Before a project can be created, a CPU or board support package suitable for the device you are targeting must be installed. A support package is a single compressed file that can contain project templates, system files, example projects and documentation for a particular target.

In this tutorial we are going to use the Generic ARM CPU Support Package to create our project, this will allow us to create a project that will run on CrossWorks' ARM simulator. To create a project that would run on hardware, you would need to install and use support packages suitable for the target hardware you are using, but for the purposes of this tutorial we'll just target the simulator.

Note that the Generic ARM CPU Support Package project templates can be used to target real hardware for those devices that don't currently have a suitable support package, however it is highly likely that you will need to modify memory map files, startup code, reset scripts and loader program in order to support the target. This is outside of the scope of this tutorial, but should you wish to do this, see the documentation included in the Generic ARM CPU Support Package for more information.

If you have already installed this support package then you can skip this page and move on to the next section.

Downloading and installing a support package

To download and install a support package:

• Click Tools > Package Manager to view the current set of support packages available.
• Select the Generic ARM CPU Support Package entry.

  

• Right click on the entry and select Install Selected Packages.

  

• Click Next and you will be presented with a list of actions that the package manager is going to carry out.
• Click Next to download and install the support package.

Viewing installed support packages

To view the installed support packages:

• Click Tools > Show Installed Packages to list the support packages you have installed on your system. You should see the Generic ARM CPU Support Package we've just installed listed.
• Click Generic ARM CPU Support Package to see the support package page. This page will provide more information on the support package and any links to documentation, example projects and system files included in the package.