Performance optimizations

This release includes a number of optimizations for execution speed.

The following features are added in this release:

• .insn directive - This feature adds the possibility to generate instructions on all RISC-V instruction formats and can be used to generate custom instructions not directly supported by the assembler.
• Initial support for debug access through DAP - It is now possible to access RISC-V debug registers through an Arm Debug Access Port
• cJTAG - This release adds basic support for cJTAG debug connections

Support for the following devices are added in this release

• Andes N22
• MicroSemi Mi-V RV32 RISC-V softcores
• Syntacore SCR1

Improved Source Browser
The following improvements have been made to the Source Browser:

• The source browser data is generated faster as it is now running as a separate thread.
• New Source Browser Log window.
• Status indicator in the status bar.
• Enhanced feedback in case source browsing data cannot be generated.

Documentation Comments support in the editor
The editor can distinguish comments that start with /**, /*!, /// or //! as Documentation Comments. Inside a Documentation Comment, the editor can recognize keywords that begin with \ or @. If the keyword is recognized as a doxygen keyword, the Documentation Comment will appear in tooltips and parameter hints for variables and functions. See IAR Embedded Workbench IDE Project Management and Building Guide for more information.

Newer version of C-STAT
The static analysis tool C-STAT has been updated with 20 additional rules, a number of bugfixes and better reporting function.

Support new debugger
Support for STLINK-V3 has been added.

RX66T and RX72T support
The RX66T and RX72T families based on Renesas third-generation 32-bit RX CPU core (RXv3) are now supported. This includes support for the following new device features:

• Arithmetic unit for trigonometric functions (TFU) that handles the calculation of sines, cosines, arctangents, and sqrt(x2 + y2) directly in hardware.
• Register-saving banks and instructions for fast saving and restoring of CPU registers in interrupt handlers.

E2 emulator power debugging in C-SPY
The E2 emulator allows you to measure the dynamically changing current drawn by the user system. This is visualized as a graph in the C-SPY Timeline window as well as a list of time-current value pairs in the Power Log window. It is also possible to stop execution when the current goes above or below a certain user-defined threshold value.

C18 support
The default Standard C is now C18 (ISO/IEC 9899:2018).

C++17 support
The compiler now supports almost all C++17 features. The C++ library supports C++14 with no C++17 additions.

Improved Source Browser
The following improvements have been made to the Source Browser:

• The source browser data is generated faster as it is now running as a separate thread.
• New Source Browser Log window.
• Status indicator in the status bar.
• Enhanced feedback in case source browsing data cannot be generated.

Documentation Comments support in the editor
The editor can distinguish comments that start with /**, /*!, /// or //! as Documentation Comments. Inside a Documentation Comment, the editor can recognize keywords that begin with \ or @. If the keyword is recognized as a doxygen keyword, the Documentation Comment will appear in tooltips and parameter hints for variables and functions. See IAR Embedded Workbench IDE Project Management and Building Guide for more information.

Updated user documentation
The IAR Embedded Workbench IDE Project Management and Building Guide, IAR C/C++ Development Guide and C-SPY Debugging Guide have been updated to reflect the product changes.

C18 support

The default Standard C is now C18 (ISO/IEC 9899:2018).

C++17 support

The compiler now supports all C++17 features. The C++ library supports C++14 with no C++17 additions.

Streaming trace for improved code coverage and profiling features

The code coverage and profiling windows in C-SPY can now be feed with streaming trace data when using the IAR I-jet Trace probes. This means that both code coverage and profiling data can be collected during infinite test runs. See IAR Embedded Workbench C-SPY Debugging Guide for more information.

Extended multicore support

The multicore support has been extended to support any number of asymmetrical cores. For example, it is now possible to debug and control a device with one A9, one M7, and two M4 cores, all synchronized by the Arm Coresight CTI mechanism under debugger control.

Improved Source Browser

The following improvements have been made to the Source Browser:

• The source browser data is generated faster as it is now running as a separate thread.
• New Source Browser Log window.
• Status indicator in the status bar.
• Enhanced feedback in case source browsing data cannot be generated.

Documentation Comments

The editor can distinguish comments that start with /**, /*!, /// or //! as Documentation Comments. Inside a Documentation Comment, the editor can recognize keywords that begin with \ or @. If the keyword is recognized as a doxygen keyword, the Documentation Comment will appear in tooltips and parameter hints for variables and functions. See IAR Embedded Workbench IDE Project Management and Building Guide for more information.

CMSIS-Pack .gpdsc

The CMSIS-Pack Manager now supports Generator Package Description Files (.gpdsc).

Performance Monitoring window

The Performance Monitoring window is a viewer for counting events or CPU clock cycles through the Performance Monitoring Unit (PMU) available on Cortex A and Cortex R processors. This feature is only available when using an IAR I-jet probe. Live update is available on all recent Cortex-A cores. See IAR Embedded Workbench C-SPY Debugging Guide for more information.

Indicator for sleep mode

A new window in the C-SPY debugger shows if the processor is sleeping or not. See IAR Embedded Workbench C-SPY Debugging Guide for more information.

C-SPY plugin for the UNISON RTOS

The REMEDY RTOS Viewer from RoweBots is now included as a C-SPY plugin. It provides updated information on operating system objects and system state information for the UNISON RTOS.

Support for new devices

This version adds support for new devices from Analog Devices, STMicroelectronics and Toshiba.

Translator platform improvements

General improvements and fixes.

Support for new devices

Support for ATmega808, ATmega809, ATmega1608, ATmega1609, and AT90SCR400 has been added.

Support for the C11 language standard

The compiler and libraries add support for the latest C language standard ISO/IEC 9899:2011.
Note: the new C library binary object interface is incompatible with earlier versions of the product.

Support for the C++14 language standard

The compiler and libraries now support the latest C++ standard ISO/IEC 14882:2014. 
Note: the new C++ library binary object interface is incompatible with earlier versions of the product.

Unicode support

The Unicode standard for consistent encoding, representation, and handling of text is now supported. This means that you can use Unicode characters (alphabetic, numeric, symbols, emoji, etc) in the source code.

IDE performance improvements

General improvements of the IDE startup time and overall performance.

Stack protection

The IAR C/C++ compiler for RL78 now supports stack protection. A canary value will be placed between the stack variables and the return address so that the system can detect corruption of a function return address before the function returns to that address. The compiler will use heuristic to determine whether a function needs stack protection or not. If any defined local variable has the array type or a structure type that contains a member of array type, the function will need stack protection.

C-STAT MISRA C

The MISRA C 2004 package in C-STAT has been updated with about 20 new checks, some of which are enabled by default.

Updated device support

SFR header files, linker configuration files, and device description files have been added for the latest Renesas devices.

Updated IDE look and feel

The IDE has new artwork, enhancements to window management and docking, customizable toolbars, revised Information Center, and new tutorials.

Enhanced Registers and Symbols windows in C-SPY

The C-SPY Symbols and Registers windows have been re-designed with new features. The Symbols window now has a filtering function and a new column displaying to which program module a certain symbol belongs. Some of the new features in the Registers window are drag-and-drop support from source code windows, detailed register tool-tip information, and improved handling of user-defined registers groups.

Improved C-STAT Static analysis

• New checks have been added including about 20 new checks in the MISRA C 2004 package.
• Improved analysis engine which increases the analysis precision.
• The time-consuming false-positive analysis is now disabled by default but can be enabled by an option in the IAR Embedded Workbench IDE or on the command line.
• A new option in the IAR Embedded Workbench IDE makes it possible to limit the number of messages generated per check and per file.
• C-STAT message suppression can now be controlled by directives placed in comments in the source files.
• A new option --deterministic has been added to ensure a deterministic amount of messages when running icstat with multiple threads, so that the amount of messages stays approximately the same from one analysis run to another. This option puts a limit on the option --parallel.

Updated user documentation

The IDE Project Management and Building Guide has been updated to reflect the product changes.

New device support

• Silicon Labs: EFM8UB31F40G, EFM8UB30F40G
• Nuvoton: ML51 - ML51BB9AE, ML51DB9AE, ML51FB9AE, ML51OB9AE, ML51XB9AE, ML51EB9AE, ML51UB9AE, ML51PB9AE, ML51TB9AE, ML51EC0AE, ML51UC0AE, ML51PC0AE, ML51TC0AE, ML51LC0AE, ML51PD1AE, ML51MD1AE, ML51LD1AE, ML51SD1AE, MS51 - MS51FB9AE, MS51XB9AE, MS51XB9BE, MS51OB9AE, N76E013
• Texas Instruments: MSC1213Y2, MSC1213Y3, MSC1213Y4, MSC1213Y5, MSC1214Y2, MSC1214Y3, MSC1214Y4, MSC1214Y5

Improvement in C-STAT

Improved full report generation to reduce the risk of slowing down the IAR Embedded Workbench and/or external web-browser.

RX66T support

The RX66T family based on Renesas third-generation 32-bit RX CPU core (RXv3) is now supported.

Renesas Smart Configurator supported

Renesas Smart Configurator is a standalone tool for automatically generating control programs (device driver programs) for peripheral modules in accordance with settings. It can be downloaded from Renesas home page and fully supports code generation for IAR Embedded Workbench for RX. The generated modules are incorporated via the IAR Project Connection mechanism.

C-SPY plugin for the UNISON RTOS

The REMEDY RTOS Viewer from RoweBots is now included as a C-SPY plugin. It provides updated information on operating system objects and system state information for the UNISON RTOS.

RX65N Envision Kit examples

Newly added RX65N Envision Kit examples allows you to experience firmware updating using the new dual-bank flash function of the RX65N microcontroller, graphics performance using LCDC and a 2D drawing engine, and more.

Parallel build

IAR Embedded Workbench can now build projects using multiple parallel processes. This can improve build performance significantly on multi-core or multiple processor computers. 

C-SPY debugger improvements

• There is now a search box in the C-SPY Register window for finding a specific register.
• It is now possible to sort the entries in the C-SPY Statics window by clicking on the respective column header.
• If a selection is made in the C-SPY Memory window, then the Find and Replace context menu commands now operate just on this selection.
• The new C-SPY macro __MessageBoxYesNo displays a Yes/Cancel dialog box and returns the user input. Typically, this can be useful for creating macros that require user interaction.

Building all configurations with iarbuild

By specifying a wildcard character (*) as the configuration name, it is now possible to clean/build/make all configurations defined in the project file by calling iarbuild.exe only once.

Control of optimized DLIB library functions

Some of the DLIB libraries delivered with the product now contain optimized variants, such as a small integer division routine for Cortex-M0, or a fast strcpy implementation for cores that support the Thumb-2 ISA. The compiler and linker will automatically select the variant that matches the optimization goal. It is possible to override this selection by using the option --use_optimized_variants. See user guide corrections for more information.

CMSIS-DAP v2

The debugger now supports the latest CMSIS-DAP standard with WinUSB transfer mode resulting in faster debug experiences when using CMSIS-DAP v2 compliant boards.

Support for new devices

Support for new devices from Ambiq, Cypress, Microchip, NXP, Qorvo.

Updated IDE look and feel

The IDE has new artwork, enhancements to window management and docking, customizable toolbars, revised Information Center, and new tutorials.

Support for the C11 language standard

The compiler and libraries add support for the latest C language standard ISO/IEC 9899:2011.

Support for the C++14 language standard

The compiler and libraries now support the latest C++ standard ISO/IEC 14882:2014.

Unicode support

The Unicode standard for consistent encoding, representation, and handling of text is now supported. This means that you can use Unicode characters (alphabetic, numeric, symbols, emoji, etc) in the source code.

Stack usage analysis

With stack usage analysis enabled, a stack usage section will be added to the linker map file with listings of the maximum stack depth for each call graph root. The analysis process can be customized to take into account such constructs as calls via function pointers and recursion. The output can optionally be generated in XML format for post-processing activities.

Stack protection

The IAR C/C++ compiler for RH850 now supports stack protection. A canary value will be placed between the stack variables and the return address so that the system can detect corruption of a function return address before the function returns to that address. The compiler will use heuristic to determine whether a function needs stack protection or not. If any defined local variable has the array type or a structure type that contains a member of array type, the function will need stack protection.

Renesas Smart Configurator included

Renesas Smart Configurator is a standalone tool for automatically generating control programs (device driver programs) for peripheral modules in accordance with settings. It fully supports code generation for IAR Embedded Workbench for RH850 and the generated modules are incorporated via the IAR Project Connection mechanism.

Enhanced Registers and Symbols windows in C-SPY

The C-SPY Symbols and Registers windows have been re-designed with new features. The Symbols window now has a filtering function and a new column displaying to which program module a certain symbol belongs. Some of the new features in the Registers window are drag-and-drop support from source code windows, detailed register tool-tip information, and improved handling of user-defined registers groups.

C-STAT MISRA C

The MISRA C 2004 package in C-STAT has been updated with about 20 new checks, some of which are enabled by default.