Visible to Intel only — GUID: GUID-011A435D-F8D0-46D7-B973-9B704CA5B54E
Visible to Intel only — GUID: GUID-011A435D-F8D0-46D7-B973-9B704CA5B54E
C/C++/SYCL Calling Conventions
There are a number of calling conventions that set the rules on how arguments are passed to a function and how the values are returned from the function.
Calling Conventions on Linux
The following table summarizes the supported calling conventions on Linux:
Calling Convention |
Compiler Option |
Description |
---|---|---|
__attribute((cdecl)) |
None |
Default calling convention for C/C++/SYCL programs. Can be specified on a function with variable arguments. |
__attribute((stdcall)) |
None |
Calling convention that specifies the arguments are passed on the stack. Cannot be specified on a function with variable arguments. |
__attribute__((regcall)) |
-regcall specifies that __regcall is the default calling convention for functions in the compilation, unless another calling convention is specified on a declaration. |
Calling convention that specifies as many arguments as possible should be passed in registers; likewise, __regcall uses registers whenever possible to return values. This calling convention is ignored if specified on a function with variable arguments. |
__attribute__((vectorcall)) |
None |
Calling convention that specifies that a function passing vector type arguments should use vector registers. |
Calling Conventions on Windows
The following table summarizes the supported calling conventions on Windows:
Calling Convention |
Compiler Option |
Description |
---|---|---|
__cdecl |
/Gd |
This is the default calling convention for C/C++/SYCL programs. It can be specified on a function with variable arguments. |
__stdcall |
/Gz |
Standard calling convention used for Win32 API functions. |
__fastcall |
/Gr |
Fast calling convention that specifies that arguments are passed in registers rather than on the stack. |
__regcall |
/Qregcall specifies that __regcall is the default calling convention for functions in the compilation, unless another calling convention is specified on a declaration. |
Calling convention that specifies as many arguments as possible should be passed in registers; likewise, __regcall uses registers whenever possible to return values. This calling convention is ignored if specified on a function with variable arguments. For more information about the Intel-compatible vector functions ABI, download the Vector Function Application Binary Interface PDF. |
__thiscall |
None |
Default calling convention used by C++ member functions that do not use variable arguments. |
__vectorcall |
/Gv |
Calling convention that specifies that a function passing vector type arguments should use vector registers. |
The __regcall Calling Convention
The __regcall calling convention is unique to the Intel oneAPI DPC++/C++ Compiler and requires some additional explanation.
To use __regcall, place the keyword before a function declaration. For example:
Linux
__attribute__((regcall)) foo (int I, int j);
Windows
__regcall int foo (int i, int j);
Available __regcall Registers
All registers in a __regcall function can be used for parameter passing/returning a value, except those that are reserved by the compiler. The following table lists the registers that are available in each register class depending on the default ABI for the compilation. The registers are used in the order shown below.
Register Class/Architecture |
Intel® 64 for Linux |
Intel® 64 for Windows |
---|---|---|
GPR |
RAX, RCX, RDX, RDI, RSI, R8, R9, R10, R11, R12, R14, R15 |
RAX, RCX, RDX, RDI, RSI, R8, R9, R11, R12, R14, R15 |
FP |
ST0 |
ST0 |
MMX |
None |
None |
XMM |
XMM0 - XMM15 |
XMM0 - XMM15 |
YMM |
YMM0 - YMM15 |
YMM0 - YMM15 |
ZMM |
ZMM0 - YMM15 |
ZMM0 - YMM15 |
__regcall Data Type Classification
Parameters and return values for __regcall are classified by data type and are passed in the registers of the classes shown in the following table.
All types assigned to XMM, YMM, or ZMM in a non-SSE target are passed in the stack.
Type (Signed and Unsigned) |
Intel® 64 |
---|---|
bool, char, int, enum, _Decimal32, long, pointer |
GPR |
short, __mmask{8,16,64} |
GPR |
long long, __int64 |
GPR |
_Decimal64 |
GPR |
long double |
FP |
float, double, float128, _Decimal128 |
XMM |
__m128, __m128i, __m128d |
XMM |
__m256, __m256i, __m256d |
YMM |
__m512, __m512i, __m512d |
ZMM |
complex type, struct, union |
For the purpose of structured types, the classification of GPR class is used.
Types that are smaller in size than registers of their associated class are passed in the lower part of those registers; for example, float is passed in the lower four bytes of an XMM register.
__regcall Structured Data Type Classification Rules
Structures/unions and complex types are classified similarly to what is described in the x86_64 ABI, with the following exceptions:
There is no limitation on the overall size of a structure.
The register classes for basic types are given in Data Type Classifications.
__regcall Placement in Registers or on the Stack
After the classification described in Data Type Classifications and Structured Data Type Classification Rules, __regcall parameters and return values are either put into registers specified in Available Registers or placed in memory, according to the following:
Each chunk (eight bytes on systems based on Intel® 64 architecture of a value of Data Type is assigned a register class. If enough registers from Available Registers are available, the whole value is passed in registers, otherwise the value is passed using the stack.
If the classification were to use one or more register classes, then the registers of these classes from the table in Available Registers are used, in the order given there.
If no more registers are available in one of the required register classes, then the whole value is put on the stack.
__regcall Registers That Preserve Their Values
The following registers preserve their values across a __regcall call, as long as they were not used for passing a parameter or returning a value:
Register Class/ABI |
Intel® 64 for Linux |
Intel® 64 for Windows |
---|---|---|
GPR |
R12 - R15, RBX, RBP, RSP |
R12 - R15, RBX, RBP, RSP |
FP |
None |
None |
MMX |
None |
None |
XMM |
XMM8 - XMM15 |
XMM8 - XMM15 |
YMM |
XMM8 - XMM15 |
XMM8 - XMM15 |
ZMM |
XMM8 - XMM15 |
XMM8 - XMM15 |
All other registers do not preserve their values across this call.