Installing and configuring MPLAB X and XC compiler

This post is tested on Ubuntu Linux. But it should work similarly for Mac OS X and Windows.

Step 1: Download MPLAB X and XC compiler

Go to http://www.microchip.com/pagehandler/en-us/family/mplabx#downloads Note that MPLAB X is the IDE but it requires the XC compiler to compile the code. You need to download both of them. For the correct compiler, please check "Which Compiler Is Right For You?" section of this page.

Step 2: Run the installer

forrest@laputa:~/Downloads$ ls
MPLABX-v1.85-linux-installer.run
forrest@laputa:~/Downloads$ chmod a+x MPLABX-v1.85-linux-installer.run 
forrest@laputa:~/Downloads$ sudo ./MPLABX-v1.85-linux-installer.run 

You need to do sudo because MPLAB X will also install driver programs for USB programmers, e.g., PICkit3.

The default installation destination is /opt/microchip/mplabx. But you can install it to other places.

Near the end, you will see a pop-up notification that rebooting is needed after installation. Accept it and wait until the installer finishes. Do not consider that the installer is dead.

If you use GNOME desktop, you should find the program's shortcut under "Applications" -> "Programming" - > "MPLAB  X IDE".

The installer does not work with Unity desktop environment on Linux. You won't find it in Launcher. To run it for the first time, run YOUR_MPLABX_INSTALLATION_DESTINATION/mplab_ide/bin/mplab_ide

Step 3: Configuration

The most important thing is to set XC compiler. Go to "Tools" -> "Options". Then select "Embedded". In "Build Tools" tab, click "Add" button under "Toolchain". Select the correct path to an XC compiler that you need. Finally, click "OK" all the way back.

Also, ensure that you select correct target chip, downloader and compiler for your project as follows.



Now, you can use the IDE to compile your code and download them to your target system - if you have a proper downloader (e.g., PICkit3) configured.