Microchip Technology XC8 Standard Compiler (Workstation) SW006021-1 SW006021-1 User Manual

 2012 Microchip Technology Inc.

DS52053B-page 75

When you compile a project, there are many internal applications that are called to do 
the work. This section looks at when these internal applications are executed and how 
this relates to the build process of multiple source files. This section should be of 
particular interest if you are using a make system to build projects.

The main internal compiler applications and files are illustrated in Figure 4-1.

You can consider the large underlying box to represent the whole compiler, which is 
controlled by the command line driver, xc8. You may be satisfied just knowing that C 
source files (shown on the far left) are passed to the compiler and the resulting output 
files (shown here as a HEX and COFF debug file on the far right) are produced; how-
ever, internally there are many applications and temporary files being produced. An 
understanding of the internal operation of the compiler, while not necessary, does 
assist with using the tool.

To simplify the compiler design, some of the internal applications come in a PIC18 and 
PIC10/12/16 variant. The appropriate application is executed based on the target 
device. In fact, the xc8 driver delegates the build commands to one of two com-
mand-line drivers: PICC or PICC18. This operation is transparent and xc8 may be 
considered as “the driver” which does all the work.

The driver will call the required compiler applications. These applications are shown as 
the smaller boxed inside the large driver box. The temporary file produced by each 
application can also be seen in this diagram.

.as

preprocessor 

parser

code

generator 

assembler 

.c

.pre

.p1

.obj

processed 

files (module)

p-code 

files

assembly file

relocatable

object file

C source

files

or 

p

linker 

objtohex 

cromwell 

hexmate 

parser

code

generator 

assembler 

linker 

objtohex 

cromwell 

.obj

absolute

object file

.

hex

hex file

.cof

debug file

.

hex

hex file

.c

.

h

Command-line driver

.lpp

p-code 

libraries

.as

assembly 

source

files

.obj

relocatable

object files

.hex

hex

files

.lib

object 

libraries

.p1

p-code

files