The following figure and supporting list summarize the application development general workflow that employs both the SDK Eclipse.
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Prepare the host system for the Yocto Project:
See
"Supported Linux Distributions"
and
"Required Packages for the Host Development System" sections both
in the Yocto Project Reference Manual for requirements.
In particular, be sure your host system has the
xterm
package installed.
Secure the Yocto Project kernel target image: You must have a target kernel image that has been built using the OpenEmbedded build system.
Depending on whether the Yocto Project has a pre-built image that matches your target architecture and where you are going to run the image while you develop your application (QEMU or real hardware), the area from which you get the image differs.
Download the image from
machines
if your target architecture is supported and you are going to develop
and test your application on actual hardware.
Download the image from
machines/qemu
if your target architecture is supported
and you are going to develop and test your application using the QEMU
emulator.
Build your image if you cannot find a pre-built image that matches your target architecture. If your target architecture is similar to a supported architecture, you can modify the kernel image before you build it. See the "Patching the Kernel" section in the Yocto Project Development manual for an example.
For information on pre-built kernel image naming schemes for images that can run on the QEMU emulator, see the Yocto Project Software Development Kit (SDK) Developer's Guide.
Install the SDK: The SDK provides a target-specific cross-development toolchain, the root filesystem, the QEMU emulator, and other tools that can help you develop your application. For information on how to install the SDK, see the "Installing the SDK" section.
Secure the target root filesystem and the Cross-development toolchain: You need to find and download the appropriate root filesystem and the cross-development toolchain.
You can find the tarballs for the root filesystem in the same area used for the kernel image. Depending on the type of image you are running, the root filesystem you need differs. For example, if you are developing an application that runs on an image that supports Sato, you need to get a root filesystem that supports Sato.
You can find the cross-development toolchains at
toolchains
.
Be sure to get the correct toolchain for your development host and your
target architecture.
See the "Locating Pre-Built SDK Installers"
section for information and the
"Installing the SDK"
section for installation information.
Create and build your application: At this point, you need to have source files for your application. Once you have the files, you can use the Eclipse IDE to import them and build the project. If you are not using Eclipse, you need to use the cross-development tools you have installed to create the image.
Deploy the image with the application: If you are using the Eclipse IDE, you can deploy your image to the hardware or to QEMU through the project's preferences. If you are not using the Eclipse IDE, then you need to deploy the application to the hardware using other methods. Or, if you are using QEMU, you need to use that tool and load your image in for testing. See the "Using the Quick EMUlator (QEMU)" chapter in the Yocto Project Development Manual for information on using QEMU.
Test and debug the application: Once your application is deployed, you need to test it. Within the Eclipse IDE, you can use the debugging environment along with the set of installed user-space tools to debug your application. Of course, the same user-space tools are available separately if you choose not to use the Eclipse IDE.