User Guide

Welcome to the Nexus Platform User Guide. This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know to effectively use the Nexus embedded platform in your projects.

Overview

The Nexus User Guide is organized into several sections, each covering a specific aspect of the platform:

Core Architecture

Understanding the fundamental design and structure of Nexus

Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL)

Working with hardware peripherals through unified APIs

OS Abstraction Layer (OSAL)

Managing tasks, synchronization, and RTOS integration

Framework Components

Using high-level services like logging, shell, and configuration

Configuration System

Mastering Kconfig for compile-time configuration

Build System

Understanding CMake build configuration and customization

Platform Integration

IDE setup, debugging, and platform-specific features

Advanced Topics

Power management, security, performance optimization

Who Should Read This Guide

This guide is designed for:

  • Embedded Software Engineers - Building applications on Nexus

  • System Architects - Designing embedded systems with Nexus

  • Firmware Developers - Implementing device drivers and middleware

  • Application Developers - Creating user-facing embedded applications

  • Technical Leads - Evaluating Nexus for projects

Prerequisites

Before using this guide, you should have:

  • Basic understanding of C programming

  • Familiarity with embedded systems concepts

  • Knowledge of your target hardware platform

  • Development environment set up (see Environment Setup)

How to Use This Guide

For Beginners

Start with Architecture to understand the overall system, then proceed through Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL), OS Abstraction Layer (OSAL), and the framework components in order.

For Experienced Users

Jump directly to the section you need. Each chapter is self-contained with cross-references to related topics.

For Reference

Use the search function or index to find specific APIs, configuration options, or concepts.

Guide Structure

Core Platform

Configuration & Build

Development Tools

Advanced Topics

Platform Specific

Quick Reference

Common Tasks

Getting Help

If you need assistance:

  1. Search this documentation - Use the search box in the sidebar

  2. Check the FAQ - See Frequently Asked Questions

  3. Review examples - See Examples Tour

  4. Consult tutorials - See Tutorials

  5. Ask the community - Visit our GitHub Discussions

  6. Report issues - File bugs on GitHub Issues

Documentation Conventions

Throughout this guide, we use the following conventions:

Code Blocks

/* C code examples look like this */
int main(void) {
    return 0;
}

Configuration Examples

# Kconfig examples look like this
CONFIG_HAL_GPIO=y

Shell Commands

# Shell commands look like this
cmake -B build

Important Notes

Note

Notes provide additional information or tips.

Warnings

Warning

Warnings highlight potential issues or important considerations.

Tips

Tip

Tips offer helpful suggestions or best practices.

See Also

See also

Cross-references to related documentation.

Next Steps

Ready to dive in? Here are some suggested starting points:

New to Nexus?

Start with Architecture to understand the platform design.

Ready to Code?

Jump to Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) to learn about hardware peripherals.

Need to Configure?

Check out Kconfig Configuration System for the configuration system.

Building Applications?

See Your First Nexus Application for a step-by-step guide.

Porting to New Hardware?

Read Porting Guide for platform adaptation guidance.

Feedback

We continuously improve this documentation based on user feedback. If you find errors, have suggestions, or want to contribute:

Your feedback helps make Nexus better for everyone!