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Overview

In the previous lesson from this guide, you have learned the basics of how to build and customize an Embedded Linux image with the Yocto Project/OpenEmbedded, by adding a simple hello-world application to one of Toradex's Reference Images for Yocto Project.

In this lesson, you will learn how to generate and use a custom standard SDK for cross-development. You will:

• Build a standard SDK with the Yocto Project/OpenEmbedded.
• Install and setup the SDK on your PC.
• Configure the Eclipse IDE for cross-compilation and debugging on the target device.

Keep in mind that this is an introductory tutorial and after you finish it we recommend you to refer to the Yocto Project Documentation, especially the section Yocto Project Application Development and the Extensible Software Development Kit (eSDK).

$ Command in your PC

$$ Command inside a container in your PC

# Command in the target board, e.g. Colibri iMX6

## Command inside a container in Torizon

> Command in the Bootloader

$ Command waiting for output
Output

Prerequisites

For this Quickstart Guide:

• Linux development PC that meets the prerequisites from Build a Reference Image with Yocto Project/OpenEmbedded.
• Successfully completed the previous lesson from this guide.

For this lesson:

• Linux development PC meets the prerequisites from Build a Reference Image with Yocto Project.

Step 1

Setup the Yocto Project/OpenEmbedded development environment as described in the previous lesson, if you haven't already done so:

• Build a Reference Image with Yocto Project - Installation

Step 2

Build an SDK:

• Linux SDKs - SDK Creation

For instance, if your custom image is named custom-multimedia-hello-image.bb:

$ bitbake custom-multimedia-hello-image -c populate_sdk

Step 3

Install the SDK:

• Linux SDKs - SDK Installation

Step 4

Build the Hello World from the previous lesson using the command-line. First, go to the directory where the C source-code resides:

$ cd <path to your Yocto Project build>/layers/meta-customer/recipes-customer/hello-world/hello-world

Then build as explained below:

• Linux SDKs - Application Development

Step 5

From the Linux terminal, find the board IP:

• Basic Linux Commands - Find board IP and MAC from the debug serial

Step 6

Copy the binary to the board, under /home/root, using scp:

• Basic Linux Commands - Copy files between Linux PCs

Step 7

Execute the binary on the board to confirm that it has been successfully built and deployed:

# /home/root/hello

Step 8

Install the latest Eclipse on your PC. There may be alternative methods, such as downloading from the Eclipse website, or installing a community version from using either your distro package manager or a Snap.

If you download for the official Eclipse website, an installer gives you the option to install the Eclipse IDE for C/C++ Developers and the Eclipse IDE for Embedded C/C++ Developers:

• 

  Eclipse Installer

In this guide we don't compare the different setups, you must do it by yourself and choose the one that is most appropriate for you.

Note: the Eclipse IDE for Embedded C/C++ Developers seems to come with most of the required plugins already installed.

Note: there once was an Eclipse Yocto plugin. It has been removed from the Yocto Project since release 2.7.

Step 9

On the terminal with the exported SDK environment, write down the name of the cross GDB. You will need it when configuring Eclipse in the next steps:

$ echo $GDB
aarch64-tdx-linux-gdb

In the example above it is aarch64-tdx-linux-gdb.

Step 10

If you have opened Eclipse after installing it, close it.

Warning: you must start Eclipse from the command-line, from the same terminal where you have sourced the SDK environment.

From the same terminal where you have sourced the Yocto Project SDK environment in the previous steps, open Eclipse from the command-line. This will allow you to use most of the environment variables exported by the SDK in the Eclipse configuration:

$ cd <path where Eclipse is installed>
$ ./eclipse

Step 11

Configure a new project:

• Linux SDKs - Eclipse Configuration

In summary, you will:

• Create a new empty project
• Configure the Cross GCC compiler

Step 12

Copy the hello world source code created in the previous lesson into the project directory and refresh the project configuration.

Build the project. You can use the shortcut Ctrl + B, select Project --> Build All or right-click the project and click Build Project.

Step 13

Create a debug configuration for your project:

• Hello World application on Embedded Linux - Debug an Application in Eclipse

You will have to adapt the following steps from the instructions above:

• You don't need to have the Remote System Explorer configured.
• In the Main tab of the C/C++ Remote Application debug configuration:
  • Leave the fields Project and C/C++ Application with the default values.
  • Create a new Connection, selecting an SSH connection.
    • As Host, use the previously found board IP
    • The User is root
    • You must select Password based authentication and leave an empty password.
  • On the Remote Absolute File Path for C/C++ Applications, you can click the Browse button and then the Ok button, leaving the default value, which will look like /var/rootdirs/home/root/hello-world depending on your project/binary name.
• In the Debugger tab of the C/C++ Remote Application debug configuration:
  • On GDB Debugger you can use name found on previous steps when you executed echo ${GDB}. In the example it was aarch64-tdx-linux-gdb.
  • Leave the GDB command file empty, unless of course, you want to use a file.

Step 14

Right-click the printf("Hello world!\n"); line number and select Toggle Breakpoint - or just double-click the line number. A blue dot will indicate that you have successfully added the breakpoint:

• 

  Add a Breakpoint

Step 15

Click the Debug button and the debug will start. Keep in mind that Eclipse will switch to the Debug perspective, but you may switch to other perspectives anytime, including the C/C++ perspective.

If Eclipse throws the error Algorithm negotiation failed, it is most likely because you have skipped a step on the previous lesson from this guide. See How to setup environment for Embedded Linux application development - Eclipse IDE to learn how to fix it.

Takeaway

Development using an IDE is handy and the Yocto Project provides an SDK that makes it easy to use it with the Eclipse IDE. Keep a few things in mind:

• You have generated an SDK that includes the development packages (headers and shared libraries) for the packages included by default in the Reference Multimedia Image. Your application will possibly require other packages that you will have to include in your custom image and then rebuild your custom SDK.
• As you might have noticed as you followed the article, the compiler options are setup in the SDK environment file that you must export before opening Eclipse. It is up to you to decide the best options and flags for your project.
• Once the application development is done, you must integrate your final changes in your Yocto Project recipe. While you can begin with what was presented in the previous lesson, it may involve writing a more complex recipe and you will possibly have to either read the Yocto Project documentation or search for similar existing recipes as a starting point.
  • The Yocto Project supports building C/C++ projects with single files, Makefiles, autotools, CMake and probably other build systems. The Yocto Project Development Tasks Manual - Common Tasks - Writing a New Recipe - Examples has some examples:
    • Single .c File Package (Hello World!).
    • Autotooled Package.
    • Makefile-Based Package.
    • CMake does not have a dedicated example chapter, but you can refer to the CMake Class Reference.

FAQ

gedit /usr/local/oecore-x86_64/environment-setup-armv7at2hf-neon-angstrom-linux-gnueabi

printenv

${CC} ${CFLAGS} -Wall hello-world.c -o hello-world

export CFLAGS=" -Wall -O3"
${CC} ${CFLAGS} hello-world.c -o hello-world

 /usr/local/oecore-x86_64/environment-setup-armv7at2hf-neon-angstrom-linux-gnueabi
...

export CFLAGS=" -Wall -O3"

...

${CC}

aarch64-tdx-linux-gcc  -O3 -feliminate-unused-debug-types --sysroot=/usr/local/tdx-xwayland/5.2.0/sysroots/aarch64-tdx-linux

-O2 -pipe -g -feliminate-unused-debug-types

-Og -pipe -g -feliminate-unused-debug-types
or
-O0 -pipe -g -feliminate-unused-debug-types