MIPS not recognizing NULL - string

Forgive me for the easiness of this question but I am new to MIPS and am getting an odd error:
.data
myString: .asciiz "P5"
.text
li $v0 4
la $a0, myString
newLoop:
syscall
addi $a0, $a0, 1
beq $a0, $zero, done
j newLoop
done:
li $v0, 10
syscall
My program never terminates despite the fact that there is a null character (as I have gleaned from other posts, equivalent to $zero) at the end of myString. I would have thought that $a0 would point to "P", then "5", then "\0" and then jump to done and terminate.
Thanks for your eyes!

What you're comparing to zero is the address, not the value at that address. You need something like:
lbu $t0,($a0) # load the byte pointed to by $a0
beq $t0,$zero,done

Related

Mips error printing length of string

This seems like it should work but clearly doesn't. When I try to count the length of the string it returns some crazy long number. When I one step the program it works fine but prints out the wrong number. Can somebody point me back on track so that I can work on the next function? I just need to figure out what is throwing off the count
############################################
# Program Name: strings.s
# Programmer: David Bierbrauer
# Date: 9/07/2017
############################################
# Functional Description:
#
#
############################################
# Cross References:
#
#
############################################
.data # Data declaration section
stringa: .asciiz "Enter the first string: "
stringb: .asciiz "\nEnter the second string: "
.text
main: # Start of code section
#li $v0, 4 #get first string input
la $a0, stringa
jal read
jal length
jal print
#get second string input
la $a0, stringb
jal read
jal length
jal print
j end
length:
li $t0, -1 #loop count 0
j lengthloop
lengthloop: #exit address $s1
lb $t1, 0($a0) #load next char into $t1
beqz $t1, endlength
addi $a0, $a0, 1 #increment string pointer
addi $t0, $t0, 1 #increment count
j lengthloop
endlength:
jr $ra
equality:
lb $t2, 0($a0)
lb $t3, 0($a1)
bne $t2,$t3 notequal
append:
print:
li $v0, 1
la
syscall
jr $ra
read:
li $v0, 4
syscall #print prompt
li $v0,9
li $a0,80
syscall
move $a0,$v0
li $v0,8
li $a1,80
syscall
jr $ra
end:
li $v0, 10
syscall
The code you've posted doesn't even assemble, because there's a stray la in the print routine.
Aside from that, your length routine returns the length in $t0, while your print routine assumes that the value is in $a0. That's why you get the wrong output.
Your print looks odd. spim yells at me - bad syntax of la pseudoinstruction. I guess, you mean
print:
li $v0, 1
la $a0, 0($t0)
syscall
jr $ra

Reverse string in MIPS

I am trying to write a program that gets a user string input and reverse that string in MIPS.
However, I must be doing something horribly wrong as it doesn't just display the user input in reverse but, it also reverses the prompt to the user. It seems that the user input is not identified with a null(zero?) character in the end.
.data
prompt: .asciiz "Please enter your name. You're only permitted 20 characters. \n"
userInput: .space 20 #user is permitted to enter 20 characters
.globl main
.text
main:
# user prompt
li $v0, 4
la $a0, prompt
syscall
# getting the name of the user
li $v0, 8
la $a0, userInput
li $a1, 20
syscall
add $t0, $a0, $0 # loading t0 with address of array
strLength:
lbu $t2, 0($t0)
beq $t2, $zero, Exit # if reach the end of array, Exit
addiu $t0, $t0, 1 # add 1 to count the length
j strLength
Exit:
add $t1, $t0, $0 # t1 = string length
li $t2, 0 # counter i = 0
li $v0, 11
reverseString:
slt $t3, $t2, $t1 # if i < stringlength
beq $t3, $0, Exit2 # if t3 reaches he end of the array
addi $t0, $t0, -1 # decrement the array
lbu $a0, 0($t0) # load the array from the end
syscall
j reverseString
Exit2:
li $v0, 10
syscall
Problem number 1:
add $t1, $t0, $0 #t1 = string length
What you're assigning to $t1 here isn't the length of the string; it's the address of the first byte past the end of the string.
Problem number 2 is that you never increment $t2 (or decrement $t1) within the reverseString loop.
I suggest that you make use of the debugging features in SPIM/MARS (like the ability to set breakpoints and single-step through the code), as that would've made finding these problems yourself fairly simple.

MIPS Assembly: Immediate value is too large for field error

When trying to store a user's inputed string, for part of a project, I receive the following error in spim when I simply load the file:
Immediate value is too large for field: [0x0040009c]
Below is my code:
.globl main
.data
prompt: .asciiz "0: exit, 1: enter string, 2: convert, 3: mean, 4: median, 5: display string, 6: display array: " #94 char long
enter: .asciiz "Enter string: "
.text
main:
display: addi $v0, $v0, 4 #print prompt
lui $a0, 0x1000 #grabbing prompt
syscall
addi $v0, $0, 5 #get integer
syscall
beq $v0, 0, rtn #if user type's 0, exit program
nor $0, $0, $0 #nop
beq $v0, 1, enterString #if user type's 1, enterString
nor $0, $0, $0 #nop
enterString:
addi $v0, $0, 4 #printing string
lui $a0, 0x1000 #grabbing prompt
addi $a0, $a0, 95 #grabbing enter
syscall
addi $v0, $0, 8 #grabbing input
sw $a0, 0x10000100 #storing inpuit - this specific address is a requirement
syscall
rtn: jr $ra
Now, when I run this I get the above mentioned error. However, I'm not quite sure why. It may be due to a string being 32 bit? Any explanations as to why would be appreciated. Thanks again!
I see a couple of problems in your code:
This is way longer than 94 chars:
prompt: .asciiz "0: exit, 1: enter string, 2: convert, 3: mean, 4: median, 5: display string, 6: display array: " #94 char long
Even if you remove those extra spaces, I still count 95 chars.
Don't assume that registers start out with a certain value:
addi $v0, $v0, 4 #print prompt
This should be addi $v0, $zero, 4.
This should probably be 0x1001, since the data section starts at 0x10010000:
lui $a0, 0x1000
Same goes for all other places where you're trying to access the data section.
I don't know if SPIM translates this into a valid instruction:
sw $a0, 0x10000100
If not, you should load the address into a register first (e.g. $a1), and access memory through that register (e.g. sw $a0, ($a1)).

MIPS randomized word scrambler

I am trying to write code that uses the MARS (my MIPS simulator) pseudorandom number generator to pick a random char in the string, take it out of memory and into a register, and replace that char in memory with an asterisk, '*'.
So far, it only scrambles part of the word, and it's driving me insane. I can't find what in this code isn't working. I don't even need a direct answer, just hints/tips would be SO helpful.
Here is the code:
#this loop extracts a char at random from a string in memory, stores it in a register, and replaces the char in the string with an asterisk '*'
.data
.align 2
string0: .ascii "Tyler\n"
.align 2
endString: .asciiz "Loop completed!\n"
.align 2
scrambleString: .asciiz
.text
#counter
li $t0, 5
#pointer to string0
la $s0, string0
loop2:
#is counter = 0? go to loop3 if so
beq $t0, $0, loop3
#seed & prepare randomized number generator
li $v0, 30
syscall
li $v0, 40 #sets seed
syscall
#generates random number in $a0, with the coUnter $t0 being the upper bound
addi $a1, $t0, 1
li $v0, 42
syscall
#add STRING POINTER by random number in $a0, store this new address in $t1
#addi $a0, $a0, 1
add $t1, $s0, $a0
#srlv $t1, $s0, $a0
#isolates that bytesized char, puts it into $t2
lbu $t2, ($t1)
#beq $t2, 0x5c, loop2
#replaces char in original string with "*"
li $t3, 0x2a
sb $t3, ($t1)
beq $t1, $t3, loop2
#decrement counter
addi $t0, $t0, -1
#loop return
j loop2
loop3:
la $a0, string0
li $v0, 4
syscall
li $v0, 10
syscall
You are resetting the random number seed on every iteration of
your loop (loop2:).
Syscalls 40 and 42 each take 2 parameters which should be in $a0 and
$a1. See here.
The temporary registers $t0,...,$t9 get altered by each
syscall. You should be using the callee saved registers
$s0,...$s8 instead.

Pig Latin in MIPS Assembly

In my MIPs Assembly Programming class I've been tasked with writing a program that converts a string into simplified pig latin.
Simplified pig latin assumes all words in the string are at least 2 characters long, and every word has its first letter shifted to the end followed by "ay". Also, assume there are no punctuation marks of any kind.
So, "stackoverflow is great" becomes "tackoverfloway siay reatgay".
I've taken a stab at this program and I'm nearly completed. It works fine, except that for some reason I have a line break in the middle of the last word every time.
For example:
tackoverflowsay siay reat
gay
Instead of:
tackoverflowsay siay reatgay
I've tried decuding what would be causing this line break in the last exit portion of my program but I don't see it. Do I have a pre-mature null terminated string? If I do, I don't see it.
Here is my code:
####################################################
# Text Segment
####################################################
.text
.globl main
main:
la $t0, char
la $t1, buffer
lb $t3, space
la $a0, prompt
li $v0, 4
syscall
la $a0, buffer
li $a1, 200
li $v0, 8
syscall
lb $t2, ($t1) # Load first char
addi $t1, $t1, 1
loop:
lb $t4, ($t1) # Load next character into $t4
addi $t1, $t1, 1
beqz $t4, exit # Reached end of string, exit?
beq $t3, $t4, loop2 # If $t4 = " " char, second loop
move $a0, $t4 # else, lets keep printing chars
li $v0, 11
syscall
j loop
loop2:
move $a0, $t2
li $v0, 11
syscall
la $a0, aystr
li $v0, 4
syscall
lb $t2, ($t1)
addi $t1, $t1, 1
j loop
exit:
move $a0, $t2
li $v0, 11
syscall
la $a0, aystr
li $v0, 4
syscall
li $v0, 10
syscall # Cya...
####################################################
# Data Segment
####################################################
.data
prompt: .asciiz "Enter Phrase: "
result: .asciiz "Pig Latin: "
space: .ascii " "
aystr: .asciiz "ay "
char: .byte 1
buffer: .byte 200
You almost certainly have a string of the form:
stackoverflow is great\n
where \n is a newline character. This would translate into:
tackoverflowsay siahy reat\ngay
if you simplistically detected the end of the word as either space or null-terminator.
I'm not going to give you the code (since this is homework) but the easiest solution, in my opinion, would be to have another loop processing the entire string, replacing all "\n" characters with spaces.
This would be done before your latinization loops.

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