MPLAB® X IDE

In order to navigate your code or understand a colleague’s code in addition to documentation the Call Graph provides a static call tree of all functions called from other functions. It can also be exported to a Portable Network Graphics (PNG) image.

You can have as many versions of a compiler installed as you wish to work with. Each is identified by its own version. For any project, you can select the specific version of your choice. This enables you to use more than one instance of a compiler within the IDE at the same time. 

Project configurations can be set to use an older version while trying a new release.

Live parsing means while you type in code if you enter something the C parser does not recognize it will flag it. Many times this allows you to fix code before even compiling.

Using the CTRL key and mouse over a function, variable, macro, or include statement allows you to view its declaration. Clicking on the hyperlink will take you right to the source of declaration. Alternatively, you can right click on it and choose Navigate → Go to Declaration from the context menu to jump to its declaration.

The developer can select from a template file whenever he creates a new file to add source code to.

Either an individual or a company can set up a code format standard to be used within the editor. Just select the file to format the code in and menu Source>/Format to reapply the template to your source code.

Macros are incredible useful but sometimes they can have unexpected values if they are conditionally defined. This window allows you to see what the compiler will consume after the preprocessor is done. With the expansion view you see exactly what value they expand to. Also, blocks of code not to be compiled are omitted in the view. Also, in the editor window, MPLAB X shows you all the #ifdef/#endif blocks. It uses the comment color (grey by default) to show you sections that will not be included.

Need one place to summarize you project? For convenience there is a single window that gathers all the relevant project information and its environment. Device name, Debug Tool, Language Build Tool, and Connection state are presented. The Memory section shows Total, Used and Reserved by Debug Tool for RAM and Flash memory. Checksum and Breakpoint (silicon resource) status is also shown. The Debug tool provides additional status for Device ID, firmware versions and voltages.

Available only during a debug session and accessed through the Window>/ Debugging menu, this new Disassembly window shows the disassembled memory of the high-level language function in the scope of the current execution point of the debugger. It is extremely useful for debugging program execution at the assembly level.

In addition is the Disassembly listing window which is similar to the one provided in MPLAB IDE v8.x. It is available under the Window>/ Output menu. This window shows the disassembled code generated by the compiler for the current project. It interleaves the disassembled code with the original high-level language source code so it is possible to see what the compiler generates for each line of source code in the project. A project must be built with debugging information, since the display depends upon the debugging line table within the built project, in order to display data.

The variables window configured to show only variables used near the program counter location (cursor position). In this mode note that global variables used in the scope of the function can be displayed as well as local variables.

There are three flavors of configuration management source control already built into the new IDE. In addition others are provided through the NetBeans community.

You can customize the actions in the toolbars, minimize the windows to have them on side bars which will pop out. Undock any editor tab by dragging and dropping it outside the IDE. This will turn into an independent window that will allow moving onto a second screen.