LDR pseudo-instruction

Load a register with either a 32-bit immediate value or an address.

Note

This describes the LDR pseudo-instruction only, and not the LDR instruction.

Syntax

LDR{cond}{.W} Rt, =expr

LDR{cond}{.W} Rt, =label_expr

where:

cond: is an optional condition code.
.W: is an optional instruction width specifier.
Rt: is the register to be loaded.
expr: evaluates to a numeric value.
label_expr: is a PC-relative or external expression of an address in the form of a label plus or minus a numeric value.

Usage

When using the LDR pseudo-instruction:

If the value of expr can be loaded with a valid MOV or MVN instruction, the assembler uses that instruction.
If a valid MOV or MVN instruction cannot be used, or if the label_expr syntax is used, the assembler places the constant in a literal pool and generates a PC-relative LDR instruction that reads the constant from the literal pool.
Note
- An address loaded in this way is fixed at link time, so the code is not position-independent.
- The address holding the constant remains valid regardless of where the linker places the ELF section containing the LDR instruction.

The assembler places the value of label_expr in a literal pool and generates a PC-relative LDR instruction that loads the value from the literal pool.

If label_expr is an external expression, or is not contained in the current section, the assembler places a linker relocation directive in the object file. The linker generates the address at link time.

If label_expr is either a named or numeric local label, the assembler places a linker relocation directive in the object file and generates a symbol for that local label. The address is generated at link time. If the local label references T32 code, the T32 bit (bit 0) of the address is set.

The offset from the PC to the value in the literal pool must be less than ±4KB (in an A32 or 32-bit T32 encoding) or in the range 0 to +1KB (16-bit T32 encoding). You are responsible for ensuring that there is a literal pool within range.

If the label referenced is in T32 code, the LDR pseudo-instruction sets the T32 bit (bit 0) of label_expr.

Note

In RealView Compilation Tools (RVCT) v2.2, the T32 bit of the address was not set. If you have code that relies on this behavior, use the command line option --untyped_local_labels to force the assembler not to set the T32 bit when referencing labels in T32 code.

LDR in T32 code

You can use the .W width specifier to force LDR to generate a 32-bit instruction in T32 code. LDR.W always generates a 32-bit instruction, even if the immediate value could be loaded in a 16-bit MOV, or there is a literal pool within reach of a 16-bit PC-relative load.

If the value to be loaded is not known in the first pass of the assembler, LDR without .W generates a 16-bit instruction in T32 code, even if that results in a 16-bit PC-relative load for a value that could be generated in a 32-bit MOV or MVN instruction. However, if the value is known in the first pass, and it can be generated using a 32-bit MOV or MVN instruction, the MOV or MVN instruction is used.

In UAL syntax, the LDR pseudo-instruction never generates a 16-bit flag-setting MOV instruction. Use the --diag_warning 1727 assembler command line option to check when a 16-bit instruction could have been used.

You can use the MOV32 pseudo-instruction for generating immediate values or addresses without loading from a literal pool.

Examples

        LDR     r3,=0xff0    ; loads 0xff0 into R3
                             ; =>  MOV.W r3,#0xff0
        LDR     r1,=0xfff    ; loads 0xfff into R1
                             ; =>  LDR r1,[pc,offset_to_litpool]
                             ;     ...
                             ;     litpool DCD 0xfff
        LDR     r2,=place    ; loads the address of
                             ; place into R2
                             ; =>  LDR r2,[pc,offset_to_litpool]
                             ;     ...
                             ;     litpool DCD place