C and assembly development introduction: Difference between revisions

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==Setting up a development environment==
This tutorial describes how to set up an environment and use the Ndless SDK to write native Ndless-compatible programs for the TI-Nspire.
*Get [http://www.ticalc.org/archives/files/fileinfo/426/42626.html Ndless v1.1] which contains an SDK for C and assembly development on TI-Nspire. You may prefer the unstable [http://omnimaga.org/index.php?topic=4509.0 Ndless v1.7] currently in development which is compatible with OS 1.7. This article is written for Ndless v1.7.
*Add the <tt>sdk/bin/</tt> directory to your <tt>PATH</tt> environment variable (on [http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000549.htm Windows] or on [http://www.troubleshooters.com/linux/prepostpath.htm Linux]).
===On Windows===
*Install [http://www.mingw.org/wiki/msys MSYS], the lightweight Unix-like shell environment. The automated installation has been discontinued since MSYS 1.0.11, so you may  prefer to use this old version for an easier installation. Then you may optionally download the [http://sourceforge.net/projects/mingw/files/ indivual component upgrades] (MSYS sub-folder) and unpack them in MSYS's installation directory using [http://www.7-zip.org/download.html 7-zip]. <br/> MinGW is not required.
*Install the [http://www.yagarto.de YAGARTO GNU ARM toolchain]. Request YAGARTO's installer to add YAGARTO's ''bin/'' directory to your <tt>PATH</tt> environment variable.
An emulator will make development much easier: you can use [http://ti.bank.free.fr/index.php?mod=archives&ac=cat&id=Utilitaires+PC nspire_emu] (French site - choose the latest version of ''Emulateur Nspire/NspireCAS''), or the unstable [http://www.unitedti.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=8191 Ncubate] which enhance ''nspire_emu'' with interesting features for developers. You will need an OS image available on Texas Instruments web site. Help on ''nspire_emu'' can be found on [http://www.unitedti.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=8191 United-TI forum].


===On Linux===
==Install dependencies==
*Install the [http://blog.nutaksas.com/2009/05/installing-gnuarm-arm-toolchain-on.html GNU ARM toolchain].
===On Linux distros===
* '''Make sure your system has the following dependencies''': git, GCC (with c++ support), binutils, GMP (libgmp-dev), MPFR (libmpfr-dev), MPC (libmpc-dev), zlib, boost-program-options, wget. Install them with your system's package manager if not.


===Verifying the installation===
===On Mac OS X===
*Open a console. On Windows the MSYS console must be used: open ''MSYS (rxvt)'' from the Windows Start menu.
* TODO
* Type after the prompt (which is <tt>$</tt> in ''rxvt''):
* '''Make sure your system has the following dependencies''': git, GCC (with c++ support), binutils, GMP, MPFR, MPC, boost-program-options, zlib, wget. Install them with your system's package manager if not, for example brew.
$ nspire-gcc
If everything has been correctly set up you should see something similar to:
arm-none-eabi-gcc: no input files


As a convention for the next chapters, lines starting with <tt>$</tt> are commands you should type in the console. Other lines are commands output. On Windows, all commands must be type in the ''rxvt'' console. The commands used are Unix/Linux commands which can be interpreted and run by MSYS. You may [http://info.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Teaching/Unix/ pick up a tutorial] to learn the basic Unix commands before we continue.
===On Windows===
MinGW and MSYS do not work correctly, so use WSL or install Cygwin (32bit, x86). WSL is closer to a real Linux environment and likely easier to set up.  


==5-minute tutorial==
====Cygwin====
===Your first build===
Install the following dependencies: php (5.6+), libboost-devel, libboost_program_options*, binutils, gcc-core, gcc-g++, git, mpfr, mpfr-devel, gmp, libgmp-devel, libmpc3, libmpc-devel, make, zlib-devel, wget
Ndless v1.7 and higher comes with sample programs in the ''src/samples'' directory. We will try to build the C Hello World.
Change the current directory of the console (still ''rxvt'' on Windows):
$ cd "<my_ndless_copy>/src/samples/hello"
Check the content of the directory:
$ ls
Makefile  hello.c
A ''Makefile'' is a script which describes how to build the program. It is interpreted by ''GNU Make'', which is run with the command <tt>make</tt>. So let's ''make'' the program:
$ make
nspire-gcc -Os -Wall -W -c hello.c
nspire-ld -nostdlib hello.o -o hello.elf
mkdir -p ../../calcbin/samples
''make'' tells us the different commands used during the building process.


arm-none-eabi-objcopy -O binary hello.elf ../../calcbin/samples/hello.tns
====Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)====
<tt>nspire-gcc</tt> is Ndless's wrapper for the GNU C Compiler ''GCC'', which compiles C and assembly source files to object files (here ''hello.o'').
Install a distro (which one should not matter much) and continue in the Linux section.


<tt>nspire-ld</tt> is the wrapper for the GNU linker ''ld'', which combines object files to produce an executable in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executable_and_Linkable_Format ELF] format (here ''hello.elf'').
==Build and install toolchain and SDK==
*'''Get the latest code from [https://github.com/ndless-nspire/Ndless GitHub]'''
git clone --recursive https://github.com/ndless-nspire/Ndless.git


<tt>arm-none-eabi-objcopy</tt> is a GNU utility used to convert the ELF file to an Ndless-compatible executable directly runnable on a TI-Nspire. The file ''hello.tns'' can be found in ''src/calcbin/samples''.
* On Windows, fix the few symlinks, for instance zehn.h in the ndless-sdk/tools/genzehn folder, which has to be deleted then copied there from ndless-sdk/include (and if you intend to rebuild Ndless, utils.c from the resources folder into the different installers folders)


===A C program===
* '''Run the SDK's ''build_toolchain.sh'' '''script that will download and build a complete ARM toolchain compatible with Ndless, and install it (edit the <tt>PREFIX</tt> variable at the beginning of the script to change the install location). You don't need to be root for this.
Let's have a look at the Hello World source code ''hello.c''. It follows the C conventions.
cd ndless-sdk/toolchain/
./build_toolchain.sh


It has an entry point:
Running the script again will continue from the last successful step (not redownloading everything for instance). At the end of a successful build you should see <tt>Done!</tt>. Alternatively you can verify the build using <tt>echo $?</tt>. <tt>0</tt> indicates success.
int main(void) {
* Now '''add the following folders to your PATH environment variable'''. On linux, <tt>~/.bash_profile</tt> should be a good place for this, just add something like this to it:
and a return code (required but currently ignored by Ndless and the OS):
  export PATH="[path_to_ndless]/ndless-sdk/toolchain/install/bin:[path_to_ndless]/ndless-sdk/bin:${PATH}"
  return 0;
* '''Build Ndless and the SDK''', in the top level of the repository, run:
  }
  make
Ndless currently requires only one standard include file, ''os.h'':
  #include <os.h>


It allows to call ''syscalls'' provided by the Operating System of the TI-Nspire. Some syscalls are functions from the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C_standard_library C standard library], others are part of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C_POSIX_library C POSIX library]. There are also functions of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nucleus_RTOS Nucleus RTOS] on which is based the TI-Nspire OS.
===Verifying the installation===
*Open a console, and run:
$ nspire-gcc
If everything has been set up correctly you should see something similar to:
arm-none-eabi-gcc: fatal error: no input files
compilation terminated.


Currently only a few syscalls are defined in Ndless, but any help to search and declare missing syscalls is greatly welcome.
==2-minute tutorial==
unsigned intmask = TCT_Local_Control_Interrupts(0);
As a convention for the next chapters, lines starting with <tt>$</tt> are commands you should type in a console. Other lines are the command's output.
We are here calling the (Nucleus) syscall <tt>TCT_Local_Control_Interrupts</tt>, which disable the interrupts. This is required to be able to call C standard functions such as <tt>puts</tt> or <tt>printf</tt> which write to the RS232 console.  
===Your first build===
  puts("hello world!");
Ndless comes with sample programs in the ''samples/'' directory of the Ndless SDK. We will try to build the C Hello World.
The ''"hello world"'' message is written to the console. You can view it in ''nspire_emu'''s console, but you will need an [[Hardware#RS232|RS232]] adapter when running the program on a real calculator.
Change the current directory of the console:
$ cd "<my_ndless_sdk_copy>/ndless-sdk/samples/helloworld-sdl"
Ndless programs are built with ''GNU Make'', which is run with the command <tt>make</tt>. So let's ''make'' the program:
$ make
nspire-gcc -Wall -W -marm -Os -c hello-sdl.c
mkdir -p .
nspire-ld hello-sdl.o -o ./helloworld-sdl.elf
  genzehn --input ./helloworld-sdl.elf --output ./helloworld-sdl.tns --name "helloworld-sdl"
make-prg ./helloworld-sdl.tns ./helloworld-sdl.prg.tns
<tt>nspire-gcc</tt> is Ndless's wrapper for the GNU C Compiler ''GCC'', which compiles C and assembly source files to object files (here ''hello.o'').


At the end of the program, the interrupt mask is restored:
<tt>nspire-ld</tt> is the wrapper for ''GCC'', which redirects gcc with the option "-fuse-ld=gold" to use another wrapper "arm-none-eabi-ld.gold" as linker. "arm-none-eabi-ld.gold" adds some necessary libraries to the final program.
TCT_Local_Control_Interrupts(intmask);


===Your first program===
<tt>genzehn</tt> converts the executable created by "nspire-ld" to a format, which ndless supports.
You can copy the ''hello'' directory and start to adapt the Makefile and the source code.


The ''hello'' Makefile can be reused as a template for simple builds:
<tt>make-prg</tt> adds a simple loader on top so the executable works on older versions of ndless.
*Change the value of the variable <tt>EXE</tt> to the name of the TI-Nspire executable
*Change <tt>OBJS</tt> to the list of the object files of your program (programs are often split into several modules, one in each .c file)
*Change <tt>DISTDIR</tt> to the directory to which you want the ''.tns'' file to be built. It may be '.' for the directory containing the source code.


===Going further===
===Your first program===
*Pick up a good C tutorial before writing your own programs
If you want to create a program from scratch:
*Learn the syntax of [http://www.gnu.org/software/make/manual/make.html GNU Make's Makefiles] to adapt them to your own build requirements
*Create a new directory for the program
*Learn to use [http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/ GNU GCC] features and extensions
*Type in a console:
cd "<your directory path>"
nspire-tools new <name>
:where <name> is your program name. This will create a Makefile to build ''<program>.tns''
*Create a new .c file and edit your program
*Run <tt>make</tt> to build it

Latest revision as of 18:51, 16 May 2022

This tutorial describes how to set up an environment and use the Ndless SDK to write native Ndless-compatible programs for the TI-Nspire.

Install dependencies

On Linux distros

  • Make sure your system has the following dependencies: git, GCC (with c++ support), binutils, GMP (libgmp-dev), MPFR (libmpfr-dev), MPC (libmpc-dev), zlib, boost-program-options, wget. Install them with your system's package manager if not.

On Mac OS X

  • TODO
  • Make sure your system has the following dependencies: git, GCC (with c++ support), binutils, GMP, MPFR, MPC, boost-program-options, zlib, wget. Install them with your system's package manager if not, for example brew.

On Windows

MinGW and MSYS do not work correctly, so use WSL or install Cygwin (32bit, x86). WSL is closer to a real Linux environment and likely easier to set up.

Cygwin

Install the following dependencies: php (5.6+), libboost-devel, libboost_program_options*, binutils, gcc-core, gcc-g++, git, mpfr, mpfr-devel, gmp, libgmp-devel, libmpc3, libmpc-devel, make, zlib-devel, wget

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

Install a distro (which one should not matter much) and continue in the Linux section.

Build and install toolchain and SDK

  • Get the latest code from GitHub
git clone --recursive https://github.com/ndless-nspire/Ndless.git
  • On Windows, fix the few symlinks, for instance zehn.h in the ndless-sdk/tools/genzehn folder, which has to be deleted then copied there from ndless-sdk/include (and if you intend to rebuild Ndless, utils.c from the resources folder into the different installers folders)
  • Run the SDK's build_toolchain.sh script that will download and build a complete ARM toolchain compatible with Ndless, and install it (edit the PREFIX variable at the beginning of the script to change the install location). You don't need to be root for this.
cd ndless-sdk/toolchain/
./build_toolchain.sh

Running the script again will continue from the last successful step (not redownloading everything for instance). At the end of a successful build you should see Done!. Alternatively you can verify the build using echo $?. 0 indicates success.

  • Now add the following folders to your PATH environment variable. On linux, ~/.bash_profile should be a good place for this, just add something like this to it:
export PATH="[path_to_ndless]/ndless-sdk/toolchain/install/bin:[path_to_ndless]/ndless-sdk/bin:${PATH}"
  • Build Ndless and the SDK, in the top level of the repository, run:
make

Verifying the installation

  • Open a console, and run:
$ nspire-gcc

If everything has been set up correctly you should see something similar to:

arm-none-eabi-gcc: fatal error: no input files
compilation terminated.

2-minute tutorial

As a convention for the next chapters, lines starting with $ are commands you should type in a console. Other lines are the command's output.

Your first build

Ndless comes with sample programs in the samples/ directory of the Ndless SDK. We will try to build the C Hello World. Change the current directory of the console:

$ cd "<my_ndless_sdk_copy>/ndless-sdk/samples/helloworld-sdl"

Ndless programs are built with GNU Make, which is run with the command make. So let's make the program:

$ make
nspire-gcc -Wall -W -marm -Os -c hello-sdl.c
mkdir -p .
nspire-ld hello-sdl.o -o ./helloworld-sdl.elf 
genzehn --input ./helloworld-sdl.elf --output ./helloworld-sdl.tns --name "helloworld-sdl"
make-prg ./helloworld-sdl.tns ./helloworld-sdl.prg.tns

nspire-gcc is Ndless's wrapper for the GNU C Compiler GCC, which compiles C and assembly source files to object files (here hello.o).

nspire-ld is the wrapper for GCC, which redirects gcc with the option "-fuse-ld=gold" to use another wrapper "arm-none-eabi-ld.gold" as linker. "arm-none-eabi-ld.gold" adds some necessary libraries to the final program.

genzehn converts the executable created by "nspire-ld" to a format, which ndless supports.

make-prg adds a simple loader on top so the executable works on older versions of ndless.

Your first program

If you want to create a program from scratch:

  • Create a new directory for the program
  • Type in a console:
cd "<your directory path>"
nspire-tools new <name>
where <name> is your program name. This will create a Makefile to build <program>.tns
  • Create a new .c file and edit your program
  • Run make to build it