Using Microchip MPLAB® IDE with HI-TECH C® compilers

Where possible, we recommend you use the latest version of our HI-TECH Universal Toolsuite plugin when building in MPLAB IDE. The universal toolsuite facilitates easier project migration between HI-TECH compilers and allows selection of compiler version if multiple versions of a compiler are concurrently installed.

This plugin is known to work with version 7.x and 8.x of MPLAB.

Please note that this toolsuite is not compatible with older compiler versions.
The following compiler versions are compatible with the HI-TECH Universal Toolsuite:

  • All PRO compilers - all versions
  • PICC (STD) v9.50 or higher
  • PICC-Lite v9.50 or higher
  • PICC-18 (STD) v9.50 or higher
  • dsPICC (STD) v9.50 or higher

If your compiler is older than the versions listed above, please refer to the MPLAB IDE integration for version 8 compilers page.

To install or update to the latest version of the HI-TECH Universal Toolsuite:

  1. Download the installer for the HI-TECH Universal Toolsuite.
  2. Ensure that MPLAB IDE is closed.
  3. Run the installer that was downloaded in step (1).
You will now be able to select HI-TECH Universal Toolsuite from the list in Project > Select Language Toolsuite...
Any projects being built using an older toolsuite (such as HI-TECH PICC Toolsuite or HI-TECH PICC-18 Toolsuite) should be changed to the new toolsuite, however you will be required to re-enter project options as settings from the old plugins cannot be automatically transferred.

Debugging your code

If your program has been built correctly, the compiler should generate a HEX file and a COF file. The COF file contains all the information necessary for high-level debugging and MPLAB should load this automatically after building. If you have used some other method of building your project, you can import this COF file into MPLAB at any time by selecting Import... from the File menu.

If you select the MPLAB ICD2 as a Debugger, you must inform the compiler that it should reserve memory spaces required by the ICD2 - both the HI-TECH Universal plugin and the compiler-specific plugins have options you can select for this purpose.