x86_64 assembler first steps function parameters

Okay, so far I’ve figured that there are six registers used for the first 6 parameters used in a function call. The below c program sets up the function which also uses RAX as the return value:

#include 
#include 

int asmparams(int, int, int, int, int, int);

int main(void) {
	int ret = asmparams(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6);
	printf("return:%d\n", ret);

	return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}

This now expects my assembler function to take 6 arguments and a return value. Below is how those first 6 arguments are used in 64 bit Unix function calls to assembler.

		section	.text

global	asmparams:function

extern	printf

printnum:
		push    rbp                             ; stack frame? x64

		push	rsi
		push	rdx
		push	rcx
		push	r8
		push	r9

        mov     rsi,rax
        mov     rdi,pf_msg 
        xor     rax,rax     
        call    printf  

        pop		r9
        pop		r8
        pop		rcx
        pop		rdx
        pop		rsi

        pop     rbp                             ; stack frame

        ret

asmparams:
		mov		rax, rdi
		call	printnum

		mov		rax, rsi
		call	printnum

		mov		rax, rdx
		call	printnum

		mov		rax, rcx
		call 	printnum

		mov		rax, r8
		call	printnum

		mov		rax, r9
		call	printnum

		mov		rax, -1		; return value
		ret

		section	.data

pf_msg	db		"%08x",10,0

When I’ve got some time to explore how the ‘Prologue’ and ‘Epilogue’, or beginning and ending of a function, I post about that. At least now parameters can be passed to assembler functions.

Things have changed a lot since the 680×0 days. Then you could use a single push/pop instruction to push/pop multiple registers.

Posted in asm, assembler, C, unix.