Flag register of 8086 microprocessor
Last Updated : 05 May, 2023
Prerequisite – Flag register in 8085 microprocessor The Flag
register is a Special
Introduction :
The flag register is a 16-bit register in the Intel 8086
microprocessor that contains information about the state of the
processor after executing an instruction. It is sometimes referred to
as the status register because it contains various status flags that
reflect the outcome of the last operation executed by the
processor.
The flag register is an important component of the 8086
microprocessor because it is used to determine the behavior of
many conditional jump and branch instructions. The various flags in
the flag register are set or cleared based on the result of
arithmetic, logic, and other instructions executed by the processor.
The flag register is divided into various bit fields, with each bit
representing a specific flag. Some of the important flags in the flag
register include the carry flag (CF), the zero flag (ZF), the sign flag
(SF), the overflow flag (OF), the parity flag (PF), and the auxiliary
carry flag (AF). These flags are used by the processor to determine
the outcome of conditional jump instructions and other branching
instructions.
Purpose Register. Depending upon the value of result after any
arithmetic and logical operation the flag bits become set (1) or
reset (0).
Figure – Format of flag register There are total 9 flags in 8086 and
the flag register is divided into two types: (a) Status Flags
– There are 6 flag registers in 8086 microprocessor which become
set(1) or reset(0) depending upon condition after either 8-bit or 16-
bit operation. These flags are conditional/status flags. 5 of these
flags are same as in case of 8085 microprocessor and their working
is also same as in 8085 microprocessor. The sixth one is the
overflow flag. The 6 status flags are:
1. Sign Flag (S)
2. Zero Flag (Z)
3. Auxiliary Carry Flag (AC)
4. Parity Flag (P)
5. Carry Flag (CY) These first five flags are defined here
6. Overflow Flag (O) – This flag will be set (1) if the result of
a signed operation is too large to fit in the number of bits
available to represent it, otherwise reset (0). After any
operation, if D[6] generates any carry and passes to D[7]
OR if D[6] does not generates carry but D[7] generates,
overflow flag becomes set, i.e., 1. If D[6] and D[7] both
generate carry or both do not generate any carry, then
overflow flag becomes reset, i.e., 0. Example: On adding
bytes 100 + 50 (result is not in range -128…127), so
overflow flag will set.
MOV AL, 50 (50 is 01010000 which is positive)
MOV BL, 32 (32 is 00110010 which is positive)
ADD AL, BL (82 is 10000010 which is negative)
1. Overflow flag became set as we added 2 +ve numbers and
we got a -ve number.
(b) Control Flags – The control flags enable or disable certain
operations of the microprocessor. There are 3 control flags in 8086
microprocessor and these are:
1. Directional Flag (D) – This flag is specifically used in
string instructions. If directional flag is set (1), then access
the string data from higher memory location towards lower
memory location. If directional flag is reset (0), then access
the string data from lower memory location towards higher
memory location.
2. Interrupt Flag (I) – This flag is for interrupts. If interrupt
flag is set (1), the microprocessor will recognize interrupt
requests from the peripherals. If interrupt flag is reset (0),
the microprocessor will not recognize any interrupt
requests and will ignore them.
3. Trap Flag (T) – This flag is used for on-chip debugging.
Setting trap flag puts the microprocessor into single step
mode for debugging. In single stepping, the microprocessor
executes a instruction and enters into single step ISR. If
trap flag is set (1), the CPU automatically generates an
internal interrupt after each instruction, allowing a program
to be inspected as it executes instruction by instruction. If
trap flag is reset (0), no function is performed.
Uses of Flag register in 8086 microprocessor :
The flag register in the 8086 microprocessor has several important
uses, including:
1. Conditional branching: The flags in the flag register can be
used to control conditional branching in assembly language
programming. Conditional jump instructions allow a
program to take different paths based on the state of the
flags in the flag register.
2. Arithmetic and logic operations: The flag register is used to
store the results of arithmetic and logic operations. The
flags in the flag register provide information about the
outcome of these operations, such as whether a result is
negative or zero, or whether there was an overflow or
carry.
3. Error detection and handling: The flag register can be used
to detect errors and exceptions, such as overflow or divide-
by-zero errors. This allows programs to handle these errors
gracefully and to take appropriate corrective action.
4. Debugging: The flag register provides a convenient way to
access important information about the status of the
processor after executing an instruction. This information
can be used to debug programs and to optimize
performance.
5. Optimization: The flag register can be used to optimize the
performance of assembly language programs by avoiding
unnecessary instructions or reducing the number of
conditional jumps required.
Advantages :
The flag register in the 8086 microprocessor provides several
advantages, including:
1. Efficient conditional branching: The flag register enables
efficient conditional branching in assembly language
programming. Programmers can use conditional jump
instructions to make decisions based on the state of the
flags in the flag register, allowing for more efficient and
optimized code.
2. Improved arithmetic and logic operations: The flag register
is used to store the results of arithmetic and logic
operations, allowing for more complex calculations to be
performed efficiently. The various flags in the flag register
provide information about the outcome of these operations,
such as whether a result is negative or zero, or whether
there was an overflow or carry.
3. Easy access to processor status information: The flag
register provides a convenient way to access important
information about the status of the processor after
executing an instruction. This information can be used to
debug programs and to optimize performance.
4. Improved error handling: The flag register can be used to
detect errors and exceptions, such as overflow or divide-by-
zero errors. This allows programs to handle these errors
gracefully and to take appropriate corrective action.
Dis-advantages :
There are not many disadvantages of the flag register in the 8086
microprocessor, but some potential drawbacks include:
1. Limited number of flags: The 8086 flag register has a
limited number of flags, which can make it difficult to
handle complex calculations or to detect certain types of
errors or exceptions.
2. Limited precision: The flags in the flag register are often
limited in precision, which can lead to inaccuracies or errors
in certain types of calculations or operations.
3. Difficulty in understanding and using: The flag register can
be difficult for beginners to understand and use effectively,
which can lead to mistakes or errors in programming.
4. Overhead in execution time: Accessing the flag register can
add overhead to program execution time, which can impact
performance in certain types of applications.
