The CPDSC format provides the XML elements for defining CMSIS software projects. The CPDSC file content is considered static, so you do not have to keep the projects synchronized.

The scope of the description includes:

CMSIS Run-Time Environment configuration (RTE)
Project build, including linker script generation
Flash programming
Basic configuration of debug probs

The project format creates a basic project configuration and does not reflect tool-specific features or configurations. The import and conversion from the CPDSC format into a toolchain-specific format is the responsibility of the tool vendor.

Definition of CMSIS project

A CMSIS software project is a collection of files in a directory structure. The CPDSC file is located in the base folder of the directory structure. Only one CPDSC file is allowed. A CPDSC file can describe one or more projects.

Example CMSIS Project Description File (*.cpdsc):

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no" ?>
<package xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="PACK.xsd">
  <vendor>Keil</vendor>
  <name>STM32F407_Flash</name>
  <description>CMSIS RTOS Blinky for STM32F407 microcontroller using Keil 'MCBSTM32F400 Evaluation Board.</description>
  <url>www.keil.com/pack/Keil.STM32F4xx_DFP.pdsc</url>
  <releases>
    <release version="5.25.1">Generated 2018-02-20T09:10:26</release>
  </releases>
  <requirements>
    <packages>
      <package name="CMSIS" vendor="ARM"/>
      <package name="MDK-Middleware" vendor="Keil"/> 
      <package name="STM32F4xx_DFP" vendor="Keil"/>
    </packages>
  </requirements>
  <create>
    <project>
      <target Ddsp="NO_DSP" Dendian="Little-endian" Dfpu="SP_FPU" Dname="STM32F407IGHx" Dtz="NO_TZ" Dvendor="STMicroelectronics:13">
        <output debug="1" name="Blinky" type="exe"/>
        <debugProbe coreClock="10000000" name="ULINK2" protocol="swd"/>
        <memory access="rx" default="1" name="IROM1" size="0x100000" start="0x8000000" startup="1"/>
        <memory access="rw" default="1" init="1" name="IRAM1" size="0x20000" start="0x20000000"/>
        <memory access="rw" default="0" init="1" name="IRAM2" size="0x10000" start="0x10000000"/>
      </target>
      <select>
        <component Cclass="CMSIS" Cgroup="CORE" Cvendor="ARM"/>
        <component Cclass="CMSIS" Cgroup="RTOS" Csub="Keil RTX" Cvendor="ARM">
          <file attr="config" category="source" name="CMSIS/RTOS/RTX/Templates/RTX_Conf_CM.c" version="4.70.1"/>
        </component>
        <component Cbundle="MCBSTM32F400" Cclass="Board Support" Cgroup="A/D Converter" Cvendor="Keil"/>
        <component Cbundle="MCBSTM32F400" Cclass="Board Support" Cgroup="Buttons" Cvendor="Keil"/>
        <component Cbundle="MCBSTM32F400" Cclass="Board Support" Cgroup="LED" Cvendor="Keil"/>
        <component Cclass="Device" Cgroup="STM32Cube Framework" Csub="Classic" Cvendor="Keil">
          <file attr="config" category="header" name="CMSIS/Driver/Config/RTE_Device.h" version="2.4.4"/>
          <file attr="config" category="header" name="MDK/Templates/Inc/stm32f4xx_hal_conf.h" version="1.6.0"/>
        </component>
        <component Cclass="Device" Cgroup="STM32Cube HAL" Csub="ADC" Cvendor="Keil"/>
        <component Cclass="Device" Cgroup="STM32Cube HAL" Csub="Common" Cvendor="Keil"/>
        <component Cclass="Device" Cgroup="STM32Cube HAL" Csub="Cortex" Cvendor="Keil"/>
        <component Cclass="Device" Cgroup="STM32Cube HAL" Csub="DMA" Cvendor="Keil"/>
        <component Cclass="Device" Cgroup="STM32Cube HAL" Csub="GPIO" Cvendor="Keil"/>
        <component Cclass="Device" Cgroup="STM32Cube HAL" Csub="PWR" Cvendor="Keil"/>
        <component Cclass="Device" Cgroup="STM32Cube HAL" Csub="RCC" Cvendor="Keil"/>
        <component Cclass="Device" Cgroup="Startup" Cvendor="Keil">
          <file attr="config" category="source" condition="STM32F407xx_ARMCC" name="Drivers/CMSIS/Device/ST/STM32F4xx/Source/Templates/arm/startup_stm32f407xx.s" version="2.6.0"/>
          <file attr="config" category="source" name="Drivers/CMSIS/Device/ST/STM32F4xx/Source/Templates/system_stm32f4xx.c" version="2.6.0"/>
        </component>
      </select>
      <files>
        <group name="Source Files">
          <file category="sourceC" name="./Blinky.c"/>
          <file category="sourceC" name="./Thread_LED.c"/>
          <file category="sourceC" name="./Thread_ADC.c"/>
        </group>
        <group name="Documentation">
          <file category="doc" name="./Abstract.txt"/>
        </group>
      </files>
    </project>
  </create>
</package>

CPDSC top level structure

The CPDSC file format shares the schema file (PACK.xsd) with the PDSC and GPDSC format. However, a CPDSC file can only contain the top level elements listed in this table.

/package (for CPDSC)

Parents	Element Chain
root	description root point for CPDSC
Attributes	Description	Type	Use
schemaVersion	Version of PACK.xsd the description is compatible with	VersionType	required
Child Elements	Description	Type	Occurrence
name	Name of the CPDSC Software Pack file. Could be displayed by an installer.	RestrictedString	1..1
vendor	Creator or owner of the CPDSC file.	RestrictedString	1..1
description	High level description of the projects.	xs:string	1..1
url	File location if generated, link to the Pack this file belongs to. If left empty, the Pack cannot be updated automatically from a server location.	xs:anyURI	1..1
supportContact	Email or web page for reporting errors or problems related to this project.	xs:string	0..1
license	Reference to a license file relative to this CPDSC.	xs:string	0..1
requirements	Specify required packs, compiler, and programming languages for the project.	RequirementsType	1..1
create	Section capturing the project configuration.	CreateType	1..1
releases	Release history and release notes for tracking changes to this project. The attributes <deprecated> and <replacement> are not supported in the context of CPDSC files.	ReleasesType	1..1

You can refer to /package for more details.

/package/create

This element groups one or more projects, which should be related. For example, the Secure and Non-secure part of an application, or a set of library projects and the final application project. We recommend to use different CPDSC files for each individual project.

Parents	Element Chain
package	/package
Child Elements	Description	Type	Occurrence
project	Grouping element to add project descriptions	ProjectType	1..*

/package/create/project

This element bundles one project.

Example project section:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no" ?>
<package xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="PACK.xsd">
  ...
  <create>
    <project name="STM32F429_Flash" documentation="./Abstract.txt">
      <target Dendian="Little-endian" Dfpu="SP_FPU" Dname="STM32F429ZITx" Dvendor="STMicroelectronics:13">
        ...
      </target>
      <select>
        ...
      </select>
      <files>
        ...
      </files>
    </project>
  </create>
</package>

Parents	Element Chain
create	/package/create
Attributes	Description	Type	Use
name	Name of the project. Will be used as file name as well. If not specified, then the name on the package level is used.	RestrictedString	optional
documentation	Path and file name of a document relative to the CPDSC file, or an url providing detailed information about the software project.	xs:string	optional
public	Set publishing permissions for the documentation. If <public> is true, then the vendor gives permission to extract the documentation from the pack and publish it on a web-page. Links to web pages are assumed to be public. The default value is false.	xs:boolean	optional
Child Elements	Description	Type	Occurrence
target	Section containing details, for example about the board, device, memory, debug, or algorithms.	TargetType	1..1
select	Specify the software components selected in the Run-Time Environment (RTE).	SelectType	0..1
files	List all files used for the project build, which are not configured using components.	ProjectFilesType	0..1

/package/create/project/target

This element describes the hardware target, including memory layout, debug probes, or flash programming algorithms.

Example target section:

<package xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="PACK.xsd"/>
  ...
  <create>
    <project>
      ...
      <target Dendian="Little-endian" Dfpu="SP_FPU" Dname="STM32F429ZITx" Dvendor="STMicroelectronics:13">
        <output debug="1" name="Blinky" type="exe"/>
        <debugProbe coreClock="10000000" name="ST-Link" protocol="swd"/>
        <memory access="rx" default="1" name="IROM1" size="0x200000" start="0x8000000" startup="1"/>
        <memory access="rw" default="1" init="1" name="IRAM1" size="0x30000" start="0x20000000"/>
        <memory access="rw" default="0" init="1" name="IRAM2" size="0x10000" start="0x10000000"/>
      </target>
      ...
    </project>
  </create>
</package>

Parents	Element Chain
project	/package/create/project
Attributes	Description	Type	Use
Bvendor	Board vendor name. Either a board vendor and board name with optional board revision, or a device vendor and a device name.	xs:string	optional
Bname	SPecify the board name. Either a board vendor and board name with optional board revision, or a device vendor and a device name.	xs:string	optional
Bversion	Board version. Either a board vendor and board name with optional board revision, or a device vendor and a device name.	xs:string	optional
Dvendor	Device vendor name. Either a board vendor and board name with optional board revision, or a device vendor and a device name.	xs:string	optional
Dname	Device name. Either a board vendor and board name with optional board revision, or a device vendor and a device name.	xs:string	optional
Pname	Processor instance name. In case of multi-processor devices, this processor ID is required.	xs:string	optional
Dfpu	Selects the floating point unit option that is active for the project. Note, even if the device implements an FPU, setting Dfpu=0 here, will disable FPU code generation. Use predefined values from the table Device FPU.	DfpuEnum	optional
Dendian	Selects the endianness to be used for the project. Note that selecting an endianness that is not supported by the device, will result in a build that will not run on the device. Use predefined values from the table DendianEnum.	DendianEnum	optional
Dmpu	Selects the memory protection unit to be enabled or disabled for the project. Use predefined values from the table Device MPU.	DmpuEnum	optional
Child Elements	Description	Type	Occurrence
output	Configure the build output name and type, and specify whether to include debug information.	OutputType	1..1
memory	Specify the memory configuration for this application. Based on the memory layout, the linker script will be generated by the toolchain.	TargetMemoryType	0..*
stack	Specify the stack size in bytes allocated by the linker to the application. This element consists of one attribute named <size>. Set the value for this attribute. Only positive numbers are allowed.	StackType	1..1
heap	Specify the heap size in bytes allocated by the linker to the application. This element consists of one attribute named <size>. Set the value for this attribute. Only positive numbers are allowed.	HeapType	1
algorithm	Selects from the list of available flash programming algorithms specified for this device in the corresponding Device Family Pack. Target and RAM memory ranges can be reconfigured from the defaults specified in the device description.	TargetAlgorithmType	0..*
debugProbe	Selects and configures the debug probe to be used for this project.	DebugProbeType	0..*

/package/create/project/target/algorithm

Example algorithm element

...
  <project name="STM32F429_Flash" documentation="./Abstract.txt">
    <target Dendian="Little-endian" Dfpu="SP_FPU" Dname="STM32F429ZITx" Dvendor="STMicroelectronics:13">
    ...
    <algorithm  name="CMSIS/Flash/STM32F4xx_1024.FLM" start="0x08000000"  size="0x100000" RAMstart=0x20000000 RAMsize=0x1000/>
    ...
    </target>
  </project>
...

Parents	Element Chain
target	/package/create/project/target
Attributes	Description	Type	Use
Pname	Processor name	xs:string	RestrictedString
name	References the name (without path) of the flash programming algorithm as defined by the DFP.	xs:string	required
start	Overrides the predefined programming start address of the flash programming algorithm as specified in the DFP.	NonNegativeInteger	optional
size	Overrides the predefined programming size of the flash programming algorithm as specified in the DFP.	NonNegativeInteger	optional
RAMstart	Overrides the predefined start address in RAM where the flash programming algorithm is loaded as specified in the DFP.	NonNegativeInteger	optional
RAMsize	Overrides the predefined RAM size in RAM where the flash programming algorithm is loaded as specified in the DFP.	NonNegativeInteger	optional
default	Sets this algorithm as the default algorithm for flash programming when the value is set to 1. The defualt value is 0 - false.	xs:boolean	optional
style	Sets flash programming format. The default value is Keil. Use the predefinde values as listed in the table Algorithm Styles.	AlgorithmStyleType	optional
parameter	Parameter string passed when invoking the algorithm.	xs:string	optional
endian	Specify the endianness of the algorithm. Default value is Little-endian. Use the predefined values as listed in the table Endinaness.	DendianEnum	optional

/package/create/project/target/debugProbe

Specify the attributes of a debug probe.

Example debugProbe element

...
  <project name="STM32F429_Flash" documentation="./Abstract.txt">
    <target Dendian="Little-endian" Dfpu="SP_FPU" Dname="STM32F429ZITx" Dvendor="STMicroelectronics:13">
      ...
      <debugProbe coreClock="10000000" name="ST-Link" protocol="swd"/>
      ...
    </target>
  </project>
...

Parents	Element Chain
target	/package/create/project/target
Attributes	Description	Type	Use
name	Name of of the debug probe, for example JLink, ULink2, ULinkPro, CMSIS-DAP, or ST-Link.	xs:string	required
protocol	Select the debug protocol, for example, swd. Use the predefined values listed in the table Debug Protocol Type.	xs:string	required
coreClock	Clock frequency of the core once the system is initialized.	NonNegativeInteger	required
tpiuClock	Clock frequency of the TPIU block of the CoreSight debug logic. Only relevant for tracing.	NonNegativeInteger	optional

/package/create/project/target/memory

Specify the memory layout. The linker script file will be genereted according to these settings.

Example memory element

...
  <project name="STM32F429_Flash" documentation="./Abstract.txt">
    <target Dendian="Little-endian" Dfpu="SP_FPU" Dname="STM32F429ZITx" Dvendor="STMicroelectronics:13">
    ...
      <memory access="rx" default="1" name="IROM1" size="0x200000" start="0x8000000" startup="1"/>
      <memory access="rw" default="1" init="1" name="IRAM1" size="0x30000" start="0x20000000"/>
      <memory access="rw" default="0" init="1" name="IRAM2" size="0x10000" start="0x10000000"/>
     ...
    </target>
  </project>
...

Parents	Element Chain
target	/package/create/project/target
Attributes	Description	Type	Use
Pname	Identifies the processor.	RestrictedString	optional
id	Eunmerated ID of memory. Deprecated since version 1.4.4	MemoryIDTypeEnum	optional
name	Reference to the name of the memory as defined by the DFP.	xs:string	required
start	Overrides the predefined memory start address.	NonNegativeInteger	optional
size	Overrides the predefined memory size.	NonNegativeInteger	optional
access	Overrides the predefined access permissions for the memory as specified in the DFP. The default value is r, for 'read' permission. Use the predefined values defined in the table MemoryAccessTypeString.	AccessType	optional
alias	Reference by 'name' to another memory to express that the same physical memory is mapped at another address.	AccessType	optional
init	Deprecated; do not use! Ignore!!!.	xs:boolean	optional
default	Use to define the default memory for the linker.	xs:boolean	optional
startup	Specify whether the memory is used by the linker for the startup. The default value is 0 - false.	xs:boolean	optional

/package/create/project/target/output

Specify the characteristics for the build output file.

Example output element

<project name="STM32F429_Flash" documentation="./Abstract.txt">
  <target Dendian="Little-endian" Dfpu="SP_FPU" Dname="STM32F429ZITx" Dvendor="STMicroelectronics:13">
    <output debug="1" name="Blinky" type="exe"/>
    ...
  </target>
  ...
</project>

Parents	Element Chain
target	/package/create/project/target
Attributes	Description	Type	Use
name	Name of the build output file.	xs:string	required
type	Select the build target to be lib - library or exe - executable. You can use the wildcard * for	CompilerOutputType	required
debug	Select whether the output will contain debug information. Use the values 1;0 for true and false.	xs:boolean	required

/package/create/project/select

This element lists all software components that are selected within the Manage Run-Time Environment.

Example select section:

<package xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="PACK.xsd"/>
  ...
  <create>
    <project>
      ...
      <select>
        <component Cclass="CMSIS" Cgroup="Core" Cvendor="ARM" Cversion="4.1.0"/>
        <component Cclass="CMSIS" Cgroup="RTOS" Csub="Keil RTX" Cvendor="ARM" Cversion="4.78.0">
          <file attr="config" category="source" name="CMSIS/RTOS/RTX/Templates/RTX_Conf_CM.c" version="4.70.1"/>
        </component>
        <component Cbundle="STM32F429I-Discovery" Cclass="Board Support" Cgroup="Buttons" Cvendor="Keil" Cversion="1.0.0"/>
        <component Cbundle="STM32F429I-Discovery" Cclass="Board Support" Cgroup="LED" Cvendor="Keil" Cversion="1.0.0"/>
        <component Cclass="Device" Cgroup="STM32Cube Framework" Csub="Classic" Cvendor="Keil" Cversion="1.4.0">
          <file attr="config" category="header" name="CMSIS/Driver/Config/RTE_Device.h" version="2.3.1"/>
          <file attr="config" category="header" name="MDK/Templates/Inc/stm32f4xx_hal_conf.h" version="1.4.2"/>
        </component>
        <component Cclass="Device" Cgroup="STM32Cube HAL" Csub="Common" Cvendor="Keil" Cversion="1.4.0"/>
        <component Cclass="Device" Cgroup="STM32Cube HAL" Csub="Cortex" Cvendor="Keil" Cversion="1.4.0"/>
        <component Cclass="Device" Cgroup="STM32Cube HAL" Csub="GPIO" Cvendor="Keil" Cversion="1.4.0"/>
        <component Cclass="Device" Cgroup="STM32Cube HAL" Csub="PWR" Cvendor="Keil" Cversion="1.4.0"/>
        <component Cclass="Device" Cgroup="STM32Cube HAL" Csub="RCC" Cvendor="Keil" Cversion="1.4.0"/>
        <component Cclass="Device" Cgroup="Startup" Cvendor="Keil" Cversion="2.4.0">
          <file attr="config" category="source" condition="STM32F429xx_ARMCC" name="Drivers/CMSIS/Device/ST/STM32F4xx/Source/Templates/arm/startup_stm32f429xx.s" version="2.4.2"/>
          <file attr="config" category="source" name="Drivers/CMSIS/Device/ST/STM32F4xx/Source/Templates/system_stm32f4xx.c" version="2.4.2"/>
        </component>
      </select>
      ...
    </project>
  </create>
</package>

Parents	Element Chain
project	/package/create/project
Child Elements	Description	Type	Occurrence
component	Group element for defining the selected software components.	ComponentSelectType	1..*

/package/create/project/select/component

Specify the software components.

Example component element

...
      <select>
        <component Cclass="CMSIS" Cgroup="Core" Cvendor="ARM" Cversion="4.1.0"/>
        <component Cclass="Device" Cgroup="STM32Cube Framework" Csub="Classic" Cvendor="Keil" Cversion="1.4.0">
          <file attr="config" category="header" name="CMSIS/Driver/Config/RTE_Device.h" version="2.3.1"/>
          <file attr="config" category="header" name="MDK/Templates/Inc/stm32f4xx_hal_conf.h" version="1.4.2"/>
        </component>
      </select>
...

Parents	Element Chain
select	/package/create/project/select
Attributes	Description	Type	Use
Cvendor	Vendor name of the component.	xs:string	optional
Cbundle	Name of bundle to which the selected component belongs.	xs:string	optional
Cclass	Component class name. Predefined values can be used as listed in the table Component Classes.	xs:string	required
Cgroup	Component group name following the taxonomy. Predefined values can be used as listed in the table Component Groups.	xs:string	required
Csub	Component sub group name following the taxonomy (string may be empty)	CsubType	optional
Cvariant	Name of the variant of the selected component.	CvariantType	optional
Cversion	Version of the selected component. Note, a higher version number can be entered in case the matching version is not available.	ComponentVersionType	optional
Capiversion	Implemented api version defined for the corresponding Cclass:Cgroup:Csub. Set the value only for components that have an associated <api>.	ComponentVersionType	optional
instances	Number of instances created for the component. Set the value only for components that are multi-instance capable. Defaults to 1 if not set.	InstancesType	optional
Child Elements	Description	Type	Occurrence
file	Specify configuration files from the selected component.	ComponentSelectType	0..*

/package/create/project/select/component/file

Specify the configuration files for the selected component. These files must already exist in the project folder structure and contain a configuration setup specifically for the project.

Example file element

...
      <component Cclass="Device" Cgroup="STM32Cube Framework" Csub="Classic" Cvendor="Keil" Cversion="1.4.0">
        <file attr="config" category="header" name="CMSIS/Driver/Config/RTE_Device.h" version="2.3.1"/>
        <file attr="config" category="header" name="MDK/Templates/Inc/stm32f4xx_hal_conf.h" version="1.4.2"/>
      </component>
...

Parents	Element Chain
component	/package/create/project/select/component
Attributes	Description	Type	Use
condition	Condition id being used at the time of runtime configuration.	xs:string	optional
category	File type, for example header. Use predefined values from the table File Category.	FileCategoryType	required
attr	File action attribute, for example copy. Use predefined values from the table File Category.	FileAttributeType	optional
name	File path and name within pack it originates from.	xs:string	required
version	Version of the configuration file being used in the example.	VersionType	required

/package/create/project/files

The files section specifies files to be included into the project build that are not managed through software components. Files can be sorted into named groups.

Example files section:

<package xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="PACK.xsd"/>
  ...
  <create>
    <project>
      <files>
        <group name="Source Files">
          <file category="sourceC" name="./Blinky.c"/>
          <file category="sourceC" name="./Thread_LED.c"/>
        </group>
        <group name="Documentation">
          <file category="doc" name="./Abstract.txt"/>
        </group>
      </files>
    </project>
  </create>
</package>

Parents	Element Chain
project	/package/create/project
Child Elements	Description	Type	Occurrence
file	Specify a file.	ProjectFileType	0..*
group	Specify a group of files.	GroupType	0..*

/package/project/create/files/.../file

Specify files that are not included through software components.

Parents	Element Chain
files	/package/create/project/files
group	/package/create/project/files/.../group
Attributes	Description	Type	Use
name	Path and name of the file, relative to CPDSC location.	xs:string	required
category	Type of file, for example, whether the file is a C or assembler file. Use the predefined values from the table File Categories.	FileCategoryType	required
src	Folder specifying the source code location for a library.	xs:string	optional

/package/create/project/files/.../group

Nesting of groups is supported. It is tool dependent how grouping is represented in the tool, because the grouping of files has no impact on the build by default.

Example files section:

<package xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="PACK.xsd"/>
  ...
  <create>
    <project>
      <files>
        <group name="Source">
          <group name="C">
            <file category="sourceC" name="./Blinky.c"/>
            <file category="sourceC" name="./Thread_LED.c"/>
          </group>
          <group name="ASM">
            <file category="sourceAsm" name="./startup_add.s"/>
          </group>
        </group>
        <group name="Documentation">
          <file category="doc" name="./Abstract.txt"/>
        </group>
      </files>
    </project>
  </create>
</package>

Parents	Element Chain
files	/package/create/project/files
Attributes	Description	Type	Use
name	name of the group of files	RestrictedString	required
Child Elements	Description	Type	Occurrence
file	Specify a file.	ProjectFileType	0..*
group	Specify a group (nesting).	GroupType	0..*