RunTimeStorageOrganization.pptVIP

CSE 5317/4305 L7: Run-Time Storage Organization * Run-Time Storage Organization Leonidas Fegaras Memory Layout Memory layout of an executable program: Run-Time Stack At run-time, function calls behave in a stack-like manner when you call, you push the return address onto the run-time stack when you return, you pop the return address from the stack reason: a function may be recursive When you call a function, inside the function body, you want to be able to access formal parameters variables local to the function variables belonging to an enclosing function (for nested functions) procedure P ( c: integer ) x: integer; procedure Q ( a, b: integer ) i, j: integer; begin x := x+a+j; end; begin Q(x,c); end; Activation Records (Frames) When we call a function, we push an entire frame onto the stack The frame contains the return address from the function the values of the local variables temporary workspace ... The size of a frame is not fixed need to chain together frames into a list (via dynamic link) need to be able to access the variables of the enclosing functions efficiently A B C top A Typical Frame Organization Static Links The static link of a function f points to the latest frame in the stack of the function that statically contains f If f is not lexically contained in any other function, its static link is null procedure P ( c: integer ) x: integer; procedure Q ( a, b: integer ) i, j: integer; begin x := x+a+j; end; begin Q(x,c); end; If P called Q then the static link of Q will point to the latest frame of P in the stack Note that we may have multiple frames of P in the stack; Q will point to the latest there is no way to call Q if there is no P frame in the stack, since Q is hidden outside P in the program The Code for Function Calls When a function (the caller) calls another function (the callee), it executes the following code: pre-call: do before the function call allocate the callee frame on top of the