modm API documentation
STM32 CMSIS Headers

lbuild module: modm:cmsis:device

This module wraps the CMSIS headers for STM32 devices and provides the header file and CPP definitions for accessing the modm:target peripherals. Specifically, it copies the target header file which provides the CMSIS implementation of the target's language interface for its memory-mapped peripherals.

The generated header file modm/platform/device.hpp contains the necessary target define STM32{FAMILY}{NAME}xx or similar and includes the modm:target-specific header.

Note
Include only modm/platform/device.hpp! This file is only included by interface implementations inside the modm/platform folder! If you need to implement your own drivers, include only this file.

CMSIS Compliance

modm implements the target specific CMSIS functionality itself, without using the CMSIS interface. This is necessary to provide similar functionality on non-Cortex-M based targets.

Debugging Peripherals

When debugging with GDB, it can sometimes be difficult to access peripherals, due to the CMSIS implementation with CPP defines and GCC optimization flags. Depending on these circumstances, GDB may only "see" a peripheral in a certain context, which can make the debugging experience quite frustrating.

To aid this, we generate a linkerscript fragment and source file, which place the peripherals memory as real objects in the peripheral memory space. You can then access these peripherals inside GDB at any time, regardless of context and build profile setting:

(gdb) p/x *GPIOB
$1 = {
MODER = 0xaa0280,
OTYPER = 0x300,
OSPEEDR = 0x2a00c0,
PUPDR = 0x400100,
IDR = 0xfd0,
ODR = 0x100,
BSRR = 0x0,
LCKR = 0x0,
AFR = {0x0, 0x7744}
}

This does not have any effect on your firmware!** It is purely a debug helper feature and none of these definitions make it into the executable.

Note
Beware read/write side-effects When debugging be aware of the side-effects that your read or write to a peripheral memory location can have. It's fairly obvious that a write may have consequences, but also reads can modify peripheral state, for example, a hardware FIFO buffer may pop the queue if your read the top of it.