Nios® II Software Developer Handbook

ID 683525
Date 8/28/2023
Public
Document Table of Contents

3.3.1.2. Absolute Source Paths and Linked Resources

By default, the source files for an Eclipse project are stored under the project directory. If your project must incorporate source files outside the project directory, you can add them as linked resources.

An Eclipse linked resource can be either a file or a folder. With a linked folder, all source files in the folder and its subfolders are included in the build.

When you add a linked resource (file or folder) to your project, the SBT for Eclipse adds the file or folder to your makefile with an absolute path name. You might use a linked resource to refer to common source files in a fixed location. In this situation, you can move the project to a different directory without disturbing the common source file references.

A linked resource appears with a modified icon (green dot) in the Project Explorer, to distinguish it from source files and folders that are part of the project. You can use the Eclipse debugger to step into a linked source file, exactly as if it were part of the project.

You can reconfigure your project to refer to any linked resource either as an individual file, or through its parent folder. Right-click the linked resource and click Update Linked Resource.

You can use the Remove from Nios® II Build and Add to Nios® II Build commands with linked resources. When a linked resource is excluded from the build, its icon is modified with a white dot.

You can use Eclipse to create a path variable, defining the location of a linked resource. A path variable makes it easy to modify the location of one or more files in your project.

For information about working with path variables and creating linked resources, refer to the Eclipse help system.