How to Use This Manual
This book helps you learn how to use the Texas Instruments object file and assembly language tools designed specifically for the MSP430™16-bit devices. This book consists of four parts:
- Introductory information, consisting of Section 1 through Section 3, gives you an overview of the object file and assembly language development tools. Section 2, in particular, explains object modules and how they can be managed to help your MSP430 application load and run. It is highly recommended that developers become familiar with what object modules are and how they are used before using the assembler and linker.
- Assembler description, consisting of Section 4 through Section 6, contains detailed information about using the assembler. Section 4 and Section 5 explain how to invoke the assembler and discuss source statement format, valid constants and expressions, assembler output, and assembler directives. Section 6 focuses on the macro language.
- Linker and other object file tools description, consisting of Section 7 through Section 12, describes in detail each of the tools provided with the assembler to help you create executable object files. Section 7 provides details about using the archiver to create object libraries. Section 8 explains how to invoke the linker, how the linker operates, and how to use linker directives. Section 11 provides a brief overview of some of the object file utilities that can be useful in examining the content of object files as well as removing symbol and debug information to reduce the size of a given object file. Section 12 explains how to use the hex conversion utility.
- Additional Reference material, consisting of Section A through Section D, provides supplementary information including symbolic debugging directives used by the MSP430 C/C++ compiler. A description of the XML link information file and a glossary are also provided.