Quick Start Guide

Code Composer
Studio

Integrated Development
Environment (IDE) v5
Installation Requirements
These operating platform requirements are necessary to install the
Code Composer Studio Integrated Development Environment (IDE):
Minimum
1.5-GHz Pentium-compatible CPU
1 GB of RAM (2 GB for Windows

7)
300 MB of free hard disk space (minimal custom installation)
Local DVD-ROM drive
Recommended
Dual-core processor
4 GB of RAM
2 GB of free hard disk space (typical installation)
Supported operating systems
Windows XP (32 and 64 bit)
Windows 7 (32 and 64 bit)
Linux
Check the Wiki for more details on Linux Host support:
processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/Linux_Host_Support
Installing the Code Composer Studio IDE
1. Insert the installation DVD in the DVD drive.
2. Go to Windows Explorer and run ccs_setup_5.x.x.xxxxx.exe
from your DVD.
3. Respond to the dialog boxes as the installation program runs.
You can customize the components that are installed. A
standard evaluation license agreement will appear during
installation. Note that when the Code Composer Studio IDE is
activated using an activation code (see section 3 of
Launching the Code Composer Studio IDE), another license
agreement will appear that is specific to the license activated.
Note: Depending on your operating system, there are some
recommended steps to take:
WINDOWS

: By default, Microsoft Windows Vista and Windows 7

do not allow user level accounts to write files in the Program
Files directory. This can prevent the Code Composer Studio
IDE from starting when installed in the Program Files or
Program Files (x86) directory, because the Code Composer
Studio IDE stores configuration data by default in its install
directory. Either of the following workarounds can be used to
avoid this problem:
Install the Code Composer Studio IDE outside the Program
Files or Program Files (x86) directory
Instruct the Code Composer Studio IDE to store
configuration data outside the Program Files or Program
Files (x86) directory using the -configuration command line
argument. The problem will not occur when running the
Code Composer Studio IDE as the Administrator user, but
this is not recommended because it compromises the
Windows Vista security model
LINUX: It is recommend to install as root. This avoids many
issues with emulation device drivers.
From a terminal, run the installer as
sudo ccs_setup_5.x.x.xxxxxx.bin &
At the end of the install, DO NOT check the box Launch
Code Composer Studio.
This option launches the Code Composer Studio IDE with
root privileges, which will naturally create all the temporary
cache files with such privileges. This will disrupt subsequent
launches of the Code Composer Studio IDE since these
files are non-writable by the regular user.
Launching the Code Composer Studio IDE
The following steps apply to launching the Code Composer
Studio IDE for the first time.
1. Invoke the Code Composer Studio IDE by double clicking on
the Code Composer Studio icon that appears on your desktop.
Code Composer Studio IDE Version 5
Quick Start Guide
2. A prompt will appear asking for a workspace location. The
workspace is the main working folder for the Code Composer
Studio IDE. The default location will be (on Windows

XP)
C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\
My Documents\workspace_v5_1. This path may vary on
other operating systems. The Code Composer Studio IDE will
ask for the location of the workspace each time on startup. To
have the Code Composer Studio IDE automatically default to
the specified workspace location, select the Use this as the
default and do not ask again option.
3. A dialog box will appear, requesting one of the following
licensing options be chosen:
ACTIVATE: This will provide options to activate the Code
Composer Studio IDE with an activation code, license file, or
floating license. Select the option for ACTIVATE and hit the
Next button at the bottom of the dialog box to continue to
the activation dialog. Then follow the steps below:
i. Step 1 Generate License File: Choose the license type:
Note: If you already have a valid license file, or have
access to a floating license on a server, you can skip this
step and go to Step 2.
1. Node-Locked License: Record one of your MAC
addresses (displayed above the Register button). A
MAC address will be needed to generate a license.
Then press the Register button. This will open a
web page in your web browser to guide you through
the steps of generating a license file with your
activation code and MAC address. The generated
license file will then be e-mailed to you.
2. Floating License: Select the Register button to
generate a license for a multi-user floating license.
This will open a web page in your web browser to
guide you through the steps of generating a license
file with your activation code. The generated license
file will then be e-mailed to you along with instructions
on how to setup the license on a server.
ii. Step 2 Install License File: Choose the license type:
1. Node-Locked License: Select the Specify a license
file option to install a node-locked license file that
has been received by e-mail. Select the file using the
Browse button.
2. Floating License: Select the Specify a license
server option and enter the Address and Port
Number information for the floating license installed
on a server.
Hit the Finish button at the bottom of the dialog box. This
will activate the Code Composer Studio IDE.
EVALUATE: This will activate the Code Composer Studio
IDE for 90 days for free evaluation without any feature
restriction. Simply select the option to EVALUATE and hit
the Finish button at the bottom of the dialog box to
continue.
FREE LICENSE: This will activate the Code Composer
Studio IDE with a FREE license with no time restriction. This
option is limited to the following scenarios:
i. Using the XDS100 JTAG emulator
ii. Using onboard emulators in EVMs/DSKs/Stellaris/eZdsp/
MAVRK development kits (eZ430 kits are NOT
supported). Linux drivers are not available for many
onboard emulators. Check the Wiki for more details on
Linux Host support: processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/
Linux_Host_Support
iii. Using simulators
iv. Using the Code Composer Studio IDE for Linux/
Android application development using GDB
Simply select the option for FREE LICENSE and hit the
Finish button at the bottom of the dialog box to continue.
CODE SIZE LIMITED: This will activate the Code Composer
Studio IDE with a FREE license for MSP430 with no time
restriction, but with a code size limit of 16 KB. Simply select
the option for CODE SIZE LIMITED and hit the Finish
button at the bottom of the dialog box to continue.
4. The Welcome Page will appear in the TI Resource Explorer,
welcoming you to the Code Composer Studio IDE. On this
page, there are several links that can be clicked to help get
started with the Code Composer Studio IDE such as creating
a new project, importing existing projects, links to examples,
links to additional resources on the web, and so forth. Once
you are finished with the Welcome Page, you can then
proceed to the main Code Composer Studio IDE workbench
by closing the Welcome Page.
5. The Code Composer Studio IDE workbench will appear and be
in the CCS Edit Perspective.
6. The Code Composer Studio IDE will check for updates and
will notify you if updates have been detected. You can then
choose to have the Code Composer Studio IDE download and
install the updates or decide to update the Code Composer
Studio IDE at a later time.
Using the Code Composer Studio IDE to Create a Project
To create a new project:
1. Select File New CCS Project from the menu. This
opens the New CCS project wizard.
2. In the Project Name field, type the new project name.
3. In the Output type, select Executable or Static Library,
depending on the type of output you are creating.
4. The Use default location option, if enabled, will create the
project in your workspace folder. The option is enabled by
default. If desired, uncheck the option to select a new location
(by using the Browse button).
5. Specify the architecture in the Family field using the drop-
down menu.
6. In the Variant field, select the device you are creating the
project for. If your specific device is not present, select the
Custom or Generic device option that is closest. Selecting
an option in this field with apply some default settings for the
fields in the Advanced settings, such as picking a runtime
support library and linker command file to use.
a. If a specific device was selected in the Variant field (as
opposed to Generic or Custom), the Connection: field
can be used to specify the connection type between the
Code Composer Studio IDE and the target. Specifying this
field will have the project wizard automatically generate a
target configuration file in the project and the section
Creating your Target Configuration File can be skipped.
7. The Advanced settings section is minimized by default. If
expanded, settings for device endianness, compiler version,
output format, linker command file and runtime support library
can be specified. The default settings specified from Step 6
can be modified if desired.
8. A project template can be specified. Project templates will
generate some example code which can be used to help get
started. The types of templates available will vary per Device
Family.
9. Your project has now been created and added to the
workspace. The contents of the project will be visible from the
Project Explorer view, even on re-launching the Code
Composer Studio IDE, as long as the workspace folder is not
changed.
To add files to a project:
Note: Most project template examples will already have
generated source files added to the project. No additional source
files are needed to build the examples and the following steps
adding files to the project are not necessary.
Create/add new source files to your project by right-clicking
on the project in the Project Explorer view and selecting
New Source File in the context menu. This opens the
New Source File dialog box. In the Source File field, type
the new project name. Make source the name also has the file
extension (ex.: main.c). Click Finish to exit the dialog. This
will open a blank file of the specified name in the editor and
add the file to the project.
(Optional): The Code Composer Studio IDE comes with
some code templates that can be used from the editor.
Code templates are templates of code that can be
referenced using the Content Assist feature of the editor.
Custom code templates can also be created. It is a quick
way to get started with the Code Composer Studio IDE.
1. MSP430: Type the letter b in blank file in the editor.
Then press CTRL-SPACE (press the CTRL key and
SPACE key at the same time). This will add source for
the MSP430 blink LED example.
2. Other ISA: Type the letter h in blank file in the editor.
Then press CTRL-SPACE (press the CTRL key and
SPACE key at the same time). This will bring up a list
of code template options for hello world. Selecting the
helloworld option will add the source for a standard
hello world example.
To add existing source files, right-click on the project in the
Project Explorer view, select Add Files, and browse to
the file you wish to add. When a file is selected, a prompt will
appear, asking if the Code Composer Studio IDE should Copy
files (make a physical copy of the file and put it in the project
folder) or Link to files (create a reference to the file).
When Link to files is selected, a linked resource path
variable may be specified in a drop down list to create the
reference using a variable instead of an absolute path. This
helps to make the project portable.
Creating Your Target Configuration File
Before a debug session can be launched, a target configuration
file is needed to configure the Code Composer Studio IDE for the
target board or simulator that you want to use. This file can be
added to a project or exist standalone. The steps below will
show how to add it to a project.
Note: If a specific device variant and connection was specified in
Step 6 of To create a new project, then a target configuration
file has been automatically created and added to the project after
project creation. The following steps below for creating a target
configuration file are not needed.
1. Right-click on the project in the Project Explorer view and
select New Target Configuration File. This opens the New
Target Configuration dialog box. In the File name field, type
in a new file name. Give it a file extension of (*.ccxml). Click
Finish to exit the dialog. This will open the target
configuration file in the editor.
2. In the Connection field, select the connection type by
enabling the checkbox for the desired device.
3. In the Device field, select the device to connect to. Use the
text filter field above the list of devices to shorten the list.
4. Save the file by hitting the Save button under Save
Configuration.
Note: If your device does not appear in the list of devices, you
will need to use the Advanced setup tool to create it. Check the
documentation for more information on how to use the
Advanced setup tool.
Building and Running the Program
Setting Build Options: Right-click on the project in the
Project Explorer view and select Properties from the
context menu. You can change options for the compiler and
linker under the Build properties.
Building and loading the program: Press the Debug button
to build the project, switch to the CCS Debug perspective,
start a debug session for the target specified in the target
configuration file, load the executable file (*.out), and run to
main. All of these steps are done automatically. Now you are
ready to start debugging or running your application. Note that
if any build errors are encountered and no executable file is
created, a warning will appear and a debug session will not be
started.
Resources
Welcome Page: The Welcome Page has links to additional
documentation, guides, examples and such. The Welcome
Page can be opened by selecting Help Welcome to CCS
from the main menu.
Online Help: The Code Composer Studio IDE is
accompanied by searchable online documentation. Select
Help Help Contents to bring up the online help.
Code Composer Studio IDE v5 Wiki: The Code Composer
Studio IDE v5 Wiki site has the latest information regarding the
usage of the Code Composer Studio IDE. It provides a wealth
of information on the Code Composer Studio IDE, flash
captures on how to use various features, information on how
to obtain support and much more. A link to the Wiki site is
available via Help CCSv5 Developer Site. processors.
wiki.ti.com/index.php/Category:Code_Composer_Studio_v5
TI E2E Community: The TI E2E Community is a place for
users to discuss and find answers to questions regarding the
Code Composer Studio IDE, devices and software. A link to
the forum site is available from the Welcome Page (under
Support). www.ti.com/e2e
Notes
Notes
The platform bar, Code Composer Studio, e2e and MSP430 are trademarks of Texas Instruments.
Copyright 2011 Texas Instruments Printed in U.S.A. SPRM382A