Google Git
Sign in
gnu / gcc / 96e055f719ec2f88fb47185ae05eea5c752bd0fd / . / gcc / gcc.info-15
blob: 58bf4e59b9f4f194120e4dbed31a3e3dd4022097 [file] [log] [blame]
This is Info file gcc.info, produced by Makeinfo version 1.68 from the
input file gcc.texi.
This file documents the use and the internals of the GNU compiler.
Published by the Free Software Foundation 59 Temple Place - Suite 330
Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA
Copyright (C) 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998
Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
preserved on all copies.
Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of
this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also
that the sections entitled "GNU General Public License," "Funding for
Free Software," and "Protect Your Freedom--Fight `Look And Feel'" are
included exactly as in the original, and provided that the entire
resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission
notice identical to this one.
Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this
manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified
versions, except that the sections entitled "GNU General Public
License," "Funding for Free Software," and "Protect Your Freedom--Fight
`Look And Feel'", and this permission notice, may be included in
translations approved by the Free Software Foundation instead of in the
original English.

File: gcc.info, Node: Regs and Memory, Next: Arithmetic, Prev: Constants, Up: RTL
Registers and Memory
====================
Here are the RTL expression types for describing access to machine
registers and to main memory.
`(reg:M N)'
For small values of the integer N (those that are less than
`FIRST_PSEUDO_REGISTER'), this stands for a reference to machine
register number N: a "hard register". For larger values of N, it
stands for a temporary value or "pseudo register". The compiler's
strategy is to generate code assuming an unlimited number of such
pseudo registers, and later convert them into hard registers or
into memory references.
M is the machine mode of the reference. It is necessary because
machines can generally refer to each register in more than one
mode. For example, a register may contain a full word but there
may be instructions to refer to it as a half word or as a single
byte, as well as instructions to refer to it as a floating point
number of various precisions.
Even for a register that the machine can access in only one mode,
the mode must always be specified.
The symbol `FIRST_PSEUDO_REGISTER' is defined by the machine
description, since the number of hard registers on the machine is
an invariant characteristic of the machine. Note, however, that
not all of the machine registers must be general registers. All
the machine registers that can be used for storage of data are
given hard register numbers, even those that can be used only in
certain instructions or can hold only certain types of data.
A hard register may be accessed in various modes throughout one
function, but each pseudo register is given a natural mode and is
accessed only in that mode. When it is necessary to describe an
access to a pseudo register using a nonnatural mode, a `subreg'
expression is used.
A `reg' expression with a machine mode that specifies more than
one word of data may actually stand for several consecutive
registers. If in addition the register number specifies a
hardware register, then it actually represents several consecutive
hardware registers starting with the specified one.
Each pseudo register number used in a function's RTL code is
represented by a unique `reg' expression.
Some pseudo register numbers, those within the range of
`FIRST_VIRTUAL_REGISTER' to `LAST_VIRTUAL_REGISTER' only appear
during the RTL generation phase and are eliminated before the
optimization phases. These represent locations in the stack frame
that cannot be determined until RTL generation for the function
has been completed. The following virtual register numbers are
defined:
`VIRTUAL_INCOMING_ARGS_REGNUM'
This points to the first word of the incoming arguments
passed on the stack. Normally these arguments are placed
there by the caller, but the callee may have pushed some
arguments that were previously passed in registers.
When RTL generation is complete, this virtual register is
replaced by the sum of the register given by
`ARG_POINTER_REGNUM' and the value of `FIRST_PARM_OFFSET'.
`VIRTUAL_STACK_VARS_REGNUM'
If `FRAME_GROWS_DOWNWARD' is defined, this points to
immediately above the first variable on the stack.
Otherwise, it points to the first variable on the stack.
`VIRTUAL_STACK_VARS_REGNUM' is replaced with the sum of the
register given by `FRAME_POINTER_REGNUM' and the value
`STARTING_FRAME_OFFSET'.
`VIRTUAL_STACK_DYNAMIC_REGNUM'
This points to the location of dynamically allocated memory
on the stack immediately after the stack pointer has been
adjusted by the amount of memory desired.
This virtual register is replaced by the sum of the register
given by `STACK_POINTER_REGNUM' and the value
`STACK_DYNAMIC_OFFSET'.
`VIRTUAL_OUTGOING_ARGS_REGNUM'
This points to the location in the stack at which outgoing
arguments should be written when the stack is pre-pushed
(arguments pushed using push insns should always use
`STACK_POINTER_REGNUM').
This virtual register is replaced by the sum of the register
given by `STACK_POINTER_REGNUM' and the value
`STACK_POINTER_OFFSET'.
`(subreg:M REG WORDNUM)'
`subreg' expressions are used to refer to a register in a machine
mode other than its natural one, or to refer to one register of a
multi-word `reg' that actually refers to several registers.
Each pseudo-register has a natural mode. If it is necessary to
operate on it in a different mode--for example, to perform a
fullword move instruction on a pseudo-register that contains a
single byte--the pseudo-register must be enclosed in a `subreg'.
In such a case, WORDNUM is zero.
Usually M is at least as narrow as the mode of REG, in which case
it is restricting consideration to only the bits of REG that are
in M.
Sometimes M is wider than the mode of REG. These `subreg'
expressions are often called "paradoxical". They are used in
cases where we want to refer to an object in a wider mode but do
not care what value the additional bits have. The reload pass
ensures that paradoxical references are only made to hard
registers.
The other use of `subreg' is to extract the individual registers of
a multi-register value. Machine modes such as `DImode' and
`TImode' can indicate values longer than a word, values which
usually require two or more consecutive registers. To access one
of the registers, use a `subreg' with mode `SImode' and a WORDNUM
that says which register.
Storing in a non-paradoxical `subreg' has undefined results for
bits belonging to the same word as the `subreg'. This laxity makes
it easier to generate efficient code for such instructions. To
represent an instruction that preserves all the bits outside of
those in the `subreg', use `strict_low_part' around the `subreg'.
The compilation parameter `WORDS_BIG_ENDIAN', if set to 1, says
that word number zero is the most significant part; otherwise, it
is the least significant part.
Between the combiner pass and the reload pass, it is possible to
have a paradoxical `subreg' which contains a `mem' instead of a
`reg' as its first operand. After the reload pass, it is also
possible to have a non-paradoxical `subreg' which contains a
`mem'; this usually occurs when the `mem' is a stack slot which
replaced a pseudo register.
Note that it is not valid to access a `DFmode' value in `SFmode'
using a `subreg'. On some machines the most significant part of a
`DFmode' value does not have the same format as a single-precision
floating value.
It is also not valid to access a single word of a multi-word value
in a hard register when less registers can hold the value than
would be expected from its size. For example, some 32-bit
machines have floating-point registers that can hold an entire
`DFmode' value. If register 10 were such a register `(subreg:SI
(reg:DF 10) 1)' would be invalid because there is no way to
convert that reference to a single machine register. The reload
pass prevents `subreg' expressions such as these from being formed.
The first operand of a `subreg' expression is customarily accessed
with the `SUBREG_REG' macro and the second operand is customarily
accessed with the `SUBREG_WORD' macro.
`(scratch:M)'
This represents a scratch register that will be required for the
execution of a single instruction and not used subsequently. It is
converted into a `reg' by either the local register allocator or
the reload pass.
`scratch' is usually present inside a `clobber' operation (*note
Side Effects::.).
`(cc0)'
This refers to the machine's condition code register. It has no
operands and may not have a machine mode. There are two ways to
use it:
* To stand for a complete set of condition code flags. This is
best on most machines, where each comparison sets the entire
series of flags.
With this technique, `(cc0)' may be validly used in only two
contexts: as the destination of an assignment (in test and
compare instructions) and in comparison operators comparing
against zero (`const_int' with value zero; that is to say,
`const0_rtx').
* To stand for a single flag that is the result of a single
condition. This is useful on machines that have only a
single flag bit, and in which comparison instructions must
specify the condition to test.
With this technique, `(cc0)' may be validly used in only two
contexts: as the destination of an assignment (in test and
compare instructions) where the source is a comparison
operator, and as the first operand of `if_then_else' (in a
conditional branch).
There is only one expression object of code `cc0'; it is the value
of the variable `cc0_rtx'. Any attempt to create an expression of
code `cc0' will return `cc0_rtx'.
Instructions can set the condition code implicitly. On many
machines, nearly all instructions set the condition code based on
the value that they compute or store. It is not necessary to
record these actions explicitly in the RTL because the machine
description includes a prescription for recognizing the
instructions that do so (by means of the macro
`NOTICE_UPDATE_CC'). *Note Condition Code::. Only instructions
whose sole purpose is to set the condition code, and instructions
that use the condition code, need mention `(cc0)'.
On some machines, the condition code register is given a register
number and a `reg' is used instead of `(cc0)'. This is usually the
preferable approach if only a small subset of instructions modify
the condition code. Other machines store condition codes in
general registers; in such cases a pseudo register should be used.
Some machines, such as the Sparc and RS/6000, have two sets of
arithmetic instructions, one that sets and one that does not set
the condition code. This is best handled by normally generating
the instruction that does not set the condition code, and making a
pattern that both performs the arithmetic and sets the condition
code register (which would not be `(cc0)' in this case). For
examples, search for `addcc' and `andcc' in `sparc.md'.
`(pc)'
This represents the machine's program counter. It has no operands
and may not have a machine mode. `(pc)' may be validly used only
in certain specific contexts in jump instructions.
There is only one expression object of code `pc'; it is the value
of the variable `pc_rtx'. Any attempt to create an expression of
code `pc' will return `pc_rtx'.
All instructions that do not jump alter the program counter
implicitly by incrementing it, but there is no need to mention
this in the RTL.
`(mem:M ADDR)'
This RTX represents a reference to main memory at an address
represented by the expression ADDR. M specifies how large a unit
of memory is accessed.
`(addressof:M REG)'
This RTX represents a request for the address of register REG.
Its mode is always `Pmode'. If there are any `addressof'
expressions left in the function after CSE, REG is forced into the
stack and the `addressof' expression is replaced with a `plus'
expression for the address of its stack slot.

File: gcc.info, Node: Arithmetic, Next: Comparisons, Prev: Regs and Memory, Up: RTL
RTL Expressions for Arithmetic
==============================
Unless otherwise specified, all the operands of arithmetic
expressions must be valid for mode M. An operand is valid for mode M
if it has mode M, or if it is a `const_int' or `const_double' and M is
a mode of class `MODE_INT'.
For commutative binary operations, constants should be placed in the
second operand.
`(plus:M X Y)'
Represents the sum of the values represented by X and Y carried
out in machine mode M.
`(lo_sum:M X Y)'
Like `plus', except that it represents that sum of X and the
low-order bits of Y. The number of low order bits is
machine-dependent but is normally the number of bits in a `Pmode'
item minus the number of bits set by the `high' code (*note
Constants::.).
M should be `Pmode'.
`(minus:M X Y)'
Like `plus' but represents subtraction.
`(compare:M X Y)'
Represents the result of subtracting Y from X for purposes of
comparison. The result is computed without overflow, as if with
infinite precision.
Of course, machines can't really subtract with infinite precision.
However, they can pretend to do so when only the sign of the
result will be used, which is the case when the result is stored
in the condition code. And that is the only way this kind of
expression may validly be used: as a value to be stored in the
condition codes.
The mode M is not related to the modes of X and Y, but instead is
the mode of the condition code value. If `(cc0)' is used, it is
`VOIDmode'. Otherwise it is some mode in class `MODE_CC', often
`CCmode'. *Note Condition Code::.
Normally, X and Y must have the same mode. Otherwise, `compare'
is valid only if the mode of X is in class `MODE_INT' and Y is a
`const_int' or `const_double' with mode `VOIDmode'. The mode of X
determines what mode the comparison is to be done in; thus it must
not be `VOIDmode'.
If one of the operands is a constant, it should be placed in the
second operand and the comparison code adjusted as appropriate.
A `compare' specifying two `VOIDmode' constants is not valid since
there is no way to know in what mode the comparison is to be
performed; the comparison must either be folded during the
compilation or the first operand must be loaded into a register
while its mode is still known.
`(neg:M X)'
Represents the negation (subtraction from zero) of the value
represented by X, carried out in mode M.
`(mult:M X Y)'
Represents the signed product of the values represented by X and Y
carried out in machine mode M.
Some machines support a multiplication that generates a product
wider than the operands. Write the pattern for this as
(mult:M (sign_extend:M X) (sign_extend:M Y))
where M is wider than the modes of X and Y, which need not be the
same.
Write patterns for unsigned widening multiplication similarly using
`zero_extend'.
`(div:M X Y)'
Represents the quotient in signed division of X by Y, carried out
in machine mode M. If M is a floating point mode, it represents
the exact quotient; otherwise, the integerized quotient.
Some machines have division instructions in which the operands and
quotient widths are not all the same; you should represent such
instructions using `truncate' and `sign_extend' as in,
(truncate:M1 (div:M2 X (sign_extend:M2 Y)))
`(udiv:M X Y)'
Like `div' but represents unsigned division.
`(mod:M X Y)'
`(umod:M X Y)'
Like `div' and `udiv' but represent the remainder instead of the
quotient.
`(smin:M X Y)'
`(smax:M X Y)'
Represents the smaller (for `smin') or larger (for `smax') of X
and Y, interpreted as signed integers in mode M.
`(umin:M X Y)'
`(umax:M X Y)'
Like `smin' and `smax', but the values are interpreted as unsigned
integers.
`(not:M X)'
Represents the bitwise complement of the value represented by X,
carried out in mode M, which must be a fixed-point machine mode.
`(and:M X Y)'
Represents the bitwise logical-and of the values represented by X
and Y, carried out in machine mode M, which must be a fixed-point
machine mode.
`(ior:M X Y)'
Represents the bitwise inclusive-or of the values represented by X
and Y, carried out in machine mode M, which must be a fixed-point
mode.
`(xor:M X Y)'
Represents the bitwise exclusive-or of the values represented by X
and Y, carried out in machine mode M, which must be a fixed-point
mode.
`(ashift:M X C)'
Represents the result of arithmetically shifting X left by C
places. X have mode M, a fixed-point machine mode. C be a
fixed-point mode or be a constant with mode `VOIDmode'; which mode
is determined by the mode called for in the machine description
entry for the left-shift instruction. For example, on the Vax,
the mode of C is `QImode' regardless of M.
`(lshiftrt:M X C)'
`(ashiftrt:M X C)'
Like `ashift' but for right shift. Unlike the case for left shift,
these two operations are distinct.
`(rotate:M X C)'
`(rotatert:M X C)'
Similar but represent left and right rotate. If C is a constant,
use `rotate'.
`(abs:M X)'
Represents the absolute value of X, computed in mode M.
`(sqrt:M X)'
Represents the square root of X, computed in mode M. Most often M
will be a floating point mode.
`(ffs:M X)'
Represents one plus the index of the least significant 1-bit in X,
represented as an integer of mode M. (The value is zero if X is
zero.) The mode of X need not be M; depending on the target
machine, various mode combinations may be valid.

File: gcc.info, Node: Comparisons, Next: Bit Fields, Prev: Arithmetic, Up: RTL
Comparison Operations
=====================
Comparison operators test a relation on two operands and are
considered to represent a machine-dependent nonzero value described by,
but not necessarily equal to, `STORE_FLAG_VALUE' (*note Misc::.) if
the relation holds, or zero if it does not. The mode of the comparison
operation is independent of the mode of the data being compared. If
the comparison operation is being tested (e.g., the first operand of an
`if_then_else'), the mode must be `VOIDmode'. If the comparison
operation is producing data to be stored in some variable, the mode
must be in class `MODE_INT'. All comparison operations producing data
must use the same mode, which is machine-specific.
There are two ways that comparison operations may be used. The
comparison operators may be used to compare the condition codes `(cc0)'
against zero, as in `(eq (cc0) (const_int 0))'. Such a construct
actually refers to the result of the preceding instruction in which the
condition codes were set. The instructing setting the condition code
must be adjacent to the instruction using the condition code; only
`note' insns may separate them.
Alternatively, a comparison operation may directly compare two data
objects. The mode of the comparison is determined by the operands; they
must both be valid for a common machine mode. A comparison with both
operands constant would be invalid as the machine mode could not be
deduced from it, but such a comparison should never exist in RTL due to
constant folding.
In the example above, if `(cc0)' were last set to `(compare X Y)',
the comparison operation is identical to `(eq X Y)'. Usually only one
style of comparisons is supported on a particular machine, but the
combine pass will try to merge the operations to produce the `eq' shown
in case it exists in the context of the particular insn involved.
Inequality comparisons come in two flavors, signed and unsigned.
Thus, there are distinct expression codes `gt' and `gtu' for signed and
unsigned greater-than. These can produce different results for the same
pair of integer values: for example, 1 is signed greater-than -1 but not
unsigned greater-than, because -1 when regarded as unsigned is actually
`0xffffffff' which is greater than 1.
The signed comparisons are also used for floating point values.
Floating point comparisons are distinguished by the machine modes of
the operands.
`(eq:M X Y)'
1 if the values represented by X and Y are equal, otherwise 0.
`(ne:M X Y)'
1 if the values represented by X and Y are not equal, otherwise 0.
`(gt:M X Y)'
1 if the X is greater than Y. If they are fixed-point, the
comparison is done in a signed sense.
`(gtu:M X Y)'
Like `gt' but does unsigned comparison, on fixed-point numbers
only.
`(lt:M X Y)'
`(ltu:M X Y)'
Like `gt' and `gtu' but test for "less than".
`(ge:M X Y)'
`(geu:M X Y)'
Like `gt' and `gtu' but test for "greater than or equal".
`(le:M X Y)'
`(leu:M X Y)'
Like `gt' and `gtu' but test for "less than or equal".
`(if_then_else COND THEN ELSE)'
This is not a comparison operation but is listed here because it is
always used in conjunction with a comparison operation. To be
precise, COND is a comparison expression. This expression
represents a choice, according to COND, between the value
represented by THEN and the one represented by ELSE.
On most machines, `if_then_else' expressions are valid only to
express conditional jumps.
`(cond [TEST1 VALUE1 TEST2 VALUE2 ...] DEFAULT)'
Similar to `if_then_else', but more general. Each of TEST1,
TEST2, ... is performed in turn. The result of this expression is
the VALUE corresponding to the first non-zero test, or DEFAULT if
none of the tests are non-zero expressions.
This is currently not valid for instruction patterns and is
supported only for insn attributes. *Note Insn Attributes::.

File: gcc.info, Node: Bit Fields, Next: Conversions, Prev: Comparisons, Up: RTL
Bit Fields
==========
Special expression codes exist to represent bitfield instructions.
These types of expressions are lvalues in RTL; they may appear on the
left side of an assignment, indicating insertion of a value into the
specified bit field.
`(sign_extract:M LOC SIZE POS)'
This represents a reference to a sign-extended bit field contained
or starting in LOC (a memory or register reference). The bit field
is SIZE bits wide and starts at bit POS. The compilation option
`BITS_BIG_ENDIAN' says which end of the memory unit POS counts
from.
If LOC is in memory, its mode must be a single-byte integer mode.
If LOC is in a register, the mode to use is specified by the
operand of the `insv' or `extv' pattern (*note Standard Names::.)
and is usually a full-word integer mode, which is the default if
none is specified.
The mode of POS is machine-specific and is also specified in the
`insv' or `extv' pattern.
The mode M is the same as the mode that would be used for LOC if
it were a register.
`(zero_extract:M LOC SIZE POS)'
Like `sign_extract' but refers to an unsigned or zero-extended bit
field. The same sequence of bits are extracted, but they are
filled to an entire word with zeros instead of by sign-extension.

File: gcc.info, Node: Conversions, Next: RTL Declarations, Prev: Bit Fields, Up: RTL
Conversions
===========
All conversions between machine modes must be represented by
explicit conversion operations. For example, an expression which is
the sum of a byte and a full word cannot be written as `(plus:SI
(reg:QI 34) (reg:SI 80))' because the `plus' operation requires two
operands of the same machine mode. Therefore, the byte-sized operand
is enclosed in a conversion operation, as in
(plus:SI (sign_extend:SI (reg:QI 34)) (reg:SI 80))
The conversion operation is not a mere placeholder, because there
may be more than one way of converting from a given starting mode to
the desired final mode. The conversion operation code says how to do
it.
For all conversion operations, X must not be `VOIDmode' because the
mode in which to do the conversion would not be known. The conversion
must either be done at compile-time or X must be placed into a register.
`(sign_extend:M X)'
Represents the result of sign-extending the value X to machine
mode M. M must be a fixed-point mode and X a fixed-point value of
a mode narrower than M.
`(zero_extend:M X)'
Represents the result of zero-extending the value X to machine
mode M. M must be a fixed-point mode and X a fixed-point value of
a mode narrower than M.
`(float_extend:M X)'
Represents the result of extending the value X to machine mode M.
M must be a floating point mode and X a floating point value of a
mode narrower than M.
`(truncate:M X)'
Represents the result of truncating the value X to machine mode M.
M must be a fixed-point mode and X a fixed-point value of a mode
wider than M.
`(float_truncate:M X)'
Represents the result of truncating the value X to machine mode M.
M must be a floating point mode and X a floating point value of a
mode wider than M.
`(float:M X)'
Represents the result of converting fixed point value X, regarded
as signed, to floating point mode M.
`(unsigned_float:M X)'
Represents the result of converting fixed point value X, regarded
as unsigned, to floating point mode M.
`(fix:M X)'
When M is a fixed point mode, represents the result of converting
floating point value X to mode M, regarded as signed. How
rounding is done is not specified, so this operation may be used
validly in compiling C code only for integer-valued operands.
`(unsigned_fix:M X)'
Represents the result of converting floating point value X to
fixed point mode M, regarded as unsigned. How rounding is done is
not specified.
`(fix:M X)'
When M is a floating point mode, represents the result of
converting floating point value X (valid for mode M) to an
integer, still represented in floating point mode M, by rounding
towards zero.

File: gcc.info, Node: RTL Declarations, Next: Side Effects, Prev: Conversions, Up: RTL
Declarations
============
Declaration expression codes do not represent arithmetic operations
but rather state assertions about their operands.
`(strict_low_part (subreg:M (reg:N R) 0))'
This expression code is used in only one context: as the
destination operand of a `set' expression. In addition, the
operand of this expression must be a non-paradoxical `subreg'
expression.
The presence of `strict_low_part' says that the part of the
register which is meaningful in mode N, but is not part of mode M,
is not to be altered. Normally, an assignment to such a subreg is
allowed to have undefined effects on the rest of the register when
M is less than a word.

File: gcc.info, Node: Side Effects, Next: Incdec, Prev: RTL Declarations, Up: RTL
Side Effect Expressions
=======================
The expression codes described so far represent values, not actions.
But machine instructions never produce values; they are meaningful only
for their side effects on the state of the machine. Special expression
codes are used to represent side effects.
The body of an instruction is always one of these side effect codes;
the codes described above, which represent values, appear only as the
operands of these.
`(set LVAL X)'
Represents the action of storing the value of X into the place
represented by LVAL. LVAL must be an expression representing a
place that can be stored in: `reg' (or `subreg' or
`strict_low_part'), `mem', `pc' or `cc0'.
If LVAL is a `reg', `subreg' or `mem', it has a machine mode; then
X must be valid for that mode.
If LVAL is a `reg' whose machine mode is less than the full width
of the register, then it means that the part of the register
specified by the machine mode is given the specified value and the
rest of the register receives an undefined value. Likewise, if
LVAL is a `subreg' whose machine mode is narrower than the mode of
the register, the rest of the register can be changed in an
undefined way.
If LVAL is a `strict_low_part' of a `subreg', then the part of the
register specified by the machine mode of the `subreg' is given
the value X and the rest of the register is not changed.
If LVAL is `(cc0)', it has no machine mode, and X may be either a
`compare' expression or a value that may have any mode. The
latter case represents a "test" instruction. The expression `(set
(cc0) (reg:M N))' is equivalent to `(set (cc0) (compare (reg:M N)
(const_int 0)))'. Use the former expression to save space during
the compilation.
If LVAL is `(pc)', we have a jump instruction, and the
possibilities for X are very limited. It may be a `label_ref'
expression (unconditional jump). It may be an `if_then_else'
(conditional jump), in which case either the second or the third
operand must be `(pc)' (for the case which does not jump) and the
other of the two must be a `label_ref' (for the case which does
jump). X may also be a `mem' or `(plus:SI (pc) Y)', where Y may
be a `reg' or a `mem'; these unusual patterns are used to
represent jumps through branch tables.
If LVAL is neither `(cc0)' nor `(pc)', the mode of LVAL must not
be `VOIDmode' and the mode of X must be valid for the mode of LVAL.
LVAL is customarily accessed with the `SET_DEST' macro and X with
the `SET_SRC' macro.
`(return)'
As the sole expression in a pattern, represents a return from the
current function, on machines where this can be done with one
instruction, such as Vaxes. On machines where a multi-instruction
"epilogue" must be executed in order to return from the function,
returning is done by jumping to a label which precedes the
epilogue, and the `return' expression code is never used.
Inside an `if_then_else' expression, represents the value to be
placed in `pc' to return to the caller.
Note that an insn pattern of `(return)' is logically equivalent to
`(set (pc) (return))', but the latter form is never used.
`(call FUNCTION NARGS)'
Represents a function call. FUNCTION is a `mem' expression whose
address is the address of the function to be called. NARGS is an
expression which can be used for two purposes: on some machines it
represents the number of bytes of stack argument; on others, it
represents the number of argument registers.
Each machine has a standard machine mode which FUNCTION must have.
The machine description defines macro `FUNCTION_MODE' to expand
into the requisite mode name. The purpose of this mode is to
specify what kind of addressing is allowed, on machines where the
allowed kinds of addressing depend on the machine mode being
addressed.
`(clobber X)'
Represents the storing or possible storing of an unpredictable,
undescribed value into X, which must be a `reg', `scratch' or
`mem' expression.
One place this is used is in string instructions that store
standard values into particular hard registers. It may not be
worth the trouble to describe the values that are stored, but it
is essential to inform the compiler that the registers will be
altered, lest it attempt to keep data in them across the string
instruction.
If X is `(mem:BLK (const_int 0))', it means that all memory
locations must be presumed clobbered.
Note that the machine description classifies certain hard
registers as "call-clobbered". All function call instructions are
assumed by default to clobber these registers, so there is no need
to use `clobber' expressions to indicate this fact. Also, each
function call is assumed to have the potential to alter any memory
location, unless the function is declared `const'.
If the last group of expressions in a `parallel' are each a
`clobber' expression whose arguments are `reg' or `match_scratch'
(*note RTL Template::.) expressions, the combiner phase can add
the appropriate `clobber' expressions to an insn it has
constructed when doing so will cause a pattern to be matched.
This feature can be used, for example, on a machine that whose
multiply and add instructions don't use an MQ register but which
has an add-accumulate instruction that does clobber the MQ
register. Similarly, a combined instruction might require a
temporary register while the constituent instructions might not.
When a `clobber' expression for a register appears inside a
`parallel' with other side effects, the register allocator
guarantees that the register is unoccupied both before and after
that insn. However, the reload phase may allocate a register used
for one of the inputs unless the `&' constraint is specified for
the selected alternative (*note Modifiers::.). You can clobber
either a specific hard register, a pseudo register, or a `scratch'
expression; in the latter two cases, GNU CC will allocate a hard
register that is available there for use as a temporary.
For instructions that require a temporary register, you should use
`scratch' instead of a pseudo-register because this will allow the
combiner phase to add the `clobber' when required. You do this by
coding (`clobber' (`match_scratch' ...)). If you do clobber a
pseudo register, use one which appears nowhere else--generate a
new one each time. Otherwise, you may confuse CSE.
There is one other known use for clobbering a pseudo register in a
`parallel': when one of the input operands of the insn is also
clobbered by the insn. In this case, using the same pseudo
register in the clobber and elsewhere in the insn produces the
expected results.
`(use X)'
Represents the use of the value of X. It indicates that the value
in X at this point in the program is needed, even though it may
not be apparent why this is so. Therefore, the compiler will not
attempt to delete previous instructions whose only effect is to
store a value in X. X must be a `reg' expression.
During the delayed branch scheduling phase, X may be an insn.
This indicates that X previously was located at this place in the
code and its data dependencies need to be taken into account.
These `use' insns will be deleted before the delayed branch
scheduling phase exits.
`(parallel [X0 X1 ...])'
Represents several side effects performed in parallel. The square
brackets stand for a vector; the operand of `parallel' is a vector
of expressions. X0, X1 and so on are individual side effect
expressions--expressions of code `set', `call', `return',
`clobber' or `use'.
"In parallel" means that first all the values used in the
individual side-effects are computed, and second all the actual
side-effects are performed. For example,
(parallel [(set (reg:SI 1) (mem:SI (reg:SI 1)))
(set (mem:SI (reg:SI 1)) (reg:SI 1))])
says unambiguously that the values of hard register 1 and the
memory location addressed by it are interchanged. In both places
where `(reg:SI 1)' appears as a memory address it refers to the
value in register 1 *before* the execution of the insn.
It follows that it is *incorrect* to use `parallel' and expect the
result of one `set' to be available for the next one. For
example, people sometimes attempt to represent a jump-if-zero
instruction this way:
(parallel [(set (cc0) (reg:SI 34))
(set (pc) (if_then_else
(eq (cc0) (const_int 0))
(label_ref ...)
(pc)))])
But this is incorrect, because it says that the jump condition
depends on the condition code value *before* this instruction, not
on the new value that is set by this instruction.
Peephole optimization, which takes place together with final
assembly code output, can produce insns whose patterns consist of
a `parallel' whose elements are the operands needed to output the
resulting assembler code--often `reg', `mem' or constant
expressions. This would not be well-formed RTL at any other stage
in compilation, but it is ok then because no further optimization
remains to be done. However, the definition of the macro
`NOTICE_UPDATE_CC', if any, must deal with such insns if you
define any peephole optimizations.
`(sequence [INSNS ...])'
Represents a sequence of insns. Each of the INSNS that appears in
the vector is suitable for appearing in the chain of insns, so it
must be an `insn', `jump_insn', `call_insn', `code_label',
`barrier' or `note'.
A `sequence' RTX is never placed in an actual insn during RTL
generation. It represents the sequence of insns that result from a
`define_expand' *before* those insns are passed to `emit_insn' to
insert them in the chain of insns. When actually inserted, the
individual sub-insns are separated out and the `sequence' is
forgotten.
After delay-slot scheduling is completed, an insn and all the
insns that reside in its delay slots are grouped together into a
`sequence'. The insn requiring the delay slot is the first insn
in the vector; subsequent insns are to be placed in the delay slot.
`INSN_ANNULLED_BRANCH_P' is set on an insn in a delay slot to
indicate that a branch insn should be used that will conditionally
annul the effect of the insns in the delay slots. In such a case,
`INSN_FROM_TARGET_P' indicates that the insn is from the target of
the branch and should be executed only if the branch is taken;
otherwise the insn should be executed only if the branch is not
taken. *Note Delay Slots::.
These expression codes appear in place of a side effect, as the body
of an insn, though strictly speaking they do not always describe side
effects as such:
`(asm_input S)'
Represents literal assembler code as described by the string S.
`(unspec [OPERANDS ...] INDEX)'
`(unspec_volatile [OPERANDS ...] INDEX)'
Represents a machine-specific operation on OPERANDS. INDEX
selects between multiple machine-specific operations.
`unspec_volatile' is used for volatile operations and operations
that may trap; `unspec' is used for other operations.
These codes may appear inside a `pattern' of an insn, inside a
`parallel', or inside an expression.
`(addr_vec:M [LR0 LR1 ...])'
Represents a table of jump addresses. The vector elements LR0,
etc., are `label_ref' expressions. The mode M specifies how much
space is given to each address; normally M would be `Pmode'.
`(addr_diff_vec:M BASE [LR0 LR1 ...])'
Represents a table of jump addresses expressed as offsets from
BASE. The vector elements LR0, etc., are `label_ref' expressions
and so is BASE. The mode M specifies how much space is given to
each address-difference.

File: gcc.info, Node: Incdec, Next: Assembler, Prev: Side Effects, Up: RTL
Embedded Side-Effects on Addresses
==================================
Four special side-effect expression codes appear as memory addresses.
`(pre_dec:M X)'
Represents the side effect of decrementing X by a standard amount
and represents also the value that X has after being decremented.
X must be a `reg' or `mem', but most machines allow only a `reg'.
M must be the machine mode for pointers on the machine in use.
The amount X is decremented by is the length in bytes of the
machine mode of the containing memory reference of which this
expression serves as the address. Here is an example of its use:
(mem:DF (pre_dec:SI (reg:SI 39)))
This says to decrement pseudo register 39 by the length of a
`DFmode' value and use the result to address a `DFmode' value.
`(pre_inc:M X)'
Similar, but specifies incrementing X instead of decrementing it.
`(post_dec:M X)'
Represents the same side effect as `pre_dec' but a different
value. The value represented here is the value X has before being
decremented.
`(post_inc:M X)'
Similar, but specifies incrementing X instead of decrementing it.
These embedded side effect expressions must be used with care.
Instruction patterns may not use them. Until the `flow' pass of the
compiler, they may occur only to represent pushes onto the stack. The
`flow' pass finds cases where registers are incremented or decremented
in one instruction and used as an address shortly before or after;
these cases are then transformed to use pre- or post-increment or
-decrement.
If a register used as the operand of these expressions is used in
another address in an insn, the original value of the register is used.
Uses of the register outside of an address are not permitted within the
same insn as a use in an embedded side effect expression because such
insns behave differently on different machines and hence must be treated
as ambiguous and disallowed.
An instruction that can be represented with an embedded side effect
could also be represented using `parallel' containing an additional
`set' to describe how the address register is altered. This is not
done because machines that allow these operations at all typically
allow them wherever a memory address is called for. Describing them as
additional parallel stores would require doubling the number of entries
in the machine description.

File: gcc.info, Node: Assembler, Next: Insns, Prev: Incdec, Up: RTL
Assembler Instructions as Expressions
=====================================
The RTX code `asm_operands' represents a value produced by a
user-specified assembler instruction. It is used to represent an `asm'
statement with arguments. An `asm' statement with a single output
operand, like this:
asm ("foo %1,%2,%0" : "=a" (outputvar) : "g" (x + y), "di" (*z));
is represented using a single `asm_operands' RTX which represents the
value that is stored in `outputvar':
(set RTX-FOR-OUTPUTVAR
(asm_operands "foo %1,%2,%0" "a" 0
[RTX-FOR-ADDITION-RESULT RTX-FOR-*Z]
[(asm_input:M1 "g")
(asm_input:M2 "di")]))
Here the operands of the `asm_operands' RTX are the assembler template
string, the output-operand's constraint, the index-number of the output
operand among the output operands specified, a vector of input operand
RTX's, and a vector of input-operand modes and constraints. The mode
M1 is the mode of the sum `x+y'; M2 is that of `*z'.
When an `asm' statement has multiple output values, its insn has
several such `set' RTX's inside of a `parallel'. Each `set' contains a
`asm_operands'; all of these share the same assembler template and
vectors, but each contains the constraint for the respective output
operand. They are also distinguished by the output-operand index
number, which is 0, 1, ... for successive output operands.