DUETDUET 
Hello!
Is the following code valid?
#includeint main(void) { int a; a=4; }
If it is then I would like to see the value of "a" in the built-in output screen of the Atmelstudio6.1.
What will be the instruction if I want to see the value of a in the built-in output screen?
Thanks in advance!
Shagas I'm also curious to know how a value could be displayed in atmel studio .
When I need to see a value or an array at a point I use an LCD display from the micro or I write the code in Codeblocks IDE in "c" and use printf
Yes , the above code is valid
clawson 
The optimiser will simply discard your 'a' variable so there's no chance of watching it in the simulator /debugger. Read this to understand why:
bobgardner Cliff... if one moves the int a; outside of main, does it still get thrown away? It is being written to in main at least.
JohanEkdahl 
if one moves the int a; outside of main, does it still get thrown away?
Here is (parts of) the LSS:
00000056: int a; int main(void) { a=4; 56: 84 e0 ldi r24, 0x04 ; 4 58: 90 e0 ldi r25, 0x00 ; 0 5a: 90 93 01 01 sts 0x0101, r25 5e: 80 93 00 01 sts 0x0100, r24 62: 80 e0 ldi r24, 0x00 ; 0 64: 90 e0 ldi r25, 0x00 ; 0 66: 08 95 ret
And (parts of) the MAP file:
.bss 0x00800100 0x2
0x00800100 PROVIDE (__bss_start, .)
*(.bss)
*(.bss*)
*(COMMON)
COMMON 0x00800100 0x2 BobOptimization.o
0x00800100 a
0x00800102 PROVIDE (__bss_end, .)
So there is still room for improvement.. :D
indianajones11 You also need a "super loop" for embedded C, to keep the code from retURNING when there's no OS. For example, this works if you put as your last line:
while(1);
clawson
Actually, no. I just tested it
But the point here really is that pointless testing of the compiler will likely be found out and thrown away by the optimiser. You need to do something concrete with an input or an output for code to be generated to access it - the optimiser is very good at spotting pointless code and eating it.
If you want to do the local a=4 test actually do it on a PC using an i386 compiler and make sure it's set to "Debug" (which likely also means "no optimisation").
JohanEkdahl
Once it's global it could clearly be accessed by something in another compilation unit so the compiler has no option but to create the access code.
bobgardner OK, if I copy a to a port pin, will it get thrown away?
JohanEkdahl OK, if I copy a to a port pin, will it get thrown away?
Yes, the variable will be optimized away
Yes, there will be code generated to put the value 4 onto the port
#includeint main(void) { uint8_t a; a=4; PORTB = a; }
00000046: int main(void) { uint8_t a; a=4; PORTB = a; 46: 84 e0 ldi r24, 0x04 ; 4 48: 85 b9 out 0x05, r24 ; 5 4a: 80 e0 ldi r24, 0x00 ; 0 4c: 90 e0 ldi r25, 0x00 ; 0 4e: 08 95 ret
bobgardner And the global variable will stay in bss?
nigelf may be a stupid answer but I would hit the line with a non stopping break point ant add the message a = {a}
nigel
EDIT Yes I was correct it was a stupid answer!
I will take my foot out of my mouth now!!
the above doesn't work.
clawson It's either/or. Either you have 'a' as an automatic stack based local OR it's a global in .bss (or I suppose it could be a local in .bss if you made it 'static').
bobgardner At first, declaring a as a local and not using it made it get deleted. I asked if declaring it not local and using it would keep it from getting deleted. Trying to form a model of what gets thrown out and when and why.
Note that this example doesnt involve interrupts, so the volatility hint doesnt really apply?
theusch 
And the global variable will stay in bss?
If I have a global variable that is unused, with my toolchain it would be "tossed" unless I would force it to be kept in some manner.
Consider also the case of a good-old 8-bit unsigned integer loop counter; ala Fortran we'll call it "i". Make i a global variable, that is only used as a loop counter for a single loop (and not referenced as the loop completes).
A good compiler's code generator will just use (say) R21 for the loop counter and never LDS/STS to the global variable. Thus "i" has no references, and b-bye...
JohanEkdahl Local variable: Gets thrown out if not used, or if used in a way where it is an intermediate (e.g. as in assigning it a literal value, and then using the variable for outputting to a port - the intermediate variable can be thrown out and a simple LDI, OUT sequence which has the same semantics is generated instead).
Global (non-static) variable: Must be generated since the compiler can not know if any other compilation unit will reference it. Thus it has to be generated so that the linker can resolve any references to it.
Global static variable: Untested, but I would not be surprised if it is optimized out. If you're curious re this case then why not test it yourself, Bob?
All the above for avr-gcc which (unless actively switched to do otherwise) exercizes separate compilation
clawson
I would not be surprised if it is optimized out.
static int n;
int main(void) {
n = 12345;
76: 89 e3 ldi r24, 0x39 ; 57
78: 90 e3 ldi r25, 0x30 ; 48
7a: 90 93 61 00 sts 0x0061, r25
7e: 80 93 60 00 sts 0x0060, r24
That looks like a missed optimisation to me.
JohanEkdahl OK, so now we have to think hard: Is optimizing out a "global" static variable not possible for some other reason? Or is this actually a missed optimization?
clawson As "n" wasn't actually used for anything sensible in my test.c. (I just set it to 12345 then did nothing else with it) then, because it is "static" the compiler must surely realise it is not accessible outside this compilation unit and there's no valid use for it inside so I'd argue it should never exist.
Interestingly, if I remove the "n = 12345" then the .map file reveals that it does not exist. So it's the pointless assignment of 12345 to it that makes it exist.
Even with -fdata-sections and -gc-sections I cannot get rid of it.
JohanEkdahl
Trying to form a model of what gets thrown out and when and why.
Nothing else is guaranteed across compilers, or across versions of a specific compiler, or across settings of a specific compiler of a specific version.
nigelf My head has just exploded....
But a use full lesson has been learnt. test or check ideas or suppositions before posting.
Nigel
JohanEkdahl
My head has just exploded....