from the value in Rm. It saturates the result to the signed
range –231 ≤ x ≤ 231–1.
Note
Q flag
Architectures
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.82 QSUB8
10.82 QSUB8
Signed saturating parallel byte-wise subtraction.
Syntax
QSUB8{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
This instruction subtracts each byte of the second operand from the corresponding byte of the first
operand and writes the results into the corresponding bytes of the destination. It saturates the results to
the signed range –27 ≤ x ≤ 27 –1. The Q flag is not affected even if this operation saturates.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.83 QSUB16
10.83 QSUB16
Signed saturating parallel halfword-wise subtraction.
Syntax
QSUB16{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
This instruction subtracts each halfword of the second operand from the corresponding halfword of the
first operand and writes the results into the corresponding halfwords of the destination. It saturates the
results to the signed range –215 ≤ x ≤ 215 –1. The Q flag is not affected even if this operation saturates.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.84 RBIT
10.84 RBIT
Reverse the bit order in a 32-bit word.
Syntax
RBIT{cond} Rd, Rn
where:
cond
Rd
Rn
Condition flags
Architectures
Example
RBIT r7, r8
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.85 REV
10.85 REV
Reverse the byte order in a word.
Syntax
REV{cond} Rd, Rn
where:
cond
Rd
Rn
Usage
You can use this instruction to change endianness. REV converts 32-bit big-endian data into little-endian
data or 32-bit little-endian data into big-endian data.
Condition flags
16-bit instructions
The following form of this instruction is available in Thumb code, and is a 16-bit instruction:
REV Rd, Rm
Rd and Rm must both be Lo registers.
Architectures
Example
REV r3, r7
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.86 REV16
10.86 REV16
Reverse the byte order in each halfword independently.
Syntax
REV16{cond} Rd, Rn
where:
cond
Rd
Rn
Usage
You can use this instruction to change endianness. REV16 converts 16-bit big-endian data into little-
endian data or 16-bit little-endian data into big-endian data.
Condition flags
16-bit instructions
REV16 Rd, Rm
Architectures
Example
REV16 r0, r0
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.87 REVSH
10.87 REVSH
Reverse the byte order in the bottom halfword, and sign extend to 32 bits.
Syntax
REVSH{cond} Rd, Rn
where:
cond
Rd
Rn
Usage
You can use this instruction to change endianness. REVSH converts either:
• 16-bit signed big-endian data into 32-bit signed little-endian data.
• 16-bit signed little-endian data into 32-bit signed big-endian data.
Condition flags
16-bit instructions
REVSH Rd, Rm
Architectures
Example
REVSH r0, r5 ; Reverse Signed Halfword
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.88 RFE
10.88 RFE
Return From Exception.
Syntax
RFE{addr_mode}{cond} Rn{!}
where:
addr_mode
IA
Increment address After each transfer (Full Descending stack)
IB
Increment address Before each transfer (ARM only)
DA
Decrement address After each transfer (ARM only)
DB
If addr_mode is omitted, it defaults to Increment After.
cond
Note
unconditional instruction in ARM code.
Rn
specifies the base register. Rn must not be PC.
!
Usage
You can use RFE to return from an exception if you previously saved the return state using the SRS
instruction. Rn is usually the SP where the return state information was saved.
Operation
Loads the PC and the CPSR from the address contained in Rn, and the following address. Optionally
updates Rn.
Notes
RFE writes an address to the PC. The alignment of this address must be correct for the instruction set in
use after the exception return:
• For a return to ARM, the address written to the PC must be word-aligned.
• For a return to Thumb, the address written to the PC must be halfword-aligned.
• For a return to Jazelle, there are no alignment restrictions on the address written to the PC.
No special precautions are required in software to follow these rules, if you use the instruction to return
after a valid exception entry mechanism.
Where addresses are not word-aligned, RFE ignores the least significant two bits of Rn.
The time order of the accesses to individual words of memory generated by RFE is not architecturally
defined. Do not use this instruction on memory-mapped I/O locations where access order matters.
Do not use RFE in unprivileged software execution.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.88 RFE
Architectures
This 32-bit Thumb instruction is available in ARMv6T2 and above, except the ARMv7-M architecture.
Example
RFE sp!
Related concepts
Related references
10.125 SRS on page 10-458.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.89 ROR
10.89 ROR
Rotate Right. This instruction is a preferred synonym for MOV instructions with shifted register operands.
Syntax
ROR{S}{cond} Rd, Rm, Rs
ROR{S}{cond} Rd, Rm, #sh
where:
S
operation.
Rd
Rm
Rs
used.
sh
is a constant shift. The range of values is 1-31.
Operation
ROR provides the value of the contents of a register rotated by a value. The bits that are rotated off the
right end are inserted into the vacated bit positions on the left.


You cannot use PC in instructions with the ROR{S}{cond} Rd, Rm, Rs syntax. You can use PC for Rd
Note
The ARM instruction RORS{cond} pc,Rm,#sh always disassembles to the preferred form
Caution
time.
You cannot use PC for Rd or any operand in this instruction if it has a register-controlled shift.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.89 ROR
Condition flags
16-bit instructions
RORS Rd, Rd, Rs
ROR{cond} Rd, Rd, Rs
Architectures
Example
ROR r4, r5, r6
Related references
10.55 MOV on page 10-370.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.90 RRX
10.90 RRX
Rotate Right with Extend. This instruction is a preferred synonym for MOV instructions with shifted
register operands.
Syntax
RRX{S}{cond} Rd, Rm
where:
S
operation.
Rd
Rm
Operation
RRX provides the value of the contents of a register shifted right one bit. The old carry flag is shifted into
bit[31]. If the S suffix is present, the old bit[0] is placed in the carry flag.


You can use SP in this ARM instruction but this is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
Note
The ARM instruction RRXS{cond} pc,Rm always disassembles to the preferred form MOVS{cond}
pc,Rm{,shift}.
Caution
time.
You cannot use PC for Rd or any operand in this instruction if it has a register-controlled shift.
Condition flags
Architectures
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.90 RRX

There is no 16-bit RRX instruction in Thumb.
Related references
10.55 MOV on page 10-370.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.91 RSB
10.91 RSB
Reverse Subtract without carry.
Syntax
RSB{S}{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Operand2
where:
S
operation.
cond
Rd
Rn
Operand2
Operation
The RSB instruction subtracts the value in Rn from the value of Operand2. This is useful because of the
wide range of options for Operand2.

You cannot use PC (R15) for Rd or any operand.
You cannot use SP (R13) for Rd or any operand.

You cannot use PC for Rd or any operand in an RSB instruction that has a register-controlled shift.
Use of PC for any operand, in instructions without register-controlled shift, is deprecated.
Use of SP in RSB ARM instructions is deprecated.
Note
Condition flags
If S is specified, the RSB instruction updates the N, Z, C and V flags according to the result.
16-bit instructions
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.91 RSB
RSBS Rd, Rn, #0

Rd and Rn must both be Lo registers. This form can only be used outside an IT block.
RSB{cond} Rd, Rn, #0
Rd and Rn must both be Lo registers. This form can only be used inside an IT block.
Example
RSB r4, r4, #1280 ; subtracts contents of R4 from 1280
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.92 RSC
10.92 RSC
Reverse Subtract with Carry.
Syntax
RSC{S}{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Operand2
where:
S
operation.
cond
Rd
Rn
Operand2
Usage
The RSC instruction subtracts the value in Rn from the value of Operand2. If the carry flag is clear, the
result is reduced by one.
You can use RSC to synthesize multiword arithmetic.
RSC is not available in Thumb code.
Use of PC and SP
You cannot use PC for Rd or any operand in an RSC instruction that has a register-controlled shift.
Use of PC for any operand in RSC instructions without register-controlled shift, is deprecated.
Use of SP in RSC instructions is deprecated.
Note
The deprecation of SP and PC is only in ARMv6T2 and above.
Condition flags
If S is specified, the RSC instruction updates the N, Z, C and V flags according to the result.
Correct example
RSCSLE r0,r5,r0,LSL r4 ; conditional, flags set
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.92 RSC
Incorrect example
RSCSLE r0,pc,r0,LSL r4 ; PC not permitted with register
; controlled shift
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.93 SADD8
10.93 SADD8
Signed parallel byte-wise addition.
Syntax
SADD8{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
This instruction performs four signed integer additions on the corresponding bytes of the operands and
writes the results into the corresponding bytes of the destination. The results are modulo 28. It sets the
APSR GE flags.
GE flags
This instruction does not affect the N, Z, C, V, or Q flags.
It sets the GE flags in the APSR as follows:
GE[0]
for bits[7:0] of the result.
GE[1]
GE[2]
GE[3]
It sets a GE flag to 1 to indicate that the corresponding result is greater than or equal to zero. This is
equivalent to an ADDS instruction setting the N and V condition flags to the same value, so that the GE
condition passes.
You can use these flags to control a following SEL instruction.
Architectures
Related references
10.99 SEL on page 10-430.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.94 SADD16
10.94 SADD16
Signed parallel halfword-wise addition.
Syntax
SADD16{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
This instruction performs two signed integer additions on the corresponding halfwords of the operands
and writes the results into the corresponding halfwords of the destination. The results are modulo 216. It
sets the APSR GE flags.
GE flags
GE[1:0]
GE[3:2]
It sets a pair of GE flags to 1 to indicate that the corresponding result is greater than or equal to zero.
This is equivalent to an ADDS instruction setting the N and V condition flags to the same value, so that the
GE condition passes.
Note
GE[1:0] are set or cleared together, and GE[3:2] are set or cleared together.
Architectures
Related references
10.99 SEL on page 10-430.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.95 SASX
10.95 SASX
Signed parallel add and subtract halfwords with exchange.
Syntax
SASX{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
into the corresponding halfwords of the destination. The results are modulo 216. It sets the APSR GE
flags.
GE flags
GE[1:0]
GE[3:2]
This is equivalent to an ADDS or SUBS instruction setting the N and V condition flags to the same value,
so that the GE condition passes.
Note
Architectures
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.95 SASX
Related references
10.99 SEL on page 10-430.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.96 SBC
10.96 SBC
Subtract with Carry.
Syntax
SBC{S}{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Operand2
where:
S
operation.
cond
Rd
Rn
Operand2
Usage
The SBC (Subtract with Carry) instruction subtracts the value of Operand2 from the value in Rn. If the
carry flag is clear, the result is reduced by one.
You can use SBC to synthesize multiword arithmetic.

You cannot use PC (R15) for Rd, or any operand.
You cannot use SP (R13) for Rd, or any operand.

You cannot use PC for Rd or any operand in an SBC instruction that has a register-controlled shift.
Use of PC for any operand in instructions without register-controlled shift, is deprecated.
Use of SP in SBC ARM instructions is deprecated.
Note
Condition flags
If S is specified, the SBC instruction updates the N, Z, C and V flags according to the result.
16-bit instructions
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.96 SBC
SBCS Rd, Rd, Rm

SBC{cond} Rd, Rd, Rm

These instructions subtract one 96-bit integer contained in R9, R10, and R11 from another 96-bit integer
contained in R6, R7, and R8, and place the result in R3, R4, and R5:
SUBS r3, r6, r9
SBCS r4, r7, r10
SBC r5, r8, r11
For clarity, the above examples use consecutive registers for multiword values. There is no requirement
to do this. The following, for example, is perfectly valid:
SUBS r6, r6, r9
SBCS r9, r2, r1
SBC r2, r8, r11
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.97 SBFX
10.97 SBFX
Signed Bit Field Extract.
Syntax
SBFX{cond} Rd, Rn, #lsb, #width
where:
cond
Rd
Rn
lsb
is the bit number of the least significant bit in the bitfield, in the range 0 to 31.
width
is the width of the bitfield, in the range 1 to (32–lsb).
Operation
Copies adjacent bits from one register into the least significant bits of a second register, and sign extends
to 32 bits.
You can use SP in the ARM instruction but this is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above. You cannot use
SP in the Thumb instruction.
Condition flags
This instruction does not alter any flags.
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.98 SDIV
10.98 SDIV
Signed Divide.
Syntax
SDIV{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rn
is the register holding the value to be divided.
Rm
is a register holding the divisor.
PC or SP cannot be used for Rd, Rn or Rm.
Architectures
This 32-bit Thumb instruction is available in ARMv7-R and ARMv7-M.
This ARM instruction is optional in ARMv7-R.
There is no 16-bit Thumb SDIV instruction.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.99 SEL
10.99 SEL
Select bytes from each operand according to the state of the APSR GE flags.
Syntax
SEL{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rn
Rm
is the register holding the second operand.
Operation
The SEL instruction selects bytes from Rn or Rm according to the APSR GE flags:
• If GE[0] is set, Rd[7:0] come from Rn[7:0], otherwise from Rm[7:0].
Usage
Use the SEL instruction after one of the signed parallel instructions. You can use this to select maximum
or minimum values in multiple byte or halfword data.
Condition flags
Architectures
Examples
SEL r0, r4, r5
SELLT r4, r0, r4
The following instruction sequence sets each byte in R4 equal to the unsigned minimum of the
corresponding bytes of R1 and R2:
USUB8 r4, r1, r2
SEL r4, r2, r1
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.99 SEL
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.100 SETEND
10.100 SETEND
Set the endianness bit in the CPSR, without affecting any other bits in the CPSR.
Syntax
SETEND specifier
where:
specifier
is one of:
BE
Big-endian.
LE
Little-endian.
Usage
Use SETEND to access data of different endianness, for example, to access several big-endian DMA-
formatted data fields from an otherwise little-endian application.
SETEND cannot be conditional, and is not permitted in an IT block.
Architectures
This 16-bit Thumb instruction is available in T variants of ARMv6 and above, except the ARMv6-M and
ARMv7-M architectures.
Example
SETEND BE ; Set the CPSR E bit for big-endian accesses
LDR r0, [r2, #header]
LDR r1, [r2, #CRC32]
SETEND le ; Set the CPSR E bit for little-endian accesses
; for the rest of the application
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.101 SEV
10.101 SEV
Set Event.
Syntax
SEV{cond}
where:
cond
Operation
This is a hint instruction. It is optional whether it is implemented or not. If it is not implemented, it
executes as a NOP. The assembler produces a diagnostic message if the instruction executes as a NOP on
the target.
SEV executes as a NOP instruction in ARMv6T2.
SEV causes an event to be signaled to all cores within a multiprocessor system. If SEV is implemented,
WFE must also be implemented.
Architectures
Related references
10.67 NOP on page 10-387.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.102 SHADD8
10.102 SHADD8
Signed halving parallel byte-wise addition.
Syntax
SHADD8{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
This instruction performs four signed integer additions on the corresponding bytes of the operands,
halves the results, and writes the results into the corresponding bytes of the destination. This cannot
cause overflow.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.103 SHADD16
10.103 SHADD16
Signed halving parallel halfword-wise addition.
Syntax
SHADD16{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
This instruction performs two signed integer additions on the corresponding halfwords of the operands,
halves the results, and writes the results into the corresponding halfwords of the destination. This cannot
cause overflow.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.104 SHASX
10.104 SHASX
Signed halving parallel add and subtract halfwords with exchange.
Syntax
SHASX{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
two top halfwords of the operands and a subtraction on the bottom two halfwords. It halves the results
and writes them into the corresponding halfwords of the destination. This cannot cause overflow.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.105 SHSAX
10.105 SHSAX
Signed halving parallel subtract and add halfwords with exchange.
Syntax
SHSAX{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
two top halfwords of the operands and an addition on the bottom two halfwords. It halves the results and
writes them into the corresponding halfwords of the destination. This cannot cause overflow.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.106 SHSUB8
10.106 SHSUB8
Signed halving parallel byte-wise subtraction.
Syntax
SHSUB8{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
operand, halves the results, and writes the results into the corresponding bytes of the destination. This
cannot cause overflow.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.107 SHSUB16
10.107 SHSUB16
Signed halving parallel halfword-wise subtraction.
Syntax
SHSUB16{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
first operand, halves the results, and writes the results into the corresponding halfwords of the
destination. This cannot cause overflow.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.108 SMC
10.108 SMC
Secure Monitor Call.
Syntax
SMC{cond} #imm4
where:
cond
imm4
is a 4-bit immediate value. This is ignored by the ARM processor, but can be used by the SMC
exception handler to determine what service is being requested.
Note
SMC was called SMI in earlier versions of the ARM assembly language. SMI instructions disassemble to
SMC, with a comment to say that this was formerly SMI.
Architectures
This ARM instruction is available in implementations of ARMv6 and above, if they have the Security
Extensions.
This 32-bit Thumb instruction is available in implementations of ARMv6T2 and above, if they have the
Security Extensions.
Related references
Related information
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.109 SMLAxy
10.109 SMLAxy
Signed Multiply Accumulate, with 16-bit operands and a 32-bit result and accumulator.
Syntax
SMLA<x><y>{cond} Rd, Rn, Rm, Ra
where:
<x>
is either B or T. B means use the bottom half (bits [15:0]) of Rn, T means use the top half (bits
[31:16]) of Rn.
<y>
is either B or T. B means use the bottom half (bits [15:0]) of Rm, T means use the top half (bits
[31:16]) of Rm.
cond
Rd
Rn, Rm
are the registers holding the values to be multiplied.
Ra
is the register holding the value to be added.
Operation
SMLAxy multiplies the 16-bit signed integers from the selected halves of Rn and Rm, adds the 32-bit result
to the 32-bit value in Ra, and places the result in Rd.
Condition flags
This instruction does not affect the N, Z, C, or V flags.
If overflow occurs in the accumulation, SMLAxy sets the Q flag. To read the state of the Q flag, use an MRS
instruction.
Note
SMLAxy never clears the Q flag. To clear the Q flag, use an MSR instruction.
Architectures
Examples
SMLABBNE r0, r2, r1, r10
SMLABT r0, r0, r3, r5
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.109 SMLAxy
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.110 SMLAD
10.110 SMLAD
Dual 16-bit Signed Multiply with Addition of products and 32-bit accumulation.
Syntax
SMLAD{X}{cond} Rd, Rn, Rm, Ra
where:
cond
X
is an optional parameter. If X is present, the most and least significant halfwords of the second
operand are exchanged before the multiplications occur.
Rd
Rn, Rm
Ra
is the register holding the accumulate operand.
Operation
SMLAD multiplies the bottom halfword of Rn with the bottom halfword of Rm, and the top halfword of Rn
with the top halfword of Rm. It then adds both products to the value in Ra and stores the sum to Rd.
Condition flags
Architectures
Example
SMLADLT r1, r2, r4, r1
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.111 SMLAL
10.111 SMLAL
Signed Long Multiply, with optional Accumulate, with 32-bit operands, and 64-bit result and
accumulator.
Syntax
SMLAL{S}{cond} RdLo, RdHi, Rn, Rm
where:
S
is an optional suffix available in ARM state only. If S is specified, the condition flags are
updated on the result of the operation.
cond
RdLo, RdHi
are the destination registers. They also hold the accumulating value. RdLo and RdHi must be
different registers
Rn, Rm
are ARM registers holding the operands.
Operation
The SMLAL instruction interprets the values from Rn and Rm as two’s complement signed integers. It
multiplies these integers, and adds the 64-bit result to the 64-bit signed integer contained in RdHi and
RdLo.
Rn must be different from RdLo and RdHi in architectures before ARMv6.

Condition flags
If S is specified, this instruction:
• Does not affect the C or V flags.
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.112 SMLALD
10.112 SMLALD
Dual 16-bit Signed Multiply with Addition of products and 64-bit Accumulation.
Syntax
SMLALD{X}{cond} RdLo, RdHi, Rn, Rm
where:
X
cond
RdLo, RdHi
are the destination registers for the 64-bit result. They also hold the 64-bit accumulate operand.
RdHi and RdLo must be different registers.
Rn, Rm
Operation
SMLALD multiplies the bottom halfword of Rn with the bottom halfword of Rm, and the top halfword of Rn
with the top halfword of Rm. It then adds both products to the value in RdLo, RdHi and stores the sum to
RdLo, RdHi.
Condition flags
Architectures
Example
SMLALD r10, r11, r5, r1
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.113 SMLALxy
10.113 SMLALxy
Signed Multiply-Accumulate with 16-bit operands and a 64-bit accumulator.
Syntax
SMLAL<x><y>{cond} RdLo, RdHi, Rn, Rm
where:
<x>
[31:16]) of Rn.
<y>
[31:16]) of Rm.
cond
RdLo, RdHi
are the destination registers. They also hold the accumulate value. RdHi and RdLo must be
different registers.
Rn, Rm
Operation
SMLALxy multiplies the signed integer from the selected half of Rm by the signed integer from the selected
half of Rn, and adds the 32-bit result to the 64-bit value in RdHi and RdLo.
Condition flags
Note
SMLALxy cannot raise an exception. If overflow occurs on this instruction, the result wraps round without
any warning.
Architectures
Examples
SMLALTB r2, r3, r7, r1
SMLALBTVS r0, r1, r9, r2
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.114 SMLAWy
10.114 SMLAWy
Signed Multiply-Accumulate Wide, with one 32-bit operand and one 16-bit operand, and a 32-bit
accumulate value, providing the top 32 bits of the result.
Syntax
SMLAW<y>{cond} Rd, Rn, Rm, Ra
where:
<y>
[31:16]) of Rm.
cond
Rd
Rn, Rm
Ra
is the register holding the value to be added.
Operation
SMLAWy multiplies the signed 16-bit integer from the selected half of Rm by the signed 32-bit integer from
Rn, adds the top 32 bits of the 48-bit result to the 32-bit value in Ra, and places the result in Rd.
Condition flags
If overflow occurs in the accumulation, SMLAWy sets the Q flag.
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.115 SMLSD
10.115 SMLSD
Dual 16-bit Signed Multiply with Subtraction of products and 32-bit accumulation.
Syntax
SMLSD{X}{cond} Rd, Rn, Rm, Ra
where:
cond
X
Rd
Rn, Rm
Ra
Operation
SMLSD multiplies the bottom halfword of Rn with the bottom halfword of Rm, and the top halfword of Rn
with the top halfword of Rm. It then subtracts the second product from the first, adds the difference to the
value in Ra, and stores the result to Rd.
Condition flags
Architectures
This 32-bit Thumb instruction is available in ARMv6T2 and above. For the ARMv7-M architecture, this
instruction is only available in an ARMv7E-M implementation.
Examples
SMLSD r1, r2, r0, r7
SMLSDX r11, r10, r2, r3
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.116 SMLSLD
10.116 SMLSLD
Dual 16-bit Signed Multiply with Subtraction of products and 64-bit accumulation.
Syntax
SMLSD{X}{cond} RdLo, RdHi, Rn, Rm
where:
X
cond
RdLo, RdHi
are the destination registers for the 64-bit result. They also hold the 64-bit accumulate operand.
RdHi and RdLo must be different registers.
Rn, Rm
Operation
SMLSLD multiplies the bottom halfword of Rn with the bottom halfword of Rm, and the top halfword of Rn
with the top halfword of Rm. It then subtracts the second product from the first, adds the difference to the
value in RdLo, RdHi, and stores the result to RdLo, RdHi.
Condition flags
Architectures
Example
SMLSLD r3, r0, r5, r1
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.117 SMMLA
10.117 SMMLA
Signed Most significant word Multiply with Accumulation.
Syntax
SMMLA{R}{cond} Rd, Rn, Rm, Ra
where:
R
is an optional parameter. If R is present, the result is rounded, otherwise it is truncated.
cond
Rd
Rn, Rm
Ra
is a register holding the value to be added or subtracted from.
Operation
SMMLA multiplies the values from Rn and Rm, adds the value in Ra to the most significant 32 bits of the
product, and stores the result in Rd.
If the optional R parameter is specified, 0x80000000 is added before extracting the most significant 32
bits. This has the effect of rounding the result.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.118 SMMLS
10.118 SMMLS
Signed Most significant word Multiply with Subtraction.
Syntax
SMMLS{R}{cond} Rd, Rn, Rm, Ra
where:
R
cond
Rd
Rn, Rm
Ra
Operation
SMMLS multiplies the values from Rn and Rm, subtracts the product from the value in Ra shifted left by 32
bits, and stores the most significant 32 bits of the result in Rd.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.119 SMMUL
10.119 SMMUL
Signed Most significant word Multiply.
Syntax
SMMUL{R}{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
R
cond
Rd
Rn, Rm
Ra
Operation
SMMUL multiplies the 32-bit values from Rn and Rm, and stores the most significant 32 bits of the 64-bit
result to Rd.
Condition flags
Architectures
Examples
SMMULGE r6, r4, r3
SMMULR r2, r2, r2
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.120 SMUAD
10.120 SMUAD
Dual 16-bit Signed Multiply with Addition of products, and optional exchange of operand halves.
Syntax
SMUAD{X}{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
X
cond
Rd
Rn, Rm
Operation
SMUAD multiplies the bottom halfword of Rn with the bottom halfword of Rm, and the top halfword of Rn
with the top halfword of Rm. It then adds the products and stores the sum to Rd.
Q flag
The SMUAD instruction sets the Q flag if the addition overflows.
Architectures
Examples
SMUAD r2, r3, r2
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.121 SMULxy
10.121 SMULxy
Signed Multiply, with 16-bit operands and a 32-bit result.
Syntax
SMUL<x><y>{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
<x>
[31:16]) of Rn.
<y>
[31:16]) of Rm.
cond
Rd
Rn, Rm
Operation
SMULxy multiplies the 16-bit signed integers from the selected halves of Rn and Rm, and places the 32-bit
result in Rd.
Condition flags
These instructions do not affect the N, Z, C, or V flags.
Architectures
Examples
SMULTBEQ r8, r7, r9
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.122 SMULL
10.122 SMULL
Signed Long Multiply, with 32-bit operands and 64-bit result.
Syntax
SMULL{S}{cond} RdLo, RdHi, Rn, Rm
where:
S
updated on the result of the operation.
cond
RdLo, RdHi
are the destination registers. RdLo and RdHi must be different registers
Rn, Rm
Operation
The SMULL instruction interprets the values from Rn and Rm as two’s complement signed integers. It
multiplies these integers and places the least significant 32 bits of the result in RdLo, and the most
significant 32 bits of the result in RdHi.

Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.123 SMULWy
10.123 SMULWy
Signed Multiply Wide, with one 32-bit and one 16-bit operand, providing the top 32 bits of the result.
Syntax
SMULW<y>{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
<y>
[31:16]) of Rm.
cond
Rd
Rn, Rm
Operation
SMULWy multiplies the signed integer from the selected half of Rm by the signed integer from Rn, and
places the upper 32-bits of the 48-bit result in Rd.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.124 SMUSD
10.124 SMUSD
Dual 16-bit Signed Multiply with Subtraction of products, and optional exchange of operand halves.
Syntax
SMUSD{X}{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
X
cond
Rd
Rn, Rm
Operation
SMUSD multiplies the bottom halfword of Rn with the bottom halfword of Rm, and the top halfword of Rn
with the top halfword of Rm. It then subtracts the second product from the first, and stores the difference
to Rd.
Architectures
Example
SMUSDXNE r0, r1, r2
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.125 SRS
10.125 SRS
Store Return State onto a stack.
Syntax
SRS{addr_mode}{cond} sp{!}, #modenum
SRS{addr_mode}{cond} #modenum{!} ; This is pre-UAL syntax
where:
addr_mode
IA
Increment address After each transfer
IB
Increment address Before each transfer (ARM only)
DA
Decrement address After each transfer (ARM only)
DB
Decrement address Before each transfer (Full Descending stack).
If addr_mode is omitted, it defaults to Increment After. You can also use stack oriented
addressing mode suffixes, for example, when implementing stacks.
cond
Note
unconditional instruction in ARM.
!
is an optional suffix. If ! is present, the final address is written back into the SP of the mode
specified by modenum.
modenum
specifies the number of the mode whose banked SP is used as the base register. You must use
only the defined mode numbers.
Operation
SRS stores the LR and the SPSR of the current mode, at the address contained in SP of the mode
specified by modenum, and the following word respectively. Optionally updates SP of the mode specified
by modenum. This is compatible with the normal use of the STM instruction for stack accesses.
Note
For full descending stack, you must use SRSFD or SRSDB.
Usage
You can use SRS to store return state for an exception handler on a different stack from the one
automatically selected.
Notes
Where addresses are not word-aligned, SRS ignores the least significant two bits of the specified address.
The time order of the accesses to individual words of memory generated by SRS is not architecturally
defined. Do not use this instruction on memory-mapped I/O locations where access order matters.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.125 SRS
Do not use SRS in User and System modes because these modes do not have a SPSR.
SRS is not permitted in a non-secure state if modenum specifies monitor mode.
Architectures
Example
R13_usr EQU 16
SRSFD sp,#R13_usr
Related concepts
Related references
10.41 LDM on page 10-342.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.126 SSAT
10.126 SSAT
Signed Saturate to any bit position, with optional shift before saturating.
Syntax
SSAT{cond} Rd, #sat, Rm{, shift}
where:
cond
Rd
sat
specifies the bit position to saturate to, in the range 1 to 32.
Rm
is the register containing the operand.
shift
is an optional shift. It must be one of the following:
ASR #n
where n is in the range 1-32 (ARM) or 1-31 (Thumb)
LSL #n
where n is in the range 0-31.
Operation
The SSAT instruction applies the specified shift, then saturates a signed value to the signed range –2sat–1 ≤
x ≤ 2sat–1 –1.
Q flag
Architectures
Example
SSAT r7, #16, r7, LSL #4
Related references
10.127 SSAT16 on page 10-461.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.127 SSAT16
10.127 SSAT16
Parallel halfword Saturate.
Syntax
SSAT16{cond} Rd, #sat, Rn
where:
cond
Rd
sat
Rn
Operation
Halfword-wise signed saturation to any bit position.
The SSAT16 instruction saturates each signed halfword to the signed range –2sat–1 ≤ x ≤ 2sat–1 –1.
Q flag
If saturation occurs on either halfword, this instruction sets the Q flag. To read the state of the Q flag, use
an MRS instruction.
Architectures
Correct example
SSAT16 r7, #12, r7
Incorrect example
SSAT16 r1, #16, r2, LSL #4 ; shifts not permitted with halfword
; saturations
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.128 SSAX
10.128 SSAX
Signed parallel subtract and add halfwords with exchange.
Syntax
SSAX{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
the corresponding halfwords of the destination. The results are modulo 216. It sets the APSR GE flags.
GE flags
GE[1:0]
GE[3:2]
This is equivalent to an ADDS or SUBS instruction setting the N and V condition flags to the same value,
so that the GE condition passes.
Note
Architectures
Related references
10.99 SEL on page 10-430.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.129 SSUB8
10.129 SSUB8
Signed parallel byte-wise subtraction.
Syntax
SSUB8{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
operand and writes the results into the corresponding bytes of the destination. The results are modulo 28.
It sets the APSR GE flags.
GE flags
GE[0]
GE[1]
GE[2]
GE[3]
It sets a GE flag to 1 to indicate that the corresponding result is greater than or equal to zero. This is
equivalent to a SUBS instruction setting the N and V condition flags to the same value, so that the GE
condition passes.
Architectures
Related references
10.99 SEL on page 10-430.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.130 SSUB16
10.130 SSUB16
Signed parallel halfword-wise subtraction.
Syntax
SSUB16{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
first operand and writes the results into the corresponding halfwords of the destination. The results are
modulo 216. It sets the APSR GE flags.
GE flags
GE[1:0]
GE[3:2]
This is equivalent to a SUBS instruction setting the N and V condition flags to the same value, so that the
GE condition passes.
Note
Architectures
Related references
10.99 SEL on page 10-430.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.131 STC and STC2
10.131 STC and STC2

Transfer Data between memory and Coprocessor.
Syntax
op{L}{cond} coproc, CRd, [Rn]
op{L}{cond} coproc, CRd, [Rn, #{-}offset] ; offset addressing
op{L}{cond} coproc, CRd, [Rn, #{-}offset]! ; pre-index addressing
op{L}{cond} coproc, CRd, [Rn], #{-}offset ; post-index addressing
op{L}{cond} coproc, CRd, [Rn], {option}
where:
op
is one of STC or STC2.
cond
In ARM code, cond is not permitted for STC2.
L
is an optional suffix specifying a long transfer.
coproc
CRd
is the coprocessor register to store.
Rn
is the register on which the memory address is based. If PC is specified, the value used is the
address of the current instruction plus eight.
-
is an optional minus sign. If - is present, the offset is subtracted from Rn. Otherwise, the offset is
added to Rn.
offset
is an expression evaluating to a multiple of 4, in the range 0 to 1020.
!
is an optional suffix. If ! is present, the address including the offset is written back into Rn.
option
is a coprocessor option in the range 0-255, enclosed in braces.
Usage
Architectures
STC is available in all versions of the ARM architecture.
STC2 is available in ARMv5T and above.

You cannot use PC for Rn in the pre-index and post-index instructions. These are the forms that write
back to Rn.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.131 STC and STC2
You cannot use PC for Rn in Thumb STC and STC2 instructions.

ARM STC and STC2 instructions where Rn is PC, are deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.132 STM
10.132 STM
Store Multiple registers.
Syntax
STM{addr_mode}{cond} Rn{!}, reglist{^}
where:
addr_mode
IA
Increment address After each transfer. This is the default, and can be omitted.
IB
Increment address Before each transfer (ARM only).
DA
Decrement address After each transfer (ARM only).
DB
You can also use the stack-oriented addressing mode suffixes, for example when implementing
stacks.
cond
Rn
is the base register, the ARM register holding the initial address for the transfer. Rn must not be
PC.
!
reglist
is a list of one or more registers to be stored, enclosed in braces. It can contain register ranges. It
must be comma-separated if it contains more than one register or register range. Any
combination of registers R0 to R15 (PC) can be transferred in ARM state, but there are some
restrictions in Thumb state.
^
is an optional suffix, available in ARM state only. You must not use it in User mode or System
mode. Data is transferred into or out of the User mode registers instead of the current mode
registers.
Restrictions on reglist in 32-bit Thumb instructions

In 32-bit Thumb instructions:
• The SP cannot be in the list.
• The PC cannot be in the list.
• There must be two or more registers in the list.
If you write an STM instruction with only one register in reglist, the assembler automatically substitutes
the equivalent STR instruction. Be aware of this when comparing disassembly listings with source code.
You can use the --diag_warning 1645 assembler command-line option to check when an instruction

ARM store instructions can have SP and PC in the reglist but these instructions that include SP or PC
in the reglist are deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.132 STM
16-bit instruction
A 16-bit version of this instruction is available in Thumb code.
The following restrictions apply to the 16-bit instruction:
• All registers in reglist must be Lo registers.
• Rn must be a Lo register.
• addr_mode must be omitted (or IA), meaning increment address after each transfer.
• Writeback must be specified for STM instructions.
Note
16-bit Thumb STM instructions with writeback that specify Rn as the lowest register in the reglist are
In addition, the PUSH and POP instructions are subsets of the STM and LDM instructions and can therefore
be expressed using the STM and LDM instructions. Some forms of PUSH and POP are also 16-bit
instructions.
Storing the base register, with writeback

In ARM or 16-bit Thumb instructions, if Rn is in reglist, and writeback is specified with the ! suffix:
• If the instruction is STM{addr_mode}{cond} and Rn is the lowest-numbered register in reglist, the
initial value of Rn is stored. These instructions are deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
• Otherwise, the stored value of Rn cannot be relied on, so these instructions are not permitted.
32-bit Thumb instructions are not permitted if Rn is in reglist, and writeback is specified with the !
suffix.
Correct example
STMDB r1!,{r3-r6,r11,r12}
Incorrect example
STM r5!,{r5,r4,r9} ; value stored for R5 unknown
Related concepts
Related references
10.72 POP on page 10-395.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.133 STR (immediate offset)

Store with immediate offset, pre-indexed immediate offset, or post-indexed immediate offset.
Syntax
STR{type}{cond} Rt, [Rn {, #offset}] ; immediate offset
STR{type}{cond} Rt, [Rn, #offset]! ; pre-indexed
STR{type}{cond} Rt, [Rn], #offset ; post-indexed
STRD{cond} Rt, Rt2, [Rn {, #offset}] ; immediate offset, doubleword
STRD{cond} Rt, Rt2, [Rn, #offset]! ; pre-indexed, doubleword
STRD{cond} Rt, Rt2, [Rn], #offset ; post-indexed, doubleword
where:
type
can be any one of:
B
Byte.
H
Halfword.
-
omitted, for Word.
cond
Rt
is the register to store.
Rn
offset
is an offset. If offset is omitted, the address is the contents of Rn.
Rt2
is the additional register to store for doubleword operations.

The following table shows the ranges of offsets and availability of this instruction:
Table 10-15 Offsets and architectures, STR, word, halfword, and byte
ARM, word or byte –4095 to 4095 –4095 to 4095 –4095 to 4095 All
ARM, halfword –255 to 255 –255 to 255 –255 to 255 All
ARM, doubleword –255 to 255 –255 to 255 –255 to 255 5E
Thumb 32-bit encoding, word, halfword, or byte –255 to 4095 –255 to 255 –255 to 255 T2
Thumb 32-bit encoding, doubleword –1020 to 1020 ab –1020 to 1020 ab –1020 to 1020 ab T2
Thumb 16-bit encoding, word ac 0 to 124 ab Not available Not available T
ab Must be divisible by 4.
ac Rt and Rn must be in the range R0-R7.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
Table 10-15 Offsets and architectures, STR, word, halfword, and byte (continued)
Thumb 16-bit encoding, halfword ac 0 to 62 ae Not available Not available T
Thumb 16-bit encoding, byte ac 0 to 31 Not available Not available T
Thumb 16-bit encoding, word, Rn is SP ad 0 to 1020 ab Not available Not available T

All
5E
T2
T
Rn must be different from Rt in the pre-index and post-index forms.

Rn must be different from Rt2 in the pre-index and post-index forms.
For Thumb instructions, you must not specify SP or PC for either Rt or Rt2.
Use of PC
In ARM instructions you can use PC for Rt in STR word instructions and PC for Rn in STR instructions
with immediate offset syntax (that is the forms that do not writeback to the Rn). However, this is
Other uses of PC are not permitted in these ARM instructions.
In Thumb code, using PC in STR instructions is not permitted.
Use of SP
In ARM code, you can use SP for Rt in word instructions. You can use SP for Rt in non-word
instructions in ARM code but this is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
In Thumb code, you can use SP for Rt in word instructions only. All other use of SP for Rt in this
instruction is not permitted in Thumb code.
ad Rt must be in the range R0-R7.

ae Must be divisible by 2.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
Example
STR r2,[r9,#consta-struc] ; consta-struc is an expression
; evaluating to a constant in
; the range 0-4095.
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.134 STR (register offset)

Store with register offset, pre-indexed register offset, or post-indexed register offset.
Syntax
STR{type}{cond} Rt, [Rn, ±Rm {, shift}] ; register offset
STR{type}{cond} Rt, [Rn, ±Rm {, shift}]! ; pre-indexed ; ARM only
STR{type}{cond} Rt, [Rn], ±Rm {, shift} ; post-indexed ; ARM only
STRD{cond} Rt, Rt2, [Rn, ±Rm] ; register offset, doubleword ; ARM only
STRD{cond} Rt, Rt2, [Rn, ±Rm]! ; pre-indexed, doubleword ; ARM only
STRD{cond} Rt, Rt2, [Rn], ±Rm ; post-indexed, doubleword ; ARM only
where:
type
can be any one of:
B
Byte.
H
Halfword.
-
omitted, for Word.
cond
Rt
Rn
Rm
is a register containing a value to be used as the offset. –Rm is not permitted in Thumb code.
shift
Rt2
is the additional register to store for doubleword operations.
Offset register and shift options

Table 10-16 Options and architectures, STR (register offsets)
Instruction +/–Rm af shift Arch.
ARM, word or byte +/–Rm LSL #0-31 LSR #1-32 All
ASR #1-32 ROR #1-31 RRX
ARM, halfword +/–Rm Not available All
ARM, doubleword +/–Rm Not available 5E
af Where +/–Rm is shown, you can use –Rm, +Rm, or Rm. Where +Rm is shown, you cannot use –Rm.
ag Rt, Rn, and Rm must all be in the range R0-R7.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
Table 10-16 Options and architectures, STR (register offsets) (continued)
Instruction +/–Rm af shift Arch.
Thumb 32-bit encoding, word, halfword, or byte +Rm LSL #0-3 T2
Thumb 16-bit encoding, all except doubleword ag +Rm Not available T

All
5E
T2
T
In the pre-index and post-index forms:
• Rn must be different from Rt.
• Rn must be different from Rm in architectures before ARMv6.

• Rn must be different from Rt2 in the pre-index and post-index forms.
Use of PC
In ARM instructions you can use PC for Rt in STR word instructions, and you can use PC for Rn in STR
instructions with register offset syntax (that is, the forms that do not writeback to the Rn). However, this
is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
Other uses of PC are not permitted in ARM instructions.
Use of PC in STR Thumb instructions is not permitted.
Use of SP
In Thumb code, you can use SP for Rt in word instructions only. All other use of SP for Rt in this
instruction is not permitted in Thumb code.
Use of SP for Rm is not permitted in Thumb state.
Related concepts
reserved.
Non-Confidential
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.135 STR, unprivileged

Unprivileged Store, byte, halfword, or word.
Syntax
STR{type}T{cond} Rt, [Rn {, #offset}] ; immediate offset (Thumb, 32-bit encoding
only)
STR{type}T{cond} Rt, [Rn] {, #offset} ; post-indexed (ARM only)
STR{type}T{cond} Rt, [Rn], ±Rm {, shift} ; post-indexed (register) (ARM only)
where:
type
can be any one of:
B
Byte.
H
Halfword.
-
omitted, for Word.
cond
Rt
Rn
offset
is an offset. If offset is omitted, the address is the value in Rn.
Rm
is a register containing a value to be used as the offset. Rm must not be PC.
shift
Operation
When these instructions are executed by privileged software, they access memory with the same
restrictions as they would have if they were executed by unprivileged software.
When executed by unprivileged software, these instructions behave in exactly the same way as the
corresponding store instruction, for example STRBT behaves in the same way as STRB.

Table 10-17 Offsets and architectures, STR (User mode)
Instruction Immediate offset Post-indexed +/–Rm ah shift Arch.
ARM, word or byte Not available –4095 to 4095 +/–Rm LSL #0-31 All
LSR #1-32
ASR #1-32
ROR #1-31
ah You can use –Rm, +Rm, or Rm.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
Table 10-17 Offsets and architectures, STR (User mode) (continued)
Instruction Immediate offset Post-indexed +/–Rm ah shift Arch.
RRX
ARM, halfword Not available –255 to 255 +/–Rm Not available T2
Thumb 32-bit encoding, word, halfword, or byte 0 to 255 Not available Not available T2

All
T2
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.136 STREX
10.136 STREX
Store Register Exclusive.
Syntax
STREX{cond} Rd, Rt, [Rn {, #offset}]
STREXB{cond} Rd, Rt, [Rn]
STREXH{cond} Rd, Rt, [Rn]
STREXD{cond} Rd, Rt, Rt2, [Rn]
where:
cond
Rd
is the destination register for the returned status.
Rt
Rt2
is the second register for doubleword stores.
Rn
offset
is an optional offset applied to the value in Rn. offset is permitted only in Thumb instructions.
If offset is omitted, an offset of 0 is assumed.
Operation
STREX performs a conditional store to memory. The conditions are as follows:
• If the physical address does not have the Shared TLB attribute, and the executing processor has an
outstanding tagged physical address, the store takes place, the tag is cleared, and the value 0 is
returned in Rd.
• If the physical address does not have the Shared TLB attribute, and the executing processor does not
have an outstanding tagged physical address, the store does not take place, and the value 1 is returned
in Rd.
• If the physical address has the Shared TLB attribute, and the physical address is tagged as exclusive
access for the executing processor, the store takes place, the tag is cleared, and the value 0 is returned
in Rd.
• If the physical address has the Shared TLB attribute, and the physical address is not tagged as
exclusive access for the executing processor, the store does not take place, and the value 1 is returned
in Rd.
Restrictions
PC must not be used for any of Rd, Rt, Rt2, or Rn.
For STREX, Rd must not be the same register as Rt, Rt2, or Rn.
• SP can be used but use of SP for any of Rd, Rt, or Rt2 is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
• For STREXD, Rt must be an even numbered register, and not LR.
• Rt2 must be R(t+1).
• offset is not permitted.
For Thumb instructions:

• SP can be used for Rn, but must not be used for any of Rd, Rt, or Rt2.
• The value of offset can be any multiple of four in the range 0-1020.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.136 STREX
Usage
Use LDREX and STREX to implement interprocess communication in multiple-processor and shared-
memory systems.
For reasons of performance, keep the number of instructions between corresponding LDREX and STREX
instructions to a minimum.
Note
The address used in a STREX instruction must be the same as the address in the most recently executed
LDREX instruction.
Architectures
ARM STREX is available in ARMv6 and above.
ARM STREXB, STREXD, and STREXH are available in ARMv6K and above.
All these 32-bit Thumb instructions are available in ARMv6T2 and above, except that STREXD is not
available in the ARMv7-M architecture.
There are no 16-bit versions of these instructions.
Examples
MOV r1, #0x1 ; load the ‘lock taken’ value
try
LDREX r0, [LockAddr] ; load the lock value
CMP r0, #0 ; is the lock free?
STREXEQ r0, r1, [LockAddr] ; try and claim the lock
CMPEQ r0, #0 ; did this succeed?
BNE try ; no – try again
.... ; yes – we have the lock
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.137 SUB
10.137 SUB
Subtract without carry.
Syntax
SUB{S}{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Operand2
SUB{cond} {Rd}, Rn, #imm12 ; Thumb, 32-bit encoding only
where:
S
operation.
cond
Rd
Rn
Operand2
imm12
Operation
The SUB instruction subtracts the value of Operand2 or imm12 from the value in Rn.

In general, you cannot use PC (R15) for Rd, or any operand. The exception is you can use PC for Rn in
32-bit Thumb SUB instructions, with a constant Operand2 value in the range 0-4095, and no S suffix.
These instructions are useful for generating PC-relative addresses. Bit[1] of the PC value reads as 0 in
this case, so that the base address for the calculation is always word-aligned.
Generally, you cannot use SP (R13) for Rd, or any operand, except that you can use SP for Rn.

You cannot use PC for Rd or any operand in a SUB instruction that has a register-controlled shift.
In SUB instructions without register-controlled shift, use of PC is deprecated except for the following
cases:
• Use of PC for Rd.
• Use of PC for Rn in the instruction SUB{cond} Rd, Rn, #Constant.
You can use SP for Rn in SUB instructions, however, SUBS PC, SP, #Constant is deprecated.
You can use SP in SUB (register) if Rn is SP and shift is omitted or LSL #1, LSL #2, or LSL #3.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.137 SUB
Other uses of SP in ARM SUB instructions are deprecated.

Note
Condition flags
If S is specified, the SUB instruction updates the N, Z, C and V flags according to the result.
16-bit instructions
SUBS Rd, Rn, Rm
Rd, Rn and Rm must all be Lo registers. This form can only be used outside an IT block.
SUB{cond} Rd, Rn, Rm
Rd, Rn and Rm must all be Lo registers. This form can only be used inside an IT block.
SUBS Rd, Rn, #imm
imm range 0-7. Rd and Rn must both be Lo registers. This form can only be used outside an IT
block.
SUB{cond} Rd, Rn, #imm
imm range 0-7. Rd and Rn must both be Lo registers. This form can only be used inside an IT
block.
SUBS Rd, Rd, #imm
imm range 0-255. Rd must be a Lo register. This form can only be used outside an IT block.
SUB{cond} Rd, Rd, #imm
imm range 0-255. Rd must be a Lo register. This form can only be used inside an IT block.
SUB{cond} SP, SP, #imm
imm range 0-508, word aligned.
Example
SUBS r8, r6, #240 ; sets the flags based on the result

These instructions subtract one 96-bit integer contained in R9, R10, and R11 from another 96-bit integer
contained in R6, R7, and R8, and place the result in R3, R4, and R5:
SUBS r3, r6, r9
SBCS r4, r7, r10
SBC r5, r8, r11
For clarity, the above examples use consecutive registers for multiword values. There is no requirement
to do this. The following, for example, is perfectly valid:
SUBS r6, r6, r9
SBCS r9, r2, r1
SBC r2, r8, r11
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.138 SUBS pc, lr
10.138 SUBS pc, lr

Exception return, without popping anything from the stack.
Syntax
SUBS{cond} pc, lr, #imm ; ARM and Thumb code
MOVS{cond} pc, lr ; ARM and Thumb code
op1S{cond} pc, Rn, #imm ; ARM code only and is deprecated
op1S{cond} pc, Rn, Rm {, shift} ; ARM code only and is deprecated
op2S{cond} pc, #imm ; ARM code only and is deprecated
op2S{cond} pc, Rm {, shift} ; ARM code only and is deprecated
where:
op1
is one of ADC, ADD, AND, BIC, EOR, ORN, ORR, RSB, RSC, SBC, and SUB.
op2
is one of MOV and MVN.
cond
imm
is an immediate value. In Thumb code, it is limited to the range 0-255. In ARM code, it is a
flexible second operand.
Rn
is the first operand register. ARM deprecates the use of any register except LR.
Rm
is the optionally shifted second or only operand register.
shift
Usage
SUBS pc, lr, #imm subtracts a value from the link register and loads the PC with the result, then copies
the SPSR to the CPSR.
You can use SUBS pc, lr, #imm to return from an exception if there is no return state on the stack. The
value of #imm depends on the exception to return from.
Notes
SUBS pc, lr, #imm writes an address to the PC. The alignment of this address must be correct for the
instruction set in use after the exception return:
• For a return to ARM, the address written to the PC must be word-aligned.
• For a return to Thumb, the address written to the PC must be halfword-aligned.
• For a return to Jazelle, there are no alignment restrictions on the address written to the PC.
No special precautions are required in software to follow these rules, if you use the instruction to return
after a valid exception entry mechanism.
In Thumb, only SUBS{cond} pc, lr, #imm is a valid instruction. MOVS pc, lr is a synonym of SUBS
pc, lr, #0. Other instructions are undefined.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.138 SUBS pc, lr
In ARM, only SUBS{cond} pc, lr, #imm and MOVS{cond} pc, lr are valid instructions. Other
instructions are deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
Caution
Do not use these instructions in User mode or System mode. The assembler cannot warn you about this.
Architectures
Related references
10.14 AND on page 10-301.
10.55 MOV on page 10-370.
10.10 ADD on page 10-292.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.139 SVC
10.139 SVC
SuperVisor Call.
Syntax
SVC{cond} #imm
where:
cond
imm
is an expression evaluating to an integer in the range:
• 0 to 224–1 (a 24-bit value) in an ARM instruction.
• 0-255 (an 8-bit value) in a Thumb instruction.
Operation
The SVC instruction causes an exception. This means that the processor mode changes to Supervisor, the
CPSR is saved to the Supervisor mode SPSR, and execution branches to the SVC vector.
imm is ignored by the processor. However, it can be retrieved by the exception handler to determine what
service is being requested.
Note
SVC was called SWI in earlier versions of the ARM assembly language. SWI instructions disassemble to
SVC, with a comment to say that this was formerly SWI.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.140 SWP and SWPB
10.140 SWP and SWPB

Swap data between registers and memory.
Syntax
SWP{B}{cond} Rt, Rt2, [Rn]
where:
cond
B
is an optional suffix. If B is present, a byte is swapped. Otherwise, a 32-bit word is swapped.
Rt
is the destination register. Rt must not be PC.
Rt2
is the source register. Rt2 can be the same register as Rt. Rt2 must not be PC.
Rn
contains the address in memory. Rn must be a different register from both Rt and Rt2. Rn must
not be PC.
Usage
You can use SWP and SWPB to implement semaphores:
• Data from memory is loaded into Rt.
• The contents of Rt2 are saved to memory.
• If Rt2 is the same register as Rt, the contents of the register are swapped with the contents of the
memory location.
Note
The use of SWP and SWPB is deprecated in ARMv6 and above. You can use LDREX and STREX instructions
to implement more sophisticated semaphores in ARMv6 and above.
Architectures
These ARM instructions are available in all versions of the ARM architecture.
There are no Thumb SWP or SWPB instructions.
Related references
10.48 LDREX on page 10-360.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.141 SXTAB
10.141 SXTAB
Sign extend Byte with Add, to extend an 8-bit value to a 32-bit value.
Syntax
SXTAB{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm {,rotation}
where:
cond
Rd
Rn
is the register holding the number to add.
Rm
is the register holding the value to extend.
rotation
is one of:
ROR #8
Value from Rm is rotated right 8 bits.
ROR #16
ROR #24
If rotation is omitted, no rotation is performed.
Operation
This instruction does the following:
1. Rotate the value from Rm right by 0, 8, 16 or 24 bits.
2. Extract bits[7:0] from the value obtained.
3. Sign extend to 32 bits.
4. Add the value from Rn.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.142 SXTAB16
10.142 SXTAB16
Sign extend two Bytes with Add, to extend two 8-bit values to two 16-bit values.
Syntax
SXTAB16{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm {,rotation}
where:
cond
Rd
Rn
Rm
rotation
is one of:
ROR #8
ROR #16
ROR #24
Operation
2. Extract bits[23:16] and bits[7:0] from the value obtained.
4. Add them to bits[31:16] and bits[15:0] respectively of Rn to form bits[31:16] and bits[15:0] of the
result.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.143 SXTAH
10.143 SXTAH
Sign extend Halfword with Add, to extend a 16-bit value to a 32-bit value.
Syntax
SXTAH{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm {,rotation}
where:
cond
Rd
Rn
Rm
rotation
is one of:
ROR #8
ROR #16
ROR #24
Operation
2. Extract bits[15:0] from the value obtained.
4. Add the value from Rn.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.144 SXTB
10.144 SXTB
Sign extend Byte, to extend an 8-bit value to a 32-bit value.
Syntax
SXTB{cond} {Rd}, Rm {,rotation}
where:
cond
Rd
Rm
rotation
is one of:
ROR #8
ROR #16
ROR #24
Operation
1. Rotates the value from Rm right by 0, 8, 16 or 24 bits.
2. Extracts bits[7:0] from the value obtained.
3. Sign extends to 32 bits.
Condition flags
16-bit instructions
SXTB Rd, Rm
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.145 SXTB16
10.145 SXTB16
Sign extend two bytes.
Syntax
SXTB16{cond} {Rd}, Rm {,rotation}
where:
cond
Rd
Rm
rotation
is one of:
ROR #8
ROR #16
ROR #24
Operation
SXTB16 extends two 8-bit values to two 16-bit values. It does this by:
1. Rotating the value from Rm right by 0, 8, 16 or 24 bits.
2. Extracting bits[23:16] and bits[7:0] from the value obtained.
3. Sign extending to 16 bits each.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.146 SXTH
10.146 SXTH
Sign extend Halfword.
Syntax
SXTH{cond} {Rd}, Rm {,rotation}
where:
cond
Rd
Rm
rotation
is one of:
ROR #8
ROR #16
ROR #24
Operation
SXTH extends a 16-bit value to a 32-bit value. It does this by:
2. Extracting bits[15:0] from the value obtained.
3. Sign extending to 32 bits.
Condition flags
16-bit instructions
SXTH Rd, Rm
Architectures
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.146 SXTH
Example
SXTH r3, r9, r4
Incorrect example
SXTH r9, r3, r2, ROR #12 ; rotation must be by 0, 8, 16, or 24.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.147 SYS
10.147 SYS
Execute system coprocessor instruction.
Syntax
SYS{cond} instruction{, Rn}
where:
cond
instruction
is the coprocessor instruction to execute.
Rn
is an operand to the instruction. For instructions that take an argument, Rn is compulsory. For
instructions that do not take an argument, Rn is optional and if it is not specified, R0 is used. Rn
must not be PC.
Usage
You can use this pseudo-instruction to execute special coprocessor instructions such as cache, branch
predictor, and TLB operations. The instructions operate by writing to special write-only coprocessor
registers. The instruction names are the same as the write-only coprocessor register names and are listed
in the ARMv7-AR Architecture Reference Manual. For example:
SYS ICIALLUIS ; invalidates all instruction caches Inner Shareable
; to Point of Unification and also flushes branch
; target cache.
Architectures
The SYS pseudo-instruction is available in ARMv7-R in ARM and 32-bit Thumb code.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.148 TBB and TBH
10.148 TBB and TBH

Table Branch Byte and Table Branch Halfword.
Syntax
TBB [Rn, Rm]
TBH [Rn, Rm, LSL #1]
where:
Rn
is the base register. This contains the address of the table of branch lengths. Rn must not be SP.
If PC is specified for Rn, the value used is the address of the instruction plus 4.
Rm
is the index register. This contains an index into the table.
Rm must not be PC or SP.
Operation
These instructions cause a PC-relative forward branch using a table of single byte offsets (TBB) or
halfword offsets (TBH). Rn provides a pointer to the table, and Rm supplies an index into the table. The
branch length is twice the value of the byte (TBB) or the halfword (TBH) returned from the table. The
target of the branch table must be in the same execution state.
Architectures
There are no versions of these instructions in ARM or in 16-bit Thumb encodings.
Related concepts
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.149 TEQ
10.149 TEQ
Test Equivalence.
Syntax
TEQ{cond} Rn, Operand2
where:
cond
Rn
Operand2
Usage
This instruction tests the value in a register against Operand2. It updates the condition flags on the result,
but does not place the result in any register.
The TEQ instruction performs a bitwise Exclusive OR operation on the value in Rn and the value of
Operand2. This is the same as an EORS instruction, except that the result is discarded.
Use the TEQ instruction to test if two values are equal, without affecting the V or C flags (as CMP does).
TEQ is also useful for testing the sign of a value. After the comparison, the N flag is the logical Exclusive
OR of the sign bits of the two operands.
In this Thumb instruction, you cannot use SP or PC for Rn or Operand2.
In this ARM instruction, use of SP or PC is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
• If you use PC (R15) as Rn, the value used is the address of the instruction plus 8.
• You cannot use PC for any operand in any data processing instruction that has a register-controlled
shift.
Condition flags
This instruction:
Architectures
This ARM instruction is available in all architectures that support the ARM instruction set.
The TEQ Thumb instruction is available in ARMv6T2 and above.
Correct example
TEQEQ r10, r9
Incorrect example
TEQ pc, r1, ROR r0 ; PC not permitted with register
; controlled shift
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.149 TEQ
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.150 TST
10.150 TST
Test bits.
Syntax
TST{cond} Rn, Operand2
where:
cond
Rn
Operand2
Operation
This instruction tests the value in a register against Operand2. It updates the condition flags on the result,
but does not place the result in any register.
The TST instruction performs a bitwise AND operation on the value in Rn and the value of Operand2.
This is the same as an ANDS instruction, except that the result is discarded.
In this Thumb instruction, you cannot use SP or PC for Rn or Operand2.
In this ARM instruction, use of SP or PC is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above.
• If you use PC (R15) as Rn, the value used is the address of the instruction plus 8.
• You cannot use PC for any operand in any data processing instruction that has a register-controlled
shift.
Condition flags
This instruction:
16-bit instructions
The following form of the TST instruction is available in Thumb code, and is a 16-bit instruction:
TST Rn, Rm
Rn and Rm must both be Lo registers.
Architectures
This ARM instruction is available in all architectures that support the ARM instruction set.
The TST Thumb instruction is available in all architectures that support the Thumb instruction set.
Examples
TST r0, #0x3F8
TSTNE r1, r5, ASR r1
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.151 UADD8
10.151 UADD8
Unsigned parallel byte-wise addition.
Syntax
UADD8{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
This instruction performs four unsigned integer additions on the corresponding bytes of the operands and
writes the results into the corresponding bytes of the destination. The results are modulo 28. It sets the
APSR GE flags.
GE flags
GE[0]
GE[1]
GE[2]
GE[3]
It sets a GE flag to 1 to indicate that the corresponding result overflowed, generating a carry. This is
equivalent to an ADDS instruction setting the C condition flag to 1.
Architectures
Related references
10.99 SEL on page 10-430.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.152 UADD16
10.152 UADD16
Unsigned parallel halfword-wise addition.
Syntax
UADD16{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
This instruction performs two unsigned integer additions on the corresponding halfwords of the operands
and writes the results into the corresponding halfwords of the destination. The results are modulo 216. It
sets the APSR GE flags.
GE flags
GE[1:0]
GE[3:2]
It sets a pair of GE flags to 1 to indicate that the corresponding result overflowed, generating a carry.
This is equivalent to an ADDS instruction setting the C condition flag to 1.
Note
Architectures
Related references
10.99 SEL on page 10-430.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.153 UASX
10.153 UASX
Unsigned parallel add and subtract halfwords with exchange.
Syntax
UASX{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
into the corresponding halfwords of the destination. The results are modulo 216. It sets the APSR GE
flags.
GE flags
GE[1:0]
GE[3:2]
It sets GE[1:0] to 1 to indicate that the subtraction gave a result greater than or equal to zero, meaning a
borrow did not occur. This is equivalent to a SUBS instruction setting the C condition flag to 1.
It sets GE[3:2] to 1 to indicate that the addition overflowed, generating a carry. This is equivalent to an
ADDS instruction setting the C condition flag to 1.

Note
Architectures
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.153 UASX
Related references
10.99 SEL on page 10-430.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.154 UBFX
10.154 UBFX
Unsigned Bit Field Extract.
Syntax
UBFX{cond} Rd, Rn, #lsb, #width
where:
cond
Rd
Rn
lsb
is the bit number of the least significant bit in the bitfield, in the range 0 to 31.
width
is the width of the bitfield, in the range 1 to (32–lsb).
Operation
Copies adjacent bits from one register into the least significant bits of a second register, and zero extends
to 32 bits.
You can use SP in the ARM instruction but this is deprecated in ARMv6T2 and above. You cannot use
SP in the Thumb instruction.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.155 UDIV
10.155 UDIV
Unsigned Divide.
Syntax
UDIV{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rn
is the register holding the value to be divided.
Rm
is a register holding the divisor.
PC or SP cannot be used for Rd, Rn, or Rm.
Architectures
This 32-bit Thumb instruction is available in ARMv7-R and ARMv7-M.
This ARM instruction is optional in ARMv7-R.
There is no 16-bit Thumb UDIV instruction.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.156 UHADD8
10.156 UHADD8
Unsigned halving parallel byte-wise addition.
Syntax
UHADD8{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
This instruction performs four unsigned integer additions on the corresponding bytes of the operands,
halves the results, and writes the results into the corresponding bytes of the destination. This cannot
cause overflow.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.157 UHADD16
10.157 UHADD16
Unsigned halving parallel halfword-wise addition.
Syntax
UHADD16{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
This instruction performs two unsigned integer additions on the corresponding halfwords of the
operands, halves the results, and writes the results into the corresponding halfwords of the destination.
This cannot cause overflow.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.158 UHASX
10.158 UHASX
Unsigned halving parallel add and subtract halfwords with exchange.
Syntax
UHASX{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
two top halfwords of the operands and a subtraction on the bottom two halfwords. It halves the results
and writes them into the corresponding halfwords of the destination. This cannot cause overflow.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.159 UHSAX
10.159 UHSAX
Unsigned halving parallel subtract and add halfwords with exchange.
Syntax
UHSAX{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
two top halfwords of the operands and an addition on the bottom two halfwords. It halves the results and
writes them into the corresponding halfwords of the destination. This cannot cause overflow.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.160 UHSUB8
10.160 UHSUB8
Unsigned halving parallel byte-wise subtraction.
Syntax
UHSUB8{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
operand, halves the results, and writes the results into the corresponding bytes of the destination. This
cannot cause overflow.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.161 UHSUB16
10.161 UHSUB16
Unsigned halving parallel halfword-wise subtraction.
Syntax
UHSUB16{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
first operand, halves the results, and writes the results into the corresponding halfwords of the
destination. This cannot cause overflow.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.162 UMAAL
10.162 UMAAL
Unsigned Multiply Accumulate Accumulate Long.
Syntax
UMAAL{cond} RdLo, RdHi, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
RdLo, RdHi
are the destination registers for the 64-bit result. They also hold the two 32-bit accumulate
operands. RdLo and RdHi must be different registers.
Rn, Rm
are the registers holding the multiply operands.
Operation
The UMAAL instruction multiplies the 32-bit values in Rn and Rm, adds the two 32-bit values in RdHi and
RdLo, and stores the 64-bit result to RdLo, RdHi.
Condition flags
Architectures
Examples
UMAAL r8, r9, r2, r3
UMAALGE r2, r0, r5, r3
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.163 UMLAL
10.163 UMLAL
Unsigned Long Multiply, with optional Accumulate, with 32-bit operands and 64-bit result and
accumulator.
Syntax
UMLAL{S}{cond} RdLo, RdHi, Rn, Rm
where:
S
updated based on the result of the operation.
cond
RdLo, RdHi
are the destination registers. They also hold the accumulating value. RdLo and RdHi must be
different registers.
Rn, Rm
Operation
The UMLAL instruction interprets the values from Rn and Rm as unsigned integers. It multiplies these
integers, and adds the 64-bit result to the 64-bit unsigned integer contained in RdHi and RdLo.

Condition flags
Architectures
Example
UMLALS r4, r5, r3, r8
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.164 UMULL
10.164 UMULL
Unsigned Long Multiply, with 32-bit operands, and 64-bit result.
Syntax
UMULL{S}{cond} RdLo, RdHi, Rn, Rm
where:
S
updated based on the result of the operation.
cond
RdLo, RdHi
are the destination registers. RdLo and RdHi must be different registers.
Rn, Rm
Operation
The UMULL instruction interprets the values from Rn and Rm as unsigned integers. It multiplies these
integers and places the least significant 32 bits of the result in RdLo, and the most significant 32 bits of
the result in RdHi.

Condition flags
Architectures
Example
UMULL r0, r4, r5, r6
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.165 UND pseudo-instruction
10.165 UND pseudo-instruction

Generate an architecturally undefined instruction.
Syntax
UND{cond}{.W} {#expr}
where:
cond
.W
expr
evaluates to a numeric value. The following table shows the range and encoding of expr in the
instruction, where Y shows the locations of the bits that encode for expr and V is the 4 bits that
encode for the condition code.
If expr is omitted, the value 0 is used.
Table 10-18 Range and encoding of expr
Instruction Encoding Number of bits for expr Range

ARM 0xV7FYYYFY 16 0-65535
Thumb 32-bit encoding 0xF7FYAYFY 12 0-4095
Thumb16-bit encoding 0xDEYY 8 0-255
Usage
An attempt to execute an undefined instruction causes the Undefined instruction exception.
Architecturally undefined instructions are expected to remain undefined.
UND in Thumb code

You can use the .W width specifier to force UND to generate a 32-bit instruction in Thumb code on
ARMv6T2 and above processors. UND.W always generates a 32-bit instruction, even if expr is in the
range 0-255.
Disassembly
The encodings that this pseudo-instruction produces disassemble to DCI.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.166 UQADD8
10.166 UQADD8
Unsigned saturating parallel byte-wise addition.
Syntax
UQADD8{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
This instruction performs four unsigned integer additions on the corresponding bytes of the operands and
writes the results into the corresponding bytes of the destination. It saturates the results to the unsigned
range 0 ≤ x ≤ 28 –1. The Q flag is not affected even if this operation saturates.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.167 UQADD16
10.167 UQADD16
Unsigned saturating parallel halfword-wise addition.
Syntax
UQADD16{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
This instruction performs two unsigned integer additions on the corresponding halfwords of the operands
and writes the results into the corresponding halfwords of the destination. It saturates the results to the
unsigned range 0 ≤ x ≤ 216 –1. The Q flag is not affected even if this operation saturates.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.168 UQASX
10.168 UQASX
Unsigned saturating parallel add and subtract halfwords with exchange.
Syntax
UQASX{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
into the corresponding halfwords of the destination. It saturates the results to the unsigned range 0 ≤ x ≤
216 –1. The Q flag is not affected even if this operation saturates.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.169 UQSAX
10.169 UQSAX
Unsigned saturating parallel subtract and add halfwords with exchange.
Syntax
UQSAX{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
the corresponding halfwords of the destination. It saturates the results to the unsigned range 0 ≤ x ≤ 216 –
1. The Q flag is not affected even if this operation saturates.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.170 UQSUB8
10.170 UQSUB8
Unsigned saturating parallel byte-wise subtraction.
Syntax
UQSUB8{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
operand and writes the results into the corresponding bytes of the destination. It saturates the results to
the unsigned range 0 ≤ x ≤ 28 –1. The Q flag is not affected even if this operation saturates.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.171 UQSUB16
10.171 UQSUB16
Unsigned saturating parallel halfword-wise subtraction.
Syntax
UQSUB16{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
first operand and writes the results into the corresponding halfwords of the destination. It saturates the
results to the unsigned range 0 ≤ x ≤ 216 –1. The Q flag is not affected even if this operation saturates.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.172 USAD8
10.172 USAD8
Unsigned Sum of Absolute Differences.
Syntax
USAD8{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rn
Rm
Operation
The USAD8 instruction finds the four differences between the unsigned values in corresponding bytes of
Rn and Rm. It adds the absolute values of the four differences, and saves the result to Rd.
Condition flags
Architectures
Example
USAD8 r2, r4, r6
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.173 USADA8
10.173 USADA8
Unsigned Sum of Absolute Differences and Accumulate.
Syntax
USADA8{cond} Rd, Rn, Rm, Ra
where:
cond
Rd
Rn
Rm
Ra
Operation
The USADA8 instruction adds the absolute values of the four differences to the value in Ra, and saves the
result to Rd.
Condition flags
Architectures
Correct examples
USADA8 r0, r3, r5, r2
USADA8VS r0, r4, r0, r1
Incorrect examples
USADA8 r2, r4, r6 ; USADA8 requires four registers
USADA16 r0, r4, r0, r1 ; no such instruction
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.174 USAT
10.174 USAT
Unsigned Saturate to any bit position, with optional shift before saturating.
Syntax
USAT{cond} Rd, #sat, Rm{, shift}
where:
cond
Rd
sat
Rm
is the register containing the operand.
shift
is an optional shift. It must be one of the following:
ASR #n
where n is in the range 1-32 (ARM) or 1-31 (Thumb).
LSL #n
where n is in the range 0-31.
Operation
The USAT instruction applies the specified shift to a signed value, then saturates to the unsigned range 0 ≤
x ≤ 2sat – 1.
Q flag
Architectures
Example
USATNE r0, #7, r5
Related references
10.127 SSAT16 on page 10-461.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.175 USAT16
10.175 USAT16
Parallel halfword Saturate.
Syntax
USAT16{cond} Rd, #sat, Rn
where:
cond
Rd
sat
Rn
Operation
Halfword-wise unsigned saturation to any bit position.
The USAT16 instruction saturates each signed halfword to the unsigned range 0 ≤ x ≤ 2sat –1.
Q flag
If saturation occurs on either halfword, this instruction sets the Q flag. To read the state of the Q flag, use
an MRS instruction.
Architectures
Example
USAT16 r0, #7, r5
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.176 USAX
10.176 USAX
Unsigned parallel subtract and add halfwords with exchange.
Syntax
USAX{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
the corresponding halfwords of the destination. The results are modulo 216. It sets the APSR GE flags.
GE flags
GE[1:0]
GE[3:2]
It sets GE[1:0] to 1 to indicate that the addition overflowed, generating a carry. This is equivalent to an
ADDS instruction setting the C condition flag to 1.
It sets GE[3:2] to 1 to indicate that the subtraction gave a result greater than or equal to zero, meaning a
Note
Architectures
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.176 USAX
Related references
10.99 SEL on page 10-430.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.177 USUB8
10.177 USUB8
Unsigned parallel byte-wise subtraction.
Syntax
USUB8{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
operand and writes the results into the corresponding bytes of the destination. The results are modulo 28.
It sets the APSR GE flags.
GE flags
GE[0]
GE[1]
GE[2]
GE[3]
It sets a GE flag to 1 to indicate that the corresponding result is greater than or equal to zero, meaning a
Architectures
Related references
10.99 SEL on page 10-430.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.178 USUB16
10.178 USUB16
Unsigned parallel halfword-wise subtraction.
Syntax
USUB16{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm
where:
cond
Rd
Rm, Rn
Operation
first operand and writes the results into the corresponding halfwords of the destination. The results are
modulo 216. It sets the APSR GE flags.
Condition flags
GE[1:0]
GE[3:2]
It sets a pair of GE flags to 1 to indicate that the corresponding result is greater than or equal to zero,
meaning a borrow did not occur. This is equivalent to a SUBS instruction setting the C condition flag to 1.
Note
Architectures
Related references
10.99 SEL on page 10-430.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.179 UXTAB
10.179 UXTAB
Zero extend Byte and Add.
Syntax
UXTAB{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm {,rotation}
where:
cond
Rd
Rn
Rm
rotation
is one of:
ROR #8
ROR #16
ROR #24
Operation
UXTAB extends an 8-bit value to a 32-bit value. It does this by:
3. Zero extending to 32 bits.
4. Adding the value from Rn.
Condition flags
Architectures
This 32-bit Thumb instruction is available in ARMv6T2 and above. For the ARMv7-M architecture, it
are only available in an ARMv7E-M implementation.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.180 UXTAB16
10.180 UXTAB16
Zero extend two Bytes and Add.
Syntax
UXTAB16{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm {,rotation}
where:
cond
Rd
Rn
Rm
rotation
is one of:
ROR #8
ROR #16
ROR #24
Operation
UXTAB16 extends two 8-bit values to two 16-bit values. It does this by:
3. Zero extending them to 16 bits.
4. Adding them to bits[31:16] and bits[15:0] respectively of Rn to form bits[31:16] and bits[15:0] of the
result.
Condition flags
Architectures
Example
UXTAB16EQ r0, r0, r4, ROR #16
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.180 UXTAB16
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.181 UXTAH
10.181 UXTAH
Zero extend Halfword and Add.
Syntax
UXTAH{cond} {Rd}, Rn, Rm {,rotation}
where:
cond
Rd
Rn
Rm
rotation
is one of:
ROR #8
ROR #16
ROR #24
Operation
UXTAH extends a 16-bit value to a 32-bit value. It does this by:
4. Adding the value from Rn.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.182 UXTB
10.182 UXTB
Zero extend Byte.
Syntax
UXTB{cond} {Rd}, Rm {,rotation}
where:
cond
Rd
Rm
rotation
is one of:
ROR #8
ROR #16
ROR #24
Operation
UXTB extends an 8-bit value to a 32-bit value. It does this by:
1. Rotating the value from Rm right by 0, 8, 16, or 24 bits.
Condition flags
16-bit instruction
UXTB Rd, Rm
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.183 UXTB16
10.183 UXTB16
Zero extend two Bytes.
Syntax
UXTB16{cond} {Rd}, Rm {,rotation}
where:
cond
Rd
Rm
rotation
is one of:
ROR #8
ROR #16
ROR #24
Operation
UXTB16 extends two 8-bit values to two 16-bit values. It does this by:
3. Zero extending each to 16 bits.
Condition flags
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.184 UXTH
10.184 UXTH
Zero extend Halfword.
Syntax
UXTH{cond} {Rd}, Rm {,rotation}
where:
cond
Rd
Rm
rotation
is one of:
ROR #8
ROR #16
ROR #24
Operation
UXTH extends a 16-bit value to a 32-bit value. It does this by:
1. Rotating the value from Rm right by 0, 8, 16, or 24 bits.
Condition flags
16-bit instructions
UXTH Rd, Rm
Architectures
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.185 WFE
10.185 WFE
Wait For Event.
Syntax
WFE{cond}
where:
cond
Operation
This is a hint instruction. It is optional whether this instruction is implemented or not. If this instruction
is not implemented, it executes as a NOP. The assembler produces a diagnostic message if the instruction
executes as a NOP on the target.
WFE executes as a NOP instruction in ARMv6T2.
If the Event Register is not set, WFE suspends execution until one of the following events occurs:
• An IRQ interrupt, unless masked by the CPSR I-bit.
• An FIQ interrupt, unless masked by the CPSR F-bit.
• An Imprecise Data abort, unless masked by the CPSR A-bit.
• A Debug Entry request, if Debug is enabled.
• An Event signaled by another processor using the SEV instruction.
If the Event Register is set, WFE clears it and returns immediately.
If WFE is implemented, SEV must also be implemented.
Architectures
Related references
10.67 NOP on page 10-387.
10.101 SEV on page 10-433.
10.186 WFI on page 10-535.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.186 WFI
10.186 WFI
Wait for Interrupt.
Syntax
WFI{cond}
where:
cond
Operation
WFI executes as a NOP instruction in ARMv6T2.
WFI suspends execution until one of the following events occurs:

• An IRQ interrupt, regardless of the CPSR I-bit.
• An FIQ interrupt, regardless of the CPSR F-bit.
• An Imprecise Data abort, unless masked by the CPSR A-bit.
• A Debug Entry request, regardless of whether Debug is enabled.
Architectures
Related references
10.67 NOP on page 10-387.
10.185 WFE on page 10-534.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
10.187 YIELD
10.187 YIELD
Yield.
Syntax
YIELD{cond}
where:
cond
Operation
YIELD executes as a NOP instruction in ARMv6T2.
YIELD indicates to the hardware that the current thread is performing a task, for example a spinlock, that
can be swapped out. Hardware can use this hint to suspend and resume threads in a multithreading
system.
Architectures
Related references
10.67 NOP on page 10-387.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
Chapter 11
VFP Instructions
Describes the assembly programming of the VFP hardware.

• 11.1 Summary of VFP instructions on page 11-539.
• 11.2 VABS (floating-point) on page 11-541.
• 11.3 VADD (floating-point) on page 11-542.
• 11.4 VCMP, VCMPE on page 11-543.
• 11.5 VCVT (between single-precision and double-precision) on page 11-544.
• 11.6 VCVT (between floating-point and integer) on page 11-545.
• 11.7 VCVT (between floating-point and fixed-point) on page 11-546.
• 11.8 VCVTB, VCVTT (half-precision extension) on page 11-547.
• 11.9 VDIV on page 11-548.
• 11.10 VFMA, VFMS, VFNMA, VFNMS (floating-point) on page 11-549.
• 11.11 VLDM (floating-point) on page 11-550.
• 11.12 VLDR (floating-point) on page 11-551.
• 11.13 VLDR (post-increment and pre-decrement, floating-point) on page 11-552.
• 11.14 VLDR pseudo-instruction on page 11-553.
• 11.15 VMLA (floating-point) on page 11-554.
• 11.16 VMLS (floating-point) on page 11-555.
• 11.17 VMOV (floating-point) on page 11-556.
• 11.18 VMOV (between one ARM register and single precision VFP) on page 11-557.
• 11.19 VMOV (between two ARM registers and one or two extension registers) on page 11-558.
• 11.20 VMOV (between an ARM register and half a double precision VFP register) on page 11-559.
• 11.21 VMRS on page 11-560.
• 11.22 VMSR on page 11-561.
• 11.23 VMUL (floating-point) on page 11-562.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
11 VFP Instructions
• 11.24 VNEG (floating-point) on page 11-563.

• 11.25 VNMLA (floating-point) on page 11-564.
• 11.26 VNMLS (floating-point) on page 11-565.
• 11.27 VNMUL (floating-point) on page 11-566.
• 11.28 VPOP (floating-point) on page 11-567.
• 11.29 VPUSH (floating-point) on page 11-568.
• 11.30 VSQRT on page 11-569.
• 11.31 VSTM (floating-point) on page 11-570.
• 11.32 VSTR (floating-point) on page 11-571.
• 11.33 VSTR (post-increment and pre-decrement, floating-point) on page 11-572.
• 11.34 VSUB (floating-point) on page 11-573.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
11 VFP Instructions
11.1 Summary of VFP instructions

This table provides a summary of the VFP instructions and the VFP architectures that support them.
Table 11-1 Summary of VFP instructions
Mnemonic Brief description Arch.
VABS Absolute value All

VADD Add All
VCMP, VCMPE Compare All
VCVT Convert between single-precision and double-precision All
Convert between floating-point and integer All
Convert between floating-point and fixed-point VFPv3, VFPv4
VCVTB, VCVTT Convert between half-precision and single-precision floating-point Half-precision, VFPv4
VDIV Divide All
VFMA, VFMS Fused multiply accumulate, Fused multiply subtract VFPv4
VFNMA, VFNMS Fused multiply accumulate with negation, Fused multiply subtract with negation VFPv4
VLDM Load multiple All

VLDR Load (see also VLDR pseudo-instruction) All
Load (post-increment and pre-decrement) All

VMLA Multiply accumulate All
VMLS Multiply subtract All
VMOV Insert floating-point immediate in single-precision or double-precision register VFPv3, VFPv4
Transfer from one single-precision or double-precision register to another All
Transfer from single-precision to ARM register All
Transfer from ARM register to single-precision All
Transfer from two ARM registers to two single-precision or one double-precision register All
Transfer from two single-precision registers or one double-precision register to two ARM All
registers
Transfer from ARM register to half a double-precision register All
Transfer from half a double-precision register to ARM register All

VMRS Transfer from VFP system register to ARM register All
VMSR Transfer from ARM register to VFP system register All
VMUL Multiply All
VNEG Negate All
VNMLA Negated multiply accumulate All
VNMLS Negated multiply subtract All
VNMUL Negated multiply All
VPOP Pop VFP registers from full-descending stack All
reserved.
Non-Confidential
11 VFP Instructions
Table 11-1 Summary of VFP instructions (continued)
Mnemonic Brief description Arch.
VPUSH Push VFP registers to full-descending stack All

VSQRT Square Root All
VSTM Store multiple All
VSTR Store All
Store (post-increment and pre-decrement) All

VSUB Subtract All
reserved.
Non-Confidential
11 VFP Instructions
11.2 VABS (floating-point)
11.2 VABS (floating-point)

Floating-point absolute value.
Syntax
VABS{cond}.F32 Sd, Sm
VABS{cond}.F64 Dd, Dm
where:
cond
Sd, Sm
are the single-precision registers for the result and operand.
Dd, Dm
are the double-precision registers for the result and operand.
Operation
The VABS instruction takes the contents of Sm or Dm, clears the sign bit, and places the result in Sd or Dd.
This gives the absolute value.
If the operand is a NaN, the sign bit is cleared, but no exception is produced.
Floating-point exceptions
VABS instructions do not produce any exceptions.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
11 VFP Instructions
11.3 VADD (floating-point)
11.3 VADD (floating-point)

Floating-point add.
Syntax
VADD{cond}.F32 {Sd}, Sn, Sm
VADD{cond}.F64 {Dd}, Dn, Dm
where:
cond
Sd, Sn, Sm
are the single-precision registers for the result and operands.
Dd, Dn, Dm
are the double-precision registers for the result and operands.
Operation
The VADD instruction adds the values in the operand registers and places the result in the destination
register.
The VADD instruction can produce Invalid Operation, Overflow, or Inexact exceptions.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
11 VFP Instructions
11.4 VCMP, VCMPE
11.4 VCMP, VCMPE

Floating-point compare.
Syntax
VCMP{E}{cond}.F32 Sd, Sm
VCMP{E}{cond}.F32 Sd, #0
VCMP{E}{cond}.F64 Dd, Dm
VCMP{E}{cond}.F64 Dd, #0
where:
E
if present, indicates that the instruction raises an Invalid Operation exception if either operand is
a quiet or signaling NaN. Otherwise, it raises the exception only if either operand is a signaling
NaN.
cond
Sd, Sm
are the single-precision registers holding the operands.
Dd, Dm
are the double-precision registers holding the operands.
Operation
The VCMP{E} instruction subtracts the value in the second operand register (or 0 if the second operand is
#0) from the value in the first operand register, and sets the VFP condition flags based on the result.
VCMP{E} instructions can produce Invalid Operation exceptions.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
11 VFP Instructions
11.5 VCVT (between single-precision and double-precision)
11.5 VCVT (between single-precision and double-precision)

Convert between single-precision and double-precision numbers.
Syntax
VCVT{cond}.F64.F32 Dd, Sm
VCVT{cond}.F32.F64 Sd, Dm
where:
cond
Dd
is a double-precision register for the result.
Sm
is a single-precision register holding the operand.
Sd
is a single-precision register for the result.
Dm
is a double-precision register holding the operand.
Operation
These instructions convert the single-precision value in Sm to double-precision, placing the result in Dd,
or the double-precision value in Dm to single-precision, placing the result in Sd.
These instructions can produce Invalid Operation, Input Denormal, Overflow, Underflow, or Inexact
exceptions.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
11 VFP Instructions
11.6 VCVT (between floating-point and integer)
11.6 VCVT (between floating-point and integer)

Convert between floating-point numbers and integers.
Syntax
VCVT{R}{cond}.type.F64 Sd, Dm
VCVT{R}{cond}.type.F32 Sd, Sm
VCVT{cond}.F64.type Dd, Sm
VCVT{cond}.F32.type Sd, Sm
where:
R
makes the operation use the rounding mode specified by the FPSCR. Otherwise, the operation
rounds towards zero.
cond
type
can be either U32 (unsigned 32-bit integer) or S32 (signed 32-bit integer).
Sd
is a single-precision register for the result.
Dd
is a double-precision register for the result.
Sm
is a single-precision register holding the operand.
Dm
is a double-precision register holding the operand.
Operation
The first two forms of this instruction convert from floating-point to integer.
The third and fourth forms convert from integer to floating-point.
These instructions can produce Input Denormal, Invalid Operation, or Inexact exceptions.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
11 VFP Instructions
11.7 VCVT (between floating-point and fixed-point)
11.7 VCVT (between floating-point and fixed-point)

Convert between floating-point and fixed-point numbers.
Syntax
VCVT{cond}.type.F64 Dd, Dd, #fbits
VCVT{cond}.type.F32 Sd, Sd, #fbits
VCVT{cond}.F64.type Dd, Dd, #fbits
VCVT{cond}.F32.type Sd, Sd, #fbits
where:
cond
type
can be any one of:
S16
16-bit signed fixed-point number.
U16
16-bit unsigned fixed-point number.
S32
32-bit signed fixed-point number.
U32
32-bit unsigned fixed-point number.
Sd
is a single-precision register for the operand and result.
Dd
is a double-precision register for the operand and result.
fbits
is the number of fraction bits in the fixed-point number, in the range 0-16 if type is S16 or U16,
or in the range 1-32 if type is S32 or U32.
Operation
The first two forms of this instruction convert from floating-point to fixed-point.
The third and fourth forms convert from fixed-point to floating-point.
In all cases the fixed-point number is contained in the least significant 16 or 32 bits of the register.
These instructions can produce Input Denormal, Invalid Operation, or Inexact exceptions.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
11 VFP Instructions
11.8 VCVTB, VCVTT (half-precision extension)
11.8 VCVTB, VCVTT (half-precision extension)

Convert between half-precision and single-precision floating-point numbers.
Syntax
VCVTB{cond}.type Sd, Sm
VCVTT{cond}.type Sd, Sm
where:
cond
type
can be any one of:
F32.F16
Convert from half-precision to single-precision.
F16.F32
Convert from single-precision to half-precision.
Sd
is a single word register for the result.
Sm
is a single word register for the operand.
Operation
VCVTB uses the bottom half (bits[15:0]) of the single word register to obtain or store the half-precision
value
VCVTT uses the top half (bits[31:16]) of the single word register to obtain or store the half-precision
value.
Architectures
The instructions are only available in VFPv3 systems with the half-precision extension, and VFPv4.
These instructions can produce Input Denormal, Invalid Operation, Overflow, Underflow, or Inexact
exceptions.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
11 VFP Instructions
11.9 VDIV
11.9 VDIV
Floating-point divide.
Syntax
VDIV{cond}.F32 {Sd}, Sn, Sm
VDIV{cond}.F64 {Dd}, Dn, Dm
where:
cond
Sd, Sn, Sm
Dd, Dn, Dm
Operation
The VDIV instruction divides the value in the first operand register by the value in the second operand
register, and places the result in the destination register.
VDIV operations can produce Division by Zero, Invalid Operation, Overflow, Underflow, or Inexact
exceptions.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
11 VFP Instructions
11.10 VFMA, VFMS, VFNMA, VFNMS (floating-point)
11.10 VFMA, VFMS, VFNMA, VFNMS (floating-point)

Fused floating-point multiply accumulate and fused floating-point multiply subtract, with optional
negation.
Syntax
VF{N}op{cond}.F64 {Dd}, Dn, Dm
VF{N}op{cond}.F32 {Sd}, Sn, Sm
where:
op
is one of MA or MS.
N
negates the final result.
cond
Sd, Sn, Sm
Dd, Dn, Dm
Operation
VFMA multiplies the values in the operand registers, adds the value in the destination register, and places
the final result in the destination register. The result of the multiply is not rounded before the
accumulation.
VFMS multiplies the values in the operand registers, subtracts the product from the value in the destination
register, and places the final result in the destination register. The result of the multiply is not rounded
before the subtraction.
In each case, the final result is negated if the N option is used.
These instructions can produce Input Denormal, Invalid Operation, Overflow, Underflow, or Inexact
exceptions.
Related references
11.23 VMUL (floating-point) on page 11-562.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
11 VFP Instructions
11.11 VLDM (floating-point)
11.11 VLDM (floating-point)

Extension register load multiple.
Syntax
VLDMmode{cond} Rn{!}, Registers
where:
mode
must be one of:
IA
meaning Increment address After each transfer. IA is the default, and can be omitted.
DB
meaning Decrement address Before each transfer.
EA
meaning Empty Ascending stack operation. This is the same as DB for loads.
FD
meaning Full Descending stack operation. This is the same as IA for loads.
cond
Rn
is the ARM register holding the base address for the transfer.
!
is optional. ! specifies that the updated base address must be written back to Rn. If ! is not
specified, mode must be IA.
Registers
is a list of consecutive extension registers enclosed in braces, { and }. The list can be comma-
separated, or in range format. There must be at least one register in the list.
You can specify S or D registers, but they must not be mixed. The number of registers must not
exceed 16 D registers.
Note
VPOP Registers is equivalent to VLDM sp!, Registers.
You can use either form of this instruction. They both disassemble to VPOP.
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
11 VFP Instructions
11.12 VLDR (floating-point)
11.12 VLDR (floating-point)

Extension register load.
Syntax
VLDR{cond}{.size} Fd, [Rn{, #offset}]
VLDR{cond}{.size} Fd, label
where:
cond
size
is an optional data size specifier. Must be 32 if Fd is an S register, or 64 otherwise.
Fd
is the extension register to be loaded, and can be either a D or S register.
Rn
offset
is an optional numeric expression. It must evaluate to a numeric value at assembly time. The
value must be a multiple of 4, and lie in the range –1020 to +1020. The value is added to the
base address to form the address used for the transfer.
label
label must be aligned on a word boundary within ±1KB of the current instruction.
Operation
The VLDR instruction loads an extension register from memory.
One word is transferred if Fd is an S register. Two words are transferred otherwise.
There is also a VLDR pseudo-instruction.
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
11 VFP Instructions
11.13 VLDR (post-increment and pre-decrement, floating-point)
11.13 VLDR (post-increment and pre-decrement, floating-point)

Pseudo-instruction that loads extension registers, with post-increment and pre-decrement forms.
Note
There are also VLDR and VSTR instructions without post-increment and pre-decrement.
Syntax
VLDR{cond}{.size} Fd, [Rn], #offset ; post-increment
VLDR{cond}{.size} Fd, [Rn, #-offset]! ; pre-decrement
where:
cond
size
is an optional data size specifier. Must be 32 if Fd is an S register, or 64 if Fd is a D register.
Fd
is the extension register to load. It can be either a double precision (Dd) or a single precision (Sd)
register.
Rn
offset
is a numeric expression that must evaluate to a numeric value at assembly time. The value must
be 4 if Fd is an S register, or 8 if Fd is a D register.
Operation
The post-increment instruction increments the base address in the register by the offset value, after the
transfer. The pre-decrement instruction decrements the base address in the register by the offset value,
and then performs the transfer using the new address in the register. This pseudo-instruction assembles to
a VLDM instruction.
Related references
11.11 VLDM (floating-point) on page 11-550.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
11 VFP Instructions
11.14 VLDR pseudo-instruction
11.14 VLDR pseudo-instruction

Pseudo-instruction that loads a constant value into a VFP single-precision or double-precision register.
Note
This section describes the VLDR pseudo-instruction only.
Syntax
VLDR{cond}.datatype Dd,=constant
VLDR{cond}.datatype Sd,=constant
where:
datatype
must be either F32 or F64.
n
must be one of 8, 16, 32, or 64.
cond
Dd or Sd
is the extension register to be loaded.
constant
is an immediate value of the appropriate type for datatype.
Operation
If an instruction (for example, VMOV) is available that can generate the constant directly into the register,
the assembler uses it. Otherwise, the assembler generates a doubleword literal pool entry containing the
constant and loads the constant using a VLDR instruction.
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
11 VFP Instructions
11.15 VMLA (floating-point)
11.15 VMLA (floating-point)

Floating-point multiply accumulate.
Syntax
VMLA{cond}.F32 Sd, Sn, Sm
VMLA{cond}.F64 Dd, Dn, Dm
where:
cond
Sd, Sn, Sm
Dd, Dn, Dm
Operation
The VMLA instruction multiplies the values in the operand registers, adds the value in the destination
register, and places the final result in the destination register.
This instruction can produce Invalid Operation, Overflow, Underflow, Inexact, or Input Denormal
exceptions.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
11 VFP Instructions
11.16 VMLS (floating-point)
11.16 VMLS (floating-point)

Floating-point multiply subtract.
Syntax
VMLS{cond}.F32 Sd, Sn, Sm
VMLS{cond}.F64 Dd, Dn, Dm
where:
cond
Sd, Sn, Sm
Dd, Dn, Dm
Operation
The VMLS instruction multiplies the values in the operand registers, subtracts the result from the value in
the destination register, and places the final result in the destination register.
exceptions.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
11 VFP Instructions
11.17 VMOV (floating-point)
11.17 VMOV (floating-point)

Insert a floating-point immediate value into a single-precision or double-precision register, or copy one
register into another register. This instruction is always scalar.
Syntax
VMOV{cond}.F32 Sd, #imm
VMOV{cond}.F64 Dd, #imm
VMOV{cond}.F32 Sd, Sm
VMOV{cond}.F64 Dd, Dm
where:
cond
Sd
is the single-precision destination register.
Dd
is the double-precision destination register.
imm
is the floating-point immediate value.
Sm
is the single-precision source register.
Dm
is the double-precision source register.
Immediate values
Any number that can be expressed as +/–n * 2–r,where n and r are integers, 16 <= n <= 31, 0 <= r <= 7.
Architectures
The instructions that copy immediate constants are available in VFPv3 and above.
The instructions that copy from registers are available in all VFP systems.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
11 VFP Instructions
11.18 VMOV (between one ARM register and single precision VFP)
11.18 VMOV (between one ARM register and single precision VFP)
Transfer contents between a single-precision floating-point register and an ARM register.
Syntax
VMOV{cond} Rd, Sn
VMOV{cond} Sn, Rd
where:
cond
Sn
is the VFP single-precision register.
Rd
is the ARM register. Rd must not be PC.
Operation
VMOV Rd, Sn transfers the contents of Sn into Rd.
VMOV Sn, Rd transfers the contents of Rd into Sn.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
11 VFP Instructions
11.19 VMOV (between two ARM registers and one or two extension registers)
11.19 VMOV (between two ARM registers and one or two extension registers)
Transfer contents between two ARM registers and either one 64-bit register or two consecutive 32-bit
registers.
Syntax
VMOV{cond} Dm, Rd, Rn
VMOV{cond} Rd, Rn, Dm
VMOV{cond} Sm, Sm1, Rd, Rn
VMOV{cond} Rd, Rn, Sm, Sm1
where:
cond
Dm
is a 64-bit extension register.
Sm
is a VFP 32-bit register.
Sm1
is the next consecutive VFP 32-bit register after Sm.
Rd, Rn
are the ARM registers. Rd and Rn must not be PC.
Operation
VMOV Dm, Rd, Rn transfers the contents of Rd into the low half of Dm, and the contents of Rn into the
high half of Dm.
VMOV Rd, Rn, Dm transfers the contents of the low half of Dm into Rd, and the contents of the high half of
Dm into Rn.
VMOV Rd, Rn, Sm, Sm1 transfers the contents of Sm into Rd, and the contents of Sm1 into Rn.
VMOV Sm, Sm1, Rd, Rn transfers the contents of Rd into Sm, and the contents of Rn into Sm1.
Architectures
The instructions are available in VFPv2 and above.
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
11 VFP Instructions
11.20 VMOV (between an ARM register and half a double precision VFP register)
11.20 VMOV (between an ARM register and half a double precision VFP register)
Transfer contents between an ARM register and half a double precision VFP register.
Syntax
VMOV{cond}{.size} Dn[x], Rd
VMOV{cond}{.size} Rd, Dn[x]
where:
cond
size
is the data size. Must be either 32 or omitted. If omitted, size is 32.
Dn[x]
if x is 0, is the least significant half, or if x is 1, the most significant half of a double precision
VFP register.
Rd
Operation
VMOV Dn[x], Rd transfers the contents of Rd into Dn[x].
VMOV Rd, Dn[x] transfers the contents of Dn[x] into Rd.
reserved.
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11 VFP Instructions
11.21 VMRS
11.21 VMRS
Transfer the contents of a VFP system register to an ARM register.
Syntax
VMRS{cond} Rd, extsysreg
where:
cond
extsysreg
is the VFP system register, usually FPSCR, FPSID, or FPEXC.
Rd
It can be APSR_nzcv, if extsysreg is FPSCR. In this case, the floating-point status flags are
transferred into the corresponding flags in the ARM APSR.
Operation
The VMRS instruction transfers the contents of extsysreg into Rd.
Note
This instruction stalls the processor until all current VFP operations complete.
Examples
VMRS r2,FPCID
VMRS APSR_nzcv, FPSCR ; transfer FP status register to ARM APSR
Related references
8.11 VFP system registers on page 8-174.
reserved.
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11 VFP Instructions
11.22 VMSR
11.22 VMSR
Transfer the contents of an ARM register to a VFP system register.
Syntax
VMSR{cond} extsysreg, Rd
where:
cond
extsysreg
is the VFP system register, usually FPSCR, FPSID, or FPEXC.
Rd
Operation
The VMSR instruction transfers the contents of Rd into extsysreg.
Note
This instruction stalls the processor until all current VFP operations complete.
Example
VMSR FPSCR, r4
Related references
8.11 VFP system registers on page 8-174.
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11 VFP Instructions
11.23 VMUL (floating-point)
11.23 VMUL (floating-point)

Floating-point multiply.
Syntax
VMUL{cond}.F32 {Sd,} Sn, Sm
VMUL{cond}.F64 {Dd,} Dn, Dm
where:
cond
Sd, Sn, Sm
Dd, Dn, Dm
Operation
The VMUL operation multiplies the values in the operand registers and places the result in the destination
register.
exceptions.
Related references
reserved.
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11 VFP Instructions
11.24 VNEG (floating-point)
11.24 VNEG (floating-point)

Floating-point negate.
Syntax
VNEG{cond}.F32 Sd, Sm
VNEG{cond}.F64 Dd, Dm
where:
cond
Sd, Sm
Dd, Dm
Operation
The VNEG instruction takes the contents of Sm or Dm, changes the sign bit, and places the result in Sd or Dd.
This gives the negation of the value.
If the operand is a NaN, the sign bit is changed, but no exception is produced.
VNEG instructions do not produce any exceptions.
Related references
reserved.
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11 VFP Instructions
11.25 VNMLA (floating-point)
11.25 VNMLA (floating-point)

Floating-point multiply accumulate with negation.
Syntax
VNMLA{cond}.F32 Sd, Sn, Sm
VNMLA{cond}.F64 Dd, Dn, Dm
where:
cond
Sd, Sn, Sm
Dd, Dn, Dm
Operation
The VNMLA instruction multiplies the values in the operand registers, adds the value to the destination
register, and places the negated final result in the destination register.
exceptions.
Related references
reserved.
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11 VFP Instructions
11.26 VNMLS (floating-point)
11.26 VNMLS (floating-point)

Floating-point multiply subtract with negation.
Syntax
VNMLS{cond}.F32 Sd, Sn, Sm
VNMLS{cond}.F64 Dd, Dn, Dm
where:
cond
Sd, Sn, Sm
Dd, Dn, Dm
Operation
The VNMLS instruction multiplies the values in the operand registers, subtracts the result from the value in
the destination register, and places the negated final result in the destination register.
exceptions.
Related references
reserved.
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11 VFP Instructions
11.27 VNMUL (floating-point)
11.27 VNMUL (floating-point)

Floating-point multiply with negation.
Syntax
VNMUL{cond}.F32 {Sd,} Sn, Sm
VNMUL{cond}.F64 {Dd,} Dn, Dm
where:
cond
Sd, Sn, Sm
Dd, Dn, Dm
Operation
The VNMUL instruction multiplies the values in the operand registers and places the negated result in the
destination register.
exceptions.
Related references
reserved.
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11 VFP Instructions
11.28 VPOP (floating-point)
11.28 VPOP (floating-point)

Pop extension registers from the stack.
Syntax
VPOP{cond} Registers
where:
cond
Registers
Note
VPOP Registers is equivalent to VLDM sp!, Registers.
You can use either form of this instruction. They both disassemble to VPOP.
Related concepts
Related references
11.29 VPUSH (floating-point) on page 11-568.
reserved.
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11 VFP Instructions
11.29 VPUSH (floating-point)
11.29 VPUSH (floating-point)

Push extension registers onto the stack.
Syntax
VPUSH{cond} Registers
where:
cond
Registers
Note
VPUSH Registers is equivalent to VSTMDB sp!, Registers.
You can use either form of this instruction. They both disassemble to VPUSH.
Related concepts
Related references
11.28 VPOP (floating-point) on page 11-567.
reserved.
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11 VFP Instructions
11.30 VSQRT
11.30 VSQRT
Floating-point square root.
Syntax
VSQRT{cond}.F32 Sd, Sm
VSQRT{cond}.F64 Dd, Dm
where:
cond
Sd, Sm
Dd, Dm
Operation
The VSQRT instruction takes the square root of the contents of Sm or Dm, and places the result in Sd or Dd.
VSQRT instructions can produce Invalid Operation or Inexact exceptions.
Related references
reserved.
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11 VFP Instructions
11.31 VSTM (floating-point)
11.31 VSTM (floating-point)

Extension register store multiple.
Syntax
VSTMmode{cond} Rn{!}, Registers
where:
mode
must be one of:
IA
meaning Increment address After each transfer. IA is the default, and can be omitted.
DB
meaning Decrement address Before each transfer.
EA
meaning Empty Ascending stack operation. This is the same as IA for stores.
FD
meaning Full Descending stack operation. This is the same as DB for stores.
cond
Rn
!
is optional. ! specifies that the updated base address must be written back to Rn. If ! is not
specified, mode must be IA.
Registers
Note
VPUSH Registers is equivalent to VSTMDB sp!, Registers.
You can use either form of this instruction. They both disassemble to VPUSH.
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
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11 VFP Instructions
11.32 VSTR (floating-point)
11.32 VSTR (floating-point)

Extension register store.
Syntax
VSTR{cond}{.size} Fd, [Rn{, #offset}]
where:
cond
size
is an optional data size specifier. Must be 32 if Fd is an S register, or 64 otherwise.
Fd
is the extension register to be saved. It can be either a D or S register.
Rn
offset
is an optional numeric expression. It must evaluate to a numeric value at assembly time. The
value must be a multiple of 4, and lie in the range –1020 to +1020. The value is added to the
base address to form the address used for the transfer.
Operation
The VSTR instruction saves the contents of an extension register to memory.
One word is transferred if Fd is an S register. Two words are transferred otherwise.
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
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11 VFP Instructions
11.33 VSTR (post-increment and pre-decrement, floating-point)
11.33 VSTR (post-increment and pre-decrement, floating-point)

Pseudo-instruction that stores extension registers with post-increment and pre-decrement forms.
Note
There are also VLDR and VSTR instructions without post-increment and pre-decrement.
Syntax
VSTR{cond}{.size} Fd, [Rn], #offset ; post-increment
VSTR{cond}{.size} Fd, [Rn, #-offset]! ; pre-decrement
where:
cond
size
is an optional data size specifier. Must be 32 if Fd is an S register, or 64 if Fd is a D register.
Fd
is the extension register to be saved. It can be either a double precision (Dd) or a single precision
(Sd) register.
Rn
offset
is a numeric expression that must evaluate to a numeric value at assembly time. The value must
be 4 if Fd is an S register, or 8 if Fd is a D register.
Operation
The post-increment instruction increments the base address in the register by the offset value, after the
transfer. The pre-decrement instruction decrements the base address in the register by the offset value,
and then performs the transfer using the new address in the register. This pseudo-instruction assembles to
a VSTM instruction.
Related references
11.32 VSTR (floating-point) on page 11-571.
11.31 VSTM (floating-point) on page 11-570.
reserved.
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11 VFP Instructions
11.34 VSUB (floating-point)
11.34 VSUB (floating-point)

Floating-point subtract.
Syntax
VSUB{cond}.F32 {Sd}, Sn, Sm
VSUB{cond}.F64 {Dd}, Dn, Dm
where:
cond
Sd, Sn, Sm
Dd, Dn, Dm
Operation
The VSUB instruction subtracts the value in the second operand register from the value in the first operand
register, and places the result in the destination register.
The VSUB instruction can produce Invalid Operation, Overflow, or Inexact exceptions.
Related references
reserved.
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Chapter 12
Directives Reference
Describes the directives that are provided by the ARM assembler, armasm.
Note
None of these directives are available in the inline assemblers in the ARM C and C++ compilers.

• 12.1 Alphabetical list of directives on page 12-576.
• 12.2 About assembly control directives on page 12-577.
• 12.3 About frame directives on page 12-578.
• 12.4 ALIAS on page 12-579.
• 12.5 ALIGN on page 12-580.
• 12.6 AREA on page 12-582.
• 12.7 ARM or CODE32 on page 12-585.
• 12.8 ASSERT on page 12-586.
• 12.9 ATTR on page 12-587.
• 12.10 CN on page 12-588.
• 12.11 CODE16 on page 12-589.
• 12.12 COMMON on page 12-590.
• 12.13 CP on page 12-591.
• 12.14 DATA on page 12-592.
• 12.15 DCB on page 12-593.
• 12.16 DCD and DCDU on page 12-594.
• 12.17 DCDO on page 12-595.
• 12.18 DCFD and DCFDU on page 12-596.
• 12.19 DCFS and DCFSU on page 12-597.
reserved.
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12 Directives Reference
• 12.20 DCI on page 12-598.

• 12.21 DCQ and DCQU on page 12-599.
• 12.22 DCW and DCWU on page 12-600.
• 12.23 DN and SN on page 12-601.
• 12.24 END on page 12-602.
• 12.25 ENDFUNC or ENDP on page 12-603.
• 12.26 ENTRY on page 12-604.
• 12.27 EQU on page 12-605.
• 12.28 EXPORT or GLOBAL on page 12-606.
• 12.29 EXPORTAS on page 12-608.
• 12.30 FIELD on page 12-609.
• 12.31 FRAME ADDRESS on page 12-610.
• 12.32 FRAME POP on page 12-611.
• 12.33 FRAME PUSH on page 12-612.
• 12.34 FRAME REGISTER on page 12-613.
• 12.35 FRAME RESTORE on page 12-614.
• 12.36 FRAME RETURN ADDRESS on page 12-615.
• 12.37 FRAME SAVE on page 12-616.
• 12.38 FRAME STATE REMEMBER on page 12-617.
• 12.39 FRAME STATE RESTORE on page 12-618.
• 12.40 FRAME UNWIND ON on page 12-619.
• 12.41 FRAME UNWIND OFF on page 12-620.
• 12.42 FUNCTION or PROC on page 12-621.
• 12.43 GBLA, GBLL, and GBLS on page 12-622.
• 12.44 GET or INCLUDE on page 12-623.
• 12.45 IF, ELSE, ENDIF, and ELIF on page 12-624.
• 12.46 IMPORT and EXTERN on page 12-626.
• 12.47 INCBIN on page 12-628.
• 12.48 INFO on page 12-629.
• 12.49 KEEP on page 12-630.
• 12.50 LCLA, LCLL, and LCLS on page 12-631.
• 12.51 LTORG on page 12-632.
• 12.52 MACRO and MEND on page 12-633.
• 12.53 MAP on page 12-636.
• 12.54 MEXIT on page 12-637.
• 12.55 NOFP on page 12-638.
• 12.56 OPT on page 12-639.
• 12.57 RELOC on page 12-641.
• 12.58 REQUIRE on page 12-642.
• 12.59 REQUIRE8 and PRESERVE8 on page 12-643.
• 12.60 RLIST on page 12-644.
• 12.61 RN on page 12-645.
• 12.62 ROUT on page 12-646.
• 12.63 SETA, SETL, and SETS on page 12-647.
• 12.64 SPACE or FILL on page 12-648.
• 12.65 THUMB on page 12-649.
• 12.66 THUMBX on page 12-650.
• 12.67 TTL and SUBT on page 12-651.
• 12.68 WHILE and WEND on page 12-652.
reserved.
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12.1 Alphabetical list of directives
12.1 Alphabetical list of directives

The ARM assembler, armasm, provides various directives.
The following table lists them:
Table 12-1 List of directives
Directive Directive Directive
ALIAS EQU LTORG
ALIGN EXPORT or GLOBAL MACRO and MEND
ARM or CODE32 EXPORTAS MAP
AREA EXTERN MEND (see MACRO)
ASSERT FIELD MEXIT
ATTR FRAME ADDRESS NOFP
CN FRAME POP OPT
CODE16 FRAME PUSH PRESERVE8 (see REQUIRE8)
COMMON FRAME REGISTER PROC see FUNCTION
CP FRAME RESTORE QN
DATA FRAME SAVE RELOC
DCB FRAME STATE REMEMBER REQUIRE
DCD and DCDU FRAME STATE RESTORE REQUIRE8 and PRESERVE8
DCDO FRAME UNWIND ON or OFF RLIST
DCFD and DCFDU FUNCTION or PROC RN
DCFS and DCFSU GBLA, GBLL, and GBLS ROUT
DCI GET or INCLUDE SETA, SETL, and SETS
DCQ and DCQU GLOBAL (see EXPORT) SN
DCW and DCWU IF, ELSE, ENDIF, and ELIF SPACE or FILL
DN IMPORT SUBT
ELIF, ELSE (see IF) INCBIN THUMB
END INCLUDE see GET THUMBX
ENDFUNC or ENDP INFO TTL
ENDIF (see IF) KEEP WHILE and WEND
ENTRY LCLA, LCLL, and LCLS
reserved.
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12.2 About assembly control directives
12.2 About assembly control directives

Some assembler directives control conditional assembly, looping, inclusions, and macros.
These directives are as follows:
• MACRO and MEND.
• MEXIT.
• IF, ELSE, ENDIF, and ELIF.
• WHILE and WEND.
Nesting directives
The following structures can be nested to a total depth of 256:
• MACRO definitions.
• WHILE...WEND loops.
• IF...ELSE...ENDIF conditional structures.
• INCLUDE file inclusions.
The limit applies to all structures taken together, regardless of how they are nested. The limit is not 256
of each type of structure.
Related references
12.54 MEXIT on page 12-637.
12.45 IF, ELSE, ENDIF, and ELIF on page 12-624.
12.68 WHILE and WEND on page 12-652.
reserved.
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12.3 About frame directives
12.3 About frame directives

Frame directives enable debugging and profiling of assembly language functions. They also enable the
stack usage of functions to be calculated.
Correct use of these directives:
• Enables the armlink --callgraph option to calculate stack usage of assembler functions.
The following are the rules that determine stack usage:
— If a function is not marked with PROC or ENDP, stack usage is unknown.
— If a function is marked with PROC or ENDP but with no FRAME PUSH or FRAME POP, stack usage is
assumed to be zero. This means that there is no requirement to manually add FRAME PUSH 0 or
FRAME POP 0.
— If a function is marked with PROC or ENDP and with FRAME PUSH n or FRAME POP n, stack usage is
assumed to be n bytes.
• Helps you to avoid errors in function construction, particularly when you are modifying existing
code.
• Enables the assembler to alert you to errors in function construction.
• Enables backtracing of function calls during debugging.
• Enables the debugger to profile assembler functions.
If you require profiling of assembler functions, but do not want frame description directives for other
purposes:
• You must use the FUNCTION and ENDFUNC, or PROC and ENDP, directives.
• You can omit the other FRAME directives.
• You only have to use the FUNCTION and ENDFUNC directives for the functions you want to profile.
In DWARF, the canonical frame address is an address on the stack specifying where the call frame of an
interrupted function is located.
Related references
12.31 FRAME ADDRESS on page 12-610.
12.32 FRAME POP on page 12-611.
12.33 FRAME PUSH on page 12-612.
12.34 FRAME REGISTER on page 12-613.
12.35 FRAME RESTORE on page 12-614.
12.36 FRAME RETURN ADDRESS on page 12-615.
12.37 FRAME SAVE on page 12-616.
12.38 FRAME STATE REMEMBER on page 12-617.
12.39 FRAME STATE RESTORE on page 12-618.
reserved.
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12.4 ALIAS
12.4 ALIAS
The ALIAS directive creates an alias for a symbol.
Syntax
ALIAS name, aliasname
where:
name
is the name of the symbol to create an alias for.
aliasname
is the name of the alias to be created.
Usage
The symbol name must already be defined in the source file before creating an alias for it. Properties of
name set by the EXPORT directive are not inherited by aliasname, so you must use EXPORT on aliasname
if you want to make the alias available outside the current source file. Apart from the properties set by
the EXPORT directive, name and aliasname are identical.
Correct example
baz
bar PROC
BX lr
ENDP
ALIAS bar,foo ; foo is an alias for bar
EXPORT bar
EXPORT foo ; foo and bar have identical properties
; because foo was created using ALIAS
EXPORT baz ; baz and bar are not identical
; because the size field of baz is not set
Incorrect example
EXPORT bar
IMPORT car
ALIAS bar,foo ; ERROR - bar is not defined yet
ALIAS car,boo ; ERROR - car is external
bar PROC
BX lr
ENDP
Related references
reserved.
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12.5 ALIGN
12.5 ALIGN
The ALIGN directive aligns the current location to a specified boundary by padding with zeros or NOP
instructions.
Syntax
ALIGN {expr{,offset{,pad{,padsize}}}}
where:
expr
is a numeric expression evaluating to any power of 2 from 20 to 231
offset
can be any numeric expression
pad
can be any numeric expression
padsize
can be 1, 2 or 4.
Operation
The current location is aligned to the next lowest address of the form:
offset + n * expr
n is any integer which the assembler selects to minimise padding.
If expr is not specified, ALIGN sets the current location to the next word (four byte) boundary. The
unused space between the previous and the new current location are filled with:
• Copies of pad, if pad is specified.
• NOP instructions, if all the following conditions are satisfied:
— pad is not specified.
— The ALIGN directive follows ARM or Thumb instructions.
— The current section has the CODEALIGN attribute set on the AREA directive.
• Zeros otherwise.
pad is treated as a byte, halfword, or word, according to the value of padsize. If padsize is not
specified, pad defaults to bytes in data sections, halfwords in Thumb code, or words in ARM code.
Usage
Use ALIGN to ensure that your data and code is aligned to appropriate boundaries. This is typically
required in the following circumstances:
• The ADR Thumb pseudo-instruction can only load addresses that are word aligned, but a label within
Thumb code might not be word aligned. Use ALIGN 4 to ensure four-byte alignment of an address
within Thumb code.
• Use ALIGN to take advantage of caches on some ARM processors. For example, the ARM940T has a
cache with 16-byte lines. Use ALIGN 16 to align function entries on 16-byte boundaries and
maximize the efficiency of the cache.
• In ARMv5TE, or in ARMv6 when SCTLR.U is 0, LDRD and STRD doubleword data transfers must be
eight-byte aligned. Use ALIGN 8 before memory allocation directives such as DCQ if the data is to be
accessed using LDRD or STRD. This is not required in ARMv6 when SCTLR.U is 1, or in ARMv7,
because in these versions, doubleword data transfers can be word-aligned.
• A label on a line by itself can be arbitrarily aligned. Following ARM code is word-aligned (Thumb
code is halfword aligned). The label therefore does not address the code correctly. Use ALIGN 4 (or
ALIGN 2 for Thumb) before the label.
Alignment is relative to the start of the ELF section where the routine is located. The section must be
aligned to the same, or coarser, boundaries. The ALIGN attribute on the AREA directive is specified
differently.
reserved.
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12.5 ALIGN
Examples
AREA cacheable, CODE, ALIGN=3
rout1 ; code ; aligned on 8-byte boundary
; code
MOV pc,lr ; aligned only on 4-byte boundary
ALIGN 8 ; now aligned on 8-byte boundary
rout2 ; code
In the following example, the ALIGN directive tells the assembler that the next instruction is word aligned
and offset by 3 bytes. The 3 byte offset is counted from the previous word aligned address, resulting in
the second DCB placed in the last byte of the same word and 2 bytes of padding are to be added.
AREA OffsetExample, CODE
DCB 1 ; This example places the two bytes in the first
ALIGN 4,3 ; and fourth bytes of the same word.
DCB 1 ; The second DCB is offset by 3 bytes from the
; first DCB.
In the following example, the ALIGN directive tells the assembler that the next instruction is word aligned
and offset by 2 bytes. Here, the 2 byte offset is counted from the next word aligned address, so the value
n is set to 1 (n=0 clashes with the third DCB). This time three bytes of padding are to be added.
AREA OffsetExample1, CODE

DCB 1 ; In this example, n cannot be 0 because it
DCB 1 ; clashes with the 3rd DCB. The assembler
DCB 1 ; sets n to 1.
ALIGN 4,2 ; The next instruction is word aligned and
DCB 2 ; offset by 2.
In the following example, the DCB directive makes the PC misaligned. The ALIGN directive ensures that
the label subroutine1 and the following instruction are word aligned.
AREA Example, CODE, READONLY
start LDR r6,=label1
; code
MOV pc,lr
label1 DCB 1 ; PC now misaligned
ALIGN ; ensures that subroutine1 addresses
subroutine1 ; the following instruction.
MOV r5,#0x5
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
12.6 AREA
12.6 AREA
The AREA directive instructs the assembler to assemble a new code or data section.
Syntax
AREA sectionname{,attr}{,attr}...
where:
sectionname
is the name to give to the section. Sections are independent, named, indivisible chunks of code
or data that are manipulated by the linker.
You can choose any name for your sections. However, names starting with a non-alphabetic
character must be enclosed in bars or a missing section name error is generated. For example, |
1_DataArea|.
Certain names are conventional. For example, |.text| is used for code sections produced by
the C compiler, or for code sections otherwise associated with the C library.
attr
are one or more comma-delimited section attributes. Valid attributes are:
ALIGN=expression
By default, ELF sections are aligned on a four-byte boundary. expression can have
any integer value from 0 to 31. The section is aligned on a 2expression-byte boundary. For
example, if expression is 10, the section is aligned on a 1KB boundary.
This is not the same as the way that the ALIGN directive is specified.
Note
Do not use ALIGN=0 or ALIGN=1 for ARM code sections.
Do not use ALIGN=0 for Thumb code sections.
ASSOC=section
section specifies an associated ELF section. sectionname must be included in any
link that includes section
CODE
Contains machine instructions. READONLY is the default.
CODEALIGN
Causes armasm to insert NOP instructions when the ALIGN directive is used after ARM
or Thumb instructions within the section, unless the ALIGN directive specifies a
different padding. CODEALIGN is the default for execute-only sections.
COMDEF
Is a common section definition. This ELF section can contain code or data. It must be
identical to any other section of the same name in other source files.
Identical ELF sections with the same name are overlaid in the same section of memory
by the linker. If any are different, the linker generates a warning and does not overlay
the sections.
COMGROUP=symbol_name
Is the signature that makes the AREA part of the named ELF section group. See the
GROUP=symbol_name for more information. The COMGROUP attribute marks the ELF
section group with the GRP_COMDAT flag.
COMMON
Is a common data section. You must not define any code or data in it. It is initialized to
zeros by the linker. All common sections with the same name are overlaid in the same
section of memory by the linker. They do not all have to be the same size. The linker
allocates as much space as is required by the largest common section of each name.
reserved.
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12.6 AREA
DATA
Contains data, not instructions. READWRITE is the default.
EXECONLY
Indicates that the section is execute-only. Execute-only sections must also have the
CODE attribute, and must not have any of the following attributes:
• READONLY.
• READWRITE.
• DATA.
• ZEROALIGN.
armasm faults if any of the following occur in an execute-only section:
• Explicit data definitions, for example DCD and DCB.
• Implicit data definitions, for example LDR r0, =0xaabbccdd.
• Literal pool directives, for example LTORG, if there is literal data to be emitted.
• INCBIN or SPACE directives.
• ALIGN directives, if the required alignment cannot be accomplished by padding with
NOP instructions. armasm implicitly applies the CODEALIGN attribute to sections with
the EXECONLY attribute.
FINI_ARRAY
Sets the ELF type of the current area to SHT_FINI_ARRAY.
GROUP=symbol_name
Is the signature that makes the AREA part of the named ELF section group. It must be
defined by the source file, or a file included by the source file. All AREAS with the same
symbol_name signature are part of the same group. Sections within a group are kept or
discarded together.
INIT_ARRAY
Sets the ELF type of the current area to SHT_INIT_ARRAY.
LINKORDER=section
Specifies a relative location for the current section in the image. It ensures that the
order of all the sections with the LINKORDER attribute, with respect to each other, is the
same as the order of the corresponding named sections in the image.
MERGE=n
Indicates that the linker can merge the current section with other sections with the
MERGE=n attribute. n is the size of the elements in the section, for example n is 1 for
characters. You must not assume that the section is merged, because the attribute does
not force the linker to merge the sections.
NOALLOC
Indicates that no memory on the target system is allocated to this area.
NOINIT
Indicates that the data section is uninitialized, or initialized to zero. It contains only
space reservation directives SPACE or DCB, DCD, DCDU, DCQ, DCQU, DCW, or DCWU with
initialized values of zero. You can decide at link time whether an area is uninitialized or
zero-initialized.
Note
ARM Compiler does not support systems with ECC or parity protection where the
memory is not initialized.
PREINIT_ARRAY
Sets the ELF type of the current area to SHT_PREINIT_ARRAY.
READONLY
Indicates that this section must not be written to. This is the default for Code areas.
READWRITE
Indicates that this section can be read from and written to. This is the default for Data
areas.
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12.6 AREA
SECFLAGS=n
Adds one or more ELF flags, denoted by n, to the current section.
SECTYPE=n
Sets the ELF type of the current section to n.
STRINGS
Adds the SHF_STRINGS flag to the current section. To use the STRINGS attribute, you
must also use the MERGE=1 attribute. The contents of the section must be strings that are
nul-terminated using the DCB directive.
ZEROALIGN
Causes armasm to insert zeros when the ALIGN directive is used after ARM or Thumb
instructions within the section, unless the ALIGN directive specifies a different padding.
ZEROALIGN is the default for sections that are not execute-only.
Usage
Use the AREA directive to subdivide your source file into ELF sections. You can use the same name in
more than one AREA directive. All areas with the same name are placed in the same ELF section. Only the
attributes of the first AREA directive of a particular name are applied.
In general, ARM recommends that you use separate ELF sections for code and data. However, you can
put data in code sections. Large programs can usually be conveniently divided into several code sections.
Large independent data sets are also usually best placed in separate sections.
The scope of numeric local labels is defined by AREA directives, optionally subdivided by ROUT
directives.
There must be at least one AREA directive for an assembly.
Note
armasm emits R_ARM_TARGET1 relocations for the DCD and DCDU directives if the directive uses PC-
relative expressions and is in any of the PREINIT_ARRAY, FINI_ARRAY, or INIT_ARRAY ELF sections. You
can override the relocation using the RELOC directive after each DCD or DCDU directive. If this relocation is
used, read-write sections might become read-only sections at link time if the platform ABI permits this.
Example
The following example defines a read-only code section named Example:
AREA Example,CODE,READONLY ; An example code section.
; code
Related concepts
3.3 ELF sections and the AREA directive on page 3-54.
Related references
12.5 ALIGN on page 12-580.
12.57 RELOC on page 12-641.
Related information
Execute-only memory.
Building applications for execute-only memory.
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12.7 ARM or CODE32
12.7 ARM or CODE32

The ARM directive instructs the assembler to interpret subsequent instructions as ARM instructions, using
either the UAL or the pre-UAL ARM assembly language syntax. CODE32 is a synonym for ARM.
Syntax
ARM
Usage
In files that contain code using different instruction sets, ARM must precede any ARM code.
If necessary, this directive also inserts up to three bytes of padding to align to the next word boundary.
This directive does not assemble to any instructions. It also does not change the state. It only instructs the
assembler to assemble ARM instructions, and inserts padding if necessary.
ARM and THUMB directives

This example shows how you can use ARM and THUMB directives to switch state and assemble both ARM
and Thumb instructions in a single area.
AREA ToThumb, CODE, READONLY ; Name this block of code
ARM ; Subsequent instructions are ARM
start
ADR r0, into_thumb + 1 ; Processor starts in ARM state
BX r0 ; Inline switch to Thumb state
THUMB ; Subsequent instructions are Thumb
into_thumb
MOVS r0, #10 ; New-style Thumb instructions
Related references
12.11 CODE16 on page 12-589.
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12.8 ASSERT
12.8 ASSERT
The ASSERT directive generates an error message during assembly if a given assertion is false.
Syntax
ASSERT logical-expression
where:
logical-expression
is an assertion that can evaluate to either {TRUE} or {FALSE}.
Usage
Use ASSERT to ensure that any necessary condition is met during assembly.
If the assertion is false an error message is generated and assembly fails.
Example
ASSERT label1 <= label2 ; Tests if the address
; represented by label1
; is <= the address
; represented by label2.
Related references
12.48 INFO on page 12-629.
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12.9 ATTR
12.9 ATTR
The ATTR set directives set values for the ABI build attributes. The ATTR scope directives specify the
scope for which the set value applies to.
Syntax
ATTR FILESCOPE
ATTR SCOPE name
ATTR settype tagid, value
where:
name
is a section name or symbol name.
settype
can be any of:
• SETVALUE.
• SETSTRING.
• SETCOMPATWITHVALUE.
• SETCOMPATWITHSTRING.
tagid
is an attribute tag name (or its numerical value) defined in the ABI for the ARM Architecture.
value
depends on settype:
• is a 32-bit integer value when settype is SETVALUE or SETCOMPATWITHVALUE.
• is a nul-terminated string when settype is SETSTRING or SETCOMPATWITHSTRING.
Usage
The ATTR set directives following the ATTR FILESCOPE directive apply to the entire object file. The ATTR
set directives following the ATTR SCOPE name directive apply only to the named section or symbol.
For tags that expect an integer, you must use SETVALUE or SETCOMPATWITHVALUE. For tags that expect a
string, you must use SETSTRING or SETCOMPATWITHSTRING.
Use SETCOMPATWITHVALUE and SETCOMPATWITHSTRING to set tag values which the object file is also
compatible with.
Examples
ATTR SETSTRING Tag_CPU_raw_name, "Cortex-A8"
ATTR SETVALUE Tag_VFP_arch, 3 ; VFPv3 instructions permitted.
ATTR SETVALUE 10, 3 ; 10 is the numerical value of
; Tag_VFP_arch.
Related information
Addenda to, and Errata in, the ABI for the ARM Architecture.
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12.10 CN
12.10 CN
The CN directive defines a name for a coprocessor register.
Syntax
name CN expr
where:
name
is the name to be defined for the coprocessor register. name cannot be the same as any of the
predefined names.
expr
evaluates to a coprocessor register number from 0 to 15.
Usage
Use CN to allocate convenient names to registers, to help you remember what you use each register for.
Note
Avoid conflicting uses of the same register under different names.
The names c0 to c15 are predefined.
Example
power CN 6 ; defines power as a symbol for
; coprocessor register 6
Related references
reserved.
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12.11 CODE16
12.11 CODE16
The CODE16 directive instructs the assembler to interpret subsequent instructions as Thumb instructions,
using the pre-UAL assembly language syntax.
Syntax
CODE16
Usage
In files that contain code using different instruction sets, CODE16 must precede Thumb code written in
pre-UAL syntax.
If necessary, this directive also inserts one byte of padding to align to the next halfword boundary.
assembler to assemble Thumb instructions, and inserts padding if necessary.
Related references
reserved.
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12.12 COMMON
12.12 COMMON
The COMMON directive allocates a block of memory of the defined size, at the specified symbol.
Syntax
COMMON symbol{,size{,alignment}} {[attr]}
where:
symbol
is the symbol name. The symbol name is case-sensitive.
size
is the number of bytes to reserve.
alignment
is the alignment.
attr
can be any one of:
DYNAMIC
sets the ELF symbol visibility to STV_DEFAULT.
PROTECTED
sets the ELF symbol visibility to STV_PROTECTED.
HIDDEN
sets the ELF symbol visibility to STV_HIDDEN.
INTERNAL
sets the ELF symbol visibility to STV_INTERNAL.
Usage
You specify how the memory is aligned. If the alignment is omitted, the default alignment is four. If the
size is omitted, the default size is zero.
You can access this memory as you would any other memory, but no space is allocated by the assembler
in object files. The linker allocates the required space as zero-initialized memory during the link stage.
You cannot define, IMPORT or EXTERN a symbol that has already been created by the COMMON directive. In
the same way, if a symbol has already been defined or used with the IMPORT or EXTERN directive, you
cannot use the same symbol for the COMMON directive.
Correct example
LDR r0, =xyz
COMMON xyz,255,4 ; defines 255 bytes of ZI store, word-aligned
Incorrect example
COMMON foo,4,4
COMMON bar,4,4
foo DCD 0 ; cannot define label with same name as COMMON
IMPORT bar ; cannot import label with same name as COMMON
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12.13 CP
12.13 CP
The CP directive defines a name for a specified coprocessor.
Syntax
name CP expr
where:
name
is the name to be assigned to the coprocessor. name cannot be the same as any of the predefined
names.
expr
evaluates to a coprocessor number within the range 0 to 15.
Usage
Use CP to allocate convenient names to coprocessors, to help you to remember what you use each one
for.
Note
Avoid conflicting uses of the same coprocessor under different names.
The names p0 to p15 are predefined for coprocessors 0 to 15.
Example
dmu CP 6 ; defines dmu as a symbol for
; coprocessor 6
Related references
reserved.
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12.14 DATA
12.14 DATA
The DATA directive is no longer required. It is ignored by the assembler.
reserved.
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12.15 DCB
12.15 DCB
The DCB directive allocates one or more bytes of memory, and defines the initial runtime contents of the
memory.
Syntax
{label} DCB expr{,expr}...
where:
expr
is either:
• A numeric expression that evaluates to an integer in the range –128 to 255.
• A quoted string. The characters of the string are loaded into consecutive bytes of store.
Usage
If DCB is followed by an instruction, use an ALIGN directive to ensure that the instruction is aligned.
= is a synonym for DCB.
Example
Unlike C strings, ARM assembler strings are not nul-terminated. You can construct a nul-terminated C
string using DCB as follows:
C_string DCB "C_string",0
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
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12.16 DCD and DCDU
12.16 DCD and DCDU

The DCD directive allocates one or more words of memory, aligned on four-byte boundaries, and defines
the initial runtime contents of the memory. DCDU is the same, except that the memory alignment is
arbitrary.
Syntax
{label} DCD{U} expr{,expr}
where:
expr
is either:
• A numeric expression.
• A PC-relative expression.
Usage
DCD inserts up to three bytes of padding before the first defined word, if necessary, to achieve four-byte
alignment.
Use DCDU if you do not require alignment.
& is a synonym for DCD.
Examples
data1 DCD 1,5,20 ; Defines 3 words containing
; decimal values 1, 5, and 20
data2 DCD mem06 + 4 ; Defines 1 word containing 4 +
; the address of the label mem06
AREA MyData, DATA, READWRITE
DCB 255 ; Now misaligned ...
data3 DCDU 1,5,20 ; Defines 3 words containing
; 1, 5 and 20, not word aligned
Related concepts
Related references
12.15 DCB on page 12-593.
12.20 DCI on page 12-598.
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12.17 DCDO
12.17 DCDO
The DCDO directive allocates one or more words of memory, aligned on four-byte boundaries, and defines
the initial runtime contents of the memory as an offset from the static base register, sb (R9).
Syntax
{label} DCDO expr{,expr}...
where:
expr
is a register-relative expression or label. The base register must be sb.
Usage
Use DCDO to allocate space in memory for static base register relative relocatable addresses.
Example
IMPORT externsym
DCDO externsym ; 32-bit word relocated by offset of
; externsym from base of SB section.
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12.18 DCFD and DCFDU
12.18 DCFD and DCFDU

The DCFD directive allocates memory for word-aligned double-precision floating-point numbers, and
defines the initial runtime contents of the memory. DCFDU is the same, except that the memory alignment
is arbitrary.
Syntax
{label} DCFD{U} fpliteral{,fpliteral}...
where:
fpliteral
is a double-precision floating-point literal.
Usage
Double-precision numbers occupy two words and must be word aligned to be used in arithmetic
operations. The assembler inserts up to three bytes of padding before the first defined number, if
necessary, to achieve four-byte alignment.
Use DCFDU if you do not require alignment.
The word order used when converting fpliteral to internal form is controlled by the floating-point
architecture selected. You cannot use DCFD or DCFDU if you select the --fpu none option.
The range for double-precision numbers is:
• Maximum 1.79769313486231571e+308.
• Minimum 2.22507385850720138e–308.
Examples
DCFD 1E308,-4E-100
DCFDU 10000,-.1,3.1E26
Related references
12.19 DCFS and DCFSU on page 12-597.
7.16 Syntax of floating-point literals on page 7-147.
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12.19 DCFS and DCFSU
12.19 DCFS and DCFSU

The DCFS directive allocates memory for word-aligned single-precision floating-point numbers, and
defines the initial runtime contents of the memory. DCFSU is the same, except that the memory alignment
is arbitrary.
Syntax
{label} DCFS{U} fpliteral{,fpliteral}...
where:
fpliteral
is a single-precision floating-point literal.
Usage
Single-precision numbers occupy one word and must be word aligned to be used in arithmetic
operations. DCFS inserts up to three bytes of padding before the first defined number, if necessary to
achieve four-byte alignment.
Use DCFSU if you do not require alignment.
The range for single-precision values is:
• Maximum 3.40282347e+38.
• Minimum 1.17549435e–38.
Examples
DCFS 1E3,-4E-9
DCFSU 1.0,-.1,3.1E6
Related references
12.18 DCFD and DCFDU on page 12-596.
7.16 Syntax of floating-point literals on page 7-147.
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12.20 DCI
12.20 DCI
The DCI directive allocates two or four-byte aligned memory and defines the initial runtime contents of
the memory.
Syntax
{label} DCI{.W} expr{,expr}
where:
expr
is a numeric expression.
.W
if present, indicates that four bytes must be inserted in Thumb code.
Usage
The DCI directive is very like the DCD or DCW directives, but the location is marked as code instead of
data. Use DCI when writing macros for new instructions not supported by the version of the assembler
you are using.
In ARM code, DCI allocates one or more words of memory, aligned on four-byte boundaries. It inserts up
to three bytes of padding before the first defined word, if necessary, to achieve four-byte alignment.
In Thumb code, DCI allocates one or more halfwords of memory, aligned on two-byte boundaries. It
inserts an initial byte of padding, if necessary, to achieve two-byte alignment.
You can use DCI to insert a bit pattern into the instruction stream. For example, use:
DCI 0x46c0
to insert the Thumb operation MOV r8,r8.
Example macro
MACRO ; this macro translates newinstr Rd,Rm
; to the appropriate machine code
newinst $Rd,$Rm
DCI 0xe16f0f10 :OR: ($Rd:SHL:12) :OR: $Rm
MEND
32-bit Thumb example

DCI.W 0xf3af8000 ; inserts 32-bit NOP, 2-byte aligned.
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
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12.21 DCQ and DCQU
12.21 DCQ and DCQU

The DCQ directive allocates one or more eight-byte blocks of memory, aligned on four-byte boundaries,
and defines the initial runtime contents of the memory. DCQU is the same, except that the memory
alignment is arbitrary.
Syntax
{label} DCQ{U} {-}literal{,{-}literal…}
where:
literal
is a 64-bit numeric literal.
The range of numbers permitted is 0 to 264–1.
In addition to the characters normally permitted in a numeric literal, you can prefix literal
with a minus sign. In this case, the range of numbers permitted is –263 to –1.
The result of specifying -n is the same as the result of specifying 264–n.
Usage
DCQ inserts up to three bytes of padding before the first defined eight-byte block, if necessary, to achieve
four-byte alignment.
Use DCQU if you do not require alignment.
Correct example
AREA MiscData, DATA, READWRITE
data DCQ -225,2_101 ; 2_101 means binary 101.
Incorrect example
number EQU 2
DCQU number ; DCQ and DCQU only accept literals not
; expressions.
Related concepts
Related references
12.15 DCB on page 12-593.
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12.22 DCW and DCWU
12.22 DCW and DCWU

The DCW directive allocates one or more halfwords of memory, aligned on two-byte boundaries, and
defines the initial runtime contents of the memory. DCWU is the same, except that the memory alignment is
arbitrary.
Syntax
{label} DCW{U} expr{,expr}...
where:
expr
is a numeric expression that evaluates to an integer in the range –32768 to 65535.
Usage
DCW inserts a byte of padding before the first defined halfword if necessary to achieve two-byte
alignment.
Use DCWU if you do not require alignment.
Examples
data DCW -225,2*number ; number must already be defined
DCWU number+4
Related concepts
Related references
12.15 DCB on page 12-593.
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12.23 DN and SN
12.23 DN and SN
The DN and SN directives define names for VFP registers.
Syntax
name directive expr{.type}
where:
name
is the name to be assigned to the extension register. name cannot be the same as any of the
predefined names.
directive
is DN or SN.
expr
Can be:
• An expression that evaluates to a number in the range:
— 0-15 if you are using DN in VFPv2.
— 0-31 otherwise.
• A predefined register name, or a register name that has already been defined in a previous
directive.
type
is any VFP datatype.
type is Extended notation.
Usage
Use DN or SN to allocate convenient names to extension registers, to help you to remember what you use
each one for.
The DN directive defines a name for a specified 64-bit extension register.
The SN directive defines a name for a specified single-precision VFP register.
Note
Avoid conflicting uses of the same register under different names.
You cannot specify a vector length in a DN or SN directive.
Examples
energy DN 6 ; defines energy as a symbol for VFP double-precision register 6
mass SN 16 ; defines mass as a symbol for VFP single-precision register 16
Related concepts
8.22 Overview of VFP directives and vector notation on page 8-186.
8.10 Extended notation extension for VFP on page 8-173.
Related references
reserved.
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12.24 END
12.24 END
The END directive informs the assembler that it has reached the end of a source file.
Syntax
END
Usage
Every assembly language source file must end with END on a line by itself.
If the source file has been included in a parent file by a GET directive, the assembler returns to the parent
file and continues assembly at the first line following the GET directive.
If END is reached in the top-level source file during the first pass without any errors, the second pass
begins.
If END is reached in the top-level source file during the second pass, the assembler finishes the assembly
and writes the appropriate output.
Related references
12.44 GET or INCLUDE on page 12-623.
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12.25 ENDFUNC or ENDP
12.25 ENDFUNC or ENDP

The ENDFUNC directive marks the end of an AAPCS-conforming function. ENDP is a synonym for
ENDFUNC.
Related references
reserved.
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12.26 ENTRY
12.26 ENTRY
The ENTRY directive declares an entry point to a program.
Syntax
ENTRY
Usage
A program must have an entry point. You can specify an entry point in the following ways:
• Using the ENTRY directive in assembly language source code.
• Providing a main() function in C or C++ source code.
• Using the armlink --entry command-line option.
You can declare more than one entry point in a program, although a source file cannot contain more than
one ENTRY directive. For example, a program could contain multiple assembly language source files,
each with an ENTRY directive. Or it could contain a C or C++ file with a main() function and one or more
assembly source files with an ENTRY directive.
If the program contains multiple entry points, then you must select one of them. You do this by exporting
the symbol for the ENTRY directive that you want to use as the entry point, then using the
armlink --entry option to select the exported symbol.
Example
ENTRY ; Entry point for the application.
EXPORT ep1 ; Export the symbol so the linker can find it
ep1 ; in the object file.
; code
END
When you invoke armlink, if other entry points are declared in the program, then you must specify
--entry=ep1, to select ep1.
Related information
Image entry points.
--entry=location.
reserved.
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12.27 EQU
12.27 EQU
The EQU directive gives a symbolic name to a numeric constant, a register-relative value or a PC-relative
value.
Syntax
name EQU expr{, type}
where:
name
is the symbolic name to assign to the value.
expr
is a register-relative address, a PC-relative address, an absolute address, or a 32-bit integer
constant.
type
is optional. type can be any one of:
• ARM.
• THUMB.
• CODE32.
• CODE16.
• DATA.
You can use type only if expr is an absolute address. If name is exported, the name entry in the
symbol table in the object file is marked as ARM, THUMB, CODE32, CODE16, or DATA, according to
type. This can be used by the linker.
Usage
Use EQU to define constants. This is similar to the use of #define to define a constant in C.
* is a synonym for EQU.
Examples
abc EQU 2 ; Assigns the value 2 to the symbol abc.
xyz EQU label+8 ; Assigns the address (label+8) to the
; symbol xyz.
fiq EQU 0x1C, CODE32 ; Assigns the absolute address 0x1C to
; the symbol fiq, and marks it as code.
Related references
12.49 KEEP on page 12-630.
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12.28 EXPORT or GLOBAL

The EXPORT directive declares a symbol that can be used by the linker to resolve symbol references in
separate object and library files. GLOBAL is a synonym for EXPORT.
Syntax
EXPORT {[WEAK]}
EXPORT symbol {[SIZE=n]}
EXPORT symbol {[type{,set}]}
EXPORT symbol [attr{,type{,set}}{,SIZE=n}]
EXPORT symbol [WEAK {,attr}{,type{,set}}{,SIZE=n}]
where:
symbol
is the symbol name to export. The symbol name is case-sensitive. If symbol is omitted, all
symbols are exported.
WEAK
symbol is only imported into other sources if no other source exports an alternative symbol. If
[WEAK] is used without symbol, all exported symbols are weak.
attr
can be any one of:
DYNAMIC
PROTECTED
HIDDEN
INTERNAL
type
specifies the symbol type:
DATA
symbol is treated as data when the source is assembled and linked.
CODE
symbol is treated as code when the source is assembled and linked.
ELFTYPE=n
symbol is treated as a particular ELF symbol, as specified by the value of n, where n
can be any number from 0 to 15.
If unspecified, the assembler determines the most appropriate type. Usually the assembler
determines the correct type so you are not required to specify it.
set
specifies the instruction set:
ARM
symbol is treated as an ARM symbol.
THUMB
symbol is treated as a Thumb symbol.
If unspecified, the assembler determines the most appropriate set.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
n
specifies the size and can be any 32-bit value. If the SIZE attribute is not specified, the
assembler calculates the size:
• For PROC and FUNCTION symbols, the size is set to the size of the code until its ENDP or
ENDFUNC.
• For other symbols, the size is the size of instruction or data on the same source line. If there
is no instruction or data, the size is zero.
Usage
Use EXPORT to give code in other files access to symbols in the current file.
Use the [WEAK] attribute to inform the linker that a different instance of symbol takes precedence over
this one, if a different one is available from another source. You can use the [WEAK] attribute with any of
the symbol visibility attributes.
Examples
AREA Example,CODE,READONLY
EXPORT DoAdd ; Export the function name
; to be used by external modules.
DoAdd ADD r0,r0,r1
Symbol visibility can be overridden for duplicate exports. In the following example, the last EXPORT
takes precedence for both binding and visibility:
EXPORT SymA[WEAK] ; Export as weak-hidden
EXPORT SymA[DYNAMIC] ; SymA becomes non-weak dynamic.
The following examples show the use of the SIZE attribute:

EXPORT symA [SIZE=4]
EXPORT symA [DATA, SIZE=4]
Related references
Related information
reserved.
Non-Confidential
12.29 EXPORTAS
12.29 EXPORTAS
The EXPORTAS directive enables you to export a symbol from the object file, corresponding to a different
symbol in the source file.
Syntax
EXPORTAS symbol1, symbol2
where:
symbol1
is the symbol name in the source file. symbol1 must have been defined already. It can be any
symbol, including an area name, a label, or a constant.
symbol2
is the symbol name you want to appear in the object file.
The symbol names are case-sensitive.
Usage
Use EXPORTAS to change a symbol in the object file without having to change every instance in the
source file.
Examples
AREA data1, DATA ; Starts a new area data1.
AREA data2, DATA ; Starts a new area data2.
EXPORTAS data2, data1 ; The section symbol referred to as data2
; appears in the object file string table as data1.
one EQU 2
EXPORTAS one, two ; The symbol 'two' appears in the object
EXPORT one ; file's symbol table with the value 2.
Related references
reserved.
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12.30 FIELD
12.30 FIELD
The FIELD directive describes space within a storage map that has been defined using the MAP directive.
Syntax
{label} FIELD expr
where:
label
is an optional label. If specified, label is assigned the value of the storage location counter,
{VAR}. The storage location counter is then incremented by the value of expr.
expr
is an expression that evaluates to the number of bytes to increment the storage counter.
Usage
If a storage map is set by a MAP directive that specifies a base-register, the base register is implicit in
all labels defined by following FIELD directives, until the next MAP directive. These register-relative
labels can be quoted in load and store instructions.
# is a synonym for FIELD.
Examples
The following example shows how register-relative labels are defined using the MAP and FIELD
directives:
MAP 0,r9 ; set {VAR} to the address stored in R9
FIELD 4 ; increment {VAR} by 4 bytes
Lab FIELD 4 ; set Lab to the address [R9 + 4]
; and then increment {VAR} by 4 bytes
LDR r0,Lab ; equivalent to LDR r0,[r9,#4]
When using the MAP and FIELD directives, you must ensure that the values are consistent in both passes.
The following example shows a use of MAP and FIELD that causes inconsistent values for the symbol x. In
the first pass sym is not defined, so x is at 0x04+R9. In the second pass, sym is defined, so x is at
0x00+R0. This example results in an assembly error.
MAP 0, r0
if :LNOT: :DEF: sym
MAP 0, r9
FIELD 4 ; x is at 0x04+R9 in first pass
ENDIF
x FIELD 4 ; x is at 0x00+R0 in second pass
sym LDR r0, x ; inconsistent values for x results in assembly error
Related concepts
Related references
12.53 MAP on page 12-636.
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12.31 FRAME ADDRESS
12.31 FRAME ADDRESS

The FRAME ADDRESS directive describes how to calculate the canonical frame address for the following
instructions.
Syntax
FRAME ADDRESS reg{,offset}
where:
reg
is the register on which the canonical frame address is to be based. This is SP unless the
function uses a separate frame pointer.
offset
is the offset of the canonical frame address from reg. If offset is zero, you can omit it.
Usage
Use FRAME ADDRESS if your code alters which register the canonical frame address is based on, or if it
changes the offset of the canonical frame address from the register. You must use FRAME ADDRESS
immediately after the instruction that changes the calculation of the canonical frame address.
You can only use FRAME ADDRESS in functions with FUNCTION and ENDFUNC or PROC and ENDP directives.
Note
If your code uses a single instruction to save registers and alter the stack pointer, you can use FRAME
PUSH instead of using both FRAME ADDRESS and FRAME SAVE.
If your code uses a single instruction to load registers and alter the stack pointer, you can use FRAME POP
instead of using both FRAME ADDRESS and FRAME RESTORE.
Example
_fn FUNCTION ; CFA (Canonical Frame Address) is value
; of SP on entry to function
PUSH {r4,fp,ip,lr,pc}
FRAME PUSH {r4,fp,ip,lr,pc}
SUB sp,sp,#4 ; CFA offset now changed
FRAME ADDRESS sp,24 ; - so we correct it
ADD fp,sp,#20
FRAME ADDRESS fp,4 ; New base register
; code using fp to base call-frame on, instead of SP
Related references
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12.32 FRAME POP
12.32 FRAME POP

The FRAME POP directive informs the assembler when the callee reloads registers.
Syntax
There are the following alternative syntaxes for FRAME POP:
FRAME POP {reglist}
FRAME POP {reglist},n
FRAME POP n
where:
reglist
is a list of registers restored to the values they had on entry to the function. There must be at
least one register in the list.
n
is the number of bytes that the stack pointer moves.
Usage
FRAME POP is equivalent to a FRAME ADDRESS and a FRAME RESTORE directive. You can use it when a
single instruction loads registers and alters the stack pointer.
You must use FRAME POP immediately after the instruction it refers to.
You can only use it within functions with FUNCTION and ENDFUNC or PROC and ENDP directives. You do
not have to do this after the last instruction in a function.
If n is not specified or is zero, the assembler calculates the new offset for the canonical frame address
from {reglist}. It assumes that:
• Each ARM register popped occupies four bytes on the stack.
• Each VFP single-precision register popped occupies four bytes on the stack, plus an extra four-byte
word for each list.
• Each VFP double-precision register popped occupies eight bytes on the stack, plus an extra four-byte
word for each list.
Related references
12.35 FRAME RESTORE on page 12-614.
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12.33 FRAME PUSH
12.33 FRAME PUSH

The FRAME PUSH directive informs the assembler when the callee saves registers, normally at function
entry.
Syntax
There are the following alternative syntaxes for FRAME PUSH:
FRAME PUSH {reglist}
FRAME PUSH {reglist},n
FRAME PUSH n
where:
reglist
is a list of registers stored consecutively below the canonical frame address. There must be at
least one register in the list.
n
is the number of bytes that the stack pointer moves.
Usage
FRAME PUSH is equivalent to a FRAME ADDRESS and a FRAME SAVE directive. You can use it when a single
instruction saves registers and alters the stack pointer.
You must use FRAME PUSH immediately after the instruction it refers to.
You can only use it within functions with FUNCTION and ENDFUNC or PROC and ENDP directives.
If n is not specified or is zero, the assembler calculates the new offset for the canonical frame address
from {reglist}. It assumes that:
• Each ARM register pushed occupies four bytes on the stack.
• Each VFP single-precision register pushed occupies four bytes on the stack, plus an extra four-byte
word for each list.
• Each VFP double-precision register popped occupies eight bytes on the stack, plus an extra four-byte
word for each list.
Example
p PROC ; Canonical frame address is SP + 0
EXPORT p
PUSH {r4-r6,lr}
; SP has moved relative to the canonical frame address,
; and registers R4, R5, R6 and LR are now on the stack
FRAME PUSH {r4-r6,lr}
; Equivalent to:
; FRAME ADDRESS sp,16 ; 16 bytes in {R4-R6,LR}
; FRAME SAVE {r4-r6,lr},-16
Related references
12.37 FRAME SAVE on page 12-616.
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12.34 FRAME REGISTER
12.34 FRAME REGISTER

The FRAME REGISTER directive maintains a record of the locations of function arguments held in
registers.
Syntax
FRAME REGISTER reg1, reg2
where:
reg1
is the register that held the argument on entry to the function.
reg2
is the register in which the value is preserved.
Usage
Use the FRAME REGISTER directive when you use a register to preserve an argument that was held in a
different register on entry to a function.
You can only use it within functions with FUNCTION and ENDFUNC or PROC and ENDP directives.
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12.35 FRAME RESTORE
12.35 FRAME RESTORE

The FRAME RESTORE directive informs the assembler that the contents of specified registers have been
restored to the values they had on entry to the function.
Syntax
FRAME RESTORE {reglist}
where:
reglist
is a list of registers whose contents have been restored. There must be at least one register in the
list.
Usage
You can only use FRAME RESTORE within functions with FUNCTION and ENDFUNC or PROC and ENDP
directives. Use it immediately after the callee reloads registers from the stack. You do not have to do this
after the last instruction in a function.
reglist can contain integer registers or floating-point registers, but not both.
Note
If your code uses a single instruction to load registers and alter the stack pointer, you can use FRAME POP
instead of using both FRAME RESTORE and FRAME ADDRESS.
Related references
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12.36 FRAME RETURN ADDRESS
12.36 FRAME RETURN ADDRESS

The FRAME RETURN ADDRESS directive provides for functions that use a register other than LR for their
return address.
Syntax
FRAME RETURN ADDRESS reg
where:
reg
is the register used for the return address.
Usage
Use the FRAME RETURN ADDRESS directive in any function that does not use LR for its return address.
Otherwise, a debugger cannot backtrace through the function.
You can only use FRAME RETURN ADDRESS within functions with FUNCTION and ENDFUNC or PROC and
ENDP directives. Use it immediately after the FUNCTION or PROC directive that introduces the function.
Note
Any function that uses a register other than LR for its return address is not AAPCS compliant. Such a
function must not be exported.
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12.37 FRAME SAVE
12.37 FRAME SAVE

The FRAME SAVE directive describes the location of saved register contents relative to the canonical
frame address.
Syntax
FRAME SAVE {reglist}, offset
where:
reglist
is a list of registers stored consecutively starting at offset from the canonical frame address.
There must be at least one register in the list.
Usage
You can only use FRAME SAVE within functions with FUNCTION and ENDFUNC or PROC and ENDP directives.
Use it immediately after the callee stores registers onto the stack.
reglist can include registers which are not required for backtracing. The assembler determines which
registers it requires to record in the DWARF call frame information.
Note
If your code uses a single instruction to save registers and alter the stack pointer, you can use FRAME
PUSH instead of using both FRAME SAVE and FRAME ADDRESS.
Related references
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12.38 FRAME STATE REMEMBER
12.38 FRAME STATE REMEMBER

The FRAME STATE REMEMBER directive saves the current information on how to calculate the canonical
frame address and locations of saved register values.
Syntax
FRAME STATE REMEMBER
Usage
During an inline exit sequence the information about calculation of canonical frame address and
locations of saved register values can change. After the exit sequence another branch can continue using
the same information as before. Use FRAME STATE REMEMBER to preserve this information, and FRAME
STATE RESTORE to restore it.
These directives can be nested. Each FRAME STATE RESTORE directive must have a corresponding FRAME
STATE REMEMBER directive.
You can only use FRAME STATE REMEMBER within functions with FUNCTION and ENDFUNC or PROC and
ENDP directives.
Example
; function code
FRAME STATE REMEMBER
; save frame state before in-line exit sequence
POP {r4-r6,pc}
; do not have to FRAME POP here, as control has
; transferred out of the function
FRAME STATE RESTORE
; end of exit sequence, so restore state
exitB ; code for exitB
POP {r4-r6,pc}
ENDP
Related references
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12.39 FRAME STATE RESTORE
12.39 FRAME STATE RESTORE

The FRAME STATE RESTORE directive restores information about how to calculate the canonical frame
address and locations of saved register values.
Syntax
FRAME STATE RESTORE
Usage
You can only use FRAME STATE RESTORE within functions with FUNCTION and ENDFUNC or PROC and ENDP
directives.
Related references
12.38 FRAME STATE REMEMBER on page 12-617.
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12.40 FRAME UNWIND ON
12.40 FRAME UNWIND ON

The FRAME UNWIND ON directive instructs the assembler to produce unwind tables for this and subsequent
functions.
Syntax
FRAME UNWIND ON
Usage
You can use this directive outside functions. In this case, the assembler produces unwind tables for all
following functions until it reaches a FRAME UNWIND OFF directive.
Note
A FRAME UNWIND directive is not sufficient to turn on exception table generation. Furthermore a FRAME
UNWIND directive, without other FRAME directives, is not sufficient information for the assembler to
generate the unwind information.
Related references
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12.41 FRAME UNWIND OFF
12.41 FRAME UNWIND OFF

The FRAME UNWIND OFF directive instructs the assembler to produce no unwind tables for this and
subsequent functions.
Syntax
FRAME UNWIND OFF
Usage
You can use this directive outside functions. In this case, the assembler produces no unwind tables for all
following functions until it reaches a FRAME UNWIND ON directive.
Related references
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12.42 FUNCTION or PROC
12.42 FUNCTION or PROC

The FUNCTION directive marks the start of a function. PROC is a synonym for FUNCTION.
Syntax
label FUNCTION [{reglist1} [, {reglist2}]]
where:
reglist1
is an optional list of callee-saved ARM registers. If reglist1 is not present, and your debugger
checks register usage, it assumes that the AAPCS is in use. If you use empty brackets, this
informs the debugger that all ARM registers are caller-saved.
reglist2
is an optional list of callee-saved VFP registers. If you use empty brackets, this informs the
debugger that all VFP registers are caller-saved.
Usage
Use FUNCTION to mark the start of functions. The assembler uses FUNCTION to identify the start of a
function when producing DWARF call frame information for ELF.
FUNCTION sets the canonical frame address to be R13 (SP), and the frame state stack to be empty.
Each FUNCTION directive must have a matching ENDFUNC directive. You must not nest FUNCTION and
ENDFUNC pairs, and they must not contain PROC or ENDP directives.
You can use the optional reglist parameters to inform the debugger about an alternative procedure call
standard, if you are using your own. Not all debuggers support this feature. See your debugger
documentation for details.
If you specify an empty reglist, using {}, this indicates that all registers for the function are caller-
saved. Typically you do this when writing a reset vector where the values in all registers are unknown on
execution. This avoids problems in a debugger if it tries to construct a backtrace from the values in the
registers.
Note
FUNCTION does not automatically cause alignment to a word boundary (or halfword boundary for
Thumb). Use ALIGN if necessary to ensure alignment, otherwise the call frame might not point to the start
of the function.
Examples
ALIGN ; Ensures alignment.
dadd FUNCTION ; Without the ALIGN directive this might not be word-aligned.
EXPORT dadd
PUSH {r4-r6,lr} ; This line automatically word-aligned.
FRAME PUSH {r4-r6,lr}
; subroutine body
POP {r4-r6,pc}
ENDFUNC
func6 PROC {r4-r8,r12},{D1-D3} ; Non-AAPCS-conforming function.
...
ENDP
func7 FUNCTION {} ; Another non-AAPCS-conforming function.
...
ENDFUNC
Related references
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12.43 GBLA, GBLL, and GBLS
12.43 GBLA, GBLL, and GBLS

The GBLA, GBLL, and GBLS directives declare and initialize global variables.
Syntax
gblx variable
where:
gblx
is one of GBLA, GBLL, or GBLS.
variable
is the name of the variable. variable must be unique among symbols within a source file.
Usage
The GBLA directive declares a global arithmetic variable, and initializes its value to 0.
The GBLL directive declares a global logical variable, and initializes its value to {FALSE}.
The GBLS directive declares a global string variable and initializes its value to a null string, "".
Using one of these directives for a variable that is already defined re-initializes the variable.
The scope of the variable is limited to the source file that contains it.
Set the value of the variable with a SETA, SETL, or SETS directive.
Global variables can also be set with the --predefine assembler command-line option.
Examples
The following example declares a variable objectsize, sets the value of objectsize to 0xFF, and then
uses it later in a SPACE directive:
GBLA objectsize ; declare the variable name
objectsize SETA 0xFF ; set its value
.
. ; other code
.
SPACE objectsize ; quote the variable
The following example shows how to declare and set a variable when you invoke armasm. Use this when
you want to set the value of a variable at assembly time. --pd is a synonym for --predefine.
armasm --predefine "objectsize SETA 0xFF" sourcefile -o objectfile
Related references
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12.44 GET or INCLUDE
12.44 GET or INCLUDE

The GET directive includes a file within the file being assembled. The included file is assembled at the
location of the GET directive. INCLUDE is a synonym for GET.
Syntax
GET filename
where:
filename
is the name of the file to be included in the assembly. The assembler accepts pathnames in either
UNIX or MS-DOS format.
Usage
GET is useful for including macro definitions, EQUs, and storage maps in an assembly. When assembly of
the included file is complete, assembly continues at the line following the GET directive.
By default the assembler searches the current place for included files. The current place is the directory
where the calling file is located. Use the -i assembler command line option to add directories to the
search path. File names and directory names containing spaces must not be enclosed in double quotes ( "
" ).
The included file can contain additional GET directives to include other files.
If the included file is in a different directory from the current place, this becomes the current place until
the end of the included file. The previous current place is then restored.
You cannot use GET to include object files.
Examples
GET file1.s ; includes file1 if it exists in the current place
GET c:\project\file2.s ; includes file2
GET c:\Program files\file3.s ; space is permitted
Related references
12.47 INCBIN on page 12-628.
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12.45 IF, ELSE, ENDIF, and ELIF

The IF, ELSE, ENDIF, and ELIF directives allow you to conditionally assemble sequences of instructions
and directives.
Syntax
IF logical-expression
…;code
{ELSE
…;code}
ENDIF
where:
logical-expression
is an expression that evaluates to either {TRUE} or {FALSE}.
Usage
Use IF with ENDIF, and optionally with ELSE, for sequences of instructions or directives that are only to
be assembled or acted on under a specified condition.
IF...ENDIF conditions can be nested.
The IF directive introduces a condition that controls whether to assemble a sequence of instructions and
directives. [ is a synonym for IF.
The ELSE directive marks the beginning of a sequence of instructions or directives that you want to be
assembled if the preceding condition fails. | is a synonym for ELSE.
The ENDIF directive marks the end of a sequence of instructions or directives that you want to be
conditionally assembled. ] is a synonym for ENDIF.
The ELIF directive creates a structure equivalent to ELSE IF, without the requirement for nesting or
repeating the condition.
Using ELIF
Without using ELIF, you can construct a nested set of conditional instructions like this:
instructions
ELSE
IF logical-expression2
instructions
ELSE
IF logical-expression3
instructions
ENDIF
ENDIF
ENDIF
A nested structure like this can be nested up to 256 levels deep.

You can write the same structure more simply using ELIF:
instructions
ELIF logical-expression2
instructions
ELIF logical-expression3
instructions
ENDIF
This structure only adds one to the current nesting depth, for the IF...ENDIF pair.
reserved.
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Examples
The following example assembles the first set of instructions if NEWVERSION is defined, or the alternative
set otherwise:
Assembly conditional on a variable being defined
IF :DEF:NEWVERSION
; first set of instructions or directives
ELSE
; alternative set of instructions or directives
ENDIF
Invoking armasm as follows defines NEWVERSION, so the first set of instructions and directives are
assembled:
armasm --predefine "NEWVERSION SETL {TRUE}" test.s
Invoking armasm as follows leaves NEWVERSION undefined, so the second set of instructions and
directives are assembled:
armasm test.s
The following example assembles the first set of instructions if NEWVERSION has the value {TRUE}, or the
alternative set otherwise:
Assembly conditional on a variable value
IF NEWVERSION = {TRUE}
; first set of instructions or directives
ELSE
; alternative set of instructions or directives
ENDIF
Invoking armasm as follows causes the first set of instructions and directives to be assembled:
armasm --predefine "NEWVERSION SETL {TRUE}" test.s
Invoking armasm as follows causes the second set of instructions and directives to be assembled:
armasm --predefine "NEWVERSION SETL {FALSE}" test.s
Related references
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12.46 IMPORT and EXTERN

The IMPORT and EXTERN directives provide the assembler with a name that is not defined in the current
assembly.
Syntax
directive symbol {[SIZE=n]}
directive symbol {[type]}
directive symbol [attr{,type}{,SIZE=n}]
directive symbol [WEAK {,attr}{,type}{,SIZE=n}]
where:
directive
can be either:
IMPORT
imports the symbol unconditionally.
EXTERN
imports the symbol only if it is referred to in the current assembly.
symbol
is a symbol name defined in a separately assembled source file, object file, or library. The
symbol name is case-sensitive.
WEAK
prevents the linker generating an error message if the symbol is not defined elsewhere. It also
prevents the linker searching libraries that are not already included.
attr
can be any one of:
DYNAMIC
PROTECTED
HIDDEN
INTERNAL
type
specifies the symbol type:
DATA
symbol is treated as data when the source is assembled and linked.
CODE
symbol is treated as code when the source is assembled and linked.
ELFTYPE=n
symbol is treated as a particular ELF symbol, as specified by the value of n, where n
can be any number from 0 to 15.
If unspecified, the linker determines the most appropriate type.
n
specifies the size and can be any 32-bit value. If the SIZE attribute is not specified, the
assembler calculates the size:
• For PROC and FUNCTION symbols, the size is set to the size of the code until its ENDP or
ENDFUNC.
• For other symbols, the size is the size of instruction or data on the same source line. If there
is no instruction or data, the size is zero.
reserved.
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Usage
The name is resolved at link time to a symbol defined in a separate object file. The symbol is treated as a
program address. If [WEAK] is not specified, the linker generates an error if no corresponding symbol is
found at link time.
If [WEAK] is specified and no corresponding symbol is found at link time:
• If the reference is the destination of a B or BL instruction, the value of the symbol is taken as the
address of the following instruction. This makes the B or BL instruction effectively a NOP.
• Otherwise, the value of the symbol is taken as zero.
Example
The example tests to see if the C++ library has been linked, and branches conditionally on the result.
EXTERN __CPP_INITIALIZE[WEAK] ; If C++ library linked, gets the
; address of __CPP_INITIALIZE
; function.
LDR r0,=__CPP_INITIALIZE ; If not linked, address is zeroed.
CMP r0,#0 ; Test if zero.
BEQ nocplusplus ; Branch on the result.
The following examples show the use of the SIZE attribute:

EXTERN symA [SIZE=4]
EXTERN symA [DATA, SIZE=4]
Related references
Related information
reserved.
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12.47 INCBIN
12.47 INCBIN
The INCBIN directive includes a file within the file being assembled. The file is included as it is, without
being assembled.
Syntax
INCBIN filename
where:
filename
is the name of the file to be included in the assembly. The assembler accepts pathnames in either
UNIX or MS-DOS format.
Usage
You can use INCBIN to include executable files, literals, or any arbitrary data. The contents of the file are
added to the current ELF section, byte for byte, without being interpreted in any way. Assembly
continues at the line following the INCBIN directive.
By default, the assembler searches the current place for included files. The current place is the directory
where the calling file is located. Use the -i assembler command-line option to add directories to the
search path. File names and directory names containing spaces must not be enclosed in double quotes ( "
" ).
Example
INCBIN file1.dat ; Includes file1 if it exists in the current place
INCBIN c:\project\file2.txt ; Includes file2.
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12.48 INFO
12.48 INFO
The INFO directive supports diagnostic generation on either pass of the assembly.
Syntax
INFO numeric-expression, string-expression{, severity}
where:
numeric-expression
is a numeric expression that is evaluated during assembly. If the expression evaluates to zero:
• No action is taken during pass one.
• string-expression is printed as a warning during pass two if severity is 1.
• string-expression is printed as a message during pass two if severity is 0 or not
specified.
If the expression does not evaluate to zero:
• string-expression is printed as an error message and the assembly fails irrespective of
whether severity is specified or not (non-zero values for severity are reserved in this
case).
string-expression
is an expression that evaluates to a string.
severity
is an optional number that controls the severity of the message. Its value can be either 0 or 1. All
other values are reserved.
Usage
INFO provides a flexible means of creating custom error messages.
! is very similar to INFO, but has less detailed reporting.
Examples
INFO 0, "Version 1.0"
IF endofdata <= label1
INFO 4, "Data overrun at label1"
ENDIF
Related concepts
Related references
12.8 ASSERT on page 12-586.
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12.49 KEEP
12.49 KEEP
The KEEP directive instructs the assembler to retain named local labels in the symbol table in the object
file.
Syntax
KEEP {label}
where:
label
is the name of the local label to keep. If label is not specified, all named local labels are kept
except register-relative labels.
Usage
By default, the only labels that the assembler describes in its output object file are:
• Exported labels.
• Labels that are relocated against.
Use KEEP to preserve local labels. This can help when debugging. Kept labels appear in the ARM
debuggers and in linker map files.
KEEP cannot preserve register-relative labels or numeric local labels.
Example
label ADC r2,r3,r4
KEEP label ; makes label available to debuggers
ADD r2,r2,r5
Related concepts
Related references
12.53 MAP on page 12-636.
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12.50 LCLA, LCLL, and LCLS
12.50 LCLA, LCLL, and LCLS

The LCLA, LCLL, and LCLS directives declare and initialize local variables.
Syntax
lclx variable
where:
lclx
is one of LCLA, LCLL, or LCLS.
variable
is the name of the variable. variable must be unique within the macro that contains it.
Usage
The LCLA directive declares a local arithmetic variable, and initializes its value to 0.
The LCLL directive declares a local logical variable, and initializes its value to {FALSE}.
The LCLS directive declares a local string variable, and initializes its value to a null string, "".
Using one of these directives for a variable that is already defined re-initializes the variable.
The scope of the variable is limited to a particular instantiation of the macro that contains it.
Set the value of the variable with a SETA, SETL, or SETS directive.
Example
MACRO ; Declare a macro
$label message $a ; Macro prototype line
LCLS err ; Declare local string
; variable err.
err SETS "error no: " ; Set value of err
$label ; code
INFO 0, "err":CC::STR:$a ; Use string
MEND
Related references
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12.51 LTORG
12.51 LTORG
The LTORG directive instructs the assembler to assemble the current literal pool immediately.
Syntax
LTORG
Usage
The assembler assembles the current literal pool at the end of every code section. The end of a code
section is determined by the AREA directive at the beginning of the following section, or the end of the
assembly.
These default literal pools can sometimes be out of range of some LDR, VLDR, and WLDR pseudo-
instructions. Use LTORG to ensure that a literal pool is assembled within range.
Large programs can require several literal pools. Place LTORG directives after unconditional branches or
subroutine return instructions so that the processor does not attempt to execute the constants as
instructions.
The assembler word-aligns data in literal pools.
Example
start BL func1
func1 ; function body
; code
LDR r1,=0x55555555 ; => LDR R1, [pc, #offset to Literal Pool 1]
; code
MOV pc,lr ; end function
LTORG ; Literal Pool 1 contains literal &55555555.
data SPACE 4200 ; Clears 4200 bytes of memory starting at current location.
END ; Default literal pool is empty.
Related references
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12.52 MACRO and MEND

The MACRO directive marks the start of the definition of a macro. Macro expansion terminates at the MEND
directive.
Syntax
These two directives define a macro. The syntax is:
MACRO
{$label} macroname{$cond} {$parameter{,$parameter}...}
; code
MEND
where:
$label
is a parameter that is substituted with a symbol given when the macro is invoked. The symbol is
usually a label.
macroname
is the name of the macro. It must not begin with an instruction or directive name.
$cond
is a special parameter designed to contain a condition code. Values other than valid condition
codes are permitted.
$parameter
is a parameter that is substituted when the macro is invoked. A default value for a parameter can
be set using this format:
$parameter="default value"
Double quotes must be used if there are any spaces within, or at either end of, the default value.
Usage
If you start any WHILE...WEND loops or IF...ENDIF conditions within a macro, they must be closed
before the MEND directive is reached. You can use MEXIT to enable an early exit from a macro, for
example, from within a loop.
Within the macro body, parameters such as $label, $parameter or $cond can be used in the same way
as other variables. They are given new values each time the macro is invoked. Parameters must begin
with $ to distinguish them from ordinary symbols. Any number of parameters can be used.
$label is optional. It is useful if the macro defines internal labels. It is treated as a parameter to the
macro. It does not necessarily represent the first instruction in the macro expansion. The macro defines
the locations of any labels.
Use | as the argument to use the default value of a parameter. An empty string is used if the argument is
omitted.
In a macro that uses several internal labels, it is useful to define each internal label as the base label with
a different suffix.
Use a dot between a parameter and following text, or a following parameter, if a space is not required in
the expansion. Do not use a dot between preceding text and a parameter.
You can use the $cond parameter for condition codes. Use the unary operator :REVERSE_CC: to find the
inverse condition code, and :CC_ENCODING: to find the 4-bit encoding of the condition code.
Macros define the scope of local variables.
Macros can be nested.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
Examples
A macro that uses internal labels to implement loops:
; macro definition
MACRO ; start macro definition
$label xmac $p1,$p2
; code
$label.loop1 ; code
; code
BGE $label.loop1
$label.loop2 ; code
BL $p1
BGT $label.loop2
; code
ADR $p2
; code
MEND ; end macro definition
; macro invocation
abc xmac subr1,de ; invoke macro
; code ; this is what is
abcloop1 ; code ; is produced when
; code ; the xmac macro is
BGE abcloop1 ; expanded
abcloop2 ; code
BL subr1
BGT abcloop2
; code
ADR de
; code
A macro that produces assembly-time diagnostics:

MACRO ; Macro definition
diagnose $param1="default" ; This macro produces
INFO 0,"$param1" ; assembly-time diagnostics
MEND ; (on second assembly pass)
; macro expansion
diagnose ; Prints blank line at assembly-time
diagnose "hello" ; Prints "hello" at assembly-time
diagnose | ; Prints "default" at assembly-time
When variables are being passed in as arguments, use of | might leave some variables unsubstituted. To
work around this, define the | in a LCLS or GBLS variable and pass this variable as an argument instead of
|. For example:
m2 $a,$b=r1,$c ; The default value for $b is r1
add $a,$b,$c ; The macro adds $b and $c and puts result in $a.
MEND ; Macro end
m1 $a,$b ; This macro adds $b to r1 and puts result in $a.
LCLS def ; Declare a local string variable for |
def SETS "|" ; Define |
m2 $a,$def,$b ; Invoke macro m2 with $def instead of |
; to use the default value for the second argument.
MEND ; Macro end
A macro that uses a condition code parameter:

AREA codx, CODE, READONLY
; macro definition
MACRO
Return$cond
[ {ARCHITECTURE} <> "4"
BX$cond lr
|
MOV$cond pc,lr
]
MEND
; macro invocation
fun PROC
CMP r0,#0
MOVEQ r0,#1
ReturnEQ
MOV r0,#0
Return
ENDP
END
reserved.
Non-Confidential
Related concepts
7.4 Assembly time substitution of variables on page 7-135.
Related references
12.54 MEXIT on page 12-637.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
12.53 MAP
12.53 MAP
The MAP directive sets the origin of a storage map to a specified address.
Syntax
MAP expr{,base-register}
where:
expr
is a numeric or PC-relative expression:
• If base-register is not specified, expr evaluates to the address where the storage map
starts. The storage map location counter is set to this address.
• If expr is PC-relative, you must have defined the label before you use it in the map. The map
requires the definition of the label during the first pass of the assembler.
base-register
specifies a register. If base-register is specified, the address where the storage map starts is
the sum of expr, and the value in base-register at runtime.
Usage
Use the MAP directive in combination with the FIELD directive to describe a storage map.
Specify base-register to define register-relative labels. The base register becomes implicit in all labels
defined by following FIELD directives, until the next MAP directive. The register-relative labels can be
used in load and store instructions.
The MAP directive can be used any number of times to define multiple storage maps.
The storage-map location counter, {VAR}, is set to the same address as that specified by the MAP directive.
The {VAR} counter is set to zero before the first MAP directive is used.
^ is a synonym for MAP.
Examples
MAP 0,r9
MAP 0xff,r9
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
12.54 MEXIT
12.54 MEXIT
The MEXIT directive exits a macro definition before the end.
Usage
Use MEXIT when you require an exit from within the body of a macro. Any unclosed WHILE...WEND
loops or IF...ENDIF conditions within the body of the macro are closed by the assembler before the
macro is exited.
Example
MACRO
$abc example abc $param1,$param2
; code
WHILE condition1
; code
IF condition2
; code
MEXIT
ELSE
; code
ENDIF
WEND
; code
MEND
Related references
reserved.
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12.55 NOFP
12.55 NOFP
The NOFP directive ensures that there are no floating-point instructions in an assembly language source
file.
Syntax
NOFP
Usage
Use NOFP to ensure that no floating-point instructions are used in situations where there is no support for
floating-point instructions either in software or in target hardware.
If a floating-point instruction occurs after the NOFP directive, an Unknown opcode error is generated and
the assembly fails.
If a NOFP directive occurs after a floating-point instruction, the assembler generates the error:
Too late to ban floating point instructions
and the assembly fails.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
12.56 OPT
12.56 OPT
The OPT directive sets listing options from within the source code.
Syntax
OPT n
where:
n
is the OPT directive setting. The following table lists the valid settings:
Table 12-2 OPT directive settings
OPT n Effect
1 Turns on normal listing.
2 Turns off normal listing.
4 Page throw. Issues an immediate form feed and starts a new page.
8 Resets the line number counter to zero.
16 Turns on listing for SET, GBL and LCL directives.
32 Turns off listing for SET, GBL and LCL directives.
64 Turns on listing of macro expansions.
128 Turns off listing of macro expansions.
256 Turns on listing of macro invocations.
512 Turns off listing of macro invocations.
1024 Turns on the first pass listing.
2048 Turns off the first pass listing.
4096 Turns on listing of conditional directives.
8192 Turns off listing of conditional directives.
16384 Turns on listing of MEND directives.
32768 Turns off listing of MEND directives.
Usage
Specify the --list= assembler option to turn on listing.
By default the --list= option produces a normal listing that includes variable declarations, macro
expansions, call-conditioned directives, and MEND directives. The listing is produced on the second pass
only. Use the OPT directive to modify the default listing options from within your code.
You can use OPT to format code listings. For example, you can specify a new page before functions and
sections.
Example
start ; code
; code
BL func1
; code
OPT 4 ; places a page break before func1
func1 ; code
reserved.
Non-Confidential
12.56 OPT
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
12.57 RELOC
12.57 RELOC
The RELOC directive explicitly encodes an ELF relocation in an object file.
Syntax
RELOC n, symbol
RELOC n
where:
n
must be an integer in the range 0 to 255 or one of the relocation names defined in the
Application Binary Interface for the ARM Architecture.
symbol
can be any PC-relative label.
Usage
Use RELOC n, symbol to create a relocation with respect to the address labeled by symbol.
If used immediately after an ARM or Thumb instruction, RELOC results in a relocation at that instruction.
If used immediately after a DCB, DCW, or DCD, or any other data generating directive, RELOC results in a
relocation at the start of the data. Any addend to be applied must be encoded in the instruction or in the
data.
If the assembler has already emitted a relocation at that place, the relocation is updated with the details in
the RELOC directive, for example:
DCD sym2 ; R_ARM_ABS32 to sym32
RELOC 55 ; ... makes it R_ARM_ABS32_NOI
RELOC is faulted in all other cases, for example, after any non-data generating directive, LTORG, ALIGN, or
as the first thing in an AREA.
Use RELOC n to create a relocation with respect to the anonymous symbol, that is, symbol 0 of the symbol
table. If you use RELOC n without a preceding assembler generated relocation, the relocation is with
respect to the anonymous symbol.
Examples
IMPORT impsym
LDR r0,[pc,#-8]
RELOC 4, impsym
DCD 0
RELOC 2, sym
DCD 0,1,2,3,4 ; the final word is relocated
RELOC 38,sym2 ; R_ARM_TARGET1
DCD impsym
RELOC R_ARM_TARGET1 ; relocation code 38
Related information
Application Binary Interface for the ARM Architecture.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
12.58 REQUIRE
12.58 REQUIRE
The REQUIRE directive specifies a dependency between sections.
Syntax
REQUIRE label
where:
label
is the name of the required label.
Usage
Use REQUIRE to ensure that a related section is included, even if it is not directly called. If the section
containing the REQUIRE directive is included in a link, the linker also includes the section containing the
definition of the specified label.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
12.59 REQUIRE8 and PRESERVE8
12.59 REQUIRE8 and PRESERVE8

The REQUIRE8 and PRESERVE8 directives specify that the current file requires or preserves eight-byte
alignment of the stack.
Syntax
REQUIRE8 {bool}
PRESERVE8 {bool}
where:
bool
is an optional Boolean constant, either {TRUE} or {FALSE}.
Usage
Where required, if your code preserves eight-byte alignment of the stack, use PRESERVE8 to set the PRES8
build attribute on your file. If your code does not preserve eight-byte alignment of the stack, use
PRESERVE8 {FALSE} to ensure that the PRES8 build attribute is not set. Use REQUIRE8 to set the REQ8
build attribute. If there are multiple REQUIRE8 or PRESERVE8 directives in a file, the assembler uses the
value of the last directive.
The linker checks that any code that requires eight-byte alignment of the stack is only called, directly or
indirectly, by code that preserves eight-byte alignment of the stack.
Note
If you omit both PRESERVE8 and PRESERVE8 {FALSE}, the assembler decides whether to set the PRES8
build attribute or not, by examining instructions that modify the SP. ARM recommends that you specify
PRESERVE8 explicitly.
You can enable a warning by using the --diag_warning 1546 option when invoking armasm.
This gives you warnings like:
"test.s", line 37: Warning: A1546W: Stack pointer update potentially breaks 8 byte stack
alignment
37 00000044 STMFD sp!,{r2,r3,lr}
Examples
REQUIRE8
REQUIRE8 {TRUE} ; equivalent to REQUIRE8
REQUIRE8 {FALSE} ; equivalent to absence of REQUIRE8
PRESERVE8 {TRUE} ; equivalent to PRESERVE8
PRESERVE8 {FALSE} ; NOT exactly equivalent to absence of PRESERVE8
Related references
Related information
Eight-byte Stack Alignment.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
12.60 RLIST
12.60 RLIST
The RLIST (register list) directive gives a name to a set of general-purpose registers.
Syntax
name RLIST {list-of-registers}
where:
name
is the name to be given to the set of registers. name cannot be the same as any of the predefined
names.
list-of-registers
is a comma-delimited list of register names and register ranges. The register list must be
enclosed in braces.
Usage
Use RLIST to give a name to a set of registers to be transferred by the LDM or STM instructions.
LDM and STM always put the lowest physical register numbers at the lowest address in memory, regardless
of the order they are supplied to the LDM or STM instruction. If you have defined your own symbolic
register names it can be less apparent that a register list is not in increasing register order.
Use the --diag_warning 1206 assembler option to ensure that the registers in a register list are supplied
in increasing register order. If registers are not supplied in increasing register order, a warning is issued.
Example
Context RLIST {r0-r6,r8,r10-r12,pc}
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
12.61 RN
12.61 RN
The RN directive defines a name for a specified register.
Syntax
name RN expr
where:
name
is the name to be assigned to the register. name cannot be the same as any of the predefined
names.
expr
evaluates to a register number from 0 to 15.
Usage
Use RN to allocate convenient names to registers, to help you to remember what you use each register for.
Be careful to avoid conflicting uses of the same register under different names.
Examples
regname RN 11 ; defines regname for register 11
sqr4 RN r6 ; defines sqr4 for register 6
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
12.62 ROUT
12.62 ROUT
The ROUT directive marks the boundaries of the scope of numeric local labels.
Syntax
{name} ROUT
where:
name
is the name to be assigned to the scope.
Usage
Use the ROUT directive to limit the scope of numeric local labels. This makes it easier for you to avoid
referring to a wrong label by accident. The scope of numeric local labels is the whole area if there are no
ROUT directives in it.
Use the name option to ensure that each reference is to the correct numeric local label. If the name of a
label or a reference to a label does not match the preceding ROUT directive, the assembler generates an
error message and the assembly fails.
Example
; code
routineA ROUT ; ROUT is not necessarily a routine
; code
3routineA ; code ; this label is checked
; code
BEQ %4routineA ; this reference is checked
; code
BGE %3 ; refers to 3 above, but not checked
; code
4routineA ; code ; this label is checked
; code
otherstuff ROUT ; start of next scope
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
12.63 SETA, SETL, and SETS
12.63 SETA, SETL, and SETS

The SETA, SETL, and SETS directives set the value of a local or global variable.
Syntax
variable setx expr
where:
variable
is the name of a variable declared by a GBLA, GBLL, GBLS, LCLA, LCLL, or LCLS directive.
setx
is one of SETA, SETL, or SETS.
expr
is an expression that is:
• Numeric, for SETA.
• Logical, for SETL.
• String, for SETS.
Usage
The SETA directive sets the value of a local or global arithmetic variable.
The SETL directive sets the value of a local or global logical variable.
The SETS directive sets the value of a local or global string variable.
You must declare variable using a global or local declaration directive before using one of these
directives.
You can also predefine variable names on the command line.
Examples
GBLA VersionNumber
VersionNumber SETA 21
GBLL Debug
Debug SETL {TRUE}
GBLS VersionString
VersionString SETS "Version 1.0"
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
12.64 SPACE or FILL
12.64 SPACE or FILL

The SPACE directive reserves a zeroed block of memory. The FILL directive reserves a block of memory
to fill with a given value.
Syntax
{label} SPACE expr
{label} FILL expr{,value{,valuesize}}
where:
label
is an optional label.
expr
evaluates to the number of bytes to fill or zero.
value
evaluates to the value to fill the reserved bytes with. value is optional and if omitted, it is 0.
value must be 0 in a NOINIT area.
valuesize
is the size, in bytes, of value. It can be any of 1, 2, or 4. valuesize is optional and if omitted, it
is 1.
Usage
Use the ALIGN directive to align any code following a SPACE or FILL directive.
% is a synonym for SPACE.
Example
AREA MyData, DATA, READWRITE
data1 SPACE 255 ; defines 255 bytes of zeroed store
data2 FILL 50,0xAB,1 ; defines 50 bytes containing 0xAB
Related concepts
Related references
12.15 DCB on page 12-593.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
12.65 THUMB
12.65 THUMB
The THUMB directive instructs the assembler to interpret subsequent instructions as Thumb instructions,
using the UAL syntax.
Syntax
THUMB
Usage
In files that contain code using different instruction sets, THUMB must precede Thumb code written in
UAL syntax.
assembler to assemble Thumb instructions, and inserts padding if necessary.
ARM and THUMB directives

This example shows how you can use ARM and THUMB directives to switch state and assemble both ARM
and Thumb instructions in a single area.
AREA ToThumb, CODE, READONLY ; Name this block of code
ARM ; Subsequent instructions are ARM
start
ADR r0, into_thumb + 1 ; Processor starts in ARM state
BX r0 ; Inline switch to Thumb state
THUMB ; Subsequent instructions are Thumb
into_thumb
MOVS r0, #10 ; New-style Thumb instructions
Related references
12.11 CODE16 on page 12-589.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
12.66 THUMBX
12.66 THUMBX
The THUMBX directive instructs the assembler to interpret subsequent instructions as ThumbEE
instructions, using the UAL syntax.
Syntax
THUMBX
Usage
In files that contain code using different instruction sets, THUMBX must precede ThumbEE code written in
UAL syntax.
assembler to assemble ThumbEE instructions, and inserts padding if necessary.
Note
• ARM deprecates the use of ThumbEE instructions.
• For descriptions of ThumbEE instructions, see the ARM Architecture Reference Manual.
Related references
12.11 CODE16 on page 12-589.
Related information
reserved.
Non-Confidential
12.67 TTL and SUBT
12.67 TTL and SUBT

The TTL directive inserts a title at the start of each page of a listing file. The SUBT directive places a
subtitle on the pages of a listing file.
Syntax
TTL title
SUBT subtitle
where:
title
is the title.
subtitle
is the subtitle.
Usage
Use the TTL directive to place a title at the top of each page of a listing file. If you want the title to appear
on the first page, the TTL directive must be on the first line of the source file.
Use additional TTL directives to change the title. Each new TTL directive takes effect from the top of the
next page.
Use SUBT to place a subtitle at the top of each page of a listing file. Subtitles appear in the line below the
titles. If you want the subtitle to appear on the first page, the SUBT directive must be on the first line of
the source file.
Use additional SUBT directives to change subtitles. Each new SUBT directive takes effect from the top of
the next page.
Examples
TTL First Title ; places title on first and subsequent pages of listing file.
SUBT First Subtitle ; places subtitle on second and subsequent pages of listing file.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
12.68 WHILE and WEND
12.68 WHILE and WEND

The WHILE directive starts a sequence of instructions or directives that are to be assembled repeatedly.
The sequence is terminated with a WEND directive.
Syntax
WHILE logical-expression
code
WEND
where:
logical-expression
is an expression that can evaluate to either {TRUE} or {FALSE}.
Usage
Use the WHILE directive, together with the WEND directive, to assemble a sequence of instructions a
number of times. The number of repetitions can be zero.
You can use IF...ENDIF conditions within WHILE...WEND loops.
WHILE...WEND loops can be nested.
Example
GBLA count ; declare local variable
count SETA 1 ; you are not restricted to
WHILE count <= 4 ; such simple conditions
count SETA count+1 ; In this case, this code is
; code ; executed four times
; code ;
WEND
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential
Chapter 13
Via File Syntax
Describes the syntax of via files accepted by armasm.

• 13.1 Overview of via files on page 13-654.
• 13.2 Via file syntax rules on page 13-655.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
13 Via File Syntax
13.1 Overview of via files
13.1 Overview of via files

Via files are plain text files that allow you to specify assembler command-line arguments and options.
Typically, you use a via file to overcome the command-line length limitations. However, you might want
to create multiple via files that:
• Group similar arguments and options together.
• Contain different sets of arguments and options to be used in different scenarios.
Note
In general, you can use a via file to specify any command-line option to a tool, including --via. This
means that you can call multiple nested via files from within a via file.
Via file evaluation

When the assembler is invoked it:
1. Replaces the first specified --via via_file argument with the sequence of argument words
extracted from the via file, including recursively processing any nested --via commands in the via
file.
2. Processes any subsequent --via via_file arguments in the same way, in the order they are
presented.
That is, via files are processed in the order you specify them, and each via file is processed completely
including processing nested via files before processing the next via file.
Related references
13.2 Via file syntax rules on page 13-655.
reserved.
Non-Confidential
13 Via File Syntax
13.2 Via file syntax rules
13.2 Via file syntax rules

Via files must conform to some syntax rules.
• A via file is a text file containing a sequence of words. Each word in the text file is converted into an
argument string and passed to the tool.
• Words are separated by whitespace, or the end of a line, except in delimited strings, for example:
--bigend --reduce_paths (two words)
--bigend--reduce_paths (one word)

• The end of a line is treated as whitespace, for example:
--bigend
--reduce_paths
This is equivalent to:

--bigend --reduce_paths
• Strings enclosed in quotation marks ("), or apostrophes (') are treated as a single word. Within a
quoted word, an apostrophe is treated as an ordinary character. Within an apostrophe delimited word,
a quotation mark is treated as an ordinary character.
Use quotation marks to delimit filenames or path names that contain spaces, for example:
--errors C:\My Project\errors.txt (three words)
--errors "C:\My Project\errors.txt" (two words)
Use apostrophes to delimit words that contain quotes, for example:

-DNAME='"ARM Compiler"' (one word)
• Characters enclosed in parentheses are treated as a single word, for example:
--option(x, y, z) (one word)
--option (x, y, z) (two words)

• Within quoted or apostrophe delimited strings, you can use a backslash (\) character to escape the
quote, apostrophe, and backslash characters.
• A word that occurs immediately next to a delimited word is treated as a single word, for example:
--errors"C:\Project\errors.txt"
This is treated as the single word:

--errorsC:\Project\errors.txt
• Lines beginning with a semicolon (;) or a hash (#) character as the first nonwhitespace character are
comment lines. A semicolon or hash character that appears anywhere else in a line is not treated as
the start of a comment, for example:
-o objectname.axf ;this is not a comment
A comment ends at the end of a line, or at the end of the file. There are no multi-line comments, and
there are no part-line comments.
Related concepts
Related references
reserved.
Non-Confidential

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ARM® Compiler v5.

armasm User Guide

ARM® Compiler v5.06 for µVision®

Issue Date Confidentiality Change

Non-Confidential Proprietary Notice

This document may include technical inaccuracies or typographical errors.

ARM Limited. Company 02557590 registered in England.

110 Fulbourn Road, Cambridge, England CB1 9NJ.

Unrestricted Access is an ARM internal classification.

Chapter 1 Overview of the Assembler

Chapter 2 Overview of the ARM Architecture

Chapter 3 Structure of Assembly Language Modules

Chapter 4 Writing ARM Assembly Language

Chapter 5 Condition Codes

Chapter 6 Using the Assembler

Chapter 7 Symbols, Literals, Expressions, and Operators

Chapter 8 VFP Programming

Chapter 9 Assembler Command-line Options

Chapter 10 ARM and Thumb Instructions

Chapter 11 VFP Instructions

Chapter 12 Directives Reference

Table 2-1 ARM processor modes .......................................................................................................... 2-33

About this book

Using this book

Feedback on this product

Gives an overview of the assemblers provided with ARM® Compiler toolchain.

1.1 About the ARM Compiler toolchain assemblers

1.2 Key features of the assembler

1.3 How the assembler works

Line not seen in pass 1

Assembling this code generates the error:

Line not seen in pass 2

Assembling this code generates the error:

1.4 Directives that can be omitted in pass 2 of the assembler

ASSERT directive appears in pass 1 only

Use of ELSE and ELIF directives

Gives an overview of the ARM architecture.

2.1 About the ARM architecture

2.2 ARM, Thumb, and ThumbEE instruction sets

2.3 Changing between ARM, Thumb, and ThumbEE state

2.4 Processor modes, and privileged and unprivileged software execution

Table 2-1 ARM processor modes

Processor mode Architectures Mode number

User All 0b10000

FIQ All 0b10001

IRQ All 0b10010

Supervisor All 0b10011

Monitor Security Extensions only 0b10110

Abort All 0b10111

Hyp Virtualization Extensions only 0b11010

Undefined All 0b11011

System ARMv4 and later 0b11111

2.5 Processor modes in ARMv6-M and ARMv7-M

2.6 VFP hardware

2.7 ARM registers

Additional registers are available in privileged software execution.

User System Hyp Supervisor Monitor Abort Undefined IRQ FIQ

Figure 2-1 Organization of general-purpose registers and Program Status Registers

2.8 General-purpose registers