Atmel-ICE Configuration Options

Last modified by Microchip on 2023/12/15 19:53

Available Category Options

Set up Atmel-ICE debugger options on the property pages of the Project Properties dialog.

Open the Project Properties dialog by doing one of the following:

Click the project name in the Projects window and select File > Project Properties.

Right-click the project name in the Projects window and select Properties.

Under Categories, click on Atmel-ICE Tool.

Select Property Pages from Options Categories. Click on an option to see its description in the text box below it. Click to the right of an option to change it.

Available Category Options

Memories to Program

Select the memories to be programmed into the target.

If Erase All Before Program is selected under Program Options, then all device memory will be erased before programming. To select only certain memories to program after erase, check the specific memory type. To preserve the value of memory of different types, check to preserve that memory type and check the specific memory type. Checking Preserve Memory writes the current contents to a buffer before erase. Checking Memory writes the contents back into that memory after erase, where Memory is the type of memory, such as EEPROM.

Table: Memories to Program, Option Category

Auto select memories and ranges	Allow the tool to select memories: The debugger uses your selected device and default settings to determine what to program. Manually select memories and ranges: You select the type and range of memory to program (see below).
Memory	Check to program Memory, where Memory is the type of memory. Types available are dependent on the project device and can include Data Flash, EEPROM, etc. Care should be taken when programming configuration bits, as invalid values, may cause unintended results.
Program Memory	Check to program the target program memory range specified below.
Program Memory Range(s) (hex)¹	The starting and ending hex address range in program memory for programming, reading, or verification. Note: the address range does not apply to the Erase function. The Erase function will erase all data on the device.
Preserve Program Memory	Check to not program the target program memory range specified below. Ensure code is NOT code protected.
Preserve Program Memory Range(s) (hex)²	The starting and ending hex address range in target program memory to preserve when programming, reading, or verifying. This memory is read from the target and overlayed with existing MPLAB^® X IDE memory.
Preserve Memory	Check to not program the target memory range specified below. Ensure code is NOT code protected.
Preserve Memory Range(s) (hex)²	The starting and ending hex address range in target memory to preserve when programming, reading, or verifying. This memory is read from the target and overlayed with existing MPLAB X IDE memory.

Note 1: Each range must be two hex numbers, representing the start and end addresses of the range, separated by a dash. Ranges must be separated by a comma (e.g. 0-FF, 200-2FF). Ranges must be aligned on a device-specific address boundary.

Note 2: Each range must be two hex numbers, representing the start and end addresses of the range, separated by a dash. Ranges must be separated by a comma (e.g. 0-FF, 200-2FF). Areas are reserved by reading them into the IDE and then programming them back down when a program operation occurs. Thus the preserved areas must lie within a memory range that will be programmed.

Program Options

Choose whether or not to erase all memory before programming.

Table: Program Options, Option Category

Erase All Before Program

Check to erase all memory before programming begins.
Unless programming new or already erased devices, it is important to have this box checked. If it is not checked, the device is not erased and the program code will be merged with the code already in the device.

Debug Options

Choose the options for debugging with Atmel-ICE.

Table: Debug Options, Option Category

Use software breakpoints

Check to use software breakpoints instead of any hardware breakpoints.

Firmware

Select debug tool firmware updates.

To update the firmware version, be sure to select Apply and then OK. Then click the Refresh Debug Tool Status icon in the Dashboard window.

Table: Firmware Option Category

Firmware Update Options	Use the latest firmware: Let MPLAB X IDE automatically download the correct firmware. Select firmware file: Use the Firmware File specified below. Do not change firmware: Do not automatically download updated firmware.
Firmware File	Click in the right-hand text box to search for a firmware file to associate with the debug tool.

Related Topic: Emulator Firmware Upgrade

Communication

Choose the communication interface between the Atmel-ICE debugger and target.

Table: Communication Option Category

Interface	Select the device-supported Atmel-ICE interface: JTAG, SWD, ISP, debugWIRE, UPDI, or TPI. For more information, see the "Features" section on "Atmel-ICE Debugger Overview".
Speed (MHz)	Enter a speed of operation based on the interface chosen.