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    Code Composer Studio is an Integrated Development Environment for Texas Instruments and better processors. This environment is available without a license fee for all users, no code size limit, no debug restriction. Simply download it and start using it.

    When you run Code Composer Studio, it will prompt you for a workspace. A workspace is a folder on your computer that is the default location for all of your projects and preference. The window that you see now is the Getting Started view. It provides quick access to a number of common actions, such as creating a new project, browsing examples, or even accessing our online support community. If you are more comfortable with a simplified environment, it is possible to enable Simple Mode from the Getting Started view. Simple Mode strips down the user interface to just basic functionality.

    When starting development, the place to begin is Resource Explorer. Resource Explorer is a tool that allows you to access the latest software, documentation, tools, and other resources. It will display both content that you have installed locally as well as content that is available for download. Thus, the first time you open it, it may take a few seconds to load. As you can see, there's a wide selection of software and resources available.

    The first thing I do when using Resource Explorer is indicate the development board that I'm using. I do this so that Resource Explorer will tailor the available content to match what is relevant to me.

    Let's explore the software development kit. I can access all of the documentation as well as the examples. When you select an example, you will get the read me. The read me will summarize what the example does, what hardware features are used, and any settings that you may need to make on your board. You can even view the source files that are part of the example.

    When you've found the example that you're interested in, you can import it to your workspace. Select the Import to IDE button. When you attempt to import an example, if you don't already have the associated software package installed, you'll be prompted to download it. You can do this with the Install On Desktop button and select Make Available Offline.

    Depending on the software package, the download may take a few minutes. Once it is complete, notice the green arrow that shows up beside the package. This indicates that it has been downloaded and installed locally. Let's import the project again.

    In some cases, you may have to agree to a supplemental license agreement. Once the project has been imported, it will show up within the Project Explorer window. You'll notice here that there is a second project that was also imported. This one includes the RTOS configuration. Note that in Code Composer Studio projects are folder-based.

    If you copy a file into your Project folder, it will automatically be considered part of the project. When adding files to your project, you can choose to either add them to the project, in which case they will be copied into the Project folder, or you can choose to link them to the project. When linking files, they are left in their original location, and the project will have a reference to the file.

    Inside the project you will see a number of different files and folders. The Includes folder contains all of the compiler search paths for header files that have been specified in the project options. You can open these to see all the files contained within. The Target Configs folder will be present if a debug probe connection was specified by the project. Inside the folder will be a CC XML file. This is the target configuration file. The target configuration file contains the information necessary to establish a connection to your target device, including the debug probe used and the device connected to it.

    The source files that are part of your project are shown, including a CMD file. A CMD file is a linker command file. The linker command file specifies the device memory map so that the linker knows how to place your program code and data in memory.

    You can build a project by clicking on the Build button. Note that for some projects, if they include an RTOS the first time you build, the RTOS may need to be built as well, and this can take some time.

    Once the project is built, you can click on the Bug button. The Bug button will actually build the project as well, if needed. It will then launch the debugger, load the program, and run to main.

    When the debugger is launched, the way Code Composer Studio looks has changed. This is because it has switched from the Edit perspective to the Debug perspective. A perspective is an arrangement of menus, toolbar buttons, and windows. The Edit perspective is tailored to writing code and building projects, while the Debug perspective is set up for debugging activities.

    By having specialized perspectives, you're able to have only those windows and views open that are applicable to what you're doing. On the toolbar, you can see which perspective you are in, and if desired, you can switch to the one that you want.

    One of the most important windows in the Debug perspective is the Debug view. It shows you the active debug sessions, their state, and the call stack. The Debug view controls the context of the other views. Clicking on an item in the call stack, , or in the case of a multi-core device, clicking on a core, will change the context of what is displayed in the other views to match what is selected in the Debug view.

    On the main toolbar, you can see buttons for controlling the debug session. The Connect button will connect or disconnect the debugger from the device. You can specify a program to load. The Resume button runs the program, and the Suspend button halts the program. The Terminate button will end the debug session and return to the Edit perspective. There are buttons for stepping. You can reset the device, and the Restart button will return the program to its entry point.

    To keep things relatively simple, by default, only a few windows are open. To access additional views, use the View menu. By selecting an item here, like the Breakpoints view, it will open that view in the current perspective.

    When you're finished with the debug session, click on the Terminate button. This will now shut down the debugger and return to the Edit perspective.

    Now that we have seen how to get started with an example project, let's take a look at the App Center. I can access the App Center via the Getting Started view, or I can access it from the View menu. The App Center is used to obtain extra features that are not part of the standard CCS installation. You can even download and install various versions of the TI and GCC compilers.

    If you have questions on how to use Code Composer Studio, there are a number of resources available to you. Many of these are conveniently listed in Resource Explorer. Here we can expand Development Tools, Integrated Development Environments. Select Code Composer Studio.

    Under the Documents folder, you'll find a number of handbooks and user guides on how to use various features in the Code Composer Studio. And in the Training folder, there is a wide selection of videos and training material, including workshops on how to get started with using Code Composer Studio. The CCS Fundamentals Workshop is a great place to start with getting familiar with the functionality of CCS.

    Thank you for choosing TI for your embedded design.