MPLAB® X IDE Development Cycle

There are several steps required for the development of PIC® MCU application code when using MPLAB® X IDE. This tutorial walks you through those steps.
- Create an MPLAB X project. Add and edit the source code files for your application needs.
- Debug the application using MPLAB X IDE's software simulator. This will allow you to verify the basic functionality of your code while protecting your design's circuitry in case of any unanticipated malfunctions in your code.
- When you are sure your code has a reasonable chance of running on hardware, select the programmer/debugger and continue to debug your code on an actual PIC microcontroller hardware.
- When all errors have been removed, click on the 'Program Target' icon to put your application into a PIC microcontroller, then remove the programmer/debugger and system test the operation of the application without an attached programmer/debugger.
- Generate the production HEX file for production release.