.c files from Header Files

[SK245230]

Hi I am a beginner in programming uC, so I have a simple question on header files.
When I write a code for a microcontroller in Atmel Studio or in MPLab, I have to include header files and use functions that are defined in it like "initialise_something()" or "enable_something()". But they never give a clear description of what the function does or how to use it. Is there a way to find the description or maybe to look inside the ".c" file to understand how the function works?

 

[kvingle]

Hi,

You can use some advanced IDE (integrated development environment) which supports expansion of 'c' functions and hyper linking. There are many such advanced editor available freely on internet. such as Eclipse, Komodo etc

 

[betwixt]

".c" files are just plain text, they are source files like one you would write yourself. If you do a search for '.c' files in your compiler folder there is a good chance it will turn up lots of files you can read, often with comments in them.

Library files are an exception because they are normally pre-compiled object code and therefore not human readable. You should have documentation supplied with the compiler that tells you what parameters the library functions use and what values they return. As a final resort, if you produce a listing file when you compile a program, it will normally show the functions broken down to assembler level but often with comments still embedded in them.

Brian.