Set Build Options for Debugging (Compact 2013)

  • Article

3/26/2014

When you create a Windows Embedded Compact OS design, Platform Builder creates a Debug configuration and a Release configuration of the OS design and sets build options for each configuration. The Release configuration is optimized for speed and has a smaller run-time image. The Debug configuration provides full symbolic debugging information and full debugger access to processes, threads, and modules. The following table shows the level of debugging support in the default configurations provided by Platform Builder.

Configuration

Description

Debug
  • Uses .lib files from %_WINCEROOT%\public\COMMON\oak\lib\<CPU>\debug.
  • Places object files in directories named Debug.
  • Provides full symbolic debugging information, in Microsoft format.
  • Provides the ability to turn debug zones on and off.
  • No optimization. Optimization generally makes debugging more difficult.
  • Sets the environment variable WINCEDEBUG=debug.
  • Includes the kernel debugger.
  • Supports the Kernel Independent Transport Layer (KITL).

Release
  • Uses .lib files from %_WINCEROOT%\public\COMMON\oak\lib\<CPU>\retail.
  • Places object files in directories named Retail.
  • Provides no symbolic debugging information.
  • Optimized for speed.
  • Has a smaller run-time image than the run-time image built from the Debug configuration of the same OS design.
  • Sets the environment variable WINCEDEBUG=retail.

Specifically, the build options that enable Platform Builder to connect to the device and pass debugging information from the device to the development computer are the following:

  • Enable Kernel Debugger (IMGNODEBUGGER=0). This setting allows the debugger to connect and pass debugging information from the device to the development computer. The kernel debugger requires a KITL or hardware-assisted transport.
  • Enable KITL (IMGNOKITL=0). This setting enables KITL as a transport layer for communication between the development computer and the device for debugging.

If you use the kernel debugger with a run-time image that was built from the default Debug configuration, these build options are already set.

You can also use the kernel debugger with a run-time image that was built from the Release configuration by explicitly enabling the kernel debugger and KITL. To set these build options, use the following procedure.

To enable the kernel debugger and KITL in a run-time image

  1. In Platform Builder, open your OS design solution.

  2. In Solution Explorer, right-click your OS design project, and then click Properties.

  3. In the OS Design Property Pages dialog box, in the left pane, expand Configuration Properties, and then click Build Options.

  4. In the Build Options pane, next to Enable kernel debugger, select Yes. Next to Enable Kernel Independent Transport Layer (KITL), select Yes.

  5. Click OK to close the Property Pages dialog box.

See Also

Concepts

Set Debug Options
Kernel Debugger
Debugging

Other Resources

Windows Embedded Compact 2013