How are Device Family Packs (DFPs) Distributed?
An initial set of Device Family Packs (DFPs) is installed with the Integrated Development Environment (IDE). These DFPs are called system packs and cannot be uninstalled.
After installation, DFPs are installed/managed automatically, using the Pack Manager in the Integrated Development Environment (IDE), which connects with the DFP repository on the web.
It's useful to know where the DFP source repositories are hosted so you can archive the DFP file along with your IDE, compiler, and packaged project (ZIP file) from MPLAB® X IDE.
DFP Repository (MPLAB® X IDE)
The DFP repository is used by the Pack Manager in MPLAB X IDE.
DFP Repository (Microchip Studio IDE)
The DFP repository is used by the Pack Manager in Microchip Studio.
DFP File
DFP files are published with an .atpack extension. To view the contents of the DFP, simply replace the ".atpack" extension with ".zip" and open the archive on your computer.
Installing Downloaded DFP Files
Normally, DFPs are automatically downloaded/installed using the Pack Manager in MPLAB X IDE. The Pack Manager can also be used to manually install the downloaded file as shown in the accompanying image.