GNU Info

(gcc-295.info)PIC

---

Next: Assembler Format Prev: Sections Up: Target Macros

---

Enter node , (file) or (file)node

Position Independent Code
=========================

   This section describes macros that help implement generation of
position independent code.  Simply defining these macros is not enough
to generate valid PIC; you must also add support to the macros
`GO_IF_LEGITIMATE_ADDRESS' and `PRINT_OPERAND_ADDRESS', as well as
`LEGITIMIZE_ADDRESS'.  You must modify the definition of `movsi' to do
something appropriate when the source operand contains a symbolic
address.  You may also need to alter the handling of switch statements
so that they use relative addresses.

`PIC_OFFSET_TABLE_REGNUM'
     The register number of the register used to address a table of
     static data addresses in memory.  In some cases this register is
     defined by a processor's "application binary interface" (ABI).
     When this macro is defined, RTL is generated for this register
     once, as with the stack pointer and frame pointer registers.  If
     this macro is not defined, it is up to the machine-dependent files
     to allocate such a register (if necessary).

`PIC_OFFSET_TABLE_REG_CALL_CLOBBERED'
     Define this macro if the register defined by
     `PIC_OFFSET_TABLE_REGNUM' is clobbered by calls.  Do not define
     this macro if `PIC_OFFSET_TABLE_REGNUM' is not defined.

`FINALIZE_PIC'
     By generating position-independent code, when two different
     programs (A and B) share a common library (libC.a), the text of
     the library can be shared whether or not the library is linked at
     the same address for both programs.  In some of these
     environments, position-independent code requires not only the use
     of different addressing modes, but also special code to enable the
     use of these addressing modes.

     The `FINALIZE_PIC' macro serves as a hook to emit these special
     codes once the function is being compiled into assembly code, but
     not before.  (It is not done before, because in the case of
     compiling an inline function, it would lead to multiple PIC
     prologues being included in functions which used inline functions
     and were compiled to assembly language.)

`LEGITIMATE_PIC_OPERAND_P (X)'
     A C expression that is nonzero if X is a legitimate immediate
     operand on the target machine when generating position independent
     code.  You can assume that X satisfies `CONSTANT_P', so you need
     not check this.  You can also assume FLAG_PIC is true, so you need
     not check it either.  You need not define this macro if all
     constants (including `SYMBOL_REF') can be immediate operands when
     generating position independent code.