Noob problems

[MichaelW]

The MASM32 components will conflict with the CRT so you cannot reasonably use masm32rt or the print macro.

Code Select Expand


;include \masm32\include\masm32rt.inc
.686
.model flat,stdcall

printf PROTO C :VARARG

;MasmProggie PROTO C :SDWORD, :SDWORD ; exports euclid to C
.data
    fmt db "This is assembler", 10, 0
.code
MasmProggie proc C x:SDWORD, y:SDWORD
  ;print "This is assembler", 13, 10
  invoke printf, ADDR fmt
  mov eax, x
  mul y
  ret ; return value already in eax
MasmProggie endp
end ;MasmProggie


Code Select Expand


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

int MasmProggie(int, int);

int main(int argc, char* argv[])
{
  int i=10; //just for fun
  printf("Arg count=%d\n", argc);
  printf("The product of argct and 10: %d\n", MasmProggie(i, argc));
  getch();
  return 0;
}


Code Select Expand


set file1="MasmProggie"
set path=\masm32\bin;%PATH%
ml /c /coff %file1%.asm
pause
set file2="test"
set PATH=C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual C++ Toolkit 2003\bin;%PATH%
set INCLUDE=C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDK\include;C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual C++ Toolkit 2003\include;%INCLUDE%
set LIB=C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDK\Lib;C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual C++ Toolkit 2003\lib;%LIB%
cl /W4 /FA %file2%.c %file1%.obj
pause


[KeepingRealBusy]

JJ,

Why do you think we areall  here in the MASM32 forum?

Dave.

[anta40]

but C/C++ is just a shame for the civilised programming world, honestly 8)

Blame AT&T / UNIX for them  :P
The reason I use C is because... it's heavily used in UNIX.
C++ is actually a somewhat better C, but it can be easily used to overcomplicate things.

For people who can't stand C/C++, Pascal might be a good choice :P

[jj2007]

The MASM32 components will conflict with the CRT so you cannot reasonably use masm32rt or the print macro.

My C++ proggie calls successfully the Masm32 print macro, and uses equally successfully MasmBasic's Recall function, a fairly complex routine using also Windows API calls. So that seems not to be a big obstacle. But, afaik print is not a crt routine, so you might have a point there...
What still bothers me is that I can do it from Visual C Express but not with cl.exe...

For people who can't stand C/C++, Pascal might be a good choice :P

MasmBasic is inspired by GfaBasic, which (in its successful moments) was considered the perfect synthesis of BASIC and Pascal. So I understand what I mean.

[hutch--]

The 16 bit GFA I used back in about 1995 was a very good tool, the libraries were written in assembler and it ran like it. The scoping rules took a little getting used to but it was a very "can do" language way back then. It was "kick ass" to the C version 7 I was using which was a lemon and I wrote my last 16 bit code in GFA. Come 32 bit I went in the direction of PowerBASIC where I wanted a basic compiler but as a true addict, it was MASM that offered the promise of FLAT memory model that existed only in Microsoft documentation in earlier versions of MASM.

I think without FLAT memory model MASM I would have retired in about 1996 as I detested the old 16 bit fudges that made DOS and Win3? chug along and co-operative multitasking was something that everyone should experience at least once, the novelty wore off the second time. Anything else running could take down a perfectly written app if it did something naughty with memory, nothing like having your code section overwritten with another app's data. 

[MichaelW]

Traditionally, when mixing assembly language with a high-level language, because high-level languages generally require initialization code (to initialize the CRT, for example), you had to make the high-level language module the main module. Failing this, you had to find a way to force the high-level language initialization code to run from the assembly module. In my tests, using the Visual C++ Toolkit 2003 compiler and command lines that do not specify the entry point, the compiler seems to know that the C module must be the main module. So I can reverse the order of the files on the command line, or specify an entry point in the END statement in the assembly module, and the resulting app compiles and runs OK. With other compilers, or when compiling and linking in separate steps, it might not work the same way.

[Vortex]

Hi Jochen,

You can create C executables without depending on C run-time startup modules.

[jj2007]

Hi Jochen,

You can create C executables without depending on C run-time startup modules.

Hi Erol,
Yes, by not using any output functions etc.
My problem is it works fine from VS Express but I'd like to start from my Masm IDE via the command line. In VS the *.cpp source has this command line:

/ZI /nologo /W3 /WX- /Od /Oy- /D "WIN32" /D "_DEBUG" /D "_CONSOLE" /D "_UNICODE" /D "UNICODE" /Gm /EHsc /RTC1 /GS /arch:SSE /fp:precise /Zc:wchar_t /Zc:forScope /Yu"StdAfx.h" /Fp"Debug\JJC.pch" /Fa"Debug\" /Fo"Debug\" /Fd"Debug\vc100.pdb" /Gd /analyze- /errorReport:queue

... which I find pretty disgusting but there are probably lots of "reasons" for this monster.

[Vortex]

Hi Jochen,

You can use output functions like printf without the default static C run-time library. msvcrt.dll is exporting output functions like printf

You can simplify the command-line parameters. For example, do you need all the UNICODE features?

[Don57]

Years ago we use to create a section of dummy code in the higher level language, then have the higher level code call an assembler stub, which would then write the assembler code to the dummy code section. A real pain but usually worked as a last resort.

[Ghandi]

/NODEFAULTLIB:LIBCMT.LIB

Use this to tell the linker not to link against libcmt.lib and it will then force the linker to look amongst any object files/libs which you've provided.

Just as you can set which .lib files are used via the commandline rather than using '#pragma comment (lib, "libname.lib")', horses for courses really.

Make a function WinMain in your ASM code and only have 'END' at the end of your source code and link with any of the CRT lib files and you will automatically get the bootstrap code placed in your executable which will call WinMain. Or you can even make your own functions which fit the prototype and the linker will be quite happy to link to your version of printf instead of the one it would have gotten from libcmt.lib

Don't forget to give it the proper declaration so that params are accessible and you don't have to write a single line in C yet you can include lib files like zLib and they will actually be able to initialize the heap rather than crashing with an access violation. I had trouble using zLib with MASM after compiling it with VC6++ and i couldn't figure out what the problem was at first, used the NODEFAULTLIB switch and then replaced any of the functions it complained about and it worked. Now (if i can find it again) i have a 100% MASM32 compatible zLib.lib file that doesn't require any of the C runtime because any calls to malloc/free/memcpy/etc are replaced with either the Win32 API equivalent OR a handrolled ASM variant and there is now no dependency at all on the CRT library.

HR,
Ghandi