Eclipse IDE Yocto Plugin Tutorial

The Yocto Project is an open source collaboration project that helps developers create custom Linux-based solutions for Embedded and IoT systems, regardless of the underlying hardware architecture. In order to develop solutions based on Yocto project, we need to use IDE like Eclipse and Yocto plugin is available for Eclipse which is required to be configured properly.
 
 
 
 
 
 

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1. Introduction

The Open Source Yocto project is a combination of three key development elements. This umbrella open source project builds and maintains validated open source tools and components associated with embedded Linux. Yocto also maintains and validates these three development elements. These three elements are viz.

Here are some highlights for the Yocto Project :

1.1 Eclipse IDE Yocto Plugin

This plug-in enables user to use the popular Eclipse Integrated Development Environment (IDE), for development using the Yocto Project® all within the Eclipse IDE. User can work within Eclipse to cross-compile, deploy, and execute custom project output into a QEMU emulation session as well as onto actual target hardware.
The environment also supports performance enhancing tools that allow user to perform remote profiling, tracing, collection of power data, collection of latency data, and collection of performance data.

Once user enable the plug-in, standard Eclipse functions automatically use the cross-toolchain and target system libraries. User can build applications using any of these libraries.

2. Technologies Required

3. Eclipse Plug-in Configuration Steps

3.1 Eclipse Configuration Steps

3.2 Initial Eclipse configuration for getting ready for Yocto plugin

1. Select a new workspace.

Create workspace in Eclipse IDE

2. Choose “Install New Software” from the “Help” menu of Eclipse IDE.

‘Install New Software’ is chosen to install plugin

3. Choose “–All Available Sites–” from the “Work with” drop down menu.

From the populated drop down list, find and expand the Linux Tools option and select:

  1. Linux Tools LTTng Tracer Control
  2. Linux Tools LTTng Userspace Analysis
  3. LTTng Kernel Analysis

If some of these options are not listed that means that those are already installed.

Choose Linux Tools Components to install

If some of these options are not listed that means that those are already installed.

Choose to install Mobile Dev Packages

4. Choose Next and accept the necessary EULA

Choose ‘Next’ to select necessary EULA

5. Finish button must be clicked. The selected packages will be downloaded and installed. User will be asked to restart Eclipse IDE to finish the installation.

User will be asked to restart Eclipse so that the changes take effect

3.3 Eclipse Yocto plugin addition

Install Yocto Plugin
Yocto plugin installation (contd.)

3.4 Eclipse Yocto plugin configuration

With all the necessary packages installed user now can configure the Eclipse Yocto Plug-in. In this steps user will configure the Cross Compiler options and the Target options. These will then be used as default for projects from within your working workspace.

Select Window -> Preferences

Click on Yocto Project ADT from the left options and then under Cross Compiler Options select the Standalone pre-built toolchain radio button. User needs to point to the Toolchain Root location of installed toolchain. Build the tool chain image. It generates the toolchain that will be installed on user’s host machine and can be used to build any source code.
$ bitbake meta-toolchain

In this case user will be using poky 1.7 tollchain which has the following default location: /opt/poky/1.7

As for the sysroot Location this would correspond to your build directory sysroot folder, which is located on the following path: //tmp/sysroots/
In this case the Tartget architecture would be the Cortex-A9, which correspond to the i.MX6 and which is also the only option installed on the chosen directory.

For Target Options we would be using the actual HW in order to test our application so keep the External HW option selected.

Final Configuration of Yocto Plugin in Eclipse for application development

4. Conclusion

That’s it on how to install Yocto Plugin on Eclipse IDE. Once the configuration is done, Eclipse IDE for which the plugin has been configured, will be ready for further application development for Yocto platform. You can also go through the links shared in this post for further reading.

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