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CLI Reference

Complete reference for the XC8 Wrapper command-line interface.

Basic Syntax

xc8-wrapper [GLOBAL_OPTIONS] COMMAND [COMMAND_OPTIONS] [FILES...]

Available Commands

  • install: Install XC8 compiler
  • cc: C compiler, assembler, and linker (equivalent to xc8-cc)
  • ar: Archive/librarian tool (not yet implemented)

Global Options

  • --help, -h: Show help message and exit
  • --version: Show program version and exit

CC Command (C Compiler)

Basic Usage

xc8-wrapper cc [OPTIONS] [FILES...]

XC8 Compiler Location

  • --xc8-version VERSION: XC8 toolchain version (e.g., '3.00', '2.40')
  • --xc8-path PATH: Full path to XC8 tool executable (overrides version)

Target Configuration

  • --cpu CPU, -mcpu CPU: Target microcontroller (required)

Preprocessor Options

Definitions

  • -D SYMBOL, --define SYMBOL: Define preprocessor symbol
  • -U SYMBOL, --undefine SYMBOL: Undefine preprocessor symbol

Examples: 

# Define single symbols
xc8-wrapper cc --cpu PIC16F877A -D DEBUG

# Define with values
xc8-wrapper cc --cpu PIC16F877A -D _XTAL_FREQ=20000000 -D LED_PIN=0

# Multiple definitions
xc8-wrapper cc --cpu PIC16F877A -D DEBUG=1 -D VERSION=2 -D BOARD_REV=3

Include Paths

  • -I PATH: Add include directory

Examples: 

# Single include path
xc8-wrapper cc --cpu PIC16F877A -I ./headers

# Multiple include paths
xc8-wrapper cc --cpu PIC16F877A -I ./include -I ./lib -I ../common

Preprocessor Control

  • -C, --keep-comments: Keep comments in preprocessed output
  • -E, --preprocess-only: Preprocess only, don't compile
  • -H, --list-headers: List included header files
  • -dM, --list-macros: List all defined macros

Compilation Options

Compilation Modes

  • -c, --compile-only: Compile to object file only (no linking)
  • -S, --assembly-only: Compile to assembly file only

Output Control

  • -v, --verbose: Enable verbose output
  • -w, --suppress-warnings: Suppress all warning messages
  • --save-temps: Don't delete intermediate files

Optimization Options

Optimization Levels

  • -O0: No optimization (fastest compilation)
  • -O1: Basic optimization
  • -O2: Standard optimization (recommended)
  • -O3: Aggressive optimization
  • -Og: Debug-friendly optimization
  • -Os: Size optimization

Examples: 

# No optimization (debugging)
xc8-wrapper cc --cpu PIC16F877A -O0

# Size optimization (resource-constrained projects)
xc8-wrapper cc --cpu PIC16F877A -Os

# Speed optimization (performance-critical code)
xc8-wrapper cc --cpu PIC16F877A -O2

Language Standards

C Standard Selection

  • --std STANDARD: Specify C language standard

Supported standards: - c89, c90: ANSI C (1989/1990) - c99: ISO C99 - c11: ISO C11

Examples: 

# Use C99 standard
xc8-wrapper cc --cpu PIC16F877A --std c99

# Use C11 standard (default)
xc8-wrapper cc --cpu PIC16F877A --std c11

Custom Flags

Advanced Flag Passing

  • --compile-flag FLAG: Add custom compilation flag
  • --link-flag FLAG: Add custom linking flag

Examples: 

# Custom compile flags
xc8-wrapper --cpu PIC16F877A --compile-flag "-fdata-sections" --compile-flag "-ffunction-sections"

# Custom link flags
xc8-wrapper --cpu PIC16F877A --link-flag "-Wl,--gc-sections"

# Mixed custom flags
xc8-wrapper --cpu PIC16F877A \
    --compile-flag "-Wall" \
    --link-flag "-Wl,-Map=custom.map" \
    --compile-flag "-Wextra"

File and Directory Options

Input Files

  • FILES...: Source files to compile (C files, assembly files, object files)

Output Control

  • -o FILE: Specify output file name

Output Files

  • -o FILE: Output file name
  • --save-temps: Do not delete intermediate files

Examples: 

# Basic compilation with default output
xc8-wrapper cc --cpu PIC16F877A main.c

# Custom output file
xc8-wrapper cc --cpu PIC16F877A -o firmware.hex main.c

# Save intermediate files for debugging
xc8-wrapper cc --cpu PIC16F877A --save-temps main.c

Common Command Patterns

Development Workflow

Quick compile (development): 

xc8-wrapper cc --cpu PIC16F877A --xc8-version 3.00 -O0 -v main.c

Production build: 

xc8-wrapper cc --cpu PIC16F877A --xc8-version 3.00 -Os --std c99 main.c

Debug build: 

xc8-wrapper cc --cpu PIC16F877A --xc8-version 3.00 -Og -D DEBUG=1 --save-temps main.c

Project-Specific Examples

Multi-file compilation: 

# Compile multiple source files
xc8-wrapper cc --cpu PIC16F877A --xc8-version 3.00 main.c uart.c spi.c

# With custom includes and optimization
xc8-wrapper cc --cpu PIC16F877A --xc8-version 3.00 \
    -I ./include -I ./lib \
    -D VERSION=100 -O2 \
    main.c uart.c spi.c

Testing and Validation

Preprocessor output: 

xc8-wrapper cc --cpu PIC16F877A --xc8-version 3.00 \
    -E -C -H main.c

Assembly generation: 

xc8-wrapper cc --cpu PIC16F877A --xc8-version 3.00 \
    -S -v main.c

Platform-Specific Notes

Windows

  • Use forward slashes or double backslashes in paths
  • XC8 executable names include .exe extension automatically

macOS/Linux

  • Use standard Unix path conventions
  • XC8 executable names automatically drop .exe extension

Error Handling

Common Error Messages

Solutions: 1. Use the cc subcommand: xc8-wrapper cc --cpu PIC16F877A

"XC8 not found" - XC8 compiler not detected in standard locations - Solutions: Install XC8 or use --xc8-path

"CPU is required" - Target microcontroller not specified - Solution: Add --cpu MICROCONTROLLER

"Invalid version format" - Version string contains invalid characters - Solution: Use format like 3.00, 2.40

"Source file not found" - Source file doesn't exist in specified location - Solutions: Check file path, specify correct file name

Debugging Tips

  1. Use verbose output: Add -v to see detailed execution
  2. Check file paths: Verify source files exist in current directory
  3. Validate XC8: Test XC8 directly with xc8-cc --version
  4. Save intermediates: Use --save-temps to inspect generated files

Advanced Usage

Custom XC8 Installation

# Using custom XC8 path
xc8-wrapper cc --xc8-path "/custom/path/to/xc8-cc" --cpu PIC16F877A main.c

# Multiple XC8 versions
xc8-wrapper cc --xc8-version 2.40 --cpu PIC16F877A main.c  # Legacy project
xc8-wrapper cc --xc8-version 3.00 --cpu PIC16F877A main.c  # Current project

Integration with Build Systems

Makefile integration: 

CHIP = PIC16F877A
XC8_VERSION = 3.00

build:
    xc8-wrapper cc --cpu $(CHIP) --xc8-version $(XC8_VERSION) -O2 main.c

debug:
    xc8-wrapper cc --cpu $(CHIP) --xc8-version $(XC8_VERSION) -Og -D DEBUG=1 main.c

Shell script integration: 

#!/bin/bash
set -e

CHIP="${1:-PIC16F877A}"
VERSION="${2:-3.00}"

echo "Building for $CHIP with XC8 $VERSION..."
xc8-wrapper cc --cpu "$CHIP" --xc8-version "$VERSION" -O2 main.c
echo "Build complete!"

Passthrough Options

  • --passthrough STRING, -p STRING: Pass options directly to xc8-cc without interpretation

Examples: 

# Pass PIC-specific options not available in wrapper
xc8-wrapper cc --cpu PIC16F877A --passthrough="-mplib -gdwarf-3" main.c

# Pass multiple options with values
xc8-wrapper cc --cpu PIC16F877A --passthrough="-mchecksum=0x1234 --fill=0xFF" main.c

# Combine with regular options
xc8-wrapper cc --cpu PIC16F877A -O2 -v --passthrough="-mplib -mdownload-hex" main.c

Security & Safety Notes:

  • Arguments are parsed using shell-like syntax (supports quotes and escaping)
  • Use quotes for arguments containing spaces: --passthrough='--output="my file.hex"'
  • Passthrough arguments are added after regular wrapper options

  • Invalid passthrough syntax will cause compilation to fail

  • Security validation: The following patterns are blocked for security:

  • Shell operators: &, |, ;, &&, ||, >, <, >>, <<

  • Command substitution: `, $(, ${
  • File traversal: ../, ..\\, /etc/, \\windows\\
  • Dangerous executables: cmd.exe, powershell, bash, sh, rm, del, format
  • Only compiler-specific options should be passed through this mechanism