The Arm® Tools Environment Manager extension downloads, installs, and manages software development tools using Microsoft vcpkg artifacts. Arm Tools Environment Manager uses the vcpkg-configuration.json manifest file included in your project to acquire and activate the tools needed to set up your development environment.
The Arm Tools Artifactory lists the tools (compiler, debugger, simulation models, and utilities) and the different versions available. Some tools require a user-based licensing (UBL) license that you must activate with the Arm License Management Utility available with Arm Tools Environment Manager.
This extension is free to use and you can install it individually or as part of the Arm Keil® Studio Pack.
The complete documentation for Arm Tools Environment Manager and the other Keil Studio extensions is available on the Arm Developer website.
The following features are available in the user interface:
-
An Arm Tools and a license status bar items that show information about the tools installed for your project and your license and provide access to commands.
-
Commands to manage the tools for the project and your license.
-
A visual editor to select tools from the Arm Tools Artifactory. Alternatively, you can edit the
vcpkg-configuration.jsonfile manually.
This Readme provides additional details on:
-
CI usage. Learn how to use the vcpkg manifest file in continuous integration and continuous delivery/deployment (CI/CD) systems to set up tools in a consistent way.
-
vcpkg folder. The folder where the tools are downloaded locally.
-
Environment variables. Environment variables are automatically set for the current context.
The Arm Tools status bar item shows a loading icon during tool activation. The item turns red if there are errors. Move your mouse over the status bar item to see which tools the current environment added to the PATH environment variable. Click the Arm Tools status bar item to view commands that help you to manage the tools installed.
Next to Arm Tools, the activated tool license displays, for example Keil MDK Community. If you have not activated a license yet, No Arm License displays and the item is red. Click the license item in the status bar to open the Arm License Management Utility and manage your license.
You can access commands to manage the tools installed for the project when you take the following actions:
-
When you click the Arm Tools status bar item.
-
When you right-click the
vcpkg-configuration.jsonfile from the Explorer view.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| Add Arm Tools Configuration to Workspace | When there is no vcpkg-configuration.json in the workspace of your project, select the required tools with the visual editor and add the vcpkg-configuration.json to the project. |
| Configure Arm Tools Environment | Select the tools you need for your project and update the vcpkg-configuration.json using the visual editor. |
| Activate Environment | Add the selected tools to the PATH environment. |
| Deactivate Environment | Remove the tools from the PATH environment. |
| Reactivate Environment | Deactivate and activate the PATH environment, for example if you have changed your vcpkg configuration. |
| Update Tool Registry | Check for new tools available in the Arm Tools Artifactory. |
| View Log | Review download and activation processes from the Output tab for the Arm Tools category. |
Another command is available to manage your license when you click the license status bar item.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| Activate or manage Arm licenses | Open the Arm License Management Utility to review and enter license activation codes. |
The vcpkg-configuration.json file stores the tool setup of your project. The file must be located in the root directory of the folder. The Activate Environment command installs the tools that are listed in this file.
Notes:
-
Run the Update Tool Registry command to get the catalog of latest available tools.
-
After modifying the
vcpkg-configuration.jsonfile, re-open the Terminal window to update the PATH environment.
Example:
The following file activates CMSIS-Toolbox, Arm Compiler, Ninja, and CMake with the versions specified. For Arm Compiler, the ^6.21.0 indicates the minimum version, but with ^, the latest version is installed.
{
"registries": [
{
"name": "arm",
"kind": "artifact",
"location": "https://artifacts.tools.arm.com/vcpkg-registry"
}
],
"requires": {
"arm:tools/open-cmsis-pack/cmsis-toolbox": "2.6.1",
"arm:compilers/arm/armclang": "^6.21.0",
"arm:tools/ninja-build/ninja": "1.12.0",
"arm:tools/kitware/cmake": "3.28.4"
}
}Click Open Preview to the Side 
to open the visual editor.
With a vcpkg-configuration.json file, you can install tools from the Arm Tools Artifactory across different environments in a consistent way.
The following picture shows how tools are activated in Visual Studio Code for desktop development and in CI for test automation. In both development environments the same vcpkg-configuration.json configuration file ensures a consistent tool setup.
The following resources provide more information:
-
AVH CI Template. A GitHub Action template for CI unit test automation that uses vcpkg.
-
GitHub Action vcpkg. Tool activation with vcpkg for GitHub Action workflows.
-
vcpkg tool installation. Manual tool installation using vcpkg from the command line.
The base ~/.vcpkg directory (%USERPROFILE%\.vcpkg on Windows) contains the following sub-folders:
-
artifacts: Installation folders of the tools. -
downloads: Download images of the tools. -
registries: A catalog of the tools available. The Update Tool Registry command retrieves the latest catalog.
Environment variable settings are local to the Visual Studio Code instance and not persistent. Paths to activated tools are added at the beginning of a local PATH environment variable in Visual Studio Code. This local PATH also inherits settings from the host computer PATH. The Arm Tools Environment Manager overrules permanent tool installations on the host computer.
To submit feedback or report issues on the Arm Tools Environment Manager extension, please use GitHub issues in the extension repository.