Level 3, lesson 10

# 3.10 The stacks

The Stack Area contains two stacks. So far we've talked about one stack, which is the Data Stack. The Data Stack is heavily used, e.g. when you execute this code:

         2 3 + .

Only the Data Stack is used. First, "2" is thrown on it. Second, "3" is thrown on it. Third, '+' takes both values from the stack and returns the sum. Fourth, this value is taken from the stack by '.' and displayed. So where do we need the other stack for?

Well, we need it when we want to call a colon-definition. Before execution continues at the colon-definition, it saves the address of the currently executed token in the Code Segment on the other stack, which is called the Return Stack for obvious reasons.

Then execution continues at the colon-definition. Every colon- definition is terminated by ';', which compiles into 'EXIT'. When 'EXIT' is encountered, the address on top of the Return Stack is popped. Execution then continues at that address, which in fact is the place where we came from.

If we would store that address on the Data Stack, things would go wrong, because we can never be sure how many values were on that stack when we called the colon-definition, nor would be know how many there are on that stack when we encounter 'EXIT'. A separate stack takes care of that.

Try and figure out how this algorythm works when we call a colon- definition from a colon-definition and you will see that it works (4tH is proof of that).

It now becomes clear how 'EXECUTE' works. When 'EXECUTE' is called, the address of the colon-definition is on the Data Stack. All 'EXECUTE' does is copy its address on the Return Stack, take the address from the Data Stack and call it. 'EXIT' never knows the difference..

But the Return Stack is used by other words too. Like 'DO' and 'LOOP'. 'DO' takes the limit and the counter from the Data Stack and puts them on the Return Stack. 'LOOP' takes both of them from the Return Stack and compares them. If they don't match, it continues execution after 'DO'. That is one of the reasons that you cannot split a 'DO..'LOOP'.

However, if you call a colon-definition from within a 'DO'..'LOOP' you will see it works: the return address is put on top of the limit and the counter. As long as you keep the Return Stack balanced (which isn't too hard) you can get away with quite a few things as we will see in the following section.