10.1. General¶

10.1.1. Is Code Composer Studio™ based on VS Code?¶

Starting with version 20.0.0, Code Composer Studio™ leverages the Theia IDE open source software framework. Theia IDE is very similar to Visual Studio (VS) Code but there are some differences.

10.1.2. What are the differences between the Theia IDE and VS Code?¶

See: https://eclipsesource.com/blogs/2024/07/12/vs-code-vs-theia-ide/

10.1.3. What happened to Code Composer Studio Theia and how is it different from Code Composer Studio 20.x?¶

Please see FAQ #7 of: https://software-dl.ti.com/ccs/esd/CCSv20/#faq/

10.1.4. Does Code Composer Studio come with an AI Code Assistant?¶

Yes. Please see the AI Coding Assistants chapter for more information.

10.1.5. Is my device supported by the new Theia IDE based Code Composer Studio?¶

The new Theia IDE based Code Composer Studio will support most of the devices supported by Code Composer Studio 12.x with the exception of the below device families:

C55x
CC32xx
DaVinci
OMAP

10.1.6. Which operating systems are supported by Code Composer Studio?¶

Please see the related section in the Overview chapter.

10.1.7. Why do I need to avoid non-alphanumeric (unicode) characters in my paths?¶

Prior to Code Composer Studio 20.4, paths with non-alphanumeric characters caused various project management, build, and debug issues. Hence it was recommended to avoid using non-alphanumeric characters in paths such as the installation path, workspace path, project path, and ccxml file path.

However, starting with version 20.4, Code Composer Studio now provides support for non-alphanumeric characters in various paths (with some caveats). Please see the related FAQ below for more information.

10.1.8. Are non-alphanumeric (unicode) characters supported?¶

Starting with version 20.4, the Code Composer Studio IDE will provide some limited support for non-alphanumeric characters in various paths.

Windows: The option Use Unicode UTF-8 for worldwide language support must be enabled.
Linux: There is a known issue with launching a debug session if either the ccxml file or the Code Composer Studio installation path contains non-alphanumeric characters.
macOS: There are no known issues with non-alphanumeric characters in paths beyond the limitation with the compiler mentioned below.

Warning

Note that older non-clang based TI compilers will not run if installed in a directory with non-alphanumeric characters in paths. If Code Composer Studio is installed in such a path, then of the compilers that come bundled with Code Composer Studio, only the clang based compilers will work. The workaround is to install standalone versions of the older non-clang based compilers in paths without non-alphanumeric characters.

10.1.9. What kind of safety certification does Code Composer Studio have?¶

The overall Code Composer Studio environment does not have safety certificate documentation. In general, when attempting to meet these types of certifications, it is specific tools like the compiler that are required to meet the specified standards.

The Safety Compiler Qualification Kit was developed to assist customers in qualifying their use of the TI ARM, C6000, C7000 or C2000/CLA C/C++ Compiler to functional safety standards such as IEC 61508 and ISO 26262.

10.1.10. What is the best way to look up a bug?¶

Visit the TI Bug and Enhancement System. Enter the bug ID in the search box on the upper right. If the search fails, please surround the bug ID with "quotes" and try again.

10.1.11. Where can I get more information on Code Composer Studio?¶

All users are recommended to explore the Code Composer Studio Academy for additional information.

10.2. Installation¶

10.2.1. Can I install multiple versions of Code Composer Studio on my computer?¶

Yes. Multiple versions of Code Composer Studio can be installed on the same machine as long as they are installed in different directories.

10.3. Licensing¶

10.3.1. What is the licensing policy for Code Composer Studio?¶

There is no license fee associated with Code Composer Studio. Users are free to download and install Code Composer Studio without having to purchase a license.

For more details on the license, please refer to Licensing chapter.

10.4. Updates¶

10.4.1. How do I get updates to Code Composer Studio?¶

Please refer to the Updating Code Composer Studio section.

10.5. AI Coding Assistants¶

10.5.1. Do I need to have an existing subscription or API key to use an AI coding assistant with Code Composer Studio?¶

Yes. An existing subscription or API key is required to use an AI coding assistant with Code Composer Studio. Code Composer Studio does not provide API keys for any providers.

10.5.2. Do I need have git installed to use Claude Code?¶

Yes. Git is required for Claude Code to manage the local repository that it uses to store the conversation history and other relevant data. If Git is not installed, Claude Code will not be able to function properly. Please install Git and make sure it is added to your system's PATH environment variable before using Claude Code.

10.5.3. Claude Code chat is not finding my existing configuration. How can I resolve this?¶

If you have an valid existing configuration for Claude Code chat but it is not being detected, try closing and reopening the Claude Code chat view. If that does not work, try restarting Code Composer Studio. If the issue persists, try reapplying the configuration settings in the AI Assistant Configuration view and then restart Code Composer Studio.

10.5.4. Claude Code chat is slow on initial startup. How can I speed it up?¶

The initial startup of the Claude Code chat may take some time as it needs to initialize the connection to the AI model provider and set up the necessary resources for the chat functionality. To speed up the initial startup, ensure that you have a stable and fast internet connection, as this can help reduce the time it takes to establish the connection to the AI model provider.

Another suggestion is to disable telemetry and other non-essential data collection using one of the following environment variables:

CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC=1: This variable is a comprehensive option that disables all non-essential traffic, including operational metrics (telemetry), error reporting (Sentry), and the /bug command.
DISABLE_TELEMETRY=1: This variable specifically targets the operational metrics sent to the Statsig service, which logs latency, reliability, and usage patterns without including code or file paths.

10.5.5. Claude Code chat is returning various 400/403 errors. How can I resolve this?¶

If you are encountering 400/403 errors when using the Claude Code chat, it is likely due to an issue with the API key or the permissions associated with the API key. Other possible reasons for this error are issues with the Claude Code extension or issues with the connection to the AI model provider.

Some steps to try to resolve this issue include:

DISABLE_PROMPT_CACHING=1: This variable disables prompt caching, which can help resolve issues related to stale or corrupted cached prompts that may be causing errors.
CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_EXPERIMENTAL_BETAS=1: This variable disables experimental beta features in the Claude Code extension, which can help resolve issues that may be caused by bugs or instability in these features.

If issues still occur, rolling back to an older version of the Claude Code extension may help resolve the issue if it is caused by a recent update to the extension. To do this, go to the Extensions view in Code Composer Studio, search for "Claude Code", click on the extension in the search results, and select an older version from the dropdown menu in the extension details page.

10.6. General IDE¶

10.6.1. Can I use any VS Code extension?¶

Not all VS Code extensions are compatible with Theia IDE, which Code Composer Studio is based on. The ones that are published to Open VSX are supported by Theia IDE and validated by the extension author. VS Code extensions that have been downloaded from the Visual Studio Code Market may be installed in Code Composer Studio, but there is no guarantee that they are compatible. One thing to look for is to check the API requirement for the extension and compare it with the VS Code API version in the Help → About dialog in Code Composer Studio.

10.6.2. What is this "ENOTFOUND" error when trying to browse for extensions?¶

If Code Composer Studio is unable to access the internet when browsing for extensions, the below error can occur:

Check your internet access. If the issue is specific to just Code Composer Studio and you are on an internal network that requires the use of a proxy server to access the internet, check the proxy settings in Code Composer Studio.

10.6.3. How do I use the themes I installed as an extension?¶

The color theme can be configured by going to File > Preferences > Color Theme. The themes that you have installed as extensions should appear in the list of available themes.

10.6.4. I want to restart Code Composer Studio with a fresh environment. How do I do this?¶

Code Composer Studio caches many files in the user's home folder. To clear these caches. delete:

Windows:

[USER HOME]\AppData\Local\Texas Instruments\CCS\.ccs-server
[USER HOME]\AppData\Local\Texas Instruments\CCS\[CCS INSTALL FOLDER NAME]

Linux:

[USER HOME]/.config/Texas Instruments/CCS/.ccs-server
[USER HOME]/.config/Local/Texas Instruments/CCS/[CCS INSTALL FOLDER NAME]

macOS:

[USER HOME]/Library/Application Support/Texas Instruments/CCS/.ccs-server
[USER HOME]/Library/Application Support/Texas Instruments/CCS/[CCS INSTALL FOLDER NAME]

Clearing these caches can also be helpful to resolve instability issues with the IDE.

Also in the user's home folder, some additional debug information is cached in the .TI-trace folder. If there are issues with debug instability (such as launching a debug session), then deleting this folder may help.

Note that the default workspace folder workspace_ccstheia can also be found in the user's home folder. The workspace folder contains the projects imported to workspace in addition to the .theia/launch.json and .theia/settings.json file for the workspace. Deleting this folder would delete the projects contained within, hence you may want to back up your projects first. Another option is to just delete the .theia folder inside the workspace folder.

Warning

Deleting these caches will restore the IDE back to the original default state. Any custom user settings will be lost.

10.7. Projects¶

10.7.1. How do I create a new project from scratch?¶

It is no longer possible to create a new project from "scratch". Users will need to import an existing example from the Project Wizard or manually import an existing one from the user's local environment.

One workaround is to create a new project from the command line.

Below is an example command to create a new empty static library project for the F2800157 device:

ccs-server-cli -noSplash -workspace "C:/temp/workspace_cli" -application com.ti.ccs.apps.createProject -ccs.name F2800157_staticLib -ccs.device TMS320C28XX.TMS320F2800157 -ccs.outputType staticLibrary - ccs.toolChain TI -ccs.outputFormat ELF

10.7.2. I get a No example projects found. Please change your filter. message when looking for examples for my selected device. Does that mean that my device is not supported by Code Composer Studio?¶

The Project Wizard will only show examples from SDKs that are available from Resource Explorer. If an SDK is not available from Resource Explorer, then no example projects will be found. This does not necessarily mean that your device is not supported by Code Composer Studio, just that there are no available SDK examples from Resource Explorer. An existing project local to the user's environment will need to be manually imported.

10.7.3. During project build, a ccsLinker.opt file sometimes gets passed to the linker instead of the list of object files. What is this file and when is it used?¶

The ccsLinker.opt file is generated by Code Composer Studio and passed to the linker if the list of linker options and input files on the linker command line exceeds the maximum command line length of the host operating system. A project with a large number of object files (.obj) may pass the linker options and input files to the linker via the ccsLinker.opt file rather than directly on the command line.

10.7.4. How can I resolve build error #10234-D: unresolved symbols remain?¶

This article contains more information about the error and how to resolve it.

In summary, the error is generated by the linker when it is unable to find the definition for the symbol. This typically happens if an object file or library containing the definition for the symbol was not provided to the linker. The build output in the CCS build console should provide information on which object files and libraries are passed to the linker.

To resolve the error, locate the source file or library that contains the definition for the symbol and make sure that it is part of the project.

10.7.5. The Eclipse WORKSPACE_LOC variable is not pointing to my workspace folder. How do I resolve this?¶

WORKSPACE_LOC points to the default .metadata location (ex. on Windows: [USER HOME]\AppData\Local\Texas Instruments\CCS\.ccs-server\workspace) and not the folder that contains your projects (ex. workspace_ccstheia). Note that while this is the case in Code Composer Studio Theia, Code Composer Studio Eclipse worked differently in that both .metadata and project folders typically resided in the same "workspace" folder. This difference is important to keep in mind when importing Code Composer Studio Eclipse projects to Code Composer Studio Theia since some Code Composer Studio Eclipse projects will use WORKSPACE_LOC with the expectation that it is pointing to the root folder location of the Code Composer Studio projects copied to the workspace folder. WORKSPACE_LOC should be replaced with the new CCS_WORKSPACE_DIR variable in Code Composer Studio Theia since this variable points to the folder containing your projects.

10.8. Debug¶

10.8.1. Why are my breakpoints greyed out even though they are enabled?¶

If a breakpoint appears as greyed out in the Breakpoints View, this indicates that the debugger set the breakpoint but was unable to activate it. This is commonly due to a lack of hardware breakpoint resources. To confirm this, hover over the checkbox for the breakpoint and check to see if a pop-up message such as the one below appears:

10.8.2. Why can't I source step?¶

If you are unable to source step, check the Debug Output View to see if error messages such as the below appear:

Breakpoint Manager: There are not enough resources available
Breakpoint Manager: _JobHardwareBreakpoint::ARM_DEBUG_V6M_bpu_add_breakpoint: FPB : All resources are in use.[22062]

If so, then the reason why source stepping is not working is because many source stepping operations require a hardware breakpoint resource and there are no more available resources. Please disable/remove some existing breakpoints or disable other tools that may be using a breakpoint like the Profile Clock.

10.8.3. How do I access the debugger/flash properties when in a debug session?¶

See: Debug Properties.

10.8.4. Which scripting solution (legacy or new) should I use?¶

A new scripting solution (CCS Scripting) is available. Both the legacy (DSS) and the new scripting (CCS Scripting) solution is available for use. New users have the option to use either. Since DSS has been deprecated in support, new users are recommended to use CCS Scripting.

10.8.6. Why isn't printf working when running code in Code Composer Studio?¶

Two common errors are running out of heap, and running out of stack. For other errors that cause printf to fail, and how to address them, please see the article Tips For Using Printf.

10.8.7. Do I have to use an XDS110 debug probe to debug a secure device?¶

Yes. Only the XDS110 is capable of handling the secure debug features on supported devices such as CC234x and CC27x5.

10.8.8. Is Pin Trace Supported?¶

Pin trace is no longer supported. See the Trace section for more details on the types of core trace supported.