#PCODE / #ENDP Directive

Syntax:
#PCODE
... PILOT code block ...
#ENDP

Description

The #PCODE ... #ENDP block embeds raw PILOT intermediate representation code directly within PBXA64 BASIC source. PILOT (Portable Intermediate Language for Object Translation) is the compiler's internal representation language, allowing developers to write or override low-level code generation when the BASIC-to-native translation needs manual guidance.

This directive is an advanced feature intended for performance-critical sections, direct hardware access, and runtime library implementation. The code within the #PCODE block is processed directly by the PILOT engine and emitted into the final binary at the insertion point.

The #PCODE block must always be terminated by #ENDP. These blocks can appear inside or outside procedures, though placement affects the code's scope and stack context.

Parameters

Parameter	Description
(block content)	PILOT intermediate instructions placed between `#PCODE` and `#ENDP`. Each line typically represents one PILOT instruction with its operands. Refer to the PILOT reference for the full instruction set.

Example

FUNCTION FastMultiply(BYVAL a AS LONG, BYVAL b AS LONG) AS LONG
    LOCAL result AS LONG

    #PCODE
        LOD  a       ; Load a into register
        MUL  b       ; Multiply by b
        STO  result  ; Store into result
    #ENDP

    FUNCTION = result
END FUNCTION

Notes

#PCODE blocks are compiled as-is without BASIC syntax validation. Syntax errors within the PILOT code are reported by the PILOT engine.
Variables declared in the enclosing BASIC scope are accessible by name within #PCODE blocks.
PBXA64 does not support #ASM blocks. Use #PCODE for low-level control instead.
PILOT is a portable IL; the same #PCODE block can theoretically target multiple architectures, though PBXA64 currently targets x86-64 only.
Misuse of #PCODE can corrupt the stack or produce invalid binaries. Always verify with small isolated tests.