Embedded Strings in your Code Space

[mytekcontrols]

And, if you wanted more macro's... then I'm sure to make you happy today.

Wow! Am I ever! It'll keep me quite busy this week trying it out in my application.

In order to make this work, I ripped up your code pretty bad. Sorry!

For instance, I got rid of the whole Pushing and Popping stuff. I hated to do that, but at least it solves the interrupt problem.

I have no problem at all with this. At the time it was the only way I knew how to start heading in the direction I wanted to go. Perhaps it'll still be of use to someone, since there doesn't appear to be too much info out on the net showing actual application of this 18F series ability.

Major changes to the prntSTR section too. It had all the USART stuff in there that had to come out.

As you probably saw in my last code post, I had already ripped this out and gone ahead and used your USART initialize macro.

The Make_Destination and Director macro's are the real difference that allows the data to be re-directed. I'm sure there will be some questions on them, but for now I'll let you try to figure it out first.

Yes I do have questions, but I'll hold off until I have had ample time to digest it. And perhaps I wont if my brain can take it all in.

Well, have fun, and I hope this is closer to what you were looking for.

This is EXACTLY (and more) what I was looking for!
Thanks so very, very much,

[mister_e]

Here's my own version. Not as brilliant as all the above but allow to send String and numeric value. Have fun!
[html]
' ///////////////////////////////////|\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
' Embedded String and Data handling
' =================================
' Steve Monfette
' Mister E Enr
'
' This program show how to use/define/send a combination of String and Data
' to a PC terminal or else @9600 bauds.
'
' We can still use HSEROUT and do the same thing, of course but the
' following use another approach wich :
' 1. Allow to modify one or all string/data in a snap when needed.
' 2. Call a string many time only by calling his name with the macro.
' That is still more code efficient than if you create and use
' a specific SUBROUTINE.
'
' Also, if you compare this method to the use of multiple HSEROUT,
' you'll notice a slight difference in the size of the generated code.
'
' This program could also be usefull to send string/data to various device
' like I2C, LCD,...
' ///////////////////////////////////|\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

@ errorlevel 0,-207 ' avoid anoying MPASM error message
' -- found label after column 1 --

' PIC Definition
' ==============
' Done with an old & dusty PIC16F877 @ 20MHZ
'
DEFINE LOADER_USED 1
DEFINE OSC 20

' Hardware define
' ===============
'
TRISC=%10111111

' Serial Comm definition
' ======================
'
RCSTA=$90 ' Enable USART, continuous receive
TXSTA=$24 ' Enable transmit, BRGH=1
SPBRG=129 ' 9600 Bauds

' Variable definition
' ===================
'
Char var byte ' Character to be read/send
SAddr var word ' String adress pointer

' Software initialisation
' =======================
'
clear ' set all variable to 0
goto Start ' Skip any Macro And string Definition

' String Definition
' =================
' String must be defined as follow
' <label> dt <data>,0
'
' could also be
' <label> dt <data>
' dt <data>
' .........
' dt <data>,0
'
' Any String must be NULL terminated. Can contain text and numeric value
'
asm

s1 dt "String #1",13,10,0

s2 dt "String #2",13,10
dt "********************",13,10,0

s3 dt "String #3",13,10,0

s4 dt "String #4..... THE LAST ONE",13,10,0

endasm

' Macro Definition
' ================
'
' SendString:
' ===========
' This send the according string via USART
' Format:
' =======
' SendString <StringName>
'
asm
SendString macro StringLabel
CHK?RP _SAddr ; Reach the right BANK of SAddr
MOVE?CW StringLabel,_SAddr ; Store address of StringLabel in SAddr
L?CALL SendIt ; Send the string.
endm
endasm
@SendIt
Readcode SAddr, char ' Read character
if Char then ' if not NULL, send it
ASM
MOVE?BB _Char,TXREG ; Load TXREG with Char
IsFull
BIT?GOTO 0, PIR1, 4, IsFull ; Loop while TXREG is full
; The above is the same as
; IF PIR1.4=0 THEN GOTO IsFull
;
INCF _SAddr,1 ; Point to the next character
GOTO SendIt ; Do it again
ENDASM
endif
return


' /////////////////////////////////|\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Start:
' /////////////////////////////////|\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
'
' Here we will send our data by using the above macro
'
@ SendString s1 ; Send string with label 's1'
@ SendString s2 ; Send string with label 's2'
@ SendString s3 ; Send string with label 's3'
@ SendString s4 ; Send string with label 's4'
pause 1500 ; wait a little bit
goto Start ; do it again
[/html]

[Darrel Taylor]

Hi Steve,

While I don't see any advantages over the previous examples, it does present a few problems that weren't there before.

They are the same problems I came across when writing the strings program I pointed out in the 2nd post of this thread.

By using the "dt" directive, it uses twice as much code space by only storing 1 byte per word. The "da" directive is much more efficient. It packs two 7-bit characters in each word.

Also, when using the MOVE?CW macro inside another macro, it makes it so that all string data has to be placed at the beginning of the program. If you place the string data after the SendString command that's trying to use it, you will get a "Address label duplicate or defferent in second pass" error.

John Barrat figured out how to get around that problem with this macro. It compiles to the exact same thing as the MOVE?CW, but because of which "Pass" it gets compiled on, it can find an address either before or after the code that uses it.

'------------GetAddress Macro - Location insensitive -------------------------
ASM
GetAddress macro Label, Wout       ; Returns the Address of a Label as a Word
    CHK?RP Wout
    movlw low Label
    movwf Wout
    movlw High Label
    movwf Wout + 1
    endm
ENDASM

I think, once you fix those 2 things, you'll have something that looks just like my Strings prog. See second post.
<hr>
I do like this though

    @ errorlevel 0,-207 ' avoid anoying MPASM error message 
                        ' -- found label after column 1 --

Sure makes things look better when you can indent labels.
<br>

[mister_e]

Yep i understand it... the only thing... HOW TO use DA to send numeric Value, say 13,10 or else 8 bits value with the string???

I tried the \ option... doesn't seems to work as i want. well i can miss something really stupid/easy... once again.

BUT it works with dt. BUT i agree with you, i take 2 time the needed space.

[Darrel Taylor]

"DA" works fine with anything under 128, so 10,13 isn't a problem.

   da  "Danger Will Robinson",13,10,0

But you're right. Unless you are using an 18F part, if you want 8-bit data, it will take 2x the code space.

[mister_e]

mmm i already tried the above... MIIIIIIIIP doesn't work. GOT YA... for the first time in my life... probably the last too

We must send a 14 bit pack stuff... as it's suppose to!

So i just found that

@ da "This is a string....",0x068a,0

the above will send cr+lf.

Sounds like

CR con 13
LF con 10
CRLF var WORD

CRLF.HighByte=CR
CRLF=CRLF>>1
CRLF.LOWBYTE=CRLF.LowByte | LF

it works... just harder to figure out. BAH could be worst. And BTW, a 18F will be more appropriate for that.

About the String placement... you're right. As i figure to place all string at the top, it shouldn't be a problem. All the string together. Make it easy if some modification have to be done.

[mister_e]

mmm, another solution...

String1 da "My string",13,10,"blah blah",13,10,125,126,127,0

Just modify a little bit the StringOut Sub

StringOut:  ' Send the string out via Hserout
    Readcode Addr, TwoChars       ' Get the 14 bit packed characters
    Char = TwoChars >> 7          ' Separate first char
    if Char then                  ' Look for Null char, Stop if found
       hserout [Char]             ' Send first char
       endif

    Char = TwoChars & $7F         ' Separate second char
    if Char then                  ' Look for Null char, Stop if found
       hserout [Char]             ' Send the second char
       Addr = Addr + 1            ' Point to next two characters
       goto StringOut	          ' Continue with rest of the string
       endif
return

that way it works. BUT it don't take all the advantage of the 14 BIT pack stuff. It's just more readable the the previous.

[Darrel Taylor]

Hmmmpf,

Apparently, none of them are right.

With mine, it puts 00's in front of each byte (13,10), that will cause the send routine to terminate early.

With the 0x068a, if there's an ODD number of characters in the string, it will pad the string with a 00, again causing the send routine to terminate early.

So there doesn't seem to be a way to add CRLF on the end of a string with "DA".

Your program seems to have an advantage after all. My apologies.
<br>