CCS/TMS570LS3137: Code coverage does not work

I followed the section of the compiler's manual, but maybe the phase 2 is different in the latest implementations: the manual says using commands like --onlycodecov which is missing in the setup gui and not recognized when introduced manually.

After a read of that section, I adopted the following approach:
phase1) In the feedback and analysis Options tab, I set "Generate profile feedback data", so that --gen_profile_info command is introduced; building and execution of the program on the MCU;
phase2) I deactivate "Generate profile feedback data" (because I guess it has already created the PDAT file in the phase1). In the "Use profile feedback file (--use_profile_info)" menu I point to an empty .prf file I previously created and I select "codecov" in the "Generate analysis info from profile data" dropdown menu, so that the resulting commands are now: --analyze=codecov --use_profile_info=file.prf. Then I simply build.

It does not display the code coverage and the file.prf remains empty. Can you please review my steps? Thanks ahead.

To see code coverage information, these are steps.

1. Build with --gen_profile_info to create an instrumented executable

2. Run the instrumented executable.  This causes profiling information to be collected.  When execution ends, the collected profile information is dumped out to a file named pprofout.pdat.  

3. Create the post-processed data file pprofout.prf with the profile data decoder armpdd.  This command is run at the command line, and not from within CCS.  The command invocation is similar to ...

armpdd -e instrumented_executable.out -o pprofout.prf pprofout.pdat

4. Build again to create the CSV files that contain the profile information.  Remove the option --gen_profile_info and replace it with --use_profile_info=pprofout.prf.

This same information is in the compiler manual.  But it does not take building with CCS into account.

Thanks and regards,

-George

Thanks for the help. I encountered 2 problems:

1) 

armpdd -e instrumented_executable.out -o pprofout.prf pprofout.pdat

returns the following "warning"

warning: Invalid profile data offset 0x0 from data file pprofout.pdat. Possible
   mismatch between executable and data file
warning: Invalid profile data offset 0x14 from data file pprofout.pdat.
   Possible mismatch between executable and data file
warning: Invalid profile data offset 0x28 from data file pprofout.pdat.
   Possible mismatch between executable and data file
warning: Invalid profile data offset 0x3c from data file pprofout.pdat.
   Possible mismatch between executable and data file
warning: Invalid profile data offset 0x50 from data file pprofout.pdat.
   Possible mismatch between executable and data file
warning: Invalid profile data offset 0x5c from data file pprofout.pdat.
   Possible mismatch between executable and data file
warning: Invalid profile data offset 0x68 from data file pprofout.pdat.
   Possible mismatch between executable and data file
warning: Invalid profile data offset 0x74 from data file pprofout.pdat.
   Possible mismatch between executable and data file
warning: Invalid profile data offset 0x80 from data file pprofout.pdat.
   Possible mismatch between executable and data file
warning: Invalid profile data offset 0x84 from data file pprofout.pdat.
   Possible mismatch between executable and data file
warning: Invalid profile data offset 0x88 from data file pprofout.pdat.
   Possible mismatch between executable and data file
warning: Invalid profile data offset 0x8c from data file pprofout.pdat.
   Possible mismatch between executable and data file
warning: Invalid profile data offset 0x90 from data file pprofout.pdat.
   Possible mismatch between executable and data file
warning: Invalid profile data offset 0x94 from data file pprofout.pdat.
   Possible mismatch between executable and data file
warning: Invalid profile data offset 0x98 from data file pprofout.pdat.
   Possible mismatch between executable and data file
warning: Invalid profile data offset 0x9c from data file pprofout.pdat.
   Possible mismatch between executable and data file
warning: Invalid profile data offset 0xa0 from data file pprofout.pdat.
   Possible mismatch between executable and data file
warning: Invalid profile data offset 0xa4 from data file pprofout.pdat.
   Possible mismatch between executable and data file
warning: Invalid profile data offset 0xa8 from data file pprofout.pdat.
   Possible mismatch between executable and data file
warning: Invalid profile data offset 0xac from data file pprofout.pdat.
   Possible mismatch between executable and data file
warning: Invalid profile data offset 0xb0 from data file pprofout.pdat.
   Possible mismatch between executable and data file

2) when I remove the option --gen_profile_info, after specifying the location of the .prf and replace it with --use_profile_info=pprofout.prf, I build again but no .csv files are generated.

With regard to the warnings from armpdd ... Be sure the pprofout.pdat file was created by running the exact same instrumented executable which is specified with -e in the armpdd command.

Regarding ...

_MM_ said:

2) when I remove the option --gen_profile_info, after specifying the location of the .prf and replace it with --use_profile_info=pprofout.prf, I build again but no .csv files are generated.

I suspect that, because of the problem with armpdd, you don't have a well formed pprofout.prf file.

Thanks and regards,

-George

George Mock said:

Be sure the pprofout.pdat file was created by running the exact same instrumented executable which is specified with -e in the armpdd command

To be 100% sure of that I clean the project and I check that all the .out files are removed (furthermore I remove all .asm and .obj generated per .c/.h: clean build), and I delete also .pdat and .prf files.

Then, I build (with --gen_profile_info and everything else disabled), and I execute (debug with the MCU). The .out file is generated brand new

Afterwards, I execute:

armpdd -e instrumented_executable.out -o pprofout.prf pprofout.pdat

and I select the generated .prf and disable --gen_profile_info. I build and no .csv is generated.

Suggestions?

I'm confused on whether you correctly perform step 4 from my earlier post.  Here it is again ...

George Mock said:

4. Build again to create the CSV files that contain the profile information.  Remove the option --gen_profile_info and replace it with --use_profile_info=pprofout.prf.

You say you remove --gen_profile_info.  Do you also add --use_profile_info=pprofout.prf?

Thanks and regards,

-George

_MM_ said:

and I select the generated .prf and disable --gen_profile_info. I build and no .csv is generated.

When I do that, yes, it adds  --use_profile_info=pprofout.prf. No errors, but I get this warning even if I disabled --gen_profile_info :

#10247-D creating output section ".ppdata" without a SECTIONS specification

Thank for sending a test case by private channels.  I have not figured it all out.  But there is one problem which clearly needs to be addressed.

This warning from the linker ...

_MM_ said:

#10247-D creating output section ".ppdata" without a SECTIONS specification

... means the .ppdata section is being allocated to memory in a default location that is almost certainly wrong.  Be sure it is allocated to read/write memory, and not read-only memory like flash.  

Thanks and regards,

-George