Emby

What is Emby?

Emby is a small modular embedded framework written in C/C++ that provides a collection of core modules (logging, time, threading, console, system abstractions, small libraries) plus platform-specific implementations. The project is structured to keep a clear separation between platform-independent core code and platform-specific code (drivers, startup, linker scripts, HAL adapters).

Key features:

• Modular core components under emby/core (e.g. EmbySystem, EmbyThreading, EmbyLibs).
• Platform implementations under emby/platforms/<PlatformName>, optionally overriding Impl subcomponents from the core.
• CMake-based build system with helper macros to assemble platform and core sources.

Repository layout (short)

• emby/ — core sources and platform cmake helpers.
• emby/platforms/ — platform-specific folders (e.g. X86_Unix, STM32xx_Baremetal, Mbed).
• src/ — application code that consumes Emby core.
• build/ — out-of-source build directory (we use per-platform subfolders here).

How to build

This repository uses out-of-source builds. We recommend using one build directory per platform to avoid configuration conflicts.

Build directories (recommended)

• build/X86_Unix/ — for x86 development
• build/STM32xx_Baremetal/STM32H5xx/ — for STM32 H5 family
• build/STM32xx_Baremetal/STM32H7xx/ — for STM32 H7 family

Building for x86 (Unix)

From the repository root you can configure a dedicated build directory:

# create and configure build dir for x86
./compile_x86.sh
# then build
cd build/X86_Unix && make -j$(nproc)

Or run cmake directly from the root using the recommended -S/-B syntax:

cmake -S . -B build/X86_Unix -DEMBY_FOLDER=$PWD/emby -DEMBY_CONFIG=$PWD/src/emby_config.h -DEMBY_PLATFORM=X86_Unix
cmake --build build/X86_Unix -- -j$(nproc)

Building for ARM (STM32)

First, set up your ARM cross toolchain by exporting the path to your arm-none-eabi GCC toolchain:

export CUSTOM_GCC_TOOLCHAIN_PATH=/path/to/your/arm-none-eabi/bin

Then configure a build directory for the desired STM32 family. Example scripts are provided:

# H5 example
./compile_h5x.sh
cd build/STM32xx_Baremetal/STM32H5xx && make -j

# H7 example
./compile_h743.sh
cd build/STM32xx_Baremetal/STM32H7xx && make -j

Or invoke cmake directly:

cmake -S . -B build/STM32xx_Baremetal/STM32H5xx \
    -DEMBY_FOLDER=$PWD/emby \
    -DEMBY_CONFIG=$PWD/src/emby_config.h \
    -DSTM32xx_Baremetal_DEVICE=STM32H563xx \
    -DSTM32xx_Baremetal_FAMILY=STM32H5xx \
    -DEMBY_PLATFORM=STM32xx_Baremetal \
    -DSTM32xx_Baremetal_STARTUP=$PWD/src/platform/arm/ST/nucleo_stm32H563ZI/startup_stm32h563zitx.s \
    -DSTM32xx_Baremetal_CONF_DIR=$PWD/src/platform/arm/ST/nucleo_stm32H563ZI/ \
    -DSTM32xx_Baremetal_LINKER=$PWD/src/platform/arm/ST/nucleo_stm32H563ZI/STM32H563ZITX_FLASH.ld

cmake --build build/STM32xx_Baremetal/STM32H5xx -- -j

Notes:

• Use -S <source> -B <build> to avoid accidental configuration of the wrong directory.
• The compile_*.sh scripts in the repo set sensible defaults and create platform-specific build dirs.

Platform implementation details

• Core modules live under emby/core. When a platform needs to provide a specialized implementation it typically creates the same module path inside emby/platforms/<PlatformName> and places platform headers or sources in an Impl subdirectory.
• The CMake helper macro EMBY_UTILS_SYNC_IMPL_INCLUDES() includes platform Impl subdirectories and removes matching core/.../Impl/... include directories when the platform provides the same subpath—this lets platform headers take precedence.
• Platform CMake files (usually named emby-platform.cmake) are responsible for:
  • adding platform-specific compile definitions and toolchain includes,
  • adding startup assembler and linker scripts,
  • collecting platform sources and drivers,
  • creating the emby_platform static library that is then linked with the core and application.

Contributing

• If you add a new platform, create a emby/platforms/<YourPlatform>/emby-platform.cmake and follow the patterns used by X86_Unix and STM32xx_Baremetal.
• Provide Impl headers under the same module path if you want to override core components.
• Update the top-level scripts if you add new family/device combinations.

Where to find help

Open an issue or create a PR describing the change and include reproduction steps. If you want assistance adding a new platform, point me to the board/family and I can create a starting platform template for you.

Configurator tool

This repository includes a small helper script to quickly generate a build-time configuration header:

• emby/emby/misc/tools/emby_config_menu.sh — a simple text-based configurator using dialog that lets you set macros and values, then export them to emby_config.h.

See the detailed documentation for this tool in docs/menu-tool.md (usage, dependencies, extension points).

If the script is not executable, make it so and run it from the directory where you want emby_config.h to be created:

chmod +x emby/emby/misc/tools/emby_config_menu.sh
emby/emby/misc/tools/emby_config_menu.sh