Memory use - how much do you use? [Archive]

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keymuu

- 10th January 2009, 10:13

Hi!

Using:
PBP 2.50b
Microcode Studio 3.0.0.5
Microchip USB HID bootloader v2.2
PIC18F4550

When you compile via Microcode Studio you can see how much space your code will take. I think it would be very informative if you could also see how much there still is space to increase your code before you code memory is full. So, instead of seeing "Success: 22384 bytes used" you would see "Success: 22384/32768 bytes used" or something like that...

But you use data memory also! It would be technically easy to add the use of it also on the same line where the use of the used code is shown, however, this is not how things are today. :(

Where can one see how much you use data space?
In 4550 there is 2k.
Where is that data of used memory hidden? In a linker file or where? Tried to search around but could not find it. I know I'm kind of a blind guy :o

Thank you in advance...

Melanie

- 10th January 2009, 12:02

keymuu

- 10th January 2009, 12:28

If you compile using something like Microchips Assembler (which you would do for things like the 18F series), then looking at the end of the generated .LST file you will find a couple of lines like...

Program Memory Bytes Used: 15998
Program Memory Bytes Free: 386

Thank you Melanie :)

But where can I see how much my variables need/consume space? Perhaps the same way as program memory bytes used are showed...

Charles Linquis

- 11th January 2009, 04:18

I don't know if it is valid, but it seems to work for me -

To figure how much free RAM I have, I create a dummy aray variable and compile.

dummy var byte (1000)

If there is no compile error, I figure I have at least 1000 bytes of free memory. I delete the line and go on.

I use MCLoader often in my programs. It occupies some space in high memory. I used to find that I would compile a program and get no errors, only to find that when I actually loaded the code in the part (that already had MCLoader in it), I got an over-run error. I solved that problem by including the following lines at the very end of my program -

ASM
ORG 0x1fcee ; a few bytes below MCLoader when used in a 128K part
nop
ENDASM

You can put any address you want after the ORG statement. If your program gets bigger than that, you will get a compile error. I have found this technique to be useful in lots of ways.

mackrackit

- 11th January 2009, 07:09

keymuu

- 11th January 2009, 11:12

This might help.
It is a little program I have been playing with that reads the LST file and pulls some info from it.

It is a work in progress so it may not be 100% accurate and it seems to work better on 18Fs.
Some of those LST file can be quite large.

Click on the link below and save. There is nothing to install. Just click and run.
http://www.mac.mf3x3.com/downloads/lst/LST_V.exe

Thank you Charles and Dave! :)

The List View seems to work just perfectly ...
I just don't understand why not PBP do show more info especially when it would be quite easy to incorporate all that info into the compilation output... Perhaps the time is not ready yet? :(

Thank you all for the help on this matter

Acetronics2

- 11th January 2009, 12:55

Hi,

Thanks, Dave ... nice tool. ( heuuu .. could you just keep the last opened folder in the "open" window ??? )

Another way in MPLAB ... the "Memory usage gauge" works with PBP !!!

just open the "mem usage Gauge" and use " File \ Import \ Myfile.hex " in the menu ... the program "Camembert" ( understand : meter ) will work as it should ... but not the Data one ...

Alain

mackrackit

- 11th January 2009, 16:39

Thanks, Dave ... nice tool. ( heuuu .. could you just keep the last opened folder in the "open" window ??? )

Thanks.
That is one of the things I will add on the next version (someday).

BTW. Here is the source code, written in Liberty Basic.
I will most likely use Python the next time.

[setup.main.Window]

'-----Begin code for #main

nomainwin
WindowWidth = 550
WindowHeight = 225
UpperLeftX=int((DisplayWidth-WindowWidth)/2)
UpperLeftY=int((DisplayHeight-WindowHeight)/2)

'-----Begin GUI objects code

statictext #main.statictext1, "Code Path and Name", 5, 47, 155, 20
' TextboxColor$ = "white"
textbox #main.name, 5, 67, 530, 25
statictext #main.statictext3, "Program Memory", 5, 122, 120, 20
statictext #main.statictext4, "Chip", 10, 17, 27, 20
textbox #main.chip, 45, 17, 100, 25
statictext #main.statictext6, "Free", 240, 102, 105, 20
textbox #main.ByteWord, 130, 122, 50, 25
textbox #main.FreeWord, 210, 122, 100, 25
statictext #main.statictext8, " Used", 355, 102, 55, 20
textbox #main.UsedWords, 325, 122, 100, 25
statictext #main.statictext12, "Percent Used", 440, 102, 82, 20
textbox #main.PercentWord, 435, 122, 100, 25
button #main.btOPEN,"OPEN",[btOPEN], UL, 345, 17, 80, 25
button #main.btREFRESH,"REFRESH",[btREFRESH], UL, 440, 17, 95, 25
statictext #main.statictext16, "SRAM (BYTES)", 35, 152, 120, 20
' statictext #main.statictext15, "EEPROM (BYTES)", 30, 177, 140, 20
textbox #main.ramF, 210, 152, 100, 25
' textbox #main.eepF, 210, 182, 100, 25
textbox #main.ramU, 325, 152, 100, 25
' textbox #main.eepU, 325, 182, 100, 25
textbox #main.ramP, 435, 152, 100, 25
' textbox #main.eepP, 435, 182, 100, 25
statictext #main.txtWORKING, "WORKING", 185, 17, 85, 20
statictext #main.txtFINISHED, "FINISHED", 185, 17, 75, 20

'-----End GUI objects code

open "LST VIEW" for window as #main
print #main.UsedWords, "!font ms_sans_serif 10 bold"
print #main, "font ms_sans_serif 10"
print #main.statictext3, "!font ms_sans_serif 10 bold"
print #main.statictext16, "!font ms_sans_serif 10 bold"
' print #main.statictext15, "!font ms_sans_serif 10 bold"
print #main.txtWORKING, "!font ms_sans_serif 10 bold"
print #main.txtFINISHED, "!font ms_sans_serif 10 bold"
print #main, "trapclose [quit.main]"

[main.inputLoop] 'wait here for input event
' print #handle.ext, "!hide"
print #main.txtWORKING, "!hide"
print #main.txtFINISHED, "!hide"
wait

[btOPEN] 'Perform action for the button named 'btOPEN'
filedialog "OPEN ","C:\*.lst", openfile$
if openfile$ = "" then wait
[rFresh]
open openfile$ for input as #Lfile
print #main.name, openfile$
print #main.txtWORKING, "!show"
print #main.txtFINISHED, "!hide"
[LOOPcn]
line input #Lfile, line$
if mid$(line$,29,9)= "RAM_START" then RS$ = mid$(line$,68,6)
if mid$(line$,29,7)= "RAM_END" then RE$ = mid$(line$,68,6)
if mid$(line$,69,11)= "RAM_START +" then RFIN$ = mid$(line$,81,6)
' if mid$(line$,29,9)= "RAM_START" then #main.ramF,mid$(line$,68,6)
' if mid$(line$,29,7)= "RAM_END" then #main.ramU,mid$(line$,68,6)
if mid$(line$,1,26)= "Program Memory Bytes Used:" then #main.UsedWords,mid$(line$,27,92)
if mid$(line$,1,26)= "Program Memory Words Used:" then #main.UsedWords,mid$(line$,27,92)
if mid$(line$,1,26)= "Program Memory Bytes Free:" then #main.FreeWord,mid$(line$,27,92)
if mid$(line$,1,26)= "Program Memory Words Free:" then #main.FreeWord,mid$(line$,27,92)
if mid$(line$,1,2)= "__" then #main.chip,mid$(line$,3,12)
if eof(#Lfile) = -1 then [closeFILE1]
goto [LOOPcn]
'################################################# ##
[closeFILE1]
close #Lfile
open openfile$ for input as #Lfile
[LOOPpm]
line input #Lfile, line$
if mid$(line$,1,26)= "Program Memory Bytes Used:" then #main.ByteWord,mid$(line$,16,5)
if mid$(line$,1,26)= "Program Memory Words Used:" then #main.ByteWord,mid$(line$,16,5)
if eof(#Lfile) = -1 then [closeFILE2]
goto [LOOPpm]
'################################################# ###
[closeFILE2]
close #Lfile
print #main.chip, "!contents? cName$"
bFile$ = "C:\PBP\";(trim$(cName$));".bas"
' print #main.eepP,bFile$
goto [closeFILE]
wait

[btREFRESH] 'Perform action for the button named 'btREFRESH'
if openfile$ = "" then [rfERROR]'notice "SELECT FILE"
goto [rFresh]
wait

[closeFILE]
' close #Lfile
print #main.UsedWords,"!contents? UW"
print #main.FreeWord,"!contents? FW"
TW = UW + FW
PW = (UW / TW) * 100
print #main.PercentWord,using("###.##",PW)
ramS = hexdec(RS$)
ramE = hexdec(RE$)
ramT = ramE - ramS + 1
ramF = hexdec(RFIN$)
ramU = ramF - ramS
ramFree = ramT - ramU
ramP = (ramU / ramT) * 100
print #main.ramF,ramFree
print #main.ramU,ramU
print #main.ramP,using("###.##",ramP)
print #main.txtWORKING, "!hide"
print #main.txtFINISHED, "!show"
wait

[rfERROR]
notice "SELECT FILE"
goto [main.inputLoop]
wait

[quit.main] 'End the program
close #main
end

Acetronics2

- 11th January 2009, 17:04

Hi, Dave

You will laugh, but ...

I decided long time ago to be ONLY a Computer USER !!! ...

MUCH better for Health ... lol

Alain

mackrackit

- 12th January 2009, 09:29

Hi, Dave

You will laugh, but ...

I decided long time ago to be ONLY a Computer USER !!! ...

MUCH better for Health ... lol

Alain
Yep, got a chuckle hearing that from you :D
I think sometimes I should decide as you did.

ScaleRobotics

- 9th June 2009, 17:21

I have some code that I have been working on for a PIC12F675. When I try to add another variable to it and then compile, I get - Error: Unable to fit variable y -. I am using the latest pbp, microcode studio, and mpasm v8.15. When I use Mackrackit's LST View program, it shows my successful compile (one less variable) as using about 70 percent of the code space, and 48 percent of the sram space. What would be stopping me from being able to use the other half of my sram? I looked in the 12F675.BAS file, and my memory map is BANK0 $0020, $005F, which is correct in the data sheet. 12F675 is selected in mcs.

Confused....

mackrackit

- 9th June 2009, 17:53

Can you post your code?

ScaleRobotics

- 9th June 2009, 20:40

My code isn't really this, but I get similar results using this example:

myvar1 var byte
myvar2 var byte
myvar3 var byte
myvar4 var byte
myvar5 var byte
myvar6 var byte
myvar7 var byte
myvar8 var byte
myvar9 var byte
myvar10 var byte
myvar11 var byte
myvar12 var byte
myvar13 var byte
myvar14 var byte
myvar15 var byte
myvar16 var byte
myvar17 var byte
myvar18 var byte
myvar19 var byte
myvar20 var byte
myvar21 var byte
myvar22 var byte
myvar23 var byte
myvar24 var byte
myvar25 var byte
myvar26 var byte
myvar27 var byte
myvar28 var byte
myvar29 var byte
myvar30 var byte
myvar31 var byte
myvar32 var byte
myvar33 var byte
myvar34 var byte
myvar35 var byte
myvar36 var byte
myvar37 var byte
myvar38 var byte
myvar39 var byte
myvar40 var byte
myvar41 var byte

I admit this is more than 48.44 percent of the 64 bytes of SRAM. I am not clear how to check SRAM use in any other way than using your program. Perhaps PBP uses the other bytes for itself. But then, your program should account for actual use, since it is using the lst file.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks,

Walter

mackrackit

- 10th June 2009, 19:15

I played with this some last night, did some reading and could not find a solution.
Maybe Darrel or Bruce will chime in...

Darrel Taylor

- 10th June 2009, 20:30

I played with this some last night, did some reading and could not find a solution.
Maybe Darrel or Bruce will chime in...
DING!

PBP's system vars use a minimum of 24 bytes.
Complex formulas can increase that, but it appears you don't have any of those yet.

So you create 40 additional byte variables and it's full. (24 + 40 = 64)

As for "LST View" ...

It apparently just looks for the last occurrence of "RAM_START +" and uses that address to calculate how much RAM was used.

That address is already referenced to RAM_START, but in the program, this line subtracts the start address again, which leaves the count too low.
ramU = ramF - ramS Add 20h (32) to the 31 bytes reported and you get 63, the last address in RAM.

I think that line should be ...
ramU = ramF + 1

However, RAM assignments are not always contiguous. You could have a single variable in BANK3 (chip other than 675) and it'll show almost all the RAM has been used, when there's only a few bytes being used. Or the last address may be the beginning of an array, which it won't count either.

It's a difficult task to count RAM bytes used.
<br>

mackrackit

- 10th June 2009, 20:40

Thanks Darrel.

I saw where LST View was giving some "funny" results last night also. Now I know why. Time to do a "bug" fix. If possible...

Darrel Taylor

- 10th June 2009, 22:39

Dave,

Just a little more info for updating LST View.
It calculates the Total RAM by taking (RAM_END - RAM_START + 1)
As an example this is from a 16F877 ...

00000020 00012 RAM_START EQU 00020h
000001EF 00013 RAM_END EQU 001EFh
00000004 00014 RAM_BANKS EQU 00004h
00000020 00015 BANK0_START EQU 00020h
0000007F 00016 BANK0_END EQU 0007Fh
000000A0 00017 BANK1_START EQU 000A0h
000000EF 00018 BANK1_END EQU 000EFh
00000110 00019 BANK2_START EQU 00110h
0000016F 00020 BANK2_END EQU 0016Fh
00000190 00021 BANK3_START EQU 00190h
000001EF 00022 BANK3_END EQU 001EFh

(RAM_END - RAM_START + 1) = 1EFh - 20h + 1 = 464 bytes
But the 16F877 only has 368 bytes.

The extra count is from the SFR's that are at the top of each bank.

GP RAM in each bank doesn't start at the same place on every 16F, so I think you'll need to find the amount in each bank and add them together to get the total RAM.

(BANK0_END - BANK0_START + 1) + (BANK1_END - BANK1_START + 1) + (BANK2_END - BANK2_START + 1) + (BANK3_END - BANK3_START + 1)
( 0007Fh - 00020h + 1) + ( 000EFh - 000A0h + 1) + ( 0016Fh - 00110h + 1) + ( 001EFh - 00190h + 1)
( 60h ) + ( 50h ) + ( 60h ) + ( 60h )
= 170h = 368

Then it's the same for the Used RAM. You need to subtract the SFR space from the variables address, or somehow reference it to the BANKx_START of the bank that it's in to find out how much has been used.

hth,