Microsoft KB Archive/39381

= Basic Supports MASM 5.10 Update .MODEL and PROC Extensions =

Article ID: 39381

Article Last Modified on 11/21/2006



This article was previously published under Q39381



SUMMARY
The Microsoft Macro Assembler Version 5.10 includes several new features (not found in MASM Version 5.00 or earlier) that simplify assembly-language routines linked with high-level language programs Two of these features are as follows:


 * 1) An extension to the .MODEL directive that automatically sets up naming, calling, and return conventions for a given high-level language; for example, .MODEL MEDIUM,Basic
 * 2) A modification of the PROC directive that handles most of the procedure entry automatically. The PROC directive saves specified registers, defines text macros for passed arguments, and generates stack setup code on entry and stack tear-down code on exit.

These new features are supported by QuickBasic Versions 4.00, 4.00b, and 4.50 and the Microsoft Basic Compiler Versions 6.00 and 6.00b.

Section 5 of the &quot;Microsoft Macro Assembler 5.1: 5.1 Update&quot; manual discusses the new features.



MORE INFORMATION
Page 332 of the &quot;Microsoft QuickBasic Version 4.00: Learning and Using QuickBasic&quot; manual provides an example of an assembly-language function called by Basic. The example from Page 332 is modified below to demonstrate the new features in the Microsoft Macro Assembler Version 5.10.

Compile and Link Instructions are as follows:

BC power.bas;

MASM power.asm,powera;

LINK power + powera;

The following is the Basic Program, POWER.BAS, which invokes the assembly language function POWER2: DEFINT A-Z DECLARE FUNCTION power2 (x%, y%) PRINT power2(3, 5) END The following is POWER2.ASM, an example of using the extended .MODEL and .PROC directives in MASM 5.10: .model medium,Basic ;Adds the language option &quot;,Basic&quot; .code ;PUBLIC directive was removed. The label on                    ;the PROC directive is now the function name. Power2 PROC arg1:word, arg2:word ;parameters added to PROC

;Note: PUSH BP and MOV BP,SP are no longer needed. ;The arguments are refered to by the names supplied on the ;PROC list instead of their offset from BP (Base Pointer): mov  bx,arg1 mov  ax,[bx] mov  bx,arg2 mov  cx,[bx] shl  ax,cl ;Note, POP BP is no longer needed. ret     ;RET is used now, instead of RET n, (where n is                ;two times the number of passed arguments.) Power2 endp end For comparison, the following is the equivalent, earlier (MASM Version 5.00) form for POWER2.ASM, taken from Page 332 of &quot;Learning and Using QuickBasic&quot; (for Versions 4.00 and 4.00b, and Basic Compiler Versions 6.00 and 6.00b): .model medium .code PUBLIC Power2 Power2 PROC PUSH BP       MOV   BP,SP        ; Set stack framepointer mov  bx,[bp+8]    ; Load Arg1 into mov  ax,[bx]      ;   AX       mov   bx,[bp+6]    ; Load Arg2 into mov  cx,[bx]      ;   CX       shl   ax,cl        ; AX = AX * (2 to power of CX) ; Leave return value in AX      POP   BP           ; Exit sequence -- restore old BP       ret   4            ; Return and restore 4 bytes. Power2 endp end

Additional query words: QuickBas BasicCom

Keywords: KB39381

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