TI Embedded Debug for VS Code

TI Embedded Debug for VS Code leverages open-source tools like OpenOCD and GDB to provide a comprehensive debugging experience across multiple TI device families, including popular platforms such as MSPM0 Microcontrollers and SimpleLink™ Wireless Connectivity Devices.

With TI Embedded Debug for VS Code, you can:

Connect to and debug TI devices directly within your VS Code environment
Use the familiar VS Code debugger interface to set breakpoints, step through code, inspect variables, etc.
Utilize various debugging interfaces, including JTAG and SWD

This extension's open-source foundation ensures that you can customize and extend your debugging experience as needed.

Supported Devices

The following TI device series are supported by this extension:

MSPM0 Microcontrollers:

MSPM0G
MSPM0L

SimpleLink™ Wireless Connectivity Devices:

CC2340R5x
CC26x0
CC26x2
CC13x0
CC13x2

Installation

To set up most of what you need to start using this extension, simply click the "Install Dependencies" button in the TI Embedded Debug for VS Code sidebar view. You will be automatically prompted to install/update this extension's dependencies upon its activation. If you want this extension to automatically keep its dependencies up-to-date, modify the TI Embedded Debug: Keep Dependencies Up To Date configuration in your VS Code settings.

If you don't already have libusb (many systems do), follow installation instructions at libusb.info.

On Linux systems, you will need to run a script to install udev rules specific to TI devices. This script automatically gets downloaded as part of the dependency installation, but needs to be run manually due to requiring sudo priviledges:

sudo ~/.config/Texas\ Instruments/ti-embedded-debug/ti-udev-rules/1.0.0/ti_permissions_install.sh --install

Extension Dependencies

OpenOCD

You can find more info on our OpenOCD builds here.

Viewing Installed Resources

You can find the location of the resources installed by this extension by examining the path assigned to the ti-embedded-debug.openocdExecutablePath preference in your VS Code settings. Alternatively, search for the Texas Instruments/ti-embedded-debug folder in your OS-specific application data directory:

On Windows: ~/.AppData/Local

On Linux: ~/.config

On Mac: ~/Library/Application Support

Creating a Launch Configuration

Once all dependencies have been installed, add a launch configuration to debug with OpenOCD. You can do this by clicking Run > Add Configuration... and selecting Cortex Debug: OpenOCD. The example below shows what your launch configuration might look like for a project named my_project:

{
    "launch": {
        "configurations": [
            {
                "cwd": "C:/Users/username/workspace/my_project/Debug",
                "executable": "my_executable.out",
                "name": "Debug with TI Embedded Debug for VS Code",
                "request": "launch",
                "type": "cortex-debug",
                "servertype": "openocd",
                "configFiles": [
                    "./interface/xds110.cfg",
                    "./board/<config_filename>.cfg"
                ],
                "searchDir": [
                    "C:/Users/<username>/AppData/Local/Texas Instruments/ti-embedded-debug/openocd/<version>/share/openocd/scripts"
                ],
                "runToEntryPoint": "main",
                "showDevDebugOutput": "none",
                "deviceName": "<deviceName>"
            }
        ]
    }
}

Note the use of relative paths outside of the cwd and searchDir properties. The searchDir property is used to look for the device-specific configuration files referenced in the configFiles property. If searchDir is specified, paths in configFiles are relative to searchDir. Otherwise, they are relative to cwd. All other paths (namely exectuable) are relative to cwd.

Inclusion of the deviceName property is necessary in order to be able to view peripheral registers while debugging. It is a known issue that this property will show up as "not allowed" in launch.json, despite working fine.

As our launch configurations are of type cortex-debug, you may choose to reference the official Cortex-Debug debug attributes for more configuration options.

Before launching your first debug session, please read the Known Issues section of this README.

Viewing Peripheral Registers

In order to view peripheral registers via the XPERIPHERALS view, you'll need to download the Cortex-Debug device-support extension corresponding to your device. Currently, the following device-support extensions are available on the Visual Studio Marketplace for Texas Instruments devices:

* Not maintained by Texas Instruments

Note that you must populate the deviceName property in your launch configuration in order for these extensions to work.

Known Issues

Additional Post-Build Step Required for Debugging With TI ARM Clang Compiler Versions v4.0.3.LTS and Earlier

Programs compiled with the following versions of the TI ARM Clang compiler require an additional post-build command to be executed in order for debugging to work with this extension:

v4.0.3.LTS and older
v3.2.3.LTS and older

After generating your .out file, run:

tiarmobjcopy --set-section-type=.TI.phattrs=1 my_executable.out

tiarmobjcopy is available within your installed TI ARM Code Generation Tools directory. For example, if you are using v4.0.3 of the tools on Windows, check C:\ti\ti_cgt_arm_llvm_4.0.3.LTS\bin. This issue is slated to be resolved in the releases of v4.0.4.LTS and v3.2.4.LTS of the compiler.

Additional Launch Configuration Property Required for Some CC13xx/CC26xx Devices

When debugging a CC13xx/CC26xx device, if you fail to start a debugging session, try adding the following property to your launch configuration:

"openOCDLaunchCommands": ["adapter_khz 2000"],

C Preprocessor Directives

VS Code may complain about specific usages of the #include preprocessor directive, and may dim usages of other directives such as #define. Warnings associated with these for TI example projects should generally not affect your ability to run/debug said projects.

Current-Line Highlight

The highlight corresponding to the currently-executed line may be off by one in certain instances.

deviceName Property

This launch.json property will show up as "not allowed", despite being usable by Cortex-Debug and its support packs.

Support

For technical support, please go through Texas Instrument's E2E support forum.