Tour of the MPLAB® X Interface

Main Toolbar

The main toolbar is the primary method of accessing and building MPLAB® X Projects

maintoolbar.png

Click on an icon to jump to its description.

ToolbarDivider.png Main_New_File.png Main_New_Project.png Main_Open_Project.png Main_Save_All.png ToolbarDivider.png Main_Undo.png Main_Redo.png ToolbarDivider.png Main_Combo_Box.png Main_Build_Project.png Main_Down_Arrow.png Main_Rebuild_Project.png Main_Down_Arrow.png Main_Program_Target_Project.png Main_Down_Arrow.png Main_Read_Target_Project.png Main_Down_Arrow.png Main_Hold_In_Reset.gif Main_Debug_Project.png Main_Down_Arrow.png ToolbarDivider.png Main_PC.png Main_Status.png

New File

Keyboard:

Ctrl+N

Menu:
File ▶ New File…

Creates a new file with the New File wizard.


New Project

Keyboard:

Ctrl+Shift+N

Menu:
File ▶ New Project…

Creates a new project with the New Project wizard.


Open Project

Keyboard:

Ctrl+Shift+O

Menu:
File ▶ Open Project…

Opens an existing project.


Save All

Keyboard:

Ctrl+Shift+S

Menu:
File ▶ Save All

Saves all open files.


Undo

Keyboard:

Ctrl+Z

Menu:
Edit ▶ Undo

Reverses (one at a time) a series of editor actions, except Save.


Redo

Keyboard:

Ctrl+Y

Menu:
Edit ▶ Redo

Reverses (one at a time) a series of Undo commands.


Set Project Configuration

Selects project configuration. Choose “default” or “Customize”.

By default, this will show default. However, if you create a new configuration, its name will show up here as well allowing you to rapidly switch between multiple configurations. For example, one configuration may use the ICD3 and another the simulator.


Build Project

Menu:
Run ▶ Build Project

Builds the project using the compiler/assembler selected in the Project Properties. The Build command in MPLAB X is roughly equivalent to the Make command in MPLAB 8. The make utility will build only the files in the project that have changed since the last build. Click on down arrow for other related options.


Clean and Build Project

Menu:
Run ▶ Clean and Build Project

Deletes files from previous builds and then builds the all project files. Click on down arrow for other related options.


Make and Program Target Project

Builds project in release mode then programs the PIC® Microcontroller. Click on down arrow for other related options.


Read Device Memory

Reads target device memory and loads into MPLAB X IDE. Click on down arrow for other related options.


Hold in Reset

Unlike the other toolbar buttons, this is a toggle switch. When it is pressed, it will assert the reset line to prevent the target from running. This button is most useful in conjunction with the Program Target button. After programming the target, Hold in Reset may be used to release the target board to run without having to disconnect the programmer.


Debug Project

Menu:
Debug ▶ Debug Project (Name)

Builds the project in debug mode (links in the debug executive), programs the target and runs the ­project on the target using the debugger selected in the project properties.



Main_PC.png Program Counter

Shows the current value of the Program Counter when a debug session is running. These may be visible even when a debug session is not active.



Main_Status.png Status Bits

Shows the current value of the Status bits when a debug session is running. These may be visible even when a debug session is not active

2

Project Window

projecttoolbar.png

To Open the Projects window select Window -> Projects from the menu or select Ctrl +1

The Projects Window has three tabs: Projects, Files, and Classes. When the Projects Tab has been selected you will be able to:

Add files to the project
Remove files from the project
Edit a project file
Modify the Projects properties including the

* MCU being used
* Compiler(and version) being used
* Debug Tool
* Project Configuration.

3

dashboard.png







The Project Dashboard displays the current status of the project including checksum, memory usage, and debug information as well as other useful information.

4




editorwindow.png






Double clicking on a file from the Projects tab of the Projects Window launches the MPLAB® X Editor which opens the source file in the editor window.

The user enters the modifications directly in the window.

MPLAB® X saves all modified files when the project is built. The user can also save any modified files directly by clicking the Save icon in the editor window toolbar.

For details on using the editor click here.

5

OutputWindow.png






When the user opens a window in order to observe the contents of the project, the window is opened as a tab in this window.

Examples of new windows opening in the output window include the Watches Window, Variables Window, and Debug Disassembly Window, among others.

During a project build the compiler displays the build status in the Output Window.

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