The Project Explorer is the user interface on to the CrossWorks Project System. The project explorer organizes your projects and files and provides access to the commands that operate on them. A tool bar at the top of the window offers quick access to commonly used commands for the selected project node or the active project. A right click menu offers a larger set of commands and will work on the selected project node, ignoring the active project.
The selected project node affects the operations that you can perform. For example the Compile operation will compile a single file if a file project node is selected, if a folder project node is selected then each of the files in the folder are compiled.
You can select project nodes by clicking on them in the project explorer. Additionally as you switch between files in the editor, the selection in the project explorer changes to highlight the file that you're currently editing.
Showing the Project Explorer
To activate the Project Explorer if it is hidden, do one of the following:
- From the View menu, click Project Explorer.
—or—
- Type Ctrl+Alt+P.
—or—
- On the Standard tool bar, click the Project Explorer icon.
—or—
- Right click the tool bar area to display the View menu.
- From the popup menu, click Project Explorer.
Left click operations
The following operations are available in the project explorer with the left click of the mouse:
Action | Description |
Single Click | Select the project node. If the project node is already selected and is a solution, project or folder node then an a rename editor is shown. |
Double Click | Double click on a solution node or folder node will open/close the node. Double click on a project node and it is set as the active project. Double click on a file and it will be opened using the default editor for the file type. |
Tool bar operations
The following operations are available on the tool bar:
Button | Description |
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Adds a new file to the active project using the New File dialog. |
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Adds existing files to the active project. |
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Removes files, folders, projects, and links from the project. |
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Creates a new folder in the active project. |
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Drop down menu that provides the following build operations:
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Disassembles the active project. |
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Sets project explorer options:
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Displays the properties dialog for the selected item. |
Right click menu operations
The following operations are available on the right click menu:
Solution node menu entries | |
(Batch) Build | Build all projects under the solution in the current/batch build configuration. |
(Batch) Rebuild | Rebuild all projects under the solution in the current/batch build configuration. |
(Batch) Clean | Remove all output and intermediate build files for the projects under the solution in the current/batch build configuration. |
(Batch) Export Build | Create an editor with the build commands for the projects under the solution in the current/batch build configuration. |
Add New Project | Add a new project to the solution. |
Add Exising Project | Create a link from an existing solution to this solution. |
Add To Favourites | Add the project file to the favourites window. |
Paste | Paste a copied project into the solution. |
Remove | Remove the link to another solution from the solution. |
Rename | Rename the solution node. |
Source Control Operations | Source control operations on the project file and recursive operations on all files in the solution. |
Edit Solution As Text | Create an editor containing the project file. |
Save Solution As | Change the filename of the project file - note that the saved project file is not reloaded. |
Properties | Show the properties dialog with the solution node selected. |
Project node menu entries | |
(Batch) Build | Build the project in the current/batch build configuration. |
(Batch) Rebuild | Build the project in the current/batch build configuration. |
(Batch) Clean | Remove all output and intermediate build files for the project in the current/batch build configuration. |
(Batch) Export Build | Create an editor with the build commands for the project in the current/batch build configuration. |
Link | Perform the project node build operation:
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Set As Active Project | Set the project to be the active project. |
Debugging Commands | For Executable and Externally Built Executable project types the
following debugging operations are available on the project node:
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Memory Map Commands | For Executable project types that don't have memory map files in the project and have the memory map file project property set there are commands to view the memory map file and to import the memory map file into the project. |
Section Placement Commands | For Executable project types that don't have section placement files in the project and have the section placement file project property set there are commands to view the section placement file and to import the section placement file into the project. |
Target Processor | For Executable and Externally Built Executable project types that have a Target Processor property group the selected target can be changed. |
Add New File | Add a new file to the project. |
Add Exising File | Add an existing file to the project. |
New Folder... | Create a new folder in the project. |
Cut | Cut the project from the solution. |
Copy | Copy the project from the solution. |
Paste | Paste a copied folder or file into the project. |
Remove | Remove the project from the solution. |
Rename | Rename the project. |
Source Control Operations | Source control recursive operations on all files in the project. |
Find in Project Files... | Run find in files in the project directory. |
Properties | Show the properties dialog with the project node selected. |
Folder node menu entries | |
Add New File | Add a new file to the folder. |
Add Exising File | Add an existing file to the folder. |
New Folder... | Create a new folder in the folder. |
Cut | Cut the folder from the project/folder. |
Copy | Copy the folder from the project/folder. |
Paste | Paste a copied folder or file into the folder. |
Remove | Remove the folder from the project/folder. |
Rename | Rename the folder. |
Source Control Operations | Source control recursive operations on all files in the folder. |
Compile | Compile each file in the folder. |
Properties | Show the properties dialog with the folder node selected. |
File node menu entries | |
Open | Edit the file with the default editor for the file type. |
Open With | Edit the file with a selected editor, you can choose from the selection:
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Open in Windows Explorer | Create a windows explorer and locate to the file. |
Compile | Compile the file. |
Export Build | Create an editor with the build commands for the compile in the current build configuration. |
Exclude From Build | Set the Exclude From Build property to be Yes for this project node in the current build configuration. |
Disassemble | Disassemble the output file of the compile into an editor window. |
Preprocess | Run the C preprocessor on the file and show the output in an editor window. |
Cut | Cut the file from the project/folder. |
Copy | Copy the file from the project/folder. |
Remove | Remove the file from the project/folder. |
Import | Import the file into the project. |
Add To Favourites | Add the file to the favourites window. |
Source Control Operations | Source control operations on the file. |
Properties | Show the properties dialog with the file node selected. |