F Prime Getting Started

Getting Started with F´

Enviroment
Linux: Ubuntu LTS 20.04
FPrime: latest / branch: devel
Python: 3.9.11
CMake: 3.24.0
OpenSSL: 1.1.1f

Steps

• Generate a native build
• Implement component
• Implement unit test
• Build component
• Build deployment
• Perform unit test
• Run the deployment

Generate components

cd fprime/Ref/SignalGen
fprime-util generate

Implement and build components

fprime-util impl
fprime-util impl --ut
fprime-util build

Build Deployment

cd fprime/Ref
fprime-util build

Perform Unit Test

cd fprime/Ref
fprime-util generate --ut
cd fprime/Ref/SignalGen
fprime-util build --ut
fprime-util check

Running the deployment

./build-artifacts/Linux/bin/Ref
# ctrl-C to exit the application

It should be like this, before showing errors.

Description

Terminology

• Port
  - A connection between Components
  - Act as a defined interface to a component
• Component
  - The location of program behavior
  - May define Commands, Event, Channels, and Parameters
• Topology
  - A set of Components and connections
  - Represents the full F’ system
• Event
  - AKA EVR
  - A history of the system
  - Defined pre-component
• Channel
  - Represents current system state
  - Defined pre-component
• Command
  - Consist of opcode, mnemonic, and arguments
  - Defined pre-component
• Deployment
  - A single instance of F’, represents one build/executable
• Build Directory/Build Cache
  - Created by Fprime-util
  - Required to build CMake projects
• Ground System
  - A computer system to collect data from F’ deployment
• Toolchain
  - A set of build tools to build for a specific architecture

Deployment process

• Design any unique ports for the Components
  - The port can be built and compiled to make sure it is correct
  - The port will be entirely auto-generated
  - Usually perform unit test until component level
• Design Components
  - Specifying Ports, Commands, Events, Channels
  - The design is already in-place in the user guide
  - the design is in Ref directory
• Implement the code
  - Runs the F’ tool suite to generate template stubs
  - Unit test tubs generate in the same way
  - Test tubs could be generated and implemented before Component’s code

Finally, the Component is integrated into the deployment and the entire deployment may be built and installed.

Working the F´ Development Process with fprime-util

• Build Cache Generation
  - It’s a setup step, not development process
  - Typically done once for each platfom
  - Use generate subcommand to run the tool
  - It takes the toolchain file used in CMake as an optional argument
  - The native toolchain will be used and F´ will be setup to run on the current platform
• To generate a native build

cd fprime/Ref
fprime-util generate

This will create 2 standard builds
- standard build
- unit test build
User won’t need to generate their own CMake build caches

Generate Cross-Compile of the Ref Application for Raspberry PI Platform

• Provide the CMake toolchain argument “raspberrypi”
• Raspberry PI setup steps

cd fprime/Ref
fprime-util generate raspberrypi

Creating Implementation Stubs

• Using impl to generate the stubbed implementations of a Component’s C++ file
• No need to passing a toolchain in this step as the templates are platform independent

cd fprime/Ref/SignalGen
fprime-util impl

• This will creat <Component>Impl.cpp-template and<Component>Impl.hpp-template
• The file is ready for C++ developement
• The command assume a default build has been generated

Creating Unit Test Implementations

• Using Impl --ut generate the stubbed implementations for creating unit test for Component
• This step is also platform independent

Generating Unit Test Stubs of SignalGen

• This step will create some .cppand .hppfiles in a sub folder /test/ut
• The command assume a default build has been generated

cd fprime/Ref/SignalGen
fprime-util impl --ut

Building Components and Deployments

• After implemented, we need to build the component and test it.
• This command will build to “current directory”

cd fprime/Ref/SignalGen
fprime-util build

Build Ref Deployment

• cd to the deployment directory and run the build command

cd fprime/Ref
fprime-util build 

Building and Running Unit Tests

• generate the unit test cache
• build the unit test and run with check

cd fprime/Ref
fprime-util generate --ut
cd fprime/Ref/SignalGen
fprime-util build --ut
fprime-util check