Development Workflow when changing Parameters in MC-Workbench

[StefanH1]

I'm working on a Motor Control Project built with MCSDK(6.3.1).

After initial creation of the CubeMX ioc File by the MC-Workbench, a lot of additional configuration were manually made using CubeMX (~30 additional pins and their config, additional timers, etc.).

Then the Source Code was generated.

But when i now need to change parameters/configuration in the MC-Workbench and re-generate the ioc File, all the previously manually added config is lost and must be redone again which is a lot of work and prone to errors which are hard to detect.

Is this the intended workflow? Maybe i'm doing something wrong?

The workflow shown here: https://www.st.com/content/st_com/en/ecosystems/stm32-motor-control-ecosystem.html

shows a feedback cycle starting again at step 4 but i need to cycle to step 3 without loosing information in the ioc.

In the meantime i use a clean ioc without modifications and look at the diff made by changes by the MC-Workbench.

Then i manually apply the diff in the ioc to the working ioc with all the manual changes by CubeMX.

[GMA]

Hello @StefanH1,

Firstly, we would like to sincerely apologize for the delay in replying to your post.
The best solution is to clone your starting board using the STMC Board Designer available on MCSDK 6.3.1 and modify it adding your extra feature. Save this modified board and use it directly on MC workbench tool to create your project.

[StefanH1]

Hello @GMA ,

thanks for your suggestion.
Unfortunately, this does not solve the problem - since we are in a development phase where changes of the board may be required many times.
In our case adapting the IOC using CubeMX is more simple and we can generate source code based on the already configured (unchanged) workbench project.
The changes on the board does not belong to any pin used for the motor control (for example Leds, Sensors, Field busses, etc.) but are completely independet for the mcsdk and only used by user code. But they must also be set up using CubeMX. And this configuration is deleted when the Workbench rewrites the IOC after the change of only one motor parameter, e.g. the Proportional Gain of an PI Control Parameter of the Current Regulator.

To sum up:
IOC changes will be more frequent then changes in the ST Motor Control Workbench. Therefore, the current workflow requires very low effort until changes in the Workbench needs to be done. But that case results in the problems described in the opening post.

I hoped for an improved IOC output/export function of the St Motor Control Workbench that does not throw away previous changes made by CubeMX which do not belong to the mcsdk pins.

[GMA · Accepted solution]

Hello @StefanH1,

Did you try by loading .ioc file on the workbench with "Load Project"?

[StefanH1]

Hello, @GMA 
Tanks a lot, this was exactly what i was looking for.

I didn't even think that this will work, therefore i never tried it.

But just now i loaded the .ioc using the MC Workbench and it worked as you suggested.

Great!