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What is the function of a stack pointer?
Stack pointer points to the topmost / most recently referenced location on the stack; - Nutan
What is the purpose of the program stack?
Its main use is to store local variables, arguments and return address each time a function is called.When your program calls a function the following happen :- The function arguments are put on the stack- The current instruction pointer is put on the stack- The program jumps to the start of the function- Space is allocated on the stack to hold local variables- The function executes- The space holding local variables is de-allocated- The instruction pointer is restored and removed from the stack (we are now leaving the function and resuming the calling procedure)- The arguments are removed from the stack
What is the function of the stack counter?
Its not a stack counter - its a stack pointer. The stack pointer is a register that points to the top of the stack. In the Intel configuration, it points to the next item to be popped off the stack. To push an item requires that the stack pointer be decremented first, and then the item is written. The inverse operation - the pop - requires read then increment.
Explain the allocation of memory cells when a function is called?
When you call a function, the stack pointer is adjusted to cater for the function's arguments (if any), the caller's return address (mandatory), the function's local variables (if any) and the function's exception handlers (if any).
What is Usage of stack register?
The stack register points to the top of the stack for the currently executing thread. The stack is a fixed-length memory allocation at the bottom of addressable memory (highest available address). The stack extends upwards into lower addresses. To keep track of the stack's usage, the stack pointer marks the top of the stack where a new frame will be pushed, decrementing the stack pointer by the required amount. When a frame is popped, the stack pointer is incremented by the frame length. The stack is typically used to call and return from functions by storing the return address of the caller, but can also be used to store a function's arguments (the values passed to it by its caller), its local variables and its exception handlers. Since the memory is allocated as soon as the thread becomes active, moving a pointer to activate and release stack frames is much quicker than requesting heap memory via the operating system.
How primitive variables are stored on Stack?
Call-stacks are fixed-length and are allocated on a per-thread basis as threads are instantiated. The stack pointer CPU register keeps track of the next available address in the current thread's stack. The compiler computes the length of a function according to the number and type of its local variables (including formal arguments) plus the return address. When the function is invoked, the current stack pointer is adjusted by this amount, creating a "stack frame" specific to that function. Given the start address of the stack frame, the local variables and formal arguments can be referred to via constant offsets within the stack frame. When the function returns, the stack pointer is readjusted, effectively freeing the memory without actually releasing it back to the system. In this way, memory can be allocated and released on the stack with minimum cost.
What is top pointer of stack?
top pointer of a stack is the pointer that refers to the top most element of the stack.
What will happen when pop instruction is executed?
The top of stack to copied to the specified register and the stack pointer is incremented by 2. A special form of POP, RET, has the program continuing with the popped address in the program counter, i.e. a return from subroutine or function call.
Can stack be as a pointer?
A stack is a data structure in which last item inserted is taken out first . That's why they are known as LIFO (last in first out). Inserting an item in stack is termed as push and taking an item out from stack I s termed as pop. Stack pointer is the pointer that points to the top of the stack or that points the item at the top of the stack and help in adding or deleting the item from the top of stack.
What function for stack pointer of the register?
A stack pointer is a register pointing to the top of a stack. It supports the fundamental stack manipulations (push and pop) in an efficient manner. Most micro processor hardware has build-in hardware support for stack pointers, typically both in form of dedicated stack pointer registers and in form of addressing modes which support the creation and maintenance of stacks through general-purpose pointer registers. In software, many programming languages feature constructs suited for implementation of stack pointers within the high-level language (such as post-increment and pre-decrement operators in C).
In C plus plus How does a function pass control back to the calling function?
The calling code pushes the return address onto the call stack. When the function returns, it pops the return address off the call stack and returns control to that address. The call stack (or simply the stack), is also used to pass parameters to functions and to receive return values from functions, as well as for local storage, evaluation, and the this pointer when calling class member functions. Functions that call other functions, or that recursively call themselves, will increase consumption of the call stack accordingly. This is known as winding, because the return addresses will remain on the stack until the function is ready to return (even if the function calls itself or another function), thus allowing functions to automatically unwind. In other words, it's a bit like leaving a trail of breadcrumbs (as per the Hansel & Gretel fairytale) allowing functions to retrace their steps back to the original call site and, ultimately, back to the main function.
Situation where a stack pointer is used?
Accessing a stack.
