Stack variable information removed in IDA pro (free version)?

Question

I'm using the IDApro free version and I was wondering why sometimes there could be a instruction like...

mov [esp + 1140h + var_1234], ebx

and if you click inside the bracket, and hit the letter K (Stands for the stack variable view)

it can become something like

mov [esp], ebx

or

mov [esp+4], ebx

Why is there a huge jump from 1140h to suddenly nothing? What is happening here?

Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

IDA declares local variables as var_XXX at the start of function

In the paste below var_108 is declared as dword ptr -108h

So 0x10c - 108 = 4 If You hit K ida would show you

.text:0040115C                 lea     eax, [esp+4]

If I find it confusing and prefer [esp+4] to [esp + x + (-y) ] I use the script in my answer to this question

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/23199403/differences-in-ollydbg-and-ida-pro-for-movsx-edx-byte-ptr-especx8-command/23604013#23604013

.text:00401150 sub_401150      proc near               ; CODE XREF: sub_4011BC+53p
.text:00401150
.text:00401150 var_108         = dword ptr -108h
.text:00401150 arg_0           = dword ptr  8
.text:00401150
.text:00401150                 push    ebx
.text:00401151                 add     esp, 0FFFFFEF8h
.text:00401157                 push    105h
.text:0040115C                 lea     eax, [esp+10Ch+var_108]

As RedLexus commented there is a reason why the local vars are negative

when you push arguments and call a function the stack layout will be like this

esp+0x00 -> return addrss
esp+0x04 _. arguments that were pushed follows from here

every thing that are negative like
esp-0x4 upto stack top address viz esp - 0xxxx are utilizable by the function to store temporary variables that are specific only in the scope of function

that is if you have a function

rettype calling convention somefunction (args 1.2,....,n)
{
local vars 
char foo[0x100] 
ulong blah
int bar;
function body follows

}

the compiler/assembler would theoretically provide space for int bar at esp -0x108