Alignment (The GNU Modula-2 Compiler)

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2.17 Data type alignment ¶

GNU Modula-2 allows you to specify alignment for types and variables. The syntax for alignment is to use the ISO pragma directives <* bytealignment ( expression ) and *>. These directives can be used after type and variable declarations.

The ebnf of the alignment production is:

Alignment := [ ByteAlignment ] =:
ByteAlignment := '<*' AttributeExpression '*>' =:
AlignmentExpression := "(" ConstExpression ")" =:

The Alignment ebnf statement may be used during construction of types, records, record fields, arrays, pointers and variables. Below is an example of aligning a type so that the variable bar is aligned on a 1024 address.

MODULE align ;

TYPE
   foo = INTEGER <* bytealignment(1024) *> ;

VAR
   z  : INTEGER ;
   bar: foo ;
BEGIN
END align.

The next example aligns a variable on a 1024 byte boundary.

MODULE align2 ;

VAR
   x  : CHAR ;
   z  : ARRAY [0..255] OF INTEGER <* bytealignment(1024) *> ;
BEGIN
END align2.

Here the example aligns a pointer on a 1024 byte boundary.

MODULE align4 ;

FROM SYSTEM IMPORT ADR ;
FROM libc IMPORT exit ;

VAR
   x  : CHAR ;
   z  : POINTER TO INTEGER <* bytealignment(1024) *> ;
BEGIN
   IF ADR(z) MOD 1024=0
   THEN
      exit(0)
   ELSE
      exit(1)
   END
END align4.

In example align5 record field y is aligned on a 1024 byte boundary.

MODULE align5 ;

FROM SYSTEM IMPORT ADR ;
FROM libc IMPORT exit ;

TYPE
   rec = RECORD
            x: CHAR ;
            y: CHAR <* bytealignment(1024) *> ;
         END ;
VAR
   r: rec ;
BEGIN
   IF ADR(r.y) MOD 1024=0
   THEN
      exit(0)
   ELSE
      exit(1)
   END
END align5.

In the example below module align6 declares foo as an array of 256 INTEGERs. The array foo is aligned on a 1024 byte boundary.

MODULE align6 ;

FROM SYSTEM IMPORT ADR ;
FROM libc IMPORT exit ;

TYPE
   foo = ARRAY [0..255] OF INTEGER <* bytealignment(1024) *> ;

VAR
   x  : CHAR ;
   z  : foo ;
BEGIN
   IF ADR(z) MOD 1024=0
   THEN
      exit(0)
   ELSE
      exit(1)
   END
END align6.