• State
  • Locked Locked
  • Replies 6 replies
  • Subscribers 53 subscribers
  • Views 1667 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Support feedback
Options
Options
Similar topics

This thread has been locked.

If you have a related question, please click the "Ask a related question" button in the top right corner. The newly created question will be automatically linked to this question.

CCS/MSP430FR2433: Basic tutorials for CCS Cloud project configuration? How to configure CCS Cloud project to link with MSPWare DriverLib?

lloyd konneker
Expert 1790 points
Part Number: MSP430FR2433
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: MSPWARE, ENERGIA, MSP-EXP430FR2433

Tool/software: Code Composer Studio

How do you configure a CCS Cloud project to link with MSPWare DriverLib?

Context:

I am experienced software developer in C/C++, using Eclipse IDE, Energia IDE, Github, GDB, etc.

Ubuntu host.  Have installed and used CCS Cloud before, but just playing.  I have a MSP-EXP430FR2433 Launchpad (and other Launchpads.)

I have written and compiled my code against DriverLib using Eclipse IDE,  without linking.  Now I could continue in Eclipse, configuring my Eclipse project by soft linking some DriverLib sources into the project so that they compile and are linked in, and configuring for cross-compiling to MSP430, etc.  But I thought it might be easier to switch to CCS Cloud, where all the configuration for cross-compiling to the  target msp430 is built in, already done. 

Another question is: once you import a Github repository into CCS Cloud (where the repository has no CCS project in it), how do you make a project out of it?  What I did so far was just import a Github repository into the workspace, and copy the /src directory into an empty CCS project.

In general, I am looking for a basic user guide for CCS Cloud, that tells you at a high level how to manage projects i.e. create a project from existing Github repository, configure the project to link to other libraries.

  • 0
    Expert 1790 points
    I see in another thread suggesting I should start with an example project that uses Driverlib, and add my source to it?

    In other words, the easiest workflow or process is to start a project from a template/example that uses the correct libraries, and copy your source to it? The other workflow-- start an empty project and configure it to use certain libraries -- is harder?

    But what if I can't find the appropriate example/template. E.G. I want to also use an Energia library such as SPI, and suppose there is no example of the same ilk? (I suppose I can use Driverlib support for SPI instead.)
  • 0 in reply to lloyd konneker
    Expert 1790 points
    So I started with an empty Driverlib project, and copied my source into it. That seems to compile better. So I will also copy other library folders into the project and go from there.

    Is there any way to soft link a library's source folder into a CCS Cloud project? Or embed a clone of a github repository into a CCS Cloud project?

    My concern is version control. If I just have a snapshot of libraries, copied into projects, what do I do when new version of the library source is released? I suppose one model of software development process is that a project should be a known snapshot of all the source, because that is what a developer is going to test before shipping product, and it safer to have a copy than to rely on being able to retrieve the same source from a repository. I don't expect a discussion, its a matter of taste I suppose. I think CCS Cloud is brilliant, just wishing it could be a little more brilliant.
  • 0 in reply to lloyd konneker
    Expert 1790 points
    Just dumping more experience as feedback....

    The project also uses Paul Stoffgren's Arduino Time library (github.) The parts I am trying to use are similar to C std library time.h. Copying the src into the project worked, except it depends on WProgram.h from Arduino SDK. So now I need to integrate Energia/Arduino into the CCS Cloud project. (Or test whether C std library time.h is already available in CCS Studio for target msp430.) I suppose this is the normal headache of using libraries.
  • 0 in reply to lloyd konneker
    TI__Guru**** 420630 points
    Hello Lloyd,
    If you have already started some development on the CCS IDE, I would suggest staying on there. The CCS Cloud environment is limited in many ways compared to CCS desktop. The intent for Cloud was to help people evaluate our devices and get started using the basic project management and debug functionality available in Cloud. But once you start going deeper with your development, it is recommended to move to CCS desktop where you get more of the advanced features that you need.

    In regards to the best way to get started with driverlib, it would be best to ask the experts in the MSP forum

    Thanks
    ki
  • 0 in reply to Ki
    Expert 1790 points
    Thanks. I have installed CCS Desktop before, but not used it yet.

    If you say CCS Cloud is for evaluation of your products using example projects, OK. But maybe you could make that a little more clear in your marketing. My initial impression was that it was adequate for development. It appeals to me because it is on the web and relieves me of the hassle of installing (and keeping up with upgrades) CCS Desktop. Like a containerized CCS.

    But I don't think using a library is an advanced feature.
  • 0 in reply to lloyd konneker
    TI__Guru**** 420630 points

    lloyd konneker said:
    Thanks. I have installed CCS Desktop before, but not used it yet.

    Ah ok, when you mentioned using Eclipse IDE, I assumed you were referring to CCS (Eclipse based) IDE. I would recommended start using CCS for both build and development.

    lloyd konneker said:
    But maybe you could make that a little more clear in your marketing. My initial impression was that it was adequate for development.

    We have always marketed CCS Cloud as primarily for evaluation purposes, as mentioned in the Cloud FAQ:

    Will CCS Cloud replace CCS Desktop?
    No. CCS Cloud is a simplified environment that is really meant for users who are evaluating TI platforms and need a quick way to run demo applications or try out examples. The expectation is that once real software development begins that users will switch to CCS Desktop.
    lloyd konneker said:
    My initial impression was that it was adequate for development.
    It is adequate for basic development when evaluating the device. Over time, we plan on adding more and more functionality to the Cloud environment. But it will always be a far cry from what you have on CCS Desktop from a functionality standpoint.
    lloyd konneker said:
    It appeals to me because it is on the web and relieves me of the hassle of installing (and keeping up with upgrades) CCS Desktop. Like a containerized CCS.
    This is certainly a strength of cloud based tools. But as people start serious development, it can become a PITA as many environments need to be locked down with specific versions of the tools (CCS, compiler, SDK, etc) and it is much easier to control that in a local environment. 
    lloyd konneker said:
    But I don't think using a library is an advanced feature.
    Using a library from cloud is a pretty basic basic if it consists of adding the existing library file to the project or something similar. It may still be possible to achieve some of what you are looking to do from Cloud but I would encourage getting going on CCS Desktop since you already have it installed. 
    Thanks
    ki