- Platform Builder Basics
- Creating a New Platform with the Platform Wizard
- Building and Executing the Platform
- Creating Applications for Your Platform
- Running Windows CE on a CEPC
- Integrating New Components into the Image
- Customizing the Build Using Environment Variables
- Extending the Platform Builder Catalog
- Creating a New Board Support Package
- Summary
Creating a New Platform with the Platform Wizard
To create a new platform, select the File | New menu item in the Platform Builder IDE. This selection invokes the New Platform window of the Platform Wizard (Figure 3.4).
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Figure 3.4 Platform Wizard
Platform Wizard gives you just one choice—a Windows CE (WCE) platform. When you type in a platform name, the wizard automatically constructs the location folder for the platform. This location is under the subdirectory PUBLIC in the Platform Builder folder. In theory you cannot modify this location. However, as we plumb the depths of the build process in Chapter 10, you will see that there is nothing magical about this folder location; it can easily be changed, although there may be no compelling reason to do so. The Processors list box contains choices for processor types supported by the Platform Wizard. In Figure 3.4, the only available choice is Win32 for Windows CE on an x86 processor. Additional processor types are added to this window if you select the processor choices when you install Platform Builder on your workstation.
Clicking on OK in the New Platform window activates the wizard by opening the first of two dialog boxes. This first dialog box gives you an opportunity to select a board support package for the platform being created (Figure 3.5). A board support package (BSP) is a set of basic, hardware-dependent components that have been created for a particular platform. These components support a particular processor type and hardware configuration. Platform Builder includes two preconfigured BSPs. The CEPC BSP is the package for an x86 PC. The Odo BSP is for the Hitachi D9000 platform. We will select CEPC (see Figure 3.5) because this BSP runs on an x86 PC.
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Figure 3.5 Selecting a BSP for your project
We could have made two other choices. The option My BSP allows you to create your own BSP. This option is useful when you are working with a board that is not supported by Windows CE out of the box. After you create your own BSP, the board support list box in this dialog will list your BSP by name.
Selecting No BSP allows you to create a platform without a board support package. In this case, you have to create a BSP and add it to your platform later, which you do using the My BSP choice just described. We will cover this aspect in detail later in the chapter.
Note that the wizard automatically fills in the path of the BSP. BSPs are generally found under the PLATFORM subdirectory of Platform Builder.
The second and final dialog box allows you to select the type of platform you are creating (Figure 3.6). In essence, you are selecting one of the sample configurations that come in Platform Builder and that were listed under the coreos type described in Table 3.1. You can modify this choice in finer detail after the platform has been created. However, selecting the best option here will minimize the effort you spend later in fine-tuning the components in your platform. The default choice is MAXALL. Clicking on the Finish button brings up one final dialog box, which informs you of the choices you have made so far. When you have confirmed your choices, Platform Builder proceeds to build the new platform.
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Figure 3.6 Selecting a platform for your project