Embedded Studio project file format

This article will explain the generic Embedded Studio project format.

Note: The following project format description is only meant as a reference. We do not recommend manual modifications of Embedded Studio Project Files. For modifications we recommend to always use the Embedded Studio GUI. Otherwise the project file may be

Format description

Project Layout

Project files are essentially solution files, as such could include more than one project.

The basic layout is:

<!DOCTYPE CrossStudio_Project_File>
<solution Name="Project_Example" target="8" version="2">
  <project Name="Project Name">
  </project>
</solution>

A project can contain

1. Files:

  <file file_name="RelativePathToFile"/> or <file file_name="RelativePathToFile"></file>

2. "Virtual" Folders

  <folder Name="Folder Name"></folder>

3. Dynamic Folders

  <folder Name="Folder Name" exclude="Exclude Filter" filter="Include Filter" path="RelativePathToFolder" recurse="Yes|No" />

Virtual Folders can contain more virtual and dynamic folders, and files.

So a project setup might be:

<!DOCTYPE CrossStudio_Project_File>
<solution Name="Solution Name" target="8" version="2">
  <project Name="Project Name">
    <folder Name="Src" filter="*.c;*.cpp;*.h;*.s" path="Src" recurse="Yes"/>
    <folder Name="Doc>
      <file file_name="README.txt"/>
      <file file_name="Doc/index.html"/>
    </folder>
  </project>
</solution>

Project Options

In ES Project Options can be set on every level, per build configuration. Options are inherited from upper levels and configurations.

The basic tag is:

  <configuration name="ConfigurationName" [option="value"]/>

Regular projects define the build configurations "Debug" and "Release" and set standard options on solution level;

<solution Name="Solution Name" target="8" version="2">
  <configuration Name="Debug" c_preprocessor_definitions="DEBUG" gcc_debugging_level="Level 3" gcc_optimization_level="None" />
  <configuration Name="Release" c_preprocessor_definitions="NDEBUG" gcc_debugging_level="Level 2" gcc_omit_frame_pointer="Yes" gcc_optimization_level="Level 2 balanced" />
  [...]
</solution>

The configuration of the project includes the options to configure the device, build options, debugging options, ... There is a configuration "Common", which defines the defaults to be inherited by the other build configurations, so that the options need to be set only once:

<solution Name="Solution Name" target="8" version="2">
  [...]
  <project Name="Project Name">
    <configuration Name="Common"
      Name="Common"
      arm_architecture="v7M"
      arm_compiler_variant="SEGGER"
      arm_core_type="Cortex-M3"
      arm_endian="Little"
      arm_fpu_type=""
      arm_linker_heap_size="1024"
      arm_linker_process_stack_size="0"
      arm_linker_stack_size="1024"
      arm_linker_variant="SEGGER"
      arm_rtl_variant="SEGGER"
      arm_simulator_memory_simulation_parameter="RX 00000000,00100000,FFFFFFFF;RWX 10000000,00020000,CDCDCDCD"
      arm_target_device_name="EFM32GG990F1024"
      arm_target_interface_type="SWD"
      debug_target_connection="J-Link"
      LIBRARY_IO_TYPE="RTT"
      link_linker_script_file="Setup/SEGGER_Flash.icf"
      link_symbol_definitions="getchar=getchar_rtt;putchar=putchar_rtt;gets=gets_rtt;puts=puts_rtt;printf=printf_rtt;scanf=scanf_rtt;vprintf=vprintf_rtt;vscanf=vscanf_rtt"
      linker_output_format="hex"
      linker_section_placements_segments="FLASH1 RX 0x00000000 0x00100000;RAM1 RWX 0x10000000 0x00020000"
      project_directory=""
      project_type="Executable" />
  </project>
  [...]
/solution>

If you would want to for example change the optimization level of a file in Release from "Level 2 balanced" (set on solution level) to "Level 2 for size", it would look like this:

<solution Name="Solution Name" target="8" version="2">
  [...]
  <project Name="Project Name">
    [...]
    <folder Name="Src">
      <file file_name="Src/main.c">
        <configuration Name="Release" gcc_optimization_level="Level 2 for size"/>
      </file>
    [...]
  </project>
  [...]
</solution>