MICROPROCESSOR AND ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE
PROGRAMMING
CHAPTER THREE: ADDRESSING MODES
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of this chapter, students will be able to:
➢ Define the concept of an "addressing mode."
➢ Identify, differentiate, and explain the various data-addressing modes.
➢ Apply the correct addressing mode to access data in registers, memory, and I/O ports.
➢ Understand how the CPU calculates effective addresses (EA) and physical addresses.
➢ Explain the program memory-addressing modes used for jump and call instructions.
➢ Describe the stack memory-addressing mode and its role in program execution.
3.1 Data-Addressing Modes
An addressing mode is a method used to specify the location of data an instruction will operate
on. The correct mode is crucial for efficient and functional assembly programming.
3.1.1 Register Addressing
Description: The operand (data) is located inside a CPU register. This is the fastest addressing
mode because no memory access is required.
Syntax: MOV Destination, Source
Example:
MOV CX, DX ; Copies the contents of register DX into register CX.
ADD AL, BH ; Adds the contents of BH to AL, result stored in AL.
Key Point: Both source and destination operands must be the same size (e.g., both 8-bit, both 16-
bit).
3.1.2 Immediate Addressing
Description: The operand is a constant value (literal) included directly in the instruction itself.
The data is part of the instruction code.
Syntax: MOV Register, ImmediateValue
Example:
MOV BL, 42h ; Loads the hexadecimal value 42 into the BL register.
MOV AX, 1000 ; Loads the decimal value 1000 into the AX register.
Key Point: The source is the immediate value; the destination cannot be an immediate value.
3.1.3 Direct Data Addressing
Description: The instruction directly contains the effective address (offset address) of the
memory location of the operand. The CPU uses the DS segment register by default and
calculates: Physical Address = (DS * 10h) + Offset.
Syntax: MOV AX, [Address]
Example:
MOV AX, [1234h] ; Copies the 16-bit value from memory at DS:1234h into AX.
MOV VALUE, AL ; (Where VALUE is a defined memory variable) Copies AL into the memory
location VALUE.
Key Point: Accesses a fixed, known memory location.
3.1.4 Register Indirect Addressing
Description: The address of the memory operand is held in a base or index register (BP, BX, DI,
or SI). It's like a pointer in high-level languages.
Registers:
BX, DI, SI default to the Data Segment (DS).
BP defaults to the Stack Segment (SS).
Syntax: MOV AX, [Register]
Example:
MOV AX, [BX] ; If BX contains 1000h, this copies the word at DS:1000h into AX.
MOV [DI], CL ; Copies CL into the byte at the memory location pointed to by DI.
Key Point: Efficient for processing arrays and data structures; the register can be incremented or
decremented to traverse memory.
3.1.5 Base-Plus-Index Addressing
Description: The effective address is the sum of a base register (BX or BP) and an index register
(DI or SI).
Base Register: Typically points to the start of an array or structure.
Index Register: Selects an element within the array.
Segment: Determined by the base register (BX=DS, BP=SS).
Syntax: MOV AX, [BaseReg + IndexReg]
Example:
MOV AX, [BX + SI] ; EA = BX + SI. Physical Address = DS * 10h + BX + SI.
Key Point: Ideal for accessing arrays where the base is fixed and the index varies.
3.1.6 Register Relative Addressing
Description: The effective address is the sum of a base/index register (BX, BP, DI, SI) and
a displacement (a fixed offset). The displacement can be a number or the name of a memory
variable.
Syntax: MOV AX, [Register + Displacement] or MOV AX, Displacement[Register]
Example:
MOV AX, [BX + 10h] ; EA = BX + 10h.
MOV AX, ARRAY[SI] ; Accesses an element in ARRAY. If SI=2, it accesses ARRAY[2].
Key Point: Used to access fields within a structure or specific elements in a stack frame.
3.1.7 Base Relative-Plus-Index Addressing
Description: The most complex form. The effective address is the sum of a base register, an index
register, and a displacement.
Syntax: MOV AX, [BaseReg + IndexReg + Displacement]
Example:
MOV AX, [BX + SI + 4] ; EA = BX + SI + 4.
MOV AX, FILE[BX+DI] ; Accesses a two-dimensional array.
Key Point: Used for complex data structures like arrays of records or two-dimensional arrays.
3.1.8 Scaled-Index Addressing (386 and later)
Description: A powerful enhancement where the index register can be multiplied by a scale
factor (1, 2, 4, or 8). This is perfect for indexing arrays of words (scale=2), doublewords (scale=4),
or quadwords (scale=8).
Syntax: MOV EAX, [BaseReg + Scale*IndexReg]
Example:
MOV EAX, [EBX + 4*ECX] ; Accesses a doubleword array. ECX is the index, and each element is
4 bytes, so this gets array[ECX].
Key Point: Eliminates the need to manually multiply the index by the data size, simplifying code.
3.1.9 RIP Relative Addressing (x86-64)
Description: In 64-bit mode, the instruction pointer (RIP) is used to access data relative to the
current location of the code itself. The displacement is a 32-bit signed value added to RIP.
Syntax: MOV RAX, [RIP + Displacement]
Example:
MOV RAX, [RIP + 100h] ; The data is located 100h bytes after the current RIP.
Key Point: Essential for Position-Independent Code (PIC), as it allows code to run correctly
regardless of where it is loaded in memory.
3.1.10 Data Structures
Description: Addressing modes are the building blocks for implementing data structures.
Array: Use Register Indirect or Register Relative with the index register as the array index.
Structure/Record: Use Base-Relative addressing. The base register (e.g., BX) points to the start of
the structure, and the displacement selects the specific field.
Array of Structures: Use Base-Relative-Plus-Index addressing. The base register points to the
array, the index register selects which structure, and the displacement selects the field within that
structure.
3.2 Program Memory-Addressing Modes
These modes are used by JMP and CALL instructions to transfer control to another part of the
program.
3.2.1 Direct Program Memory Addressing
Description: The target address is specified directly as a label or an address.
Example:
JMP PROG_LOOP ; Unconditionally jumps to the instruction at the label PROG_LOOP.
CMP AX, 0
JE LOCATION ; Jumps to LOCATION if AX equals zero.
3.2.2 Relative Program Memory Addressing
Description: The target address is specified relative to the current instruction pointer
(IP/EIP/RIP). The operand is a signed displacement that is added to IP.
Example:
JMP $+5 ; Jumps to the instruction 5 bytes ahead of the current IP. ($ represents the current
location).
Key Point: Used by all conditional jump instructions. Makes code relocatable.
3.2.3 Indirect Program Memory Addressing
Description: The target address is contained in a register or a memory location.
Examples:
Register Indirect: JMP BX ; Jumps to the offset address contained in BX.
Memory Indirect: JMP WORD PTR [BX] ; Jumps to the address stored in the memory word
pointed to by BX. FAR JMP DWORD PTR [SI] ; Jumps to a far address (segment:offset) stored in
memory.
3.3 Stack Memory-Addressing Modes
The stack is a LIFO (Last-In, First-Out) data structure crucial for temporary storage, procedure
calls, and saving return addresses.
Stack Pointer (SP/ESP/RSP): Always points to the top of the stack.
Stack Segment (SS): Defines the base address of the stack in memory.
Key Stack Instructions:
PUSH source
1. Decrement SP by the size of the operand (2 for 16-bit, 4 for 32-bit).
2. Copy the source operand to the memory location pointed to by SS:SP.
POP destination
1. Copy the data from the memory location SS:SP to the destination operand.
2. Increment SP by the size of the operand.
Description: Stack addressing is inherently a form of register indirect addressing using the
SP/ESP/RSP register.
Example:
PUSH AX ; Decrements SP by 2, then copies AX to the stack.
POP DI ; Copies the word from the top of the stack to DI, then increments SP by 2.
PUSH 1234h; (Immediate addressing with PUSH) Pushes an immediate value onto the stack.
PUSH [BX] ; (Direct addressing with PUSH) Pushes the contents of memory at DS:BX onto the
stack.
Summary Table: Common Data-Addressing Modes
Mode Example Operand Location Speed
Register MOV AX, BX Inside CPU Register Fastest
Immediate MOV AL, 5 In the Instruction Fast
Direct MOV AX, [1000h] At Memory Address 1000h Slow
Register Indirect MOV AX, [BX] At Memory, Address in BX Medium
Base-Plus-Index MOV AX, [BX+SI] At Memory, Address in BX+SI Medium
Register Relative MOV AX, [BP+4] At Memory, Address in BP+4 Medium
