Книга: Microsoft Windows Embedded CE 6.0 Exam Preparation Kit

Build Process Overview

Build Process Overview

The Windows Embedded CE build process includes four main phases, as illustrated in Figure 2-1. They follow each other sequentially, but you can also carry them out independently if you know the purpose and tools used for each phase. By selectively running the build tools, you can perform individual build steps in a targeted way, which helps to save build time and ultimately increases your efficiency.

Figure 2-1 Build phases and build tools

The build process includes the following key phases:

? Compile phase Compiler and linker use source code and resource files to generate executable (.exe) files, static (.lib) libraries, dynamic-link library (.dll) files, and binary resource (.res) files according to the selected locales. For example, the build system compiles the source code in the Private and Public folders into .lib files during this phase. This process can take several hours to complete, but fortunately it is seldom required to rebuild these components because binaries are already provided by Microsoft. In any case, you should not modify the source code in the Private and Public folders.

? Sysgen phase The build system sets or clears SYSGEN variables based on the catalog items and dependency trees included in the OS design, filters the header files and creates import libraries for the Software Development Kits (SDKs) defined in the OS design, creates a set of run-time image configuration files for the OS design, and builds the BSP based on the source files in the Platform directory.

? Build phase The build system processes the source files of your Board Support Package and applications using the files generated during the Sysgen phase. At this time, hardware-linked drivers and the OEM adaptation layer (OAL) are built. Although the processes during the build phase are carried out automatically during the Sysgen phase, it is important to understand that if you modify only the BSP and subprojects, then you can rebuild the BSP and subprojects without running the Sysgen tool again.

? Release Copy phase The build system copies all files required to create the runtime image to the OS design's release directory. This includes the .lib, .dll, and .exe files created during the Compile and Sysgen phases, as well as binary image builder (.bib) and registry (.reg) files. The build system might skip this phase if headers and libraries are up-to-date.

? Make Run-time Image phase The build system copies project-specific files (Project.bib, Project.dat, Project.db, and Project.reg) to the release directory and assembles all files in the release directory into a run-time image. Directives based on environment variables specified in .reg and .bib files control which catalog items the build system includes in the final run-time image. The run-time image is typically a file named Nk.bin, which you can download and run on the target device.

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