Integrated Development Environment

Software and Tools

Code Composer Studio™ Development Tools

Visual Linker

The Visual Linker dramatically simplifies linking, reduces time-to-market, decreases application size, and helps boost performance. Utilizing a Windows™ Explorer-like interface, the Visual Linker provides the ability to drag-and-drop program components into multiple and different memory types and areas, choose from a library of standard device memory maps, uncover opportunities for optimization using immediate visual feedback on memory allocation, and reduce application size with fine-grained automatic elimination of unused code and data.

Debug Within the IDE

Code Composer Studio’s integrated debugger has DSP-specific capabilities and advanced breakpoints to simplify development. Conditional or hardware breakpoints are based on full C expressions, local variables or CPU register symbols. A General Extension Language (GEL) script file can be executed when a particular breakpoint hits. Global breakpoints are also available for multiprocessor systems. Developers can debug code quickly by selectively stepping into, over, or out of C functions or assembly sub-routines. A ProbePoint™, unique to Code Composer Studio Development Tools, is a sophisticated form of a breakpoint. It allows developers to define a point in the algorithm where oscilloscopetype functions can be performed. Unlike a breakpoint, program execution resumes after hitting a ProbePoint and performs the connected activity (e.g., inject or extract signal data, observe signals, execute GEL script).

Multi-Target Debug

Code Composer Studio supports the development of complex systems with multiple boards or multiple processors on a single target board. Code Composer Studio’s Parallel Debug Manager (PDM) provides synchronized control over multiple processors configured in single or multiple scan chains. It can be used to launch individual parent windows to control each processor. The Parallel Debug Manager can be used to broadcast commands to different groups of CPUs in the JTAG scan path. A global breakpoint command on one processor can halt other processors when this breakpoint is encountered. The Parallel Debug Manager lets developers open up separate debug windows for any CPU on any board in the system.

Real-Time Data Exchange (RTDX™)

Once algorithms are integrated into applications, the real-time behavior of the system must be observed. Code Composer Studio allows the developer to visualize or debug an application while it runs in real time. Real-Time Data Exchange (RTDX) provides significant benefits over alternative methods of system debugging.

RTDX gives developers the industry’s first DSP system that provides real-time, continuous visibility into the way target applications operate in the real world. RTDX allows developers to transfer data between the host computer and DSP devices without stopping their target application. This shortens development time by giving developers a much more realistic representation of the way their systems operate. RTDX allows designers to continually monitor their systems and gain real-time insight into their running applications.

Interactive Profiling

Code Composer Studio’s interactive profiler makes it easy to quickly measure code performance and ensure the efficient use of the DSP target’s resources during debug and development sessions. The profiler allows developers to easily profile all C/C++ functions in their application for instruction cycles or other events such as cache misses/hits, pipeline stalls and branches. Profile ranges can be used to concentrate efforts on high-usage areas of code during optimization, helping developers produce finely-tuned code. Profiling is available for ranges of Assembly, C++ or C code in any combination. To increase productivity, all profiling facilities are available throughout the development cycle.

Real-Time Analysis

Using the real-time analysis capabilities of Code Composer Studio, a developer can probe, trace and monitor a DSP application while it runs. These utilities are based on a real-time link and awareness between the Code Composer Studio host environment and the target. Even after the program has been halted, information already captured through the real-time analysis tools can provide invaluable insight into the sequence of events that led up to the current point of execution. Real-time analysis tools are used later in the development cycle when transitioning from the debug phase to the runtime phase. They show subtle problems arising from time-dependent interaction of program components. Real-time analysis tools are the software counterpart of the hardware logic analyzer.