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Why I loathe _swix()

_swix() is a function in the RISC OS C library that allows one to easily call SWIs. It is small, compact, easy to read.

Consider:

   __asm
   {
      SWI OS_ReadMonotonicTime
      timenow = R0
   }
compare with:
   timenow = ReadMonotonic();
...plus this in an assembler file...
   EXPORT ReadMonotonic
ReadMonotonic
   SWI  OS_ReadMonotonicTime
   MOV  PC, R14
and compare with:
   _kernel_swi(OS_ReadMonotonicTime, &r, &r);
   timenow = r.r[0];
and also compare with:
   (void) _swix(OS_ReadMonotonicTime, _OUT(0), &timenow);

There is actually an order to the entries. They are presented in increasing order of "work done".

For the inline assembly, the compiler might rearrange a few things in the optimiser stage, but you basically get exactly what you ask for. No, really - here is the wimp polling part of DumbServer:

The "calling a function" version was the least-work-done option prior to inline assembly. It isn't for everybody, as it means making assembler code and linking it with the final program. This isn't something to be feared - huge swathes of many libraries are exactly this.

_kernel_swi() is fairly simple. I've seen many programs written using _kernel_swi() for most SWI calls, and to be honest if I'm trying out new code I'll often use _kernel_swi() and switch to custom routines later. It is more verbose, especially setting up each register in turn, however it is extremely clear about what is going where. You pretty much don't have to parse _kernel_swi() code, it is self-evident.
Here is the code for _kernel_swi():

|_kernel_swi|
        FunctionEntry "a3, v1-v6"
        BIC     r12, a1, #&80000000
        TST     a1, #&80000000
        ORREQ   r12, r12, #X
        LDMIA   r1, {r0-r9}
        SWI     XOS_CallASWIR12
        LDR     ip, [sp]
        STMIA   ip, {r0-r9}
        MOVVC   a1, #0
        BLVS    CopyError               ; BL<cond> 32-bit OK
        Return  "a3, v1-v6"
Basically, we're sorting out the SWI number and pushing it into R12, pulling all of the useful registers off the stack, calling a SWI to call the SWI, pushing the (possibly updated?) registers back, and sorting out error situation or returning zero if no error.
It is at this part that the disassembly becomes harder to read. No modern version of Debugger is able to parse C's branch table, so what you will see is a BL branch to later in the program, and if you follow it, many many lines of MOV PC, #0. If it's the tenth one down, it is _kernel_swi(). Hardly intuitive.

And finally, we come to the loathing that is _swix(). In the disassembly, _swix() is much like _kernel_swi(), only it is the final MOV PC, #0...well, at least in the current versions of CLib.
The problem is, _swix() can provide nice tidy lines like this (though, note the use of _INR with R suffix, and _OUT without an R suffix):

   (void) _swix(OS_SWINumberFromString, _INR(0,1)|_OUT(0), 0, (int)"My_SWIName", &swinumber);
We are telling the instruction that we are passing two registers (R0 and R1) and we expect a reply from R0. Data tidily follows.
Maybe it is growing up with the BBC Micro? I don't know. I see an instruction like that and I suck air through my teeth and mutter oooh, you're gonna pay for that.

Sure enough...

Here's the code for _swix(). The code is two incarnations - the first is a "StrongARM" type, which means it creates non-self-modifying code to be safe on later processors with split caches (that's all of the modern ones), plus a type for older (legacy) machines that constructs stuff on the stack and runs it.
Only the first part need concern us nowadays.

Ready?

  [ StrongARM
    ; tedious static _swi(x) entry handling, to avoid generating dynamic code, and
    ; requiring an expensive XOS_SynchroniseCodeAreas

|_swix|
        ORR     r0, r0, #&20000
        TST     r1, #&FF0                 ; check for use of input regs. 4 to 9, or of block param
        BNE     swix_even_more_tedious    ; if so, do full stuff

        STMFD   sp!, {r2, r3}             ; put 1st two variadic args on stack
        STMDB   sp!, {r1, r4-r9, lr}      ; save stuff

        SUB     sp, sp, #5*4              ; so we can use tail code common with dynamic version (and room for regs stash)

        ADD     r14, sp, #(5+8)*4         ; r14 -> input args
        MOV     r12, r0                   ; target SWI code
        STR     fp, [sp]                  ; stash fp

        MOV     r11, r1
        TST     r11, #&001
        LDRNE   r0, [r14], #4
        TST     r11, #&002
        LDRNE   r1, [r14], #4
        TST     r11, #&004
        LDRNE   r2, [r14], #4
        TST     r11, #&008
        LDRNE   r3, [r14], #4

        STR     r14, [sp, #4]             ; stash args ptr
        LDR     fp, [sp, #0]              ; get fp and lr saying something useful in case
        LDR     lr, [sp, #48]             ; SWI aborts or throws an error.
        SWI     XOS_CallASWIR12
        LDR     ip, [sp, #4]              ; restore (ip -> args)
        B       SWIXReturn

swix_even_more_tedious
|_swi|
        STMFD   sp!, {r2, r3}             ; put 1st two variadic args on stack
        STMDB   sp!, {r1, r4-r9, lr}      ; save stuff

        SUB     sp, sp, #5*4              ; so we can use tail code common with dynamic version (and room for regs stash)

        ADD     r14, sp, #(5+8)*4         ; r14 -> input args
        MOV     r12, r0                   ; target SWI code
        STR     fp, [sp]                  ; stash fp


        MOV     r11, r1
        TST     r11, #&001
        LDRNE   r0, [r14], #4
        TST     r11, #&002
        LDRNE   r1, [r14], #4
        TST     r11, #&004
        LDRNE   r2, [r14], #4
        TST     r11, #&008
        LDRNE   r3, [r14], #4
        TST     r11, #&010
        LDRNE   r4, [r14], #4
        TST     r11, #&020
        LDRNE   r5, [r14], #4
        TST     r11, #&040
        LDRNE   r6, [r14], #4
        TST     r11, #&080
        LDRNE   r7, [r14], #4
        TST     r11, #&100
        LDRNE   r8, [r14], #4
        TST     r11, #&200
        LDRNE   r9, [r14], #4

        STR     r14, [sp, #4]             ; stash args ptr
        TST     r11, #&800                ; use of block parameter input?
        BLNE    swi_blockhead             ; if so, handle it and... (BL<cond> 32-bit OK)
        TST     r11, #&800                ; use of block parameter input? (r11 preserved by the call, flags not)
        LDRNE   r14, [sp, #4]             ; ...restore arg ptr

        TST     r12, #&20000              ; if non X SWI, could be a return value register
        BEQ     swi_beyond_a_joke

        LDR     fp, [sp, #0]              ; get fp and lr saying something useful in case
        LDR     lr, [sp, #48]             ; SWI aborts or throws an error.
        SWI     XOS_CallASWIR12
        LDR     ip, [sp, #4]              ; restore (ip -> args)
        B       SWIXReturn

swi_beyond_a_joke
;so we have to deal with a return value then
        LDR     fp, [sp, #0]              ; get fp and lr saying something useful in case
        LDR     lr, [sp, #48]             ; SWI aborts or throws an error.
        SWI     XOS_CallASWIR12
        LDR     ip, [sp, #4]              ; restore (ip -> args)
        StoreSWIXFlags
        LDR     lr, [sp, #1*4]
;right, if R0 is also required as an output param, we'd better sort that first
        TST     lr,#&80000000
        BEQ     swi_beyond_a_joke_R0safe
        LDRNE   lr, [r12], #4
        STRNE   r0, [lr]
        LDR     lr, [sp, #1*4]
        BIC     lr,lr,#&80000000       ;done it now
        STR     lr, [sp, #1*4]
swi_beyond_a_joke_R0safe
        ANDS    lr, lr, #&000F0000     ;select return value register
        BEQ     SWIReturn2
        CMP     lr, #&00010000
        MOVEQ   r0, r1
        CMP     lr, #&00020000
        MOVEQ   r0, r2
        CMP     lr, #&00030000
        MOVEQ   r0, r3
        CMP     lr, #&00040000
        MOVEQ   r0, r4
        CMP     lr, #&00050000
        MOVEQ   r0, r5
        CMP     lr, #&00060000
        MOVEQ   r0, r6
        CMP     lr, #&00070000
        MOVEQ   r0, r7
        CMP     lr, #&00080000
        MOVEQ   r0, r8
        CMP     lr, #&00090000
        MOVEQ   r0, r9
        CMP     lr, #&000F0000         ;for goodness sake!
        LDREQ   r0, [sp]
        B       SWIReturn2

swi_blockhead
        STMFD   sp!, {r10-r12, lr}
        LDR     r12, [sp, #(4+1)*4]    ;pick up args ptr from stack
;r12 currently -> first output arg, so crank it past them
        MOVS    r11, r11, ASL #1
        ADDCS   r12, r12, #4           ;tests R0 output bit
        ADDMI   r12, r12, #4           ;tests R1 output bit
        MOV     r10, #5                ;5 more reg bit pairs to go (includes PC and one dummy)
swi_blockhead1
        MOVS    r11, r11, ASL #2
        ADDCS   r12, r12, #4
        ADDMI   r12, r12, #4
        SUBS    r10, r10, #1
        BNE     swi_blockhead1
;now r12 -> parameter block args on stack
        LDR     r11, [sp,#4]
        ANDS    r11, r11, #&f000       ;select reg for parameter block pointer
        MOVEQ   r0, r12
        CMP     r11, #&1000
        MOVEQ   r1, r12
        CMP     r11, #&2000
        MOVEQ   r2, r12
        CMP     r11, #&3000
        MOVEQ   r3, r12
        CMP     r11, #&4000
        MOVEQ   r4, r12
        CMP     r11, #&5000
        MOVEQ   r5, r12
        CMP     r11, #&6000
        MOVEQ   r6, r12
        CMP     r11, #&7000
        MOVEQ   r7, r12
        CMP     r11, #&8000
        MOVEQ   r8, r12
        CMP     r11, #&9000
        MOVEQ   r9, r12

        LDMFD   sp!, {r10-r12, pc} ; no need to restore flags

  ] ; StrongARM

Are you frigging kidding me? For the convenience of making code look a little prettier, you'll run 24 instructions just to call a SWI? And that's the best case. I'll leave it for you to work out the worst case (expecting a register back, and that register being R0...), but really, labels with names like swix_even_more_tedious and swi_beyond_a_joke ought to tell you something.

 

Finally, many thanks to Colin for clarifying the behaviours of recv() and accept(), especially in the sense of non-blocking. It is always nice to know that there is a simpler way to do something. ☺

 

 

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David Pilling, 11th January 2016, 03:06
Amazing, I never knew I was wasting so many processor cycles.

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