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======  Assembly Language  ======

//Assembly language// is a [[Symbol|symbolic]] representation of [[Machine Language|machine language]]. It is therefore very [[Portable|architecture-specific]].

Each instruction is represented by a short mnemonic word such as "LDR" for //Load Register//, "MOV" for //move//, or "MUL" for //multiply//, followed by (optional) arguments. The [[Addressing Mode|addressing mode]] is implied by the format of the arguments. The instructions and addressing modes available are defined by and specific to a particular target processor. Different [[Assembler|assemblers]] use slightly different syntax, even for the same processor.

=====  Examples  =====

====  x86  ====

Here is a "Hello, World!" program written for an x86_64 Linux system using the [[https://sourceware.org/binutils/docs/as/|GNU Assembler (gas/as)]] syntax (which is the main assembler used in open source projects such as the Linux kernel, as well as the [[SPO600]] course), using Linux [[Syscalls]]:

<code>
 .text
 .globl _start
 _start:
     mov $len, %edx     /* file descriptor: 1 is stdout */ 
     mov $msg, %ecx     /* message location (memory address) */
     mov $1, %ebx       /* message length (bytes) */
     mov $4, %eax       /* write is syscall #4 */
     int $0x80          /* invoke syscall */
     mov $0, %ebx       /* exit status: 0 (good) */
     mov $1, %eax       /* kernel syscall number: 1 is sys_exit */
     int $0x80          /* invoke syscall */
 .data
 msg:
     .ascii "Hello, World!\n"
     len = . - msg</code>

Here is a similar program for a 32-bit x86 system using the [[http://www.nasm.us/xdoc/2.11/html/nasmdoc1.html#section-1.1|Nasm]] syntax:

<code>
 section    .text
 global    _start
 _start:
     mov    edx,len          ; message length (bytes)
     mov    ecx,msg          ; message location (memory address)
     mov    ebx,1            ; file descriptor: 1 is stdout
     mov    eax,4            ; kernel syscall number: 4 is sys_write
     int    0x80             ; invoke syscall
     mov    ebx,0            ; exit status: 0 (good)
     mov    eax,1            ; kernel syscall number: 1 is sys_exit
     int    0x80             ; invoke syscall
 section    .rodata
 msg    db    'Hello, world!\n'
 len    equ    $ - msg</code>


Notice that the order of the arguments in some lines is reversed between the two assemblers, and the prefixes to symbols and values also change.


====  ARM (32-bit)  ====

This is written in [[https://sourceware.org/binutils/docs/as/|GNU Assembler (gas/as)]] syntax using Linux [[Syscalls]]:

<code>
 .text
 .globl _start
 _start:
      mov     %r0, $1     /* file descriptor: 1 is stdout */
      ldr     %r1, =msg   /* message location (memory address) */
      ldr     %r2, =len   /* message length (bytes) */
      mov     %r7, $4     /* write is syscall #4 */
      swi     $0          /* invoke syscall */
      mov     %r0, $0     /* exit status: 0 (good) */
      mov     %r7, $1     /* kernel syscall number: 1 is sys_exit */
      swi     $0          /* invoke syscall */
 .data
 msg:
      .ascii      "Hello, world!\n"
      len = . - msg</code>


====  ARM (64-bit) - AArch64  ====

This is also in [[https://sourceware.org/binutils/docs/as/|GNU Assembler (gas/as)]] syntax using Linux [[Syscalls]]:

<code>
 .text
 .globl _start
 _start:
 	mov     x0, 1           /* file descriptor: 1 is stdout */
 	adr     x1, msg   	/* message location (memory address) */
  	mov     x2, len   	/* message length (bytes) */
  	mov     x8, 64     	/* write is syscall #64 */
 	svc     0          	/* invoke syscall */
 	mov     x0, 0     	/* status -> 0 */
 	mov     x8, 93    	/* exit is syscall #93 */
 	svc     0          	/* invoke syscall */
 .data
 msg: 	.ascii      "Hello, world!\n"
 len= 	. - msg</code>


====  6502  ====

Here is the same "Hello World" program in [[6502]] assembler as used in the [[6502 Emulator]], using the [[6502_Emulator#ROM_Routines|ROM routines]] for output:

<code>
 define SCINIT $ff81    ; initialize/clear screen
 define CHROUT $ffd2    ; output character to screen
 
 	JSR SCINIT	; initialize and clear the screen
 	LDY #$00	; set Y index to zero
 loop:	LDA msg,Y	; get a character
 	BEQ done	; quit if character is null
 	JSR CHROUT	; output the character
 	INY		; increment index
 	JMP loop	; get next character
 done:	BRK		; break (stop program)
 msg:	
 	DCB "H","e","l","l","o",$2C,$20
 	DCB "W","o","r","l","d","!",$0d, $00</code>


=====  Resources  =====

  *  [[Assembler Basics]]
  *  [[http://leto.net/code/asm/hw_assembler.php|"Hello World" in many different types of assembler]]
  *  [[x86_64 Register and Instruction Quick Start]]
  *  [[aarch64 Register and Instruction Quick Start]]