The procedure here explains how to import Xpresso projects for a supported LPCOpen platform, configure the projects, build and deploy the projects, and then debug them.

The example below shows the steps for the LPC11U14 platform, but the same procedure applies to all platforms.

Importing the examples into your Xpresso workspace
To use the projects in Xpresso, they must first be imported into Xpresso. To import the projects, start Xpresso with a new workspace and select the "Import..." option from the File menu. Select the "Existing Projects into Workspace" option from the General section and press Next.

On the import dialog window in the "Select root directory" box, browse to the platform directory you want to import the projects from. These directories are usually a sub-directory in the "lpcopen/applications/chip/xpresso_projects", where chip is the current device family you want to use with your board. Then select a specific platform directory under the "xpresso_projects" directory for importing those projects. It is highly recommended to only select 1 set of board projects per workspace or Xpresso may become sluggish. Make sure the "Copy projects to workspace" option is disabled. Then select Finish to start the import.

For example, if you want to build the projects for the Xpresso LPC11U14 board, you'll need to go to the "lpcopen/applications/lpc11xx/xpresso_projects" directory and then select the "nxp_xpresso_11U14" directory.

The imported projects should appear in the Project Browser window. Depending on the speed of your system, it may take a few minutes for the projected to be refreshed.

Selecting the build configuration for the libraries and examples
The Xpresso projects by default are configured for DEBUG optimization. At this level, the generated code isn't too efficient, but the code is easier to debug and step through.
Optionally, the projects can be configured for RELEASE optimization, which allows for a smaller and higher performance image at the expense of debug simplicity. To select the DEBUG or RELEASE level optimization, right-click on the projects and select DEBUG or RELEASE from the "Build configuration->Set Active" menu. All examples and projects must be configured to the same level when performing builds.

Selecting and building an example
To select an example to build, first click on the example to select it. Then click on the Build selection in the quickstart panel to start compiling and linking the example. As part of the build, the other libraries necessary for the build may also get built prior to the example being built.

Programming and debugging the example
The example can be programmed into the platform and a debug session started on the board by selecting the "Debug" option on the quickstart menu or right-clicking on the project and selecting "Debug as" a C/C++ project. The board will be programmed with the image and a debug session will start. Use the menu items from the Run menu to step through, run, and stop the code on the platform.