While we're on the subject of optimization...

**mister_e** · - 4th January 2008, 14:27

Well, as far as i'm aware of, MPASM don't provide any features like that. If you don't fill all arguments, it will prompt you. That's one downside.

So you'll probably need to build some different version of you macro, one calling the other or variant of.

skimask · - 5th January 2008, 07:51

Originally Posted by mister_e

Well, as far as i'm aware of, MPASM don't provide any features like that. If you don't fill all arguments, it will prompt you. That's one downside.

It'll prompt me all-right...prompt me with an error message!

So you'll probably need to build some different version of you macro, one calling the other or variant of.

I've been pouring over the MPASM documentation looking for some insight into 'overloading' macros like I want to do and not finding anything interesting. I guess it's back to multiple versions of the same thing, but different. It's either that or I'm going to try a version with a 'mode number' in the front, sort like that multiple LCD mod on another thread...
@ printstr 1 , 5 , 5 , "works here" - mode 1 - no color modify
@ printstr 2 , 5 , 5 , 1 , "works here" - mode 2 - foreground color change...
...and so on...
Let the code in the macro do the choosing based on the mode number.
But if I go that way, I may as well have different versions.
More thought required...

**Darrel Taylor** · - 5th January 2008, 09:11

That's one of only 2 circumstances in which I would prefer PM.EXE

With PM, you are not limited to a specific number of parameters supplied to a macro.

If paramaters are ommited, they show up as "undefined".
Then you can just do a IFNDEF to see if a parameter was included or not.

The second circumstance is IRPC, which can split up each character of a string and repeat the macro for each one.

However, since PM can't "Nest" macro's. It doesn't help a bit.
Not to mention the 18F problem.

And like you've both already pointed out...
MPASM can't do either one of them.

<br>

skimask · - 7th January 2008, 19:39

Originally Posted by Darrel Taylor

If paramaters are ommited, they show up as "undefined".
Then you can just do a IFNDEF to see if a parameter was included or not.
However, since PM can't "Nest" macro's. It doesn't help a bit.
Not to mention the 18F problem.
And like you've both already pointed out...
MPASM can't do either one of them.

<br>

I've come up with a half-way solution to what I want.
I just take the standard @printstr macro, keep all of my parameters inside of the quotes, and count the number of comma's inside the quotes and act accordingly:
4 comma's, all parameters, x, y, string, forecolor, backcolor
3 comma's, all but backcolor
2 comma's, all but colors.
Only limitation is that I can't use a comma (or double-quote, or single-quote) in the string.
Basic string parsing code at work...
Not the optimal solution, not my preferred solution, but it'll work.

**mister_e** · - 7th January 2008, 20:28

mmpff, to me it doesn't make sense at all to do so, this will just suck juice where it shouldn't need to. I would just prefer to use a macro for the color stuff, and one for the print... or filling the whole thing with all parameter in. but, yeah, that's me

skimask · - 7th January 2008, 21:41

Originally Posted by mister_e

mmpff, to me it doesn't make sense at all to do so, this will just suck juice where it shouldn't need to.

I guess my main thing is that I can put the whole thing into one command.
Instead of this:
lcdpx = 10
lcdpy = 10
string = "assuming PBP could handle strings anyways"
forecolor = 5
backcolor = 0

I get this:
@ printstr "10,10,printstr can handle this string after all,5,0"

Might not save any code space, but I can see it saving some sanity...

**Mike, K8LH** · - 13th January 2008, 10:05

I've used the following method in assembly language programs to reduce LCD string "overhead" by pulling the string address from the stack but I'm not sure how you might implement it in PBP (or if it might save memory compared to how you're doin' it now).

Food for thought. Regards, Mike

Code:

;
;  example macro usage
;
        PutStr  "Azimuth:\n\r "
        PutStr  "Elevation:\n\r"
;

Code:

;
;  PutStr macro
;
PutStr  macro   str             ; print in-line string
        call    PutString       ;
        db      str,0
        ENDM
;

Code:

;******************************************************************
;
;  PutString - print in-line string via Stack and TBLPTR
;
;  string must be terminated with a 00 byte and does not need
;  to be word aligned
;
PutString
        movff   TOSL,TBLPTRL    ; copy return address into TBLPTR
        movff   TOSH,TBLPTRH    ;
        clrf	TBLPTRU		; assume PIC with < 64-KB
PutNext
        tblrd   *+              ; get in-line string character
        movf    TABLAT,W        ; last character (00)?
        bz      PutExit         ; yes, exit, else
        rcall   PutLCD          ; print character to LCD
        bra     PutNext         ; and do another
PutExit
        btfsc   TBLPTRL,0       ; odd address?
        tblrd   *+              ; yes, make it even (fix PC)
        movf    TBLPTRH,W       ; setup new return address
        movwf   TOSH            ; 
        movf    TBLPTRL,W       ;
        movwf   TOSL            ;
        return                  ;