Cortex core registers

[tw39124]

I am debugging a project on an STM32F439, which is a Cortex-M4 based MCU. I can use the Hardware Registers window to see all of the STM peripheral registers (GPIO, UART etc) without any problem.

However, there does not seem to be a nice user interface by which I can view the core Cortex-M registers. I’m not talking about the generic CPU registers that I can view in the Visual Studio registers window (r0, r1, PC, SP etc, although a better UI than the awful VS text-based window would be nice!), but those defined in the ARM documentation (the System Control Space, NVIC etc). These are all at memory-mapped addresses, so it would appear to be a trivial task to include them in the XML register definitions files. Has anyone written the XML definitions for these registers? Is there a reason they are not included in the STxxxxxxx definitions?

[support]

Hi,

Are you using the latest STM32 package (should be version 4.0 under Tools->VisualGDB Package Manager)? It should contain register definitions for ARM Cortex registers.

[tw39124]

Thanks, this appeared to fix it – I can now see the ARM Cortex registers.

[dabramson]

I am looking to see the Processor Core Registers in an STM32F4 chip. The ones in Figure 2 in the attachment (from PM0214 by ST).

I do have the ARM Cortex M4 node, but do not see these registers under it. I’m using 5.3R3 (build 1864) and STMDevice Package version 4.3.

Please help!

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[support]

Hi,

Please use the via Debug->Windows->Registers command to view the CPU registers.

[dabramson]

That window just says “No data available”.

I checked that “enable address-level debugging” is enabled under Tools->Options Debugging Node.

 

[support]

Hi,

Please try right-clicking there and selecting the register groups you need.

[dabramson]

When I right click in the VS Registers window it gives me a with Copy (disabled) and Select All. There are no register groups. Interestingly I can see the CPU core registers when I hover over them in the disassembly window. Any other suggestions?

[support]

Hi,

This could happen if the gdb stub you are using did not report the registers correctly or if VisualGDB did not parse them properly (our plugin for Segger J-Link had a bug with the registers, but it got fixed years ago). Please let us know which gdb stub you are using and also attach:

• A screenshot of the registers window with the right-click menu
• Your VisualGDB version and build number
• The full GDB log from the debug session as described here

Thanks.

[cbc]

Hi.

I have the same problem as dabramson. I can’t see the processor core registers for a STM32F4 when I open:
Debug->Windows->Registers.

But I found a solution.

In the watch window I can display the registers when I write:
$r0
$r1
$r2
$r3
.
.
$r12
$sp
$lr
$pc
$xpsr
$msp
$psp
$primask
$basepri
$faultmask
$control

[support]

Hi,

If those expressions work in the watch window, the gdb stub is reporting them correctly. So you should be able to right-click in the Registers window and enable other register groups (VS only enables the basic CPU registers by default).

[cbc]

Hi.

Thanks for your reply.

The only options I get when I right click in the Registers window is:
Copy
Select All

[support]

Hi,

Strange, this should normally not happen. Could you please attach a screenshot of the entire VS window (and the context menu) illustrating this? It might contain some clues explaining what is going on.

[cbc]

Hi. Thanks for your answer.

I have tried to attach a screenshot.

 

 

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[cbc]

Hi.

I’m sorry. The resolution was not to good. This one should be better.

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[Author]

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