ASM With C Programming

i have started to write a program that asks the user to enter a number to change the colour of the text and then again for the background.

however i am stuck on how to use C with ASM.

here is the code i have so far.

Code:

---

#include <stdio.h>
#include <conio.h>

void ClearScreen(void);
void BGcolour(void);

void main()
{
ClearScreen();
BGcolour();
}


void BGcolour()
{
int number;

printf ("Please enter a number");
scanf ("%d", number);


          asm{mov ah,02
              mov bh,0 //sets where the writing is. bigger the number the more it shifts accross the screen.
              mov dx,0
              int 10h
              mov ah,9
              mov cx,2000
              mov bl,4eh//first number is background colour, second is text colour
              mov al,' '
              int 10h
              }

printf ("Hello this is the new text colour");
}



void ClearScreen(void)
{

        asm{mov ah,6
            mov al,0
            mov bh,1
            mov ch,0
            mov cl,0
            mov dh,24
            mov dl,79
            int 10h
            }
}

---

sorry if this is in the wrong section

can anyone help?

What compiler and OS?

> void main()
Oh dear.

> scanf ("%d", number);
I wonder what random memory location that trashed.

sorry bout the void main just used it. im using turbo c compiler i think

I see you have already found the invention called inline assembly (which makes me cry) :( If you want to use system calls, we really need to know what OS you are using. Here's an snippet of calling a function MyFunc that takes two parameters, adds them, and returns the anwer:

Code:

---

/*C code*/
_cdecl int MyFunc(int a, int b)
{
    return a+b;
}

---

The _cdecl ensures parameters passed on the stack from right to left order and that the function cleans up the stack. This C code produces this assembly code:

Code:

---

:_MyFunc
pushl %ebp
movl %ebp, %esp
movl %eax, [%ebp + 8]
movl %edx, [%ebp + 12]
addl %eax, %edx
popl %ebp
ret

---

Then to call this in assembly to calculate 1+2 you would go:

Code:

---

pushl $2
pushl $3
call _MyFunc
addl $8, %esp

---

Then your anwer is in eax. As for inline assembly, check out the link. This is one of the most advanced subjects in C and really makes your code confusing. I try to avoid it whenever I can. But if you want to take it on, be my guest.

Quote:

---

:_MyFunc
pushl %ebp
movl %ebp, %esp
movl %eax, [%ebp + 8]
movl %edx, [%ebp + 12]
addl %eax, %edx
popl %ebp
retThen to call this in assembly to calculate 1+2 you would go:

Code:
pushl $2
pushl $3
call _MyFunc
addl $8, %esp

---

None of that will work for MSVC, Borland, or Intel compilers be it inline or pure asm files. That is AT&T syntax and most popular compilers use Intel syntax, not AT&T. The only one I know of that uses AT&T is DJGPP and maybe Watcom although I've not heard about it in a very long time. I don't know what Dev-C uses since I stay as far away as possible from that compiler.

For MSVC you must use __asm not just asm. There are lots of rules concerning assembly language in your compiler and therefore the help docs should explain everything you need to know about inline assembly short of explaining assembly language in general.

Be aware though that since these compilers use Intel syntax and do not allow a register frag list, you really have no clue as to the state of the registers upon entry into an inline asm block.
Consult your compiler help for more info.

As to the parameter order on the stack, this is relative to the call type of the function. Since this type can be changed with keywords in C, you must check the function prototype to understand which order the params will be in.

I don't recommend using assembly unless you are needing a highly optimized code section that just cannot be matched in C. This doesn't appear to be one of those instances.

Back in the DOS days and old compilers assembly made a big difference but in recent times this difference is fading and nearly disappearing. Be cautious and profile the code.

I use a lot of linux when I am doing my assembly programming and in linux (as well as gas) you use AT&T syntax. Regardless, the two are not that hard to convert. Take of the l's at the end of instructions, remove the $ and %, readjust the memory addressing...Also, _cdecl guarentees right-to-left order of parameters for functions.

There are a number of more signficant differences between Intel and AT&T and converting them is not as simple as you make it sound.

Yes, but for the code I showed, there is not that much more you need to do. I've worked in assembly for many years and I understand the differences between AT&T and Intel syntax. But for the purposes of this discussion, we don't need to get into the many little things that ARE important. All I was trying to do was illustrate the way to call a C function. And I'm not trying to "make it sound" as though converting is easy.

Quote:

---

sorry bout the void main just used it. im using turbo c compiler i think

---

Isn't it a stoneage compiler?

Yes, it was used by the druids to build stonehenge ;)

You may want to upgrade to Dev-C++ 4.9.9.2 (beta, but stable) or Code::Blocks. I personally like Dev-C++ better as it is more "clean", but it also hasn't been updated in a year or so.