In “Using the Reset Button on the Freedom Board as User Button”, I had the problem to find out why a setting did not make it into my generated code. There is the fundamental question: “How does a setting impact my microcontroller register settings?”. There is an answer to that question: The Configuration Registers view:

Configuration Registers View

This view is somewhat buried, and maybe many Processor Expert users are not aware of it. But this view is extremely helpful to understand the link between component properties and the impact on the microcontroller registers. In case that view is not open, it is accessible from the menu Window > Show View > Processor Expert > Configuration Registers:

Configuration Registers in the View Selection Menu

First, that view allows to browse all microcontroller peripherals. For this I can select a module and inspect the registers. Hovering over a register gives me a short description:

Inspecting UART Register with Configuration Registers View

💡 It would be *really* cool if I could jump from here to the microcontroller reference manual. That would make this feature even more awesome.

The view shows both the Reset and the Initialization value:

Reset and Init Value

The ‘After Reset’ column shows the microcontroller value after reset (the ‘default’), and the ‘Init. value’ is the value Processor Expert is writing with the components.

Now it would be really cool to know who is setting that particular bit. Unfortunately, this is not possible that way. I still need some guessing which component could set a bit. And some try-and-error.

But there is a trick at least to know the bits affected by a property setting. For this, I arrange the ‘Component Inspector’ and the ‘Configuration Registers’ view side by side:

Configuration Registers and Component Inspector Views side-by-side

When I change/toggle a configuration setting, then the Configuration change is highlighted in the Configuration Registers view:

Changed Property Highlighted in Configuration Registers View

💡 I might need to wait a few seconds until the change is propagated/visible in the view. Additionally I need to make sure that the right peripheral (e.g. CPU, or ADC, etc) is selected in the view. Another tip is to change the property back and forward to trigger a highlight of the setting.

Summary

The Configuration Registers view tells me what Processor Expert is doing with my microcontroller registers. It allows me to browse all the registers. And if I have a rough idea which peripheral is impacted by a component, I can use the Inspector and the Configuration Registers view side-by-side to find out what is changing.

Happy Configuring 🙂