Using a custom sdkconfig.defaults file

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1

I am using AWS FreeRTOS with the Espressif ESP32. I have mulitple configuration keys that do not match the default sdkconfig.defaults. They can be set using idf.py menuconfig, but this is manual and error-prone for more than one or two changes. Even more important, these customizations must be non-manually applied so that automated builds will work.

The documentation here: Getting started with the Espressif ESP32-DevKitC and the ESP-WROVER-KIT - FreeRTOS, says to supply a custom sdkconfig.default by using the -DIDF_SDKCONFIG_DEFAULTS=path/to/sdkconfig.default flag.

This does not work. When I start with a clean build, and use the command

cmake -DVENDOR=espressif -DBOARD=esp32_wrover_kit -DCOMPILER=xtensa-esp32 -S . -B build -GNinja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=release -DCMAKE_EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS=1 -DIDF_SDKCONFIG_DEFAULTS=/home/me/tryagain/sdkconfig.defaults

the build fails like this:

Loading defaults file /home/ian/wwork/firefly/tryagain/build/sdkconfig.defaults...
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/home/ian/work/firefly/tryagain/vendors/espressif/esp-idf/tools/kconfig_new    /confgen.py", line 641, in <module>
    main()
  File "/home/ian/work/firefly/tryagain/vendors/espressif/esp-idf/tools/kconfig_new        /confgen.py", line 285, in main
    raise RuntimeError("Defaults file not found: %s" % name)
RuntimeError: Defaults file not found: /home/ian/work/firefly/tryagain/build/sdkconfig.defaults
CMake Error at vendors/espressif/esp-idf/tools/cmake/kconfig.cmake:225 (message):
  Failed to run confgen.py

Indeed, looking in the build directory, no sdkconfig.defaults or sdkconfig file has been generated. The named file does exist, so it is not a typo issue.

When I do a build without the -DIDF_SDKCONFIG_DEFAULTS flag set, the build completes successfully.

I’ve also tried:

  • cmake ... without the flag, then idf.py build with the flag
  • cmake ... without the flag, then with the flag
  • cmake ... without the flag, then overwriting the generated sdkconfig.defaults
  • etc

In every combination there is either an error in either the cmake build, or the idf.py build caused by a missing config key.

What is the proper approach to solve this problem?

2

Hi Ian,

This looks similar to ESP32 - Cannot use sdkconfig.defaults from custom location · Issue #3026 · aws/amazon-freertos · GitHub. Can you try the patch proposed there, and see if it resolves this issue?

Thanks,

Carl

3

Yes, that does work with caveats. I’m working from the project root directory called example_ulp1.
When I pass the complete path to the defaults file, like so:
cmake -DVENDOR=espressif -DBOARD=esp32_wrover_kit -DCOMPILER=xtensa-esp32 -DIDF_SDKCONFIG_DEFAULTS=/home/ian/work/firefly/example_ulp1/sdkconfig.minimal -S . -B build -GNinja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=release -DCMAKE_EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS=1
followed by
idf.py build
everything works as expected.

But using a relative path like this (executing in the example_ulp1 directory):
cmake -DVENDOR=espressif -DBOARD=esp32_wrover_kit -DCOMPILER=xtensa-esp32 -DIDF_SDKCONFIG_DEFAULTS=sdkconfig.minimal -S . -B build -GNinja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=release -DCMAKE_EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS=1
followed by
idf.py build
will fail when running confgen.

I think the CMake system needs a tiny bit more tweaking before this is a robust solution.

Ian

4

Moving to the Espressif category so that the @Espressif team can have better visibility as well.

5

Hi Ian,

I was able to reproduce this, and will forward this to the Espressif team.

Thanks,

Carl

6

Hi Ian,

Thanks for reporting this issue.

I’m attaching a patch that should fix the issue. Please try applying the patch and check if it works with relative path of custom sdkconfig.defaults as well.

Thanks,
Shubham

0001-esp32-Fix-issue-with-custom-sdkconfig.defaults.patch.zip (1015 Bytes)

7

The patch works.

After removing the build directory, I can run the initial cmake command with the -DIDF_SDKCONFIG_DEFAULTS=filename flag to build a target with my configuration.

This method does have the disadvantage that you can no longer simply run

idf.py menuconfig

after the cmake any more.
Thank you,
Ian

8

Hi Ian,

Can you share error log when you run idf.py menuconfig?
Running idf.py menuconfig works fine at my end.

Thanks,
Shubham

9

Hi @shubhamkulkarni97

I haven’t seen that error since, and I have been using the patch for the last 8 days.

I suspect the error was mine - most likely I moved the default file because I wanted to be sure menuconfig was running based on the build/sdkconfig.

That indeed causes an error, and I had looked in the fairly verbose trace, I would have seen it. I saw

CMake Error at vendors/espressif/esp-idf/tools/cmake/kconfig.cmake:225 (message):
  Failed to run confgen.py

which I had been seeing a lot of, so I stopped looking. Had I read one more line up:

RuntimeError: Defaults file not found:   home/ian/work/fiddle/example_ulp2/sdkconfig.prx

Sorry for the misinformation.

Ian