ELEC-C7222
Libraries for ELEC C7222 Course Work
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Getting Started

This guide walks through first-time setup for this repository in VS Code with CMake Tools and the Raspberry Pi Pico extension.

For full build details (toolchain assumptions, options, and build variants), see the Build Guide (building.md).

1. Clone The Repository

git clone <your-repo-url>
cd c7222-development

2. Initialize Submodules

This project depends on Git submodules (for example external FreeRTOS-related sources and docs mirrors).

git submodule update --init --recursive

If you already cloned and need to refresh:

git submodule sync --recursive
git submodule update --init --recursive

3. Install Required VS Code Extensions

Install at minimum:

  • raspberry-pi.raspberry-pi-pico
  • ms-vscode.cmake-tools
  • marus25.cortex-debug
  • ms-vscode.cpptools

The Pico extension is expected to provision Pico SDK/toolchain content under ~/.pico-sdk.

Useful optional extensions/tools:

  • VS Code serial console: ms-vscode.vscode-serial-monitor (Serial Monitor)
  • CLion serial console: Serial Port Monitor plugin (JetBrains)
  • RTOS task/object inspection: xRTOS (VS Code) and related xRTOS support/plugin in CLion

This project configures FreeRTOS runtime stats/trace support for detailed RTOS views (tasks/objects), including settings from libs/elec_c7222/config/FreeRTOSConfig.h and runtime hooks under libs/elec_c7222/utils/platform/*/freertos_hooks.c.

4. What CMake Presets Are

CMake presets are named, version-controlled configuration profiles stored in CMakePresets.json.

In this repository:

  • Debug: configures a debug build in build/Debug
  • Release: configures a release build in build/Release

Why use presets:

  • Same configuration across all developers.
  • No need to remember long configure commands.
  • Predictable build directories and cache values.

5. Enable And Use CMake Presets In VS Code

Open the repository folder in VS Code, then use Command Palette (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+P):

  1. CMake: Select Configure Preset
  2. Choose Pico - Debug (or Pico - Release)
  3. CMake: Configure

After configure completes, CMake Tools generates the selected build tree and target metadata.

6. Select Build And Run/Debug Targets

Use Command Palette actions in this order:

  1. CMake: Set Build Target
  2. Select the executable target you want (for example getting-started-freertos-cpp).
  3. CMake: Set Launch/Debug Target (if shown in your CMake Tools version)
  4. Pick the same executable as launch target.

Notes:

  • Build target controls what CMake: Build builds by default.
  • Launch/debug target controls what CMake: Debug or Run actions execute.

Getting-Started Targets

When you configure the project, the getting-started executables are configured together with the rest of the available targets.

The two getting-started targets are:

  • getting-started-freertos-c
  • getting-started-freertos-cpp

For a first debug session, the natural starting point is getting-started-freertos-c, since it is the simpler FreeRTOS C setup.

7. Build, Clean, And Rebuild

Common actions from Command Palette:

  • CMake: Build
  • CMake: Clean
  • CMake: Clean Rebuild (or run Clean then Build)

Recommended first-time flow:

  1. Configure preset.
  2. Set build target.
  3. Build.

UART logging note:

  • The project CMake configuration sets default stdio UART baud rate to 921600 via PICO_DEFAULT_UART_BAUD_RATE.

8. Debugging In VS Code (CMake Tools + Pico + Cortex-Debug)

8.1 Typical Debug Flow

  1. CMake: Select Configure Preset -> choose Pico - Debug
  2. CMake: Configure
  3. CMake: Set Build Target
  4. CMake: Build
  5. Start debug from:
    • CMake: Debug, or
    • Run and Debug panel -> Pico Debug (Cortex-Debug)

8.2 How Pico Extension Helps

The Pico extension integrates SDK/toolchain and debug metadata into VS Code. In this repository, launch.json uses Pico extension command variables such as:

  • ${command:raspberry-pi-pico.launchTargetPath}
  • ${command:raspberry-pi-pico.getGDBPath}
  • ${command:raspberry-pi-pico.getTarget}
  • ${command:raspberry-pi-pico.getChip}

This allows launch configurations to resolve correct ELF path, GDB binary, target config, and SVD without hard-coding per-machine values.

For runtime debug logs, use a serial port monitor extension and connect to the active UART at 921600 baud.

8.3 OpenOCD And Launch Configurations

Provided debug configurations include:

  • Pico Debug (Cortex-Debug) (extension-managed OpenOCD)
  • Pico Debug (Cortex-Debug with external OpenOCD)

config.openocd is provided primarily for CLion/OpenOCD workflows; VS Code generally uses .vscode/launch.json and Pico extension variables.

9. CLion Run/Debug Configurations

The included CLion project setup provides similar build and debug configurations. You can select them from CLion's Run/Debug Configurations menu, and they should work out of the box for the standard project workflow.

10. Practical Workflow Summary

For daily use, this sequence is effective:

  1. Pull latest + update submodules.
  2. Select preset (Debug for development).
  3. Configure once after CMake changes.
  4. Set build target.
  5. Build.
  6. Debug with CMake: Debug or Run and Debug panel.

11. Next Reading