Debug software example

This demonstrates how debugging variants can be managed and how debugging information can be delivered.

Variant management

In this case with each software release two packages are delivered, one as a debug variant and another as a release variant.

Release package metainfo:

{
    "id": "application",
    "name": "Application",
    "description": "This is an application",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "variant": "release",
    "license": "MIT",
    "authors": [
        "John Doe"
    ],
    "artifacts": [
        {
            "file": "${id}-${version}-${variant}.hex",
            "regions": {
                //...
            },
            "traceability": {
                //...
            }
        }
    ]
}

Debug package metainfo:

{
    "id": "application",
    "name": "Application",
    "description": "This is an application",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "variant": "debug",
    "license": "MIT",
    "authors": [
        "John Doe"
    ],
    "artifacts": [
        {
            "file": "${id}-${version}-${variant}.hex",
            "regions": {
                //...
            },
            "traceability": {
                //...
            }
        }
    ]
}

Debug version

In this case only special or intermediate software releases are generated with debugging enabled. Semver is used to indicate that it’s a prerelease version and that debugging is enabled.

The advantage of this approach is that you don’t need to maintain variants but this may create confusion around the released versions and the differences between debug and release software.

{
    "id": "application",
    "name": "Application",
    "description": "This is an application",
    "version": "1.0.0-dev.3+18",
    "variant": "none",
    "license": "MIT",
    "authors": [
        "John Doe"
    ],
    "artifacts": [
        {
            "file": "${id}-${version}-${variant}.hex",
            "regions": {
                //...
            },
            "traceability": {
                //...
            }
        }
    ]
}

Debugging information

The easiest way to include debugging symbols inside the released package is by using attachments.

{
    "id": "application",
    "name": "Application",
    "description": "This is an application",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "variant": "debug",
    "license": "MIT",
    "authors": [
        "John Doe"
    ],
    "attachments": {
        "symbols": "${id}-${version}-${variant}.elf"
    },
    "artifacts": [
        {
            "file": "${id}-${version}-${variant}.hex",
            "regions": {
                //...
            },
            "traceability": {
                //...
            }
        }
    ]
}