28.1 Variables in Specified Registers

The compiler allows you to put a few global variables into specified hardware registers.

Note: Using too many registers may impair the ability of the 32-bit compiler to compile. It is not recommended that registers be placed into fixed registers.

You can also specify the register in which an ordinary register variable should be allocate.

Global register variables reserve registers throughout the program. This may be useful in programs such as programming language interpreters which have a couple of global variables that are accessed very often.
Local register variables in specific registers do not reserve the registers. The compiler’s data flow analysis is capable of determining where the specified registers contain live values, and where they are available for other uses. Stores into local register variables may be deleted when they appear to be unused. References to local register variables may be deleted, moved or simplified.

These local variables are sometimes convenient for use with the extended inline assembly (see 20 Mixing C/C++ and Assembly Language), if you want to write one output of the assembler instruction directly into a particular register. (This will work provided the register you specify fits the constraints specified for that operand in the inline assembly statement).