1. Introduction Purpose Objectives Content Learning Time
This training course describes the configuration and session features of the High-performance Embedded Workshop (HEW), a key tool for developing software for embedded systems that use microcontrollers (MCUs) from Renesas Technology Corp.
Objectives
Describe the basic functions of configurations and sessions
Explain the effective use of these features
Show the steps used to generate new configurations and sessions
Content
15 pages
1 question
Learning Time
20 minutes
Welcome to the Configuration and Session course on the High-performance Embedded Workshop (HEW) — one of a series of courses covering various aspects of this microcontroller (MCU) support product from Renesas Technology. HEW speeds up the creation of software for embedded systems that use the many popular devices we offer.
To get the most out of this course material, you should be familiar with MCUs in general and should understand the fundamentals of designing and developing embedded control systems. Previous personal experience using hardware and software tools is helpful, but not necessary.
This course introduces two key features in the HEW development environment: configurations and sessions. It describes their basic functions and explains how to use these features effectively. The course then takes you through the steps of setting up the HEW workspace and generating new configurations and sessions. Other courses in this series cover additional HEW capabilities, features and applications.

2. Workspace and Projects
Contains one or more projects
Simplifies project management
Project
Contains multiple configurations and sessions
Workspace
Project A
Configuration
Session B C
To start, let’s briefly review the concepts of Workspace and Projects. The process of creating a workspace in HEW generates a project.
You can add a new project to an existing workspace and maintain multiple projects in a single workspace. Consolidating projects within a workspace makes it easier to manage the overall development system. This topic is described in another course in this series on project generation.
For each project within a workspace, you then create different configurations and sessions. These features help you debug your project more effectively.
Be aware that although projects are specific to a target MCU, HEW configurations let you select different sets of toolchain options to be applied to the files in the project when it is built. Also HEW sessions allow you to select different debug targets or target settings.
Projects are specific to a target MCU. However . . .
• HEW configurations let you select different sets
of toolchain options to be applied to the files in
the project when it is built.
• HEW sessions allow you to select different
debug targets or target settings.

3. Definitions Configuration
A collection of parameter switches used for building a project
HEW generates two configurations by default:
Debug (Optimization is turned off in initial Debug configuration)
Release (Optimization is turned on in initial Release configuration)
Session
Determines which debut target is used
Stores debug target parameters
Default
Simulator
Emulator
A configuration is a collection of toolchain parameter switches used to build a project.
By default, HEW generates two configurations when a project is created. These are the Debug and Release configurations. In the initial setting of the Debug configuration, optimization is turned off. By contrast, in the initial setting for the Release configuration, optimization is turned on. You can change these parameters to meet your development requirements.
A session establishes which debug target will be used and stores the debug target settings.
The standard HEW Project Generator creates a default session and a simulator session each time you generate a project. Be aware that the simulator session must be selected during the project generation stage. If other emulator packages are installed, you can select other sessions; for example, an In-Circuit Emulator session or an On-Chip Debug Emulator session. Now let’s look at these features in the HEW workspace.

4. HEW Window Standard Toolbar Workspace Project Session Configuration
This HEW window shows a workspace called “DEMO” with two generated projects – DEMO and DEMO2. DEMO2 has been selected. You can access the Configuration and Session selection menus for DEMO2 from the standard toolbar in the active window.
In this example, four Configurations are available: SimDebug H8S-2000A (simulator debug), Debug, Release, and Debug H8S 2378F E10A-USB (debug for the E10A). Debug has been selected.
Three Session choices are available: Session H8S 2378F E10A-USB (E10A session), SimSession H8S2000A (simulator session), and Default Session. Default Session has been selected.

5. Exploring the Workspace
Project
Workspace
Configuration
Directory
Next let’s discuss the physical location of files.
A workspace called DEMO is created in the workspace directory you chose during project generation. The directory path is “C:\Workspace/DEMO” and each generated project is located in a sub-directory.
Two sub-directories are shown here, DEMO and DEMO2.
Opening the DEMO file folder, you can see that four sub-directories have been created for each of four configurations. These sub-directories are used to store the generated output of the configuration settings.
The session environment settings are stored in individual session files in each project directory.
Session
Setting

6. Configuration Files
Debug and Release configurations are compiled based on initial toolchain settings
Output file using Release configuration is smaller than output file using Debug configuration
Larger
Smaller
Configuration
Debug
Configuration
Release
The Debug and Release configurations are compiled based on the initial toolchain settings. Details of the toolchain settings, such as optimization method, map output, and library settings, are described in other courses in this series.
The default output is generated and stored in the respective Configuration directories.
If you compare versions of the final output file “DEMO.abs” in the two Configuration directories, you see that the .abs file generated in the release configuration is smaller than the .abs file generated during debugging. That’s because, as you may recall, the debugging configuration does not use optimization, whereas the release configuration does. The Debug output file is also larger because it contains symbol information for debugging.
Configuration directories thus provide an easy way to compare the results of different configuration settings—in this case, based on size. You can generate other outputs such as List, Assembly, and .mot files for further evaluation.

7. Usage Example 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Compile “debug code”
Debug “Release code” in Emulator 6
Debug “Release code” in Simulator 5
Compile “Release code” 3
Debug “debug code” in Emulator 2
Debug “debug code” in Simulator 4
Disconnect from target 1
Compile “debug code”
Here is a possible sequence of configurations and sessions used within a development cycle.
First, the Project is compiled in Debug Configuration and Default Session. This provides a basic way of checking the syntax of the code with no optimization or target connection.
Second, the Project now is switched from Default Session to Simulator Session, allowing the compiled debug code to be logically tested in the H8 Simulator. Once the session has been switched, HEW connects to the Simulation Engine target, and the address column and debugger toolbars appear.
Third, the Simulator Session is switched to the Emulator Session. This switch changes the connection from the H8 Simulator to the Emulator. Debugging of the code in an actual target hardware system is enabled.
Fourth, the Default Session is re-selected, and the Emulator is disconnected. This process allows the debugging of code in various targets. The next process is to improve the size and performance of the code.
Fifth, the code is compiled in the Release Configuration. This step creates the release code, which is debugged in a different target and session.
Sixth, the Session is now switched back to the H8 Simulator, and the Release code created in the Release configuration is downloaded to the Simulator for debugging.
Seventh, the H8 Simulator is disconnected and the Emulator is connected again. The “Release Configuration” code is downloaded to the Emulator for a final test.

8. Effective Usage Configurations and Sessions
Provide easy way to manipulate environmental settings
Enable quick and easy comparison of resulting code
- Size
- Performance
Allow you to add new debug targets (proprietary or third-party types)
You’ve seen how easily environmental settings can be switched in HEW configurations and sessions.
It’s also easy to compare the resulting output size and performance in different configuration settings, and you can add sessions for new debug targets.
This flexibility is achieved by creating new configurations and sessions. For example, you can create a configuration with settings to test the performance of the code that has been written.

9. Create New Configuration
Click on “Build Configuration”
Click on “Add” 1 2
Type in new configuration name 3
Choose configuration on which new configuration will be based 4
Let's go through the steps of creating a new configuration.
First, click on “Build Configuration” under the Build tab.
Next click on the ”Add” button to add a new configuration.
When the “Add Configuration” window opens, you type in a name for the new configuration. In this case, the name “Release_Speed” has been entered.
Then you must also enter a previous configuration on which the new configuration will be based. You can use the default that HEW provides or any other. Here, “Debug” was chosen as the basis for the “Release_Speed” configuration. All the settings from the original configuration will be copied over. however, the settings of the base and new configuration can be changed independently.
When you click OK, HEW generates a new subdirectory with the newly assigned configuration name. The new configuration is based on the existing Debug configuration. This process lets you set up new configurations quickly or back-up existing configurations. Later you can modify the toolchain settings on which the new configuration is based to customize it for your purposes.
HEW generates new subdirectory
with assigned configuration name

10. Create New Session (Automatic)
Sessions are created automatically during new project generation when Target is selected
Availability of sessions (Emulator, Simulator) depends on what HEW components are installed
Selecting target generates session
Now let’s look at how Sessions are created and used in HEW.
Sessions are created automatically during the final steps of initial project generation. During these steps, you are asked to select a target for the project, and HEW then creates a session for this target.
The choice of sessions and targets (such as Emulator and Simulator) depends on the HEW components installed in your system.

11. Create New Session (Manual)
Click on “Debug Session” 1
Type in new session name 3
Click on “Add” 2
You can also create new sessions manually. In fact, you must use this process if you didn’t select a target platform during project generation. Let’s go through the steps of creating a new session in the “Debug Sessions” window. This session will be added to the selection menu in the HEW default toolbar.
Select Debug from the HEW toolbar and then Debug Sessions.
Click the “Add” button, which activates the “Add new session” window.
Type in a name for the new session and click OK.
HEW creates the new session. At this point the session is empty; you’ll learn how to set up the session next.
HEW creates new session

12. Set Up New Session 1 Click on “Debug Settings” 2
Select available target 3
Select debug format 4
Click on “Add”
To set up the new session, from the “Debug Settings” window, select an available debug target system from the targets currently installed in your system. Notice that the target selected in this example is the H8S/2000A Simulator. (We’ll discuss adding new debug targets shortly.)
Next, select the debug format that will be generated by the compiler toolchain. In this example, the one selected is the Elf/Dwarf2 format, which contains enhanced debugging information.
Click the “Add” button to open the Download Module window. This window sets up what gets loaded into the target and how.
Note that normally a “placeholder” filename is used so that when you switch configurations, HEW loads the .abs file from the correct configuration directory.
You can add more files to the list in the Download Module window—a different set of data files, for example—to obtain more scenarios for testing. 5
Use placeholder filename

13. Add a New Debug Target
“New Session” wizard makes it easy to add a new target 2
Name new session 1
Select “New Session”
As mentioned earlier, you may want to add a new Debug target to an existing project.
This can be done easily in HEW using the “New Session” wizard.
You simply launch the wizard, give the session a name, and select which debug target you want HEW to use.
That target is added to the drop-down menu of target sessions in the Debug toolbar. 3
New session is added to toolbar

14. Question

15. Download a free evaluation copy of HEW at:
Course Summary
Definitions of Configuration and Session
Basic functions and effective usage
Generating and adding Configuration and Session files
This concludes the HEW course on configurations and sessions.
You learned the definition of these terms, their basic functions, and effective usage.
You also discovered how to generate configuration and session files and add them to new and existing projects.
We now invite you to take the other courses in this series, which provide details and step-by-step explanations of other HEW capabilities, features and applications. We also encourage you to use the free VirtuaLab setups at this website to gain some hands-on experience with popular MCUs and tools.
Additionally, we recommend that you obtain and experiment with a free evaluation copy of HEW, which you can download at
Thank you for your interest in Renesas microcontrollers and for taking advantage of the resources of the Renesas Interactive website. Please visit us often.
Download a free evaluation copy of HEW at: