MPLAB C Compiler for PIC24 MCUs and dsPIC DSCs ... - Microchip

Glossary
File Registers
On-chip data memory, including General Purpose Registers (GPRs) and Special Function
Registers (SFRs).
Frame Pointer
A pointer that references the location on the stack that separates the stack-based arguments
from the stack-based local variables. Provides a convenient base from which to
access local variables and other values for the current function.
Free-Standing
A C compiler implementation that accepts any strictly conforming program that does
not use complex types and in which the use of the features specified in the ISO library
clause is confined to the contents of the standard headers , ,
, and .
GPR
General Purpose Register. The portion of device data memory (RAM) available for general
use.
Heap
An area of memory used for dynamic memory allocation where blocks of memory are
allocated and freed in an arbitrary order determined at run time.
Hex Code
Executable instructions stored in a hexadecimal format code. Hex code is contained in
a hex file.
Hex File
An ASCII file containing hexadecimal addresses and values (hex code) suitable for programming
a device.
High Level Language
A language for writing programs that is further removed from the processor than
assembly.
IDE
Integrated Development Environment. MPLAB IDE is Microchip’s integrated development
environment.
Identifier
A function or variable name.
IEEE
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
Initialized Data
Data which is defined with an initial value. In C,
int myVar=5;
defines a variable which will reside in an initialized data section.
Instruction Set
The collection of machine language instructions that a particular processor understands.
Instructions
A sequence of bits that tells a Central Processing Unit (CPU) to perform a particular
operation and can contain data to be used in the operation.
© 2008 Microchip Technology Inc. DS51284H-page 223