Direction flag problem

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marcinzabrze12

Joined: 07 Aug 2011
Posts: 61

marcinzabrze12 06 Apr 2013, 08:32

Hello All. Everything is ok when i use direction flag to scan string forward, but when i change diection program is crashed:
there is an example:

Code:

        proc    pathToName      uses ebx esi edi, ppath
            mov         edi, [ppath]
            xor         eax, eax
            mov         ecx, -1
            cld
            repne       scasb
            mov         al, '\'      ; edi = end of path so gona find first '\'
            std                        ; change direction
            repne       scasb    
            mov         eax, edi ; here edi shoul be show on '\'  or not ???
            inc         eax
            ret
        endp

now i'm fixed problem in this way:

Code:

        proc    pathToName      uses ebx esi edi, ppath
            mov         edi, [ppath]
            xor         eax, eax
            mov         ecx, -1
            cld
            repne       scasb
            mov         al, '\'
           @@:
            dec         edi
            cmp         [edi], al
            je          @f
            jmp         @b
           @@:
            mov         eax, edi
            inc         eax
            ret
        endp

... but i prefer first one metod because it faster.
someone know what's wrong ?

06 Apr 2013, 08:32

bitRAKE

Joined: 21 Jul 2003
Posts: 4071
Location: vpcmpistri

bitRAKE 06 Apr 2013, 11:13

There are a couple things to note: first is that EDI will move one byte lower than you expect. This is because the order of operations are reversed from the forward direction method: compare, de-increment - verses - increment, compare.

It is also important to prevent buffer under-run. Commonly, this is done like so:

Code:

    db "\"
pMyPath db "PathFileName",0

... or simply: mov byte[edi],"\" ; at start of routine. Another method would be to update ECX once string length is known.

Otherwise, algorithm seemed to work in debugger.

_________________
¯\(°_o)/¯ “languages are not safe - uses can be” Bjarne Stroustrup

06 Apr 2013, 11:13

AsmGuru62

Joined: 28 Jan 2004
Posts: 1670
Location: Toronto, Canada

AsmGuru62 07 Apr 2013, 01:48

Isn't the lines:

Code:

@@:
...
je @f
jmp @b

@@:
...

same as these lines?

Code:

@@:
...
jne @b

; --> no need for that --> @@:
...

07 Apr 2013, 01:48

sinsi

Joined: 10 Aug 2007
Posts: 794
Location: Adelaide

sinsi 07 Apr 2013, 03:00

Don't forget that Windows expects the direction flag to be clear, so if you call a Windows function after that code it may crash. If you use STD you should always finish with CLD.

07 Apr 2013, 03:00

marcinzabrze12

Joined: 07 Aug 2011
Posts: 61

marcinzabrze12 07 Apr 2013, 11:32

sinsi wrote:

Don't forget that Windows expects the direction flag to be clear, so if you call a Windows function after that code it may crash. If you use STD you should always finish with CLD.

THANK YOU. I just do not know it and i was meed this problem many times before.
Realy problems with optimization are important too but it doesn't meaning when function crasheed.

07 Apr 2013, 11:32

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