User manual

Utilities
 2012 Microchip Technology Inc. DS52053B-page 303
8.6 HEXMATE
The HEXMATE utility is a program designed to manipulate Intel HEX files. HEXMATE is
a post-link stage utility which is automatically invoked by the compiler driver, and that
provides the facility to:
• Calculate and store variable-length checksum values
• Fill unused memory locations with known data sequences
• Merge multiple Intel HEX files into one output file
• Convert INHX32 files to other INHX formats (e.g., INHX8M)
• Detect specific or partial opcode sequences within a HEX file
• Find/replace specific or partial opcode sequences
• Provide a map of addresses used in a HEX file
• Change or fix the length of data records in a HEX file.
• Validate checksums within Intel HEX files.
Typical applications for HEXMATE might include:
• Merging a bootloader or debug module into a main application at build time
• Calculating a checksum over a range of program memory and storing its value in
program memory or EEPROM
• Filling unused memory locations with an instruction to send the PC to a known
location if it gets lost.
• Storage of a serial number at a fixed address.
• Storage of a string (e.g., time stamp) at a fixed address.
• Store initial values at a particular memory address (e.g., initialize EEPROM)
• Detecting usage of a buggy/restricted instruction
• Adjusting HEX file to meet requirements of particular bootloaders