User input and output doesn't work in my assembly code

Question

The following program compiles without errors, but when run it doesn\'t prompt for any input and nothing prints. What\'s the problem, and how can I fix it?

I use the

Answer 1

There are signs in your code that you may have been using a Linux tutorial when producing code for OS/X(BSD). Linux and OS/X have differing SYSCALL calling conventions. In OS/X 32-bit programs int 0x80 requires parameters (except the syscall in EAX) to be passed on a stack.

The important things to be aware of with 32-bit SYSCALLs via int 0x80 on OS/X are:

• arguments passed on the stack, pushed right-to-left
• you must allocate an additional 4 bytes (a DWORD) on the stack after you push all the arguments
• syscall number in the eax register
• call by interrupt 0x80

After pushing arguments on the stack in reverse order for int 0x80 you must allocate an additional 4 bytes (a DWORD) on the stack. The value in that memory location on the stack doesn't matter. This requirement is an artifact from an old UNIX convention.

A list of the SYSCALL numbers and their parameters can be found in the APPLE header files. You'll need these SYSCALLs:

1 AUE_EXIT    ALL { void exit(int rval); }
3 AUE_NULL    ALL { user_ssize_t read(int fd, user_addr_t cbuf, user_size_t nbyte); } 
4 AUE_NULL    ALL { user_ssize_t write(int fd, user_addr_t cbuf, user_size_t nbyte); } 

I have commented some example code that would be similar in functionality to what you may have been attempting to achieve:

section .data
    ;New line string
    NEWLINE: db 0xa, 0xd
    LENGTH: equ $-NEWLINE

section .bss
    INPT: resd 1

global _start

section .text
_start:
    and     esp, -16      ; Make sure stack is 16 byte aligned at program start
                          ;     not necessary in this example since we don't call 
                          ;     external functions that conform to the OS/X 32-bit ABI

    push    dword 1       ; Read 1 character
    push    dword INPT    ; Input buffer
    push    dword 0       ; Standard input = FD 0
    mov     eax, 3        ; syscall sys_read
    sub     esp, 4        ; Extra 4 bytes on stack needed by int 0x80
    int     0x80
    add     esp, 16       ; Restore stack

    push    dword 1       ; Print 1 character
    push    dword INPT    ; Output buffer = buffer we read characters into
    push    dword 1       ; Standard output = FD 1
    mov     eax, 4        ; syscall sys_write
    sub     esp, 4        ; Extra 4 bytes on stack needed by int 0x80
    int     0x80
    add     esp, 16       ; Restore stack

    push    dword LENGTH  ; Number of characters to write
    push    dword NEWLINE ; Write the data in the NEWLINE string
    push    dword 1       ; Standard output = FD 1
    mov     eax, 4        ; syscall sys_write
    sub     esp, 4        ; Extra 4 bytes on stack needed by int 0x80
    int     0x80
    add     esp, 16       ; Restore stack

    push    dword 0       ; Return value from program = 0
    mov     eax, 1        ; syscall sys_exit
    sub     esp, 4        ; Extra 4 bytes on stack needed by int 0x80
    int     0x80

The and esp, -16 is only necessary if you need to align the stack to a 16-byte boundary as a baseline for future stack operations. If you intend to call external functions that conform to the OS/X 32-bit ABI the stack is expected to be 16-byte aligned immediately preceding a function CALL. This alignment is not necessary for system calls via int 0x80.

You should be able to assemble and link it with:

nasm -f macho32 test.asm -o test.o
ld -macosx_version_min 10.9.0 -o test test.o -e _start -lSystem

And run it with:

./test