= Frequently Asked Questions

These are a list of unsorted, commonly asked questions and answers.

Please feel free to add items to link:https://github.com/embassy-rs/embassy/edit/main/docs/modules/ROOT/pages/faq.adoc[this page], especially if someone in the chat answered a question for you!

== How do I even start?

There are many ways to configure embassy and it's components for your exact application. The link:https://github.com/embassy-rs/embassy/tree/main/examples[examples] directory for each chipset demonstrate how your project structure should look. Let's break it down:

The toplevel file structure of your project should look like this:
[source,plain]
----
{} = Maybe

my-project
|- .cargo
|  |- config.toml
|- src
|  |- main.rs
|- build.rs
|- Cargo.toml
|- {memory.x}
|- rust-toolchain.toml
----

=== .cargo/config.toml

This directory/file describes what platform you're on, and configures link:https://github.com/probe-rs/probe-rs[probe-rs] to deploy to your device.

Here is a minimal example:

[source,toml]
----
[target.thumbv6m-none-eabi] # <-change for your platform
runner = 'probe-rs run --chip STM32F031K6Tx' # <- change for your chip

[build]
target = "thumbv6m-none-eabi" # <-change for your platform

[env]
DEFMT_LOG = "trace" # <- can change to info, warn, or error
----

=== build.rs

This is the build script for your project. It links defmt (what is defmt?) and the `memory.x` file if need be. This file is pretty specific for each chipset, just copy and paste from the corresponding link:https://github.com/embassy-rs/embassy/tree/main/examples[example].

=== Cargo.toml

This is your manifest file, where you can configure all of the embassy components to use the features you need.

TODO: someone should exhaustively describe every feature for every component!

=== memory.x

This file outlines the flash/ram usage of your program. It is especially useful when using link:https://github.com/embassy-rs/nrf-softdevice[nrf-softdevice] on an nRF5x.

Here is an example for using S140 with an nRF52840:

[source,x]
----
MEMORY
{
  /* NOTE 1 K = 1 KiBi = 1024 bytes */
  /* These values correspond to the NRF52840 with Softdevices S140 7.0.1 */
  FLASH : ORIGIN = 0x00027000, LENGTH = 868K
  RAM : ORIGIN = 0x20020000, LENGTH = 128K
}
----

=== rust-toolchain.toml

This file configures the rust version and configuration to use.

A minimal example:

[source,toml]
----
[toolchain]
channel = "nightly-2023-08-19" # <- as of writing, this is the exact rust version embassy uses
components = [ "rust-src", "rustfmt" ] # <- optionally add "llvm-tools-preview" for some extra features like "cargo size"
targets = [
    "thumbv6m-none-eabi" # <-change for your platform
]
----

== How to deploy to RP2040 without a debugging probe.

Install link:https://github.com/JoNil/elf2uf2-rs[elf2uf2-rs] for converting the generated elf binary into a uf2 file.

Configure the runner to use this tool, add this to `.cargo/config.toml`:
[source,toml]
----
[target.'cfg(all(target_arch = "arm", target_os = "none"))']
runner = "elf2uf2-rs --deploy --serial --verbose"
----

The command-line parameters `--deploy` will detect your device and upload the binary, `--serial` starts a serial connection. See the documentation for more info.

== Missing main macro

If you see an error like this:

[source,rust]
----
#[embassy_executor::main]
|                   ^^^^ could not find `main` in `embassy_executor`
----

You are likely missing some features of the `embassy-executor` crate.

For Cortex-M targets, consider making sure that ALL of the following features are active in your `Cargo.toml` for the `embassy-executor` crate:

* `arch-cortex-m`
* `executor-thread`
* `nightly`

For Xtensa ESP32, consider using the executors and `#[main]` macro provided by your appropriate link:https://crates.io/crates/esp-hal-common[HAL crate].

== Why is my binary so big?

The first step to managing your binary size is to set up your link:https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/profiles.html[profiles].

[source,toml]
----
[profile.release]
debug = false
lto = true
opt-level = "s"
incremental = true
----

All of these flags are elaborated on in the Rust Book page linked above.

=== My binary is still big... filled with `std::fmt` stuff!

This means your code is sufficiently complex that `panic!` invocation's formatting requirements could not be optimized out, despite your usage of `panic-halt` or `panic-reset`.

You can remedy this by adding the following to your `.cargo/config.toml`:

[source,toml]
----
[unstable]
build-std = ["core"]
build-std-features = ["panic_immediate_abort"]
----

This replaces all panics with a `UDF` (undefined) instruction.

Depending on your chipset, this will exhibit different behavior.

Refer to the spec for your chipset, but for `thumbv6m`, it results in a hardfault. Which can be configured like so:

[source,rust]
----
#[exception]
unsafe fn HardFault(_frame: &ExceptionFrame) -> ! {
    SCB::sys_reset() // <- you could do something other than reset
}
----

Refer to cortex-m's link:https://docs.rs/cortex-m-rt/latest/cortex_m_rt/attr.exception.html[exception handling] for more info.