XC8 v2.10: error: 141 can't open chip info file [SOLVED]

XC8 v2.10 (1st try): error: (141) can't open chip info file "(null)"

See this post for the partial resolution: https://www.microchip.com/forums/FindPost/1137660

I'm attempting to use the XC8 assembler for the first time and have hit this wall.  I'm sure this is a cockpit error but I just don't know what I did / am doing wrong.  Complete build output is below along with a listing of the location of the files I believe should be used, but the short version is:

This is my first serious attempt to use the XC8 assembler and I'm on MpLabX v5.35.  I installed XC8 v2.10 (free) just to get the assembler as the mpasmx seems to be losing support.  [I have no other reason to move.]

I've done the usual dance: XC8 (install, remove, re-install), try MpLabX 5.30, ... - all to no avail.

I've read https://www.microchip.com/forums/m1060549.aspx and https://www.microchip.com/forums/m1058617.aspx and tried the C99 -> C90 -> C99 technique with no success.  I am using xc8-cc as can be seen in the build output.

For a while, there were preprocessor errors due to my use of possessives in comments (such as "; Check Library's contents").  Processing of comments for quote balance seems strange, but whatever.  But that implied I was at least using the xc8-cc.  It was only after I fixed those issues that the compiler/assembler decided the "chip info file" is an issue.

Any suggestions would be welcome.  Thanks.

GlennP

Here is the output of the make attempt and what might be a relevant directory list looking for info files for the PIC16LF1776:

BUILD (note - Trigger Expressions removed or modified):

CLEAN SUCCESSFUL (total time: 59ms)
make -f nbproject/Makefile-default.mk SUBPROJECTS= .build-conf
make[1]: Entering directory 'C:/Users/Glenn/Documents/MPLabProjects/StarterBooster.X'
"--------------------------------------"
"User defined pre-build step: ["C:\Program Files\Trailing Edge Technology\MicrochipSupport\TimeStamp" >BuildTimeStamp.inc]"
"--------------------------------------"
make -f nbproject/Makefile-default.mk dist/default/production/StarterBooster.X.production.hex
make[2]: Entering directory 'C:/Users/Glenn/Documents/MPLabProjects/StarterBooster.X'
"D:\Program Files (x86)\Microchip\xc8\v2.10\bin\xc8-cc" -c -mcpu=16LF1776 -LOTSOFOPTIONSREMOVED -o build/default/production/StarterBooster.o StarterBooster.asm
make[2]: *** [nbproject/Makefile-default.mk:134: build/default/production/StarterBooster.o] Error 1
make[1]: *** [nbproject/Makefile-default.mk:105: .build-conf] Error 2
make: *** [nbproject/Makefile-impl.mk:39: .build-impl] Error 2
2:1:: error: (876) syntax error
2:3:: error: (141) can't open chip info file "(null)": Invalid argument
(908) exit status = 1
make[2]: Leaving directory 'C:/Users/Glenn/Documents/MPLabProjects/StarterBooster.X'
make[1]: Leaving directory 'C:/Users/Glenn/Documents/MPLabProjects/StarterBooster.X'

BUILD FAILED (exit value 2, total time: 1s)

 

DIRECTORIES:

D:\Program Files (x86)\Microchip\xc8\v2.10>dir /s 16lf1776*.*

 Directory of D:\Program Files (x86)\Microchip\xc8\v2.10\docs\chips
07/31/2019 01:14 AM 13,789 16lf1776. h t m l
               1 File(s) 13,789 bytes

 Directory of D:\Program Files (x86)\Microchip\xc8\v2.10\mpasmx\LKR
07/30/2019 06:15 PM 7,360 16lf1776_g.l k r
               1 File(s) 7,360 bytes

 Directory of D:\Program Files (x86)\Microchip\xc8\v2.10\pic\dat\cfgdata
07/31/2019 01:14 AM 6,679 16lf1776.cfg data
               1 File(s) 6,679 bytes

 Directory of D:\Program Files (x86)\Microchip\xc8\v2.10\pic\dat\cfgmap
07/31/2019 01:14 AM 2,700 16lf1776.cfg map
               1 File(s) 2,700 bytes

 Directory of D:\Program Files (x86)\Microchip\xc8\v2.10\pic\dat\ini
07/31/2019 01:14 AM 99,691 16lf1776.i n i
               1 File(s) 99,691 bytes

Good idea, but no difference.
 
Here's the full make output.  I had modified the earlier one in a fight to avoid "Access Denied".
 

make -f nbproject/Makefile-default.mk SUBPROJECTS= .build-conf
make[1]: Entering directory 'C:/Users/Glenn/Documents/MPLabProjects/StarterBooster.X'
"--------------------------------------"
"User defined pre-build step: ["C:\Program Files\Trailing Edge Technology\MicrochipSupport\TimeStamp" >BuildTimeStamp.inc]"
"--------------------------------------"
make -f nbproject/Makefile-default.mk dist/default/production/StarterBooster.X.production.hex
make[2]: Entering directory 'C:/Users/Glenn/Documents/MPLabProjects/StarterBooster.X'
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microchip\xc8\v2.10\bin\xc8-cc.exe" -c -mcpu=16LF1776 -fno-short-double -fno-short-float -O0 -fasmfile -maddrqual=ignore -xassembler-with-cpp -mwarn=-3 -Wa,-a -DXPRJ_default=default -msummary=-psect,-class,+mem,-hex,-file -ginhx032 -Wl,--data-init -mno-keep-startup -mno-osccal -mno-resetbits -mno-save-resetbits -mno-download -mno-stackcall -std=c99 -gdwarf-3 -mstack=compiled:auto:auto -o build/default/production/StarterBooster.o StarterBooster.asm 
make[2]: *** [nbproject/Makefile-default.mk:134: build/default/production/StarterBooster.o] Error 1
make[1]: *** [nbproject/Makefile-default.mk:105: .build-conf] Error 2
make: *** [nbproject/Makefile-impl.mk:39: .build-impl] Error 2
2:1:: error: (876) syntax error
2:3:: error: (141) can't open chip info file "(null)": Invalid argument
(908) exit status = 1
make[2]: Leaving directory 'C:/Users/Glenn/Documents/MPLabProjects/StarterBooster.X'
make[1]: Leaving directory 'C:/Users/Glenn/Documents/MPLabProjects/StarterBooster.X'

BUILD FAILED (exit value 2, total time: 972ms)

I had a similar error with PIC18F25K43 (mine said "bad address" instead of "invalid argument"). Turned out, it is not supported by XC8 at all. I ended up selecting PIC18F27K43 and restricting memory area.
 
On the same note, try if you can get away with PIC16F1776 instead of PIC16LF1776.

JANickerson
what happens if you disable the user pre build step ?

The prebuild doesn't run and output gets shorter by three lines, but the error is the same.

After reading through the XC8 asm users guide and the MPASM to XC8 migration guide you'll begin to wonder
what idiot thought that getting rid of MPASM was a good idea.

http://ww1.microchip.com/...0Guide%2050002974A.pdf
http://ww1.microchip.com/...0Guide%2050002973A.pdf

Jerry Messina
you'll begin to wonder what idiot thought that getting rid of MPASM was a good idea.

That would be the maybe-not-an-idiot who had to deal with the aftermath of an earlier good idea: get rid of, or fail to replace, the staff who wrote/supported MPASM (written in a PC-specific Pascal dialect), and hand responsibility for that fustercluck to the XC8 team (highly skilled in platform-independent C).

written in a PC-specific Pascal dialect

 
Seemed like a good idea at the time?

I know this is marketing hype, but

Delphi is the fastest way to write, compile, package and deploy cross-platform native applications on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and Linux

 
I'm sure MPASM is ancient, and I'm not trashing the skills of the XC8 team, but before replacing an existing tool with a new one that requires the user to completely review/rewrite their code line by line using a new syntax (if possible since there are many "No equivalent" statements in that porting guide), I think a lot more consideration should have been given for what effect this would have on the customer and not for the poor support staff saying "gee, this is too hard".
 
If I did that to my customers they would be (rightly) teed off. I would expect many of them not to return.
 

mad_c
 I'd say more, but I'd hate to be the one to spoil everyone's surprise.
 
Jeff.

Tease!

Can you hang on for the 2.20 release?
If you hadn't noticed, mad_c is one of the XC8 authors, and he is heavily hinting at some major changes in a version about to come out...