Quick Debug/Program Reference

The following table is a quick reference for using the MPLAB PICkit 4 In-Circuit Debugger as either a debugging or programming tool.

Table 1. Debug vs. Program Operation

Item	Debug	Program
Needed Hardware	A computer and target application (Microchip demo board or your own design).
	Debugger, USB cable, and power supply (if needed).
	Device with on-board debug circuitry or debug header with special -ICE device.	Device (with or without on-board debug circuitry).
MPLAB X IDE selection	Project Properties, ICD 4 as Hardware Tool.
	Debug Main Project icon .	Make and Program Device icon .
Program Operation	Programs application code into the device. Depending on the selections on the Project Properties dialog, this can be any range of program memory. In addition, a small debug executive is placed in program memory and other debug resources are reserved.	Programs application code into the device. Depending on the selections on the Project Properties dialog, this can be any range of program memory.
Debug Features Available	All for device – breakpoints, etc.	N/A
Serial Quick-Time Programming (SQTP)	N/A	Use the MPLAB IPE to generate the SQTP file.
Command-line Operation	Use MDB command line utility, found by default in: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microchip\ MPLABX\vx.xx\mplab_platform\bin\mdb.bat	Use IPECMD, found by default in: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microchip\ MPLABX\<vx.xx\mplab_platform\mplab_ipe\ipecmd.exe.
Programmer-To-Go	N/A	Programs application code stored on a microSDHC card inserted in the MPLAB PICkit 4 into the device.