Description
When using Nios® II Software Build Tools for Eclipse (SBT4E), as there are several causes for Java errors to occur, Altera recommends that you check the Release Notes and Knowledge Database for other related "java.lang.NullPointerException" issues before attempting the steps in this solution.
Here are additional points that could be looked at:
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Incompatibility issues of Eclipse and Java tools can make the SBT4E behave unpredictably. If you have recently upgraded or reinstalled Altera's SBT4E, or Eclipse or Java tool installations available from 3rd parties, it is recommended that you do a clean installation of the Altera SBT4E to ensure the correct versions of Eclipse and Java tools are installed. Install SBT4E to a fresh folder and do not use old folders which contains remnant files from previous uninstall processes.
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If SBT4E does not work properly, your current workspace may be corrupted. It is recommended to create a new workspace with File->Switch Workspace->Other. With a new workspace. you will need to create your projects from scratch or import them.
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The Eclipse caches may prevent SBT4E from working properly. To clean the Eclipse cache, add -clean to the top of the following file: C:\altera\<version>\nios2eds\bin\eclipse_nios2\eclipse.ini, i.e.:
-clean
-startup
plugins/org.eclipse.equinox.launcher_1.0.201.R35x_v20090715.jar
....
Note that as this step will clean the Eclipse cache each time SBT4E is launched, this will slow down the SBTE launch time.
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If SBT4E still fails after following the steps above, check in the Eclipse log file for a possible cause . The log file keeps a record of all the errors you have ever had in within an Eclipse workspace, and may provide clues to the SBT4E failure you have. The log file is associated with a workspace and can be found here
<workspace directory>\.metadata\.log