Version 2.0 (R2006a+) Link for Code Composer Studio Development Tools Release Notes

Version 2.0 (R2006a+) Link for Code Composer Studio Development Tools

This table summarizes what's new in V2.0 (R2006a+):

New features and changes introduced in this version are described here.

• New architecture for Link for Code Composer Studio Development Tools

• Timeout Argument Added to insert and delete Methods

• insert and delete Now Blocking Operations

• RTDX Simulation Blocks in New Demo RTDX Simulation

• build Supports Output Arguments

• createobj Improved to Work With All Functions

• CCS 3.1 Compatibility Updates

New architecture for Link for Code Composer Studio Development Tools

This release of the product uses a new internal structure to interact with Code Composer Studio™ (CCS). Link for CCS now installs components (also called plug-ins) in CCS IDE that enable the links and MATLAB commands to run in the IDE process. The internal changes provide improved performance when you read or write data to your target. The interface you see in MATLAB has not changed, only the implementation of the software. All of your scripts and existing code work as before in earlier versions.

Installation Notes

Link for CCS registers a plug-in tool for Code Composer Studio (CCS). After you install Link for CCS, start CCS. CCS will detect the plug-in and prompt you that "New components were detected." Click Yes to enable tools for all compatible CCS releases.

The New Components dialog appears only once. If you do not accept the new components, you cannot use Link for CCS without reregistering the new components and then using the Component Manager in CCS to enable them.

Compatibility Considerations

The following changes result from the new architecture and the improved performance.

• Changing the architecture affects the way MATLAB connects to the CCS IDE. As a result, after you create ccsdsp objects that link to the CCS IDE, you should not close the IDE associated with the ccsdsp object without clearing the handle (your ccsdsp object) from your MATLAB workspace. Closing the IDE without clearing the handle leaves invalid handles. Use this command to clear the specified handles:

  clear(handlename)

  If you do not clear the handles, you get the following error when you try to use an invalid handle to the missing IDE instance:

  ??? CCS was closed independent of MATLAB. All existing handles are invalid.

  Please clear all CCS handles and recreate them.

  To proceed from here, you must clear the handles and then recreate your ccsdsp object.

• If you use the load and build functions from Embedded IDE Link CC in a MATLAB script, you might find that your script no longer builds and loads projects properly. Now MATLAB returns a message about an unspecified error. The error can occur because the load and build operations issued by your script are conflicting with the Load Program After Build option in CCS.
  If you select Load Program After Build in CCS, CCS automatically loads programs after building them. When your script issues the build and load requests, they conflict with the CCS build and load and the process fails.

  To prevent your scripts from failing in this case, go to Option > Customize > Program/Project Load in CCS IDE and clear the Load Program After Build option before you run your script.

Timeout Argument Added to insert and delete Methods

Both insert and delete now offer an input argument, timeout, that lets you specify explicitly the time the insert or delete operations wait while CCS processes the commands. You specify the time-out period in seconds. Please note the next new feature below that relates to this one. Note also that the timeout input option applies to all debug point options—break points, probe points, and profile points (called debug points).

insert and delete Now Blocking Operations

When you use insert or delete to add or remove a debug point (a break point, probe point, or profile point) in CCS, the process now operates in blocking mode. Blocking mode means that after you issue a insert or delete command in MATLAB, the MATLAB method retains control until your requested process reaches completion (it adds or deletes the debug point) or the process exceeds the time-out period as specified by either the optional timeout input argument or the default time-out value in cc.timeout. This represents a change to the earlier insert and delete operations.

Compatibility Considerations

The following changes result from the new insert and delete operation:

• Making insert and delete blocking means unsuccessful insert or delete operations return errors when the operation fails. In earlier releases, insert and delete did not return errors related to the success or failure of the operation. When you use the line input argument to insert a debug point on a specified line, line must represent a valid line. If line does not specify a valid line, insert returns an error and does not insert the debug point.

• delete(...,'all',...) removes all valid break points in the project code. It does not remove probe points.

RTDX Simulation Blocks in New Demo RTDX Simulation

A new demo, Transferring Data Between Simulink and a Target Application (rtdxsumdiffdemo), introduces two new blocks for working with RTDX in Simulink models. The new blocks, RTDX Read and RTDX Write, enable you to simulate RTDX communications with an application running on a hardware platform.

These new blocks are for demonstration purposes only. And they only apply in Simulink models on the host. They do not generate code for target applications.

build Supports Output Arguments

build now supports a pair of output arguments that return information about the build process. This syntax

[result,numwarns]=build(...)

returns two output values that report the results of the build operation. For a successful build, the output arguments are the following:

• result equals 1 for the build

• numwarns reports the number of build warnings that occurred during the build.

When the build is not successful, build displays an error and a message that contains the build error string in the MATLAB Command Window.

createobj Improved to Work With All Functions

createobj now returns complete function objects for library functions as well as C functions. In earlier releases, createobj could not return function objects from library functions that contained all necessary information to run the function.

Compatibility Considerations

The following changes result from the upgraded createobj.

• When you create a function object for a library function, you do not need to perform the declare operation to specify the function arguments. If you have scripts that use createobj followed by declare, remove the declare command from the scripts.

• If you are using any C28xx target, you cannot use the declare function after you create your function object with createobj. Using the declare causes an error. If you have scripts that use createobj followed by declare, remove the declare command from the scripts.

• Before you use a project built with any release of CCS before V3.0, rebuild the project in CCS 3.1.

• Always use the Full Symbolic Debug setting for the Generate Debug Info build option for your project in CCS.

CCS 3.1 Compatibility Updates

This release of Embedded IDE Link CC continues to support Code Composer Studio 3.1 with additional compatibility considerations as listed here.

Compatibility Considerations

The following issues reflect changes to the support provided by Embedded IDE Link CC:

• The product no longer supports the RTDX-based demos on the C54x simulator and on C6701 processor-based hardware. These include

  • Real Time Data Exchange Tutorial

  • LMS Adaptive Filtering

  • Transferring Data Between Simulink and a Target Application

• When you use the C54x simulator, the disp method does not display the correct processor type for your target. The property revfamily is set to an improper processor revision.

• When you use the C6713 Device Cycle simulator, the disp method does not display the correct processor subfamily identifier. The property subfamily is set to an improper processor subfamily value of 100 instead of 103.

• If you use the C6713 processor with a USB connection, RTDX communications does not work when you launch Code Composer Studio from Embedded IDE Link CC. To work around this problem, launch CCS manually from Microsoft Windows.

• With the C2808 processor as your target, you cannot enable more than one RTDX read channel from the host-side application. In some cases, enabling one channel from the host disables a previously enabled channel. To work around this problem, enable the RTDX channels programmatically in the C2808 application code.

• The product no longer support the Debugging a Target Application demo (ccsdebugdemo) on TMS470R2x hardware.

• When you launch CCS by issuing the command cc=ccsdsp at the MATLAB prompt, and then you use any DSP/BIOS plug-in or the profile function, you encounter an error that says vbd.dll could not be loaded. Work around this by opening CCS manually before you use ccsdsp.

• When you use open to open a project in a CCS IDE window and the project is already open in another CCS IDE window, Embedded IDE Link CC returns a time-out error in MATLAB. You can avoid this error by

  • Opening the project in a new CCS IDE window manually.

  • Closing the existing project in the other IDE before you open the new instance of your project.

Version 2.1 (R2006b) Link for Code Composer Studio Development Tools

Version 1.5 (R2006a) Link for Code Composer Studio Development Tools