Patent attributes
A data processing apparatus and method for generating constant values is provided. The data processing apparatus comprises a data processing unit operable in response to an instruction to perform a data processing operation on one or more data values. Shift logic is operable to selectively apply a shift operation to data to produce one of the data values for the data processing operation. Further, a plurality of registers are provided for storing data. The instruction has a register specifier field for identifying a register and a shift specifier field for specifying a shift to be applied to that register's data in order to produce one of the data values for the data processing operation. The register specifier field is allocatable a distinguished value, and if the register specifier field has that distinguished value, the shift logic is provided with a predetermined value and generates therefrom one of a plurality of constant values dependent on the shift specified by the shift specifier field, the generated constant value then being used as one of the data values for the data processing operation.
