Red Hat Embedded DevKit allows you to build executable programs from the files in your project. Using Source-Navigator, you can compile your code, navigate to any errors, link your code, and, with the Insight debugger, set up a debugging session to debug your code.
Note
The compiler,
make, and the Insight debugger must be installed on your machine before using these features.
The Building Process
The building process compiles and links source files, such as libraries and executable files, to produce an output binary file.
Build Process
There are four steps to building your program:
editing your code,
compiling your source into an intermediate format, called object files,
linking your object files together to produce an executable application, and
debugging your executable to find any problems.
The minimum requirements for building source code include specifying which source files should be included, the directory in which the build should be stored, linking rules, debugging, and optimization flags, and included paths.
You can edit your code using Source-Navigator. This chapter explains compiling and linking. For information about the Insight debugger, see "Working with Insight, the Debugger Interface" in
Getting Started.
make
Source-Navigator uses a utility called
make.
make
combines a set of rules for compiling and linking code with a tracking mechanism for determining which files must be compiled.
Source-Navigator generates a
makefile, which
make
uses to determine which commands need to be executed in order to build your program.
Build Targets
A build target is a conceptual object that contains information needed to compile and link a project. For example,
hello.c
is converted into
hello.o
before
hello
is built. To produce the
hello
executable, the
hello.o
object file is linked with any required libraries.
The first time you select
Build Settings, the
Build Targets
list is empty. After you create a build target, its name appears in the list.
Creating a New Build Target
From the
Tools
menu, select
Build Settings
to start the
Build Settings
dialog.
Build Settings Dialog
Enter the name of the build target in the text entry box and click the
Create
button. The
Edit Target
dialog opens.
See Editing a Target.
Modifying Build Targets
Rename a build target by selecting the target, entering a new name, and clicking the
Rename
button.
Note
Do not highlight the target name in the text box or a new target name is created instead of it being renamed.
To edit an existing build target, select the target and click the
Edit
button.
Duplicating a build target is useful when a new target is only slightly different from an existing target. To duplicate an existing build target, select the target in the
Build Targets
list and click the
Duplicate
button.
Delete a build target by selecting it in the
Build Targets
list and click the
Delete
button. The target is removed from the listing.
Editing a Target
In the
Build Targets
list, either select the target name and click the
Edit
button or double-click the target name. The
Edit Target
dialog opens.
Edit Target Dialog
Edit Target tabs
The
Build Directory,
Target Type, and
Tool Chain
combo-boxes are common to the tabs accessed in the
Edit Target
dialog.
These store information about the build target.
Build Directory
This is the directory where all files generated in the build process are initially stored. By default this is blank. If this is left blank, then the project directory is used. To specify the directory, either type the
directory path or click the "..." button. If you click the "..." button, the
Open
dialog opens:
Select the directory in which to store the intermediate files. Click
OK
to close the dialog. The directory appears in the
Build Directory
field.
Target Type
Use this combo-box to select the type of build target to create. The options are
Executable
and
Library.
Tool Chain
A
tool chain
is a set of compilers, debuggers, and linkers. The options are
GNUPro (native), GNUPro (PowerPC linux), and GNUPro (Embedded x86 linux).
Source Files tab
The
Source Files
tab controls which source files are included in your build target. The
Project Files
and
Target
Files
sections contain tree information for the selected build target.
Source Files Tab
Adding files
To add files to the
Target Files
list:
Select the files from the
Project Files
list.
Click the
Add Files
button.
The files are copied into the
Target Files
list.
Removing files
To remove files from the
Target Files
section, select the files to remove and click the
Clear
button. To remove all of the files from the
Target Files
section, click the
Clear All
button.
Importing files and directories
To import files or directories into your currently active project:
Under
Import, click either the
Files
or
Directory
button.
Click the files or directories you wish to add to the project. Click
OK
when done. The names of the added files or directory appear in the
Project Files
list.
Library Files tab
Most libraries required for building targets are linked in automatically by the compiler/linker. If you know that your target requires additional libraries, use the
Library Files
tab to add them to your build.
Library Files Tab
Add additional libraries by clicking the
Add
button. The
Open
dialog opens to the last directory you have looked at in this project. After you select a library and click the
Open
button, it appears in the library list.
To remove a library from the listing, select the library and click the
Remove
button. The library is removed from the build.
Libraries are linked in the order listed in the dialog. To change the order of libraries, select the library and click either the
Move Up
or
Move Down
button to change its linking order.
Build Rules tab
Click the
Build Rules
tab to configure each rule in the build target.
A rule contains information required to compile files in a project. For example, a rule to compile a C file might contain information about which compiler and flags to use, as well as what the file is called after it's compiled.
This tab lists the rules for the specified build target. Within the
Build Rules
tab, you can:
disable and enable rules for the target.
edit existing rules.
Build Rules Tab
Status
This column shows the currently enabled and disabled rules. To disable a rule, highlight the rule and click the
Disable
button. To enable a rule, highlight the rule and click the
Enable
button.
Note
This button changes between
Disable
and
Enable
depending upon the state of the rule.
File Type
This column displays the type of file the rule acts upon.
Description
This column displays a description of the rule.
Editing a rule
To edit a rule, select the rule from the rule listing. Click the
Edit Rule
button. The
Build Rule Settings
dialog opens. The dialog title bar displays the extension for the files involved.
Settings tab
The
Settings
tab allows you to change the default settings for the rule.
Build Rule Settings with Options Selected
Debug:
This controls the debug information generated by the compiler.
Warnings:
Controls the level of warnings the compiler generates. A stricter warning ensures fewer problems with future compatibility. Set "Warnings as Errors" to make sure the compile stops any time a warning is generated.
User flags:
Enter flags not covered by the options listed in this screen. To add macros, see Defines tab.
Optimization:
Compiler optimization for the code.
Code Generation:
Processor or code control specific optimizations of settings.
Executable:
Selects the executable to use. To change the tool (such as compiler) location, either enter the location path or
click the "..." button to choose the tool binary to use.
Includes tab
Sometimes files include other files. In C this is done with the
#include
statement. The
Includes
tab allows you to change the included paths for the rule.
Includes Tab
The
Auto-Generated Include Paths
list displays paths generated from the Source-Navigator database.
Click the
Generate
button to generate a list of Source-Navigator included paths. These appear in the
Auto-Generated Include Paths
list.
To add additional paths, click the
Add
button. The selected paths appear in the
User Specified Include Paths
list. You can delete paths by highlighting the path and clicking the
Delete
button.
Defines tab
The
Defines
tab enables you to view, edit, and create new macro definitions.
Defines Tab
Modifying macro definitions
To create a new macro, enter the name and definition in the text entry box and click the
New
button.
To change the current macro definition, select the macro from the
Macro defines
list. The macro appears in the text entry box.
Macro Created and Selected
Make the necessary modifications to the macro.
To create a new macro, click the
New
button. The new macro appears in the listing.
To update the macro, click the
Change
button. The modified macro appears in the listing.
To delete a macro, select it from the
Macro defines
list and click the
Delete
button. The macro is removed from the listing.
Link Rules tab
The
Link Rules tab allows you to specify the program to execute and the name of the final output file.
Link Rules Tab of the Build Targets Menu
Output File:
The name of the final output file.
Linker:
Auto-detects the type of project. Click the "..." button to select another linker.
Entry Point:
This is the first function executed for the application. Default is
main(). In Java, you must specify the name of the class that defines
main().
Link flags:
Displays the full link command line and allows you to add flags, but you cannot edit existing links or flags.
Debug/Execute Settings: Controls the mode for the rule.
Execute
allows running the program from the
Build
window.
Debug
allows starting the Insight debugger from the
Build
window. See Debugging the build target for more information on debugging your program.
Command to launch Application:
This field lists the name of the binary to execute or debug. The default name is the file listed in
Output File. If you changed the default output file, you also need to change the name here.
Click the
OK
button to close the
Edit Target
dialog. Click the
Done
button to close the
Build Settings
dialog.
Compiling Build Targets
After you have created and configured a build target, you must build it.
Source-Navigator can generate its own
makefiles
or work with one that you supply.
Internal build systems
To build your project using the Source-Navigator build system:
From the
Tools
menu in the
Symbol Browser, select
Build.
The
Build
window opens.
Select the build target from the
Build Target
list.
Click the
Start
button to perform the build. If you need to stop the build process for any reason, click the
Stop
button.
When Source-Navigator starts the
make command, output from the
make
process is displayed. To step through the results, click the left or right black arrow keys in the toolbar.
If errors appear, the build target needs to be modified. See Modifying the Build.
If no errors appear, the build target is compiled and ready to be executed. See Executing the application
to download the application to the target board.
External build systems
To build using your own
makefile:
From the
Tools
menu in the
Symbol Browser, select
Build.
Ensure that
Build Targets
is set to
<External Makefile>.
In the
Directory
field, select the directory containing the external makefile.
If you require additional flags or a
different
make
program, from the
File
menu, select
Project Preferences
and select the
Others
tab. Enter the additional flags or
make
program into the
Build
field (see Others Tab of the Preferences Dialog.).
Click the
Start
button to perform the build. If you need to stop the build process for any reason, click the
Stop
button.
When Source-Navigator starts the
make command, output from the
make
process is displayed. To step through the results, click the left or right black arrow keys in the toolbar.
If errors appear, the source code needs to be modified.
If no errors appear, the build target is
compiled and ready to be executed. See
Executing the application to download the application to the target board.
Modifying the Build
If errors appear in the
Build
window, the source code must be modified before the build is downloaded to the target board.
Double-clicking a line with a compiler error message activates the
Editor with the cursor positioned on the line of code where the error appears. Right-clicking in the output window allows you to save the build output to a file.
From the
Windows
menu, select
Add View -> Build
to add a
Build
window to an
Editor
window.
Editor-Build Window
To save and recompile the modified files, press the
Start
button. The
Fast Save
dialog box appears asking if you want to perform a fast save. Click the
Yes
button to save the changes and rebuild. Click the
No
button to discard changes and perform a rebuild. Clicking the
Cancel
button closes the dialog without rebuilding the program.
When the build is completed, Source-Navigator saves the executable using the name specified in the
Link Rules
tab. If a name is not specified, the file name will be the target name. The compiled file is saved in the build directory.
Build types
The
Tools
menu in the
Build
window lists the types of builds you can perform. Before selecting an option from this menu, ensure that a build target has been selected.
Tools Menu
Build
Rebuilds only the modified files. This is the same as clicking the
Start
button in the
Build Targets
window.
Force Build
Rebuilds the modified files in the project and ignores errors,
Clean Build
Removes the object files and executables.
Export Makefile
Saves your build target as a
makefile for external use.
Debugging the build target
If you selected
Debug
from the
Link Rules
tab in the
Edit Target
dialog, you will use Insight to debug your code.
From the
Build
window, click the
Debug
button.
The
Program to Debug
dialog appears.
Program to Debug Dialog Box
In the
Program
field, enter or select the application to debug.
In the
Working Directory
field, enter or select the path of the project directory.
In the
Xterm
field, enter
xterm
to have a separate debugger output console window appear. If this field is
left blank, the Source-Navigator output console, specified in the
Others
preference tab (see Others tab),
is used.
Click
OK
to debug the build target.
Insight launches.
For more information on the Insight debugger, see "Working with Insight, the Debugger Interface" in
Getting Started.
Return to Source-Navigator to fix any errors and repeat the build-download-debug cycle.
Changing the build target from Debug to Execute
After debugging and fixing your build target, you must change the build target from debug to execute in order to run the application.
From the
Symbol Browser
window, select
Tools->
Build Settings.
Double-click the build target to modify from the
Build Targets
list box.
Click the
Link Rules
tab.
In the
Debug/Execute
Settings, select
Execute.
Click the
OK
button to close the
Edit Target
dialog.
Click the
Done
button to close the
Build Settings
dialog.
