Managing MPLAB® Code Configurator (MCC) Melody Component Versions
Introduction
MPLAB® Code Configurator (MCC) Melody’s Content Manager allows you to select and verify component status and make necessary version changes to libraries, drivers, PLIBs (Peripheral Libraries), hardware peripherals (initializers), system drivers, and device packages. These components make it easy to add new features and support additional devices without extensive manual configuration.
In this lesson, we will walk through the various types of components associated with MCC Melody and how to manage their versions. It’s important to ensure these component versions are compatible with your Developer Help training lessons to ensure success. If you’d like to learn more about MCC Melody components and how they relate to an embedded system architecture, visit "Learn About MPLAB® Code Configurator (MCC) Melody Components Using Content Manager (CM)".
Content Manager
Melody software is managed using its Content Manager, where components are categorized into Content Libraries and MCC Cores and Frontends. Content libraries are collections of pre-built components, drivers, and examples that can add new functionality directly to your project. They make it easier to integrate features into MCC Melody, such as communication protocols, peripheral drivers, and middleware, streamlining the development process and reducing the need for manual coding. MCC Cores and Frontends support content additions, project management, application building, project creation, and performance enhancements. Let’s review both.
Content Libraries
MCC Melody’s content libraries are accessed using its Content Manager. After a project is loaded or created and MCC is launched, select MCC Melody. Under the Project Resources tab, click the Content Manager button.
This will display a list of Content Libraries. Here you will see the various component types: Libraries, Drivers, PLIB, Hardware Peripherals (Initializers), System, Devices, and Examples.
After expanding one of these collapsed lists (Libraries in this example), you will find the component name, current version, a version pulldown selector, version status, and a description.
In many cases, there are multiple versions available. These are found using the pulldown under the Version column. Versions marked [remote] can be selected and downloaded from this window:
This format is the same for the other component types; Drivers, PLIB, Hardware Peripherals, System, Devices, and Examples.
Any component that has an updated version available will list Update for its status. Here we see Timer Example for PIC16/PIC18 has an update available:
MCC Melody makes updates easy. Select a version for each component using the Version pulldown or use the Select Latest Version(s) button followed by the Apply button to quickly update all components.
Here’s the updated Content Manager status after the updates were applied:
MCC Cores and Frontends
The other half of the Content Manager is used for verifying and selecting versions of the MCC Core and Single Page Application (SPA) Host. Select the MCC Cores and Frontends tab and expand the collapsed MCC list. You will see the MCC Core and SPA Host versions, Status, and Description. Their versions can be managed similarly to the Content Library components explained earlier.
You may notice there are two similarly-named components called MCC Core and MCC Melody Core. MCC Core is a framework that provides the infrastructure to add content, such as project manager, application builder space, undo/redo, creating projects, etc. MCC Melody Core, on the other hand, is the infrastructure for MCC Melody content. It provides features such as Graphical User Interface (GUI) creation, pin manager, easy view, and acts as a bridge between MCC Melody and MCC. These are separate elements from the MCC Content Manager plug-in, which can be verified by clicking Tools > Plugins > Installed in MPLAB X Integrated Development Environment (IDE). Finally, SPA Host refers to a webpage accelerator called Single Page Application. All of the mentioned software element versions should be verified with your selected training requirements to ensure tool compatibility.
Summary
Verifying MCC Melody component versions is crucial for ensuring the success of Developer Help trainings because it guarantees compatibility between the training materials and the development environment. Using the correct versions helps prevent issues related to feature discrepancies, deprecated functions, or interface changes that can hinder learning and implementation. This effort ultimately leads to a smoother training experience and better outcomes for participants.