CMSIS_5/CMSIS/DoxyGen/Build/src/General.txt

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\mainpage Overview

<b>CMSIS-Build</b> is a set of tools, software frameworks, and work flows that improve productivity:

  - \ref cprjFormat_pg "CPRJ" is a generic CMSIS-aware project file format that allows IDEs and command-line build tools to
    share the same projects.
  - A \ref CmdLineBuild "Continuous Integration (CI) work flow" for projects that are based on software components supplied
    in CMSIS-Pack format.
  - Software Layers enable code reuse across different targets. A software layer is a pre-configured software component
    selection and user source code. 
  - <a href="../../Driver/html/group__vio__interface__gr.html"><b>CMSIS-Driver VIO</b></a> is a set of generic input/output
    functions for example and test code. It allows to fast migration from evaluation boards to production hardware.

The figure below shows how the <b>CMSIS-Build</b> components may be used to create a IoT cloud application:
  - The <b>Board I/O</b> layer contains the drivers and device configuration for a specific evaluation board.
  - The <b>Cloud</b> layer implements the software components that are required to connect to a Cloud Service Provider (CSP).
  - The <b>Application Code</b> may start with reference example and is expanded to application specific requirements that
    access specialized peripherals.
  
\image html "Layer.png" "Software Layers and Virtual I/O"  

Software layers and Virtual I/O simplify these use cases:

<b>Port software from evaluation board to custom hardware:</b><br>
- Frequently, the software development starts on an evaluation board, for example because production hardware is not yet
  available. The <a href="../../Driver/html/group__vio__interface__gr.html"><b>VIO component</b></a> allows you to use the
  I/O capabilities of an evaluation kit and disconnect it when moving to production hardware. In case the production
  hardware uses a different device configuration or different I/O drivers, the <b>Board I/O</b> layer may be swapped.

<b>Deliver reference examples for many different evaluation boards:</b><br>
- Reference examples are a great way to demonstrate a software solution. It is however expensive to support many different
  evaluation boards. The VIO and CMSIS-Driver components give reference examples for a consistent interface to target
  hardware. When such a consistent set of components is available as a <b>Board I/O</b> layer for many different evaluation
  boards, it allows to run a <b>Cloud</b> layer together with a reference example. The tools for \ref CmdLineBuild allow to
  combine various different layers and allow in this way to generate several different reference examples on a range of
  evaluation boards.

\section CB_Components Components of CMSIS-Build

<b>Specification</b> of a generic project file format:
 - \ref cprjFormat_pg describes all XML elements that are available for the project description and how to use them.

<b>Tools</b> that support \ref CmdLineBuild with software packs and the generic project file format:
  - \ref cbuildgen generates a standard MAKE file and allows to manage software layers.
  - \ref ccmerge updates configuration files that are based on <a href="../../Pack/html/configWizard.html"><b>PackConfiguration Wizard Annotations</b></a>.
*/


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\page build_revisionHistory Revision history

<table class="cmtable" summary="Revision History">
  <tr>
    <th>Version</th>
    <th>Description</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>0.9.0 (beta)</td>
    <td>Release for beta review:
    - added layer description to project format specification.
    - added support for multiple compilers.
    - added commands for layer operations to cbuildgen.
	</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>0.1.0</td>
    <td>Release for alpha review</td>
  </tr>
</table>
*/