Macro to display string

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deathmood

Joined: 17 Feb 2013
Posts: 16

deathmood

How to create macro, which could print string like that:

Code:

prints "hi there!"

I saw different sujestions but they are a bit complicated.
I tried to do that with this code

Code:

macro prints str
{
    local .bytes
        call .bytes
        db str, 24h
        mov ax, ax
    .bytes:

    mov dx, [.bytes]
    mov ah, 9h
    int 21h
}

but it doesnot work for long strings.
Help please...

P/s - the second question, that I can not use display directive in my code: for example when I type

Code:

display 'hi'

it compiles but does noting...

18 Feb 2013, 18:10

shutdownall

Joined: 02 Apr 2010
Posts: 518
Location: Munich

shutdownall

The message is displayed in the compile window if you press CTRL-F8 in the IDE (FASMW.EXE).

Description:
Filesize:	33.74 KB
Viewed:	3273 Time(s)

18 Feb 2013, 18:29

deathmood

Joined: 17 Feb 2013
Posts: 16

deathmood

So 'display' is useless in DOS? (because it is my target platform)
And what about function to display the string?

18 Feb 2013, 18:40

baldr

Joined: 19 Mar 2008
Posts: 1651

baldr

deathmood,

Console compiler displays these messages along its output. FASMD can put them into its clipboard.

About prints macroinstruction: mov dx, [.bytes] in this context is equivalent to mov dx, 0x168B (because it actually loads dx with contents of memory at .bytes instead of that address itself), so I doubt it'll work even for short strings. Moreover, call pushes address of that string on stack and you never (explicitly) pop it off (or use in any other way).

Code:

macro prints [str*]
{
common
  local ..code
        call    ..code
        db      str, 24h
..code: pop     dx
        mov     ah, 9h
        int     21h
}

Another way to do it:

Code:

macro prints [str*]
{
common
  local ..code, ..data
        jmp     ..code
..data: db      str, 24h
..code: mov     dx, ..data
        mov     ah, 9h
        int     21h
}

19 Feb 2013, 07:26

deathmood

Joined: 17 Feb 2013
Posts: 16

deathmood

baldr,

I get some raw characters while using both your methods, e. g. for

Code:

prints "hi there)))) !!!!!"

I get this:

Description:	where I am wrong((( ??
Filesize:	25.03 KB
Viewed:	3249 Time(s)

19 Feb 2013, 07:54

Dex4u

Joined: 08 Feb 2005
Posts: 1601
Location: web

Dex4u

See here: http://board.flatassembler.net/topic.php?t=7961
See below, as i do not think he as a print string

Last edited by Dex4u on 19 Feb 2013, 08:25; edited 1 time in total

19 Feb 2013, 08:13

Dex4u

Joined: 08 Feb 2005
Posts: 1601
Location: web

Dex4u

Something like this:

Code:

macro PRINT String{
        local .Done
        local .a 

                mov dx, .a
                mov     ah, 9h
                int     21h
                jmp .Done 
 
        .a db String,24h
 
        .Done: 
}

19 Feb 2013, 08:23

deathmood

Joined: 17 Feb 2013
Posts: 16

deathmood

Dex4u,

I do not understand why, but it also prints many 'raw' characters as it was in my previous post...((( even more...

19 Feb 2013, 08:33

revolution
When all else fails, read the source

Joined: 24 Aug 2004
Posts: 17855
Location: In your JS exploiting you and your system

revolution

deathmood: Post your code.

19 Feb 2013, 09:28

deathmood

Joined: 17 Feb 2013
Posts: 16

deathmood

Code:


format MZ

use16
stack 0x100
entry _CODE@16:_start

;
macro prints str
{
    local .bytes
        call .bytes
        db str, 0x24

    .bytes:
        pop dx
        mov ah, 9
        int 0x21
}

segment _DATA@16 use16
    msg db 'hi!', 0xd, 0xa, 0x24

segment _CODE@16 use16
    _start:
        mov ax, _DATA@16
        mov ds, ax

        prints 'hi there))) !!!!'

        mov ax, 0x4c00
        int 0x21
    ret

I have found the strange thing: if I do not define any variables in my _DATA@16 segment macro 'prints' works fine. But after defining some variables raw symbols begin to appear(((

Why??((

19 Feb 2013, 09:41

deathmood

Joined: 17 Feb 2013
Posts: 16

deathmood

Hey! Maybe I've chosen wrong way to achieve that?
Maybe there are some other ways? Any sujestions?

19 Feb 2013, 10:54

baldr

Joined: 19 Mar 2008
Posts: 1651

baldr

deathmood,

Yep, you're getting offset in _CODE@16 segment as a value of dx, while int21/09 expects offset in ds segment (_DATA@16), which is one paragraph below.

There are many ways to handle this, probably easiest one of them is to use tiny memory model, when cs == ds (pure tiny memory model assumes cs == ss too, but MZ executable places stack elsewhere by default). Put code and data in single segment (or forget about segments altogether for a while and use .COM executable output format).

19 Feb 2013, 15:58

deathmood

Joined: 17 Feb 2013
Posts: 16

deathmood

baldr,

Maybe there is another way to do that (using different macro features or else) ? because I do not want to use .com file neither having one segment...

19 Feb 2013, 16:42

AsmGuru62

Joined: 28 Jan 2004
Posts: 1422
Location: Toronto, Canada

AsmGuru62

COM file code has ~560Kb of data at its disposal.

19 Feb 2013, 18:10

deathmood

Joined: 17 Feb 2013
Posts: 16

deathmood

So there is NO way to solve that ???

19 Feb 2013, 18:16

AsmGuru62

Joined: 28 Jan 2004
Posts: 1422
Location: Toronto, Canada

AsmGuru62

Why? There is always a way - I just forgot how to do it!
Try to create an MZ file and print a string without using any macros.
Make it work and then move on to doing it with macro.
At least you will have a working starting point.

19 Feb 2013, 23:09

deathmood

Joined: 17 Feb 2013
Posts: 16

deathmood

So for .com files my macro can look like this:

Code:


use16
org 0x100

macro prints [str*]
{
    pusha

    if str in <0xd, 0xa, 9>\
        | str eqtype ''

        call @f
        db str, 0x24
        
        @@:
            pop dx
    else
        mov dx, str
    end if

    mov ah, 9
    int 0x21

    popa
}

_start:
    prints 0xd, 0xa, 9
    prints 'hi!', 0xd, 0xa
    mov ax, msg
    prints ax, 0xd, 0xa
    prints msg

    int 0x20
ret

msg db 'hey there!', 0x24

it can accept strings directly, addresses of strings in registers and variables
it can also handle 3 special characters - 0xd (CR), 0xa (LF) and 9 (TAB)

it is good because of its simplicity comparing to other samples here (on forums).

20 Feb 2013, 08:46

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