STM32 crashes when FreeRTOS project is converted to C++

Question

I am experimenting with STM32F303RE Nucleo board on SW4STM32 with FreeRTOS v10.1.1 and I was thinking of parsing NMEA sentences by adding the characters to a buffer using UART interrupt and then process them at my convenience in a task. Since most NMEA sentence parser libraries I know are written in C++, I thought of modifying my existing STM32 examples before throwing the C++ GPS parser library into the mix.

The following code (main.c) works well in reading the NMEA sentences. It was initially a C project which I converted to C++ using the feature on SW4STM32 although I'm not sure if it actually got converted. It works by reading the characters from USART3, populates the buffer, and then prints '#' every time the buffer is full and resets the counter of the buffer. As sanity check, it also prints a "hello world" message with the tick count to USART2 (Virtual COM) every second.

When I change main.c to main.cpp, the project builds and can be uploaded to the board, but it freezes after the first printout on USART2 and USART3. I've traced back the code on the debugger and I can see that the DefaultHandler executes and traps the board in an Infinite_Loop as a result of WWDG_IRQHandler misfiring. Here's a screenshot of the debug window.

I can confirm that the crash occurs due to USART3_EXTI28_IRQHandler since disabling it renders the board to print the "hello world" messages normally. However, I can't seem to figure out where (or how) things go wrong after I rename main.c to main.cpp. Any help is appreciated.

main.c

#define true 1
#define false 0
#define AVAILABLE true
#define NOT_AVAILABLE false

#include "stddef.h"
#include "string.h"
#include "stdio.h"

#include "stm32f30x.h"

#include "FreeRTOS.h"
#include "task.h"

//#include "TinyGPS++.h"

TaskHandle_t task1_handle = NULL;

void vTask1(void *pvParameters);

void prvSetupUSART();
void prvHardwareSetup();

void printmsg(char * data);

// global variables
uint8_t uart_access_key = AVAILABLE;
char output_msg[255] = {0};

//extern void initialise_monitor_handles();

#define BUFFER_LEN 255
char uart_msg[BUFFER_LEN] = {0};
uint16_t uart_counter = 0;

int main(void)
{
    // Enable Data Watchpoint and Trace cycle counter (DWT CYCCNT)
    // Cycle counter is used to get time stamps for SEGGER SystemView
    DWT->CTRL |= (1 << 0);

    // 1. Reset system clock settings
    // PLL = 0, HSE = 0, HSI = 1, system_clock = 8 MHz, cpu_clock = 8 MHz
    RCC_DeInit();

    // 2. Update SystemClockSpeed variable
    SystemCoreClockUpdate();

    // Setup hardware and make necessary initializations
    prvHardwareSetup();

    //initialise_monitor_handles();

    // Make calls to SEGGER SystemView to configure and start recording
    SEGGER_SYSVIEW_Conf();
    SEGGER_SYSVIEW_Start();

    xTaskCreate(vTask1, "Task-1", configMINIMAL_STACK_SIZE + 256, NULL, 2, &task1_handle);

    vTaskStartScheduler();

    for(;;);
}

void vTask1(void *pvParameters)
{
    while (true)
    {
        if (uart_access_key == AVAILABLE)
        {
            uart_access_key = NOT_AVAILABLE;

            memset(output_msg, 0, sizeof(output_msg));
            sprintf(output_msg, "Hello world from Task-1: %lu\r\n", (uint32_t)xTaskGetTickCount());
            printmsg(output_msg);

            USART_SendData(USART3, '#');

            uart_access_key = AVAILABLE;

            vTaskDelay(pdMS_TO_TICKS(1000));
        }
    }

    vTaskDelete(NULL);
}

void prvSetupUSART()
{
    // Setup USART2
    // 1. Enable clock
    RCC_APB1PeriphClockCmd(RCC_APB1Periph_USART2, ENABLE);

    // 2. Initialize GPIOA pins PA2 and PA3
    GPIO_InitTypeDef gpio_init_pins;
    memset(&gpio_init_pins, 0, sizeof(gpio_init_pins));

    gpio_init_pins.GPIO_Pin = GPIO_Pin_2 | GPIO_Pin_3;
    gpio_init_pins.GPIO_Mode = GPIO_Mode_AF;
    gpio_init_pins.GPIO_PuPd = GPIO_PuPd_UP;
    GPIO_Init(GPIOA, &gpio_init_pins);

    // 3. AF modes settings for pins
    GPIO_PinAFConfig(GPIOA, GPIO_PinSource2, GPIO_AF_7); // original lecture uses GPIO_AF_USART2
    GPIO_PinAFConfig(GPIOA, GPIO_PinSource3, GPIO_AF_7); // original lecture uses GPIO_AF_USART2

    // 4. Initialize UART2 and set parameters
    USART_InitTypeDef usart2_init;
    memset(&usart2_init, 0, sizeof(usart2_init));
    usart2_init.USART_BaudRate = 9600;
    usart2_init.USART_HardwareFlowControl = USART_HardwareFlowControl_None;
    usart2_init.USART_Mode = USART_Mode_Rx | USART_Mode_Tx;
    usart2_init.USART_Parity = USART_Parity_No;
    usart2_init.USART_StopBits = USART_StopBits_1;
    usart2_init.USART_WordLength = USART_WordLength_8b;

    // Initialize USART2 using defined parameters
    USART_Init(USART2, &usart2_init);

    /* Enable RXNE interrupt */
    USART_ITConfig(USART2, USART_IT_RXNE, ENABLE);
    /* Enable USART1 global interrupt */
    NVIC_EnableIRQ(USART2_IRQn);

    // Enable USART
    USART_Cmd(USART2, ENABLE);


    RCC_APB1PeriphClockCmd(RCC_APB1Periph_USART3, ENABLE);
    // 2. Initialize GPIOA pins PA2 and PA3
    memset(&gpio_init_pins, 0, sizeof(gpio_init_pins));

    gpio_init_pins.GPIO_Pin = GPIO_Pin_8 | GPIO_Pin_9;
    gpio_init_pins.GPIO_Mode = GPIO_Mode_AF;
    gpio_init_pins.GPIO_PuPd = GPIO_PuPd_UP;
    GPIO_Init(GPIOB, &gpio_init_pins);

    // 3. AF modes settings for pins
    GPIO_PinAFConfig(GPIOB, GPIO_PinSource8, GPIO_AF_7); // original lecture uses GPIO_AF_USART3
    GPIO_PinAFConfig(GPIOB, GPIO_PinSource9, GPIO_AF_7); // original lecture uses GPIO_AF_USART3

    // 4. Initialize UART2 and set parameters
    USART_InitTypeDef usart3_init;
    memset(&usart3_init, 0, sizeof(usart3_init));
    usart3_init.USART_BaudRate = 9600;
    usart3_init.USART_HardwareFlowControl = USART_HardwareFlowControl_None;
    usart3_init.USART_Mode = USART_Mode_Rx | USART_Mode_Tx;
    usart3_init.USART_Parity = USART_Parity_No;
    usart3_init.USART_StopBits = USART_StopBits_1;
    usart3_init.USART_WordLength = USART_WordLength_8b;

    // Initialize USART2 using defined parameters
    USART_Init(USART3, &usart3_init);

    /* Enable RXNE interrupt */
    USART_ITConfig(USART3, USART_IT_RXNE, ENABLE);
    /* Enable USART1 global interrupt */
    NVIC_EnableIRQ(USART3_IRQn);

    // Enable USART
    USART_Cmd(USART3, ENABLE);
}

void prvHardwareSetup()
{
    // Enable bus clock
    RCC_AHBPeriphClockCmd(RCC_AHBPeriph_GPIOA, ENABLE); // original lecture uses AHB1 - maybe difference in boards?
    RCC_AHBPeriphClockCmd(RCC_AHBPeriph_GPIOB, ENABLE); // original lecture uses AHB1 - maybe difference in boards?

    // Enable USART2
    prvSetupUSART();
}

void printmsg(char * data)
{
    for (int i = 0; i < strlen(data); i++)
    {
        while (USART_GetFlagStatus(USART2, USART_FLAG_TXE) != SET);
        USART_SendData(USART2, data[i]);
    }
}

void USART2_EXTI26_IRQHandler(void)
{
    if(USART_GetITStatus(USART2, USART_IT_RXNE) != RESET)
    {
        char c = (char)USART_ReceiveData(USART2);

        if (c == 't')
        {
            USART_SendData(USART2, 'T');
        }

        ++uart_counter;
    }
}

void USART3_EXTI28_IRQHandler(void)
{
    if(USART_GetITStatus(USART3, USART_IT_RXNE) != RESET)
    {
        char c = (char)USART_ReceiveData(USART3);
        uart_msg[uart_counter++] = c;

        if (uart_counter >= BUFFER_LEN)
        {
            USART_SendData(USART3, '#');
            uart_counter = 0;
        }
    }
}

LinkerScript.ld

/*
******************************************************************************
**
**  File        : LinkerScript.ld
**
**  Author      : Auto-generated by Ac6 System Workbench
**
**  Abstract    : Linker script for STM32F303RETx Device from STM32F30 series
**                64Kbytes RAM
**                512Kbytes ROM
**
**                Set heap size, stack size and stack location according
**                to application requirements.
**
**                Set memory bank area and size if external memory is used.
**
**  Target      : STMicroelectronics STM32
**
**  Distribution: The file is distributed “as is,” without any warranty
**                of any kind.
**
*****************************************************************************
** @attention
**
** <h2><center>&copy; COPYRIGHT(c) 2019 Ac6</center></h2>
**
** Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification,
** are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:
**   1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice,
**      this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
**   2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice,
**      this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation
**      and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
**   3. Neither the name of Ac6 nor the names of its contributors
**      may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software
**      without specific prior written permission.
**
** THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS"
** AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
** IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE
** DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE
** FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
** DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR
** SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER
** CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY,
** OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE
** OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
**
*****************************************************************************
*/

/* Entry Point */
ENTRY(Reset_Handler)

/* Highest address of the user mode stack */
_estack = 0x20010000;    /* end of RAM */

_Min_Heap_Size = 0;      /* required amount of heap  */
_Min_Stack_Size = 0x400; /* required amount of stack */

/* Memories definition */
MEMORY
{
  RAM (xrw)     : ORIGIN = 0x20000000, LENGTH = 64K
  ROM (rx)      : ORIGIN = 0x8000000, LENGTH = 512K
}

/* Sections */
SECTIONS
{
  /* The startup code into ROM memory */
  .isr_vector :
  {
    . = ALIGN(4);
    KEEP(*(.isr_vector)) /* Startup code */
    . = ALIGN(4);
  } >ROM

  /* The program code and other data into ROM memory */
  .text :
  {
    . = ALIGN(4);
    *(.text)           /* .text sections (code) */
    *(.text*)          /* .text* sections (code) */
    *(.glue_7)         /* glue arm to thumb code */
    *(.glue_7t)        /* glue thumb to arm code */
    *(.eh_frame)

    KEEP (*(.init))
    KEEP (*(.fini))

    . = ALIGN(4);
    _etext = .;        /* define a global symbols at end of code */
  } >ROM

  /* Constant data into ROM memory*/
  .rodata :
  {
    . = ALIGN(4);
    *(.rodata)         /* .rodata sections (constants, strings, etc.) */
    *(.rodata*)        /* .rodata* sections (constants, strings, etc.) */
    . = ALIGN(4);
  } >ROM

  .ARM.extab   : { 
    . = ALIGN(4);
    *(.ARM.extab* .gnu.linkonce.armextab.*)
    . = ALIGN(4);
  } >ROM

  .ARM : {
    . = ALIGN(4);
    __exidx_start = .;
    *(.ARM.exidx*)
    __exidx_end = .;
    . = ALIGN(4);
  } >ROM

  .preinit_array     :
  {
    . = ALIGN(4);
    PROVIDE_HIDDEN (__preinit_array_start = .);
    KEEP (*(.preinit_array*))
    PROVIDE_HIDDEN (__preinit_array_end = .);
    . = ALIGN(4);
  } >ROM

  .init_array :
  {
    . = ALIGN(4);
    PROVIDE_HIDDEN (__init_array_start = .);
    KEEP (*(SORT(.init_array.*)))
    KEEP (*(.init_array*))
    PROVIDE_HIDDEN (__init_array_end = .);
    . = ALIGN(4);
  } >ROM

  .fini_array :
  {
    . = ALIGN(4);
    PROVIDE_HIDDEN (__fini_array_start = .);
    KEEP (*(SORT(.fini_array.*)))
    KEEP (*(.fini_array*))
    PROVIDE_HIDDEN (__fini_array_end = .);
    . = ALIGN(4);
  } >ROM

  /* Used by the startup to initialize data */
  _sidata = LOADADDR(.data);

  /* Initialized data sections into RAM memory */
  .data : 
  {
    . = ALIGN(4);
    _sdata = .;        /* create a global symbol at data start */
    *(.data)           /* .data sections */
    *(.data*)          /* .data* sections */

    . = ALIGN(4);
    _edata = .;        /* define a global symbol at data end */
  } >RAM AT> ROM


  /* Uninitialized data section into RAM memory */
  . = ALIGN(4);
  .bss :
  {
    /* This is used by the startup in order to initialize the .bss secion */
    _sbss = .;         /* define a global symbol at bss start */
    __bss_start__ = _sbss;
    *(.bss)
    *(.bss*)
    *(COMMON)

    . = ALIGN(4);
    _ebss = .;         /* define a global symbol at bss end */
    __bss_end__ = _ebss;
  } >RAM

  /* User_heap_stack section, used to check that there is enough RAM left */
  ._user_heap_stack :
  {
    . = ALIGN(8);
    PROVIDE ( end = . );
    PROVIDE ( _end = . );
    . = . + _Min_Heap_Size;
    . = . + _Min_Stack_Size;
    . = ALIGN(8);
  } >RAM



  /* Remove information from the compiler libraries */
  /DISCARD/ :
  {
    libc.a ( * )
    libm.a ( * )
    libgcc.a ( * )
  }

  .ARM.attributes 0 : { *(.ARM.attributes) }
}

@old_timer, I'll give that a shot, but the main reason is, as they said in the olden days, "ain't nobody got time for that" :p atm, I'm more interested in what can go wrong when converting a C project to C++ ;) — scriptsNgiggles, Jun 23 '19 at 14:10
C++ has keywords for true and false, the #define macros can cause problems. — ChetS, Jun 23 '19 at 23:14
@ChetS are you referring to stdbool.h? The project was originally in C - it's left from then — scriptsNgiggles, Jun 24 '19 at 11:43
Lines 1 and 2 of main.c define macros for c++ keywords. This is not portable if compiled as c++ instead of c. — ChetS, Jun 29 '19 at 03:04

score 11 · Accepted Answer · answered Jun 22 '19 at 23:51

FreeRTOS wasn't designed to support C++.

https://interactive.freertos.org/hc/en-us/community/posts/210028906-Using-FreeRTOS-with-C-

Since I don't see any other references to USART3_EXTI28_IRQHandler in your code, I assume there's some kind of framework (probably part of FreeRTOS) that actually requires that exact function name. So that gives me a hint that this linkage may be what broke when you compiled main as C++ instead of C.

Try using extern "C" declaration to suppress C++ name mangling.

#ifdef __cplusplus
extern "C" void USART3_EXTI28_IRQHandler(void);
#endif
void USART3_EXTI28_IRQHandler(void)
{
    if(USART_GetITStatus(USART3, USART_IT_RXNE) != RESET)
    {
        char c = (char)USART_ReceiveData(USART3);
        uart_msg[uart_counter++] = c;

        if (uart_counter >= BUFFER_LEN)
        {
            USART_SendData(USART3, '#');
            uart_counter = 0;
        }
    }
}

In plain C, the symbolic name for that function is simply _USART3_EXTI28_IRQHandler (the function name prefixed by an underscore). But in C++, the symbolic name is subject to vendor-specific "name mangling", which adds prefixes and suffixes to indicate the data types of the argument list and return type. So the symbolic name for void USART3_EXTI28_IRQHandler(void) might be _qvUSART3_EXTI28_IRQHandler_v or some similar variation... but since it's not an exact match to what the framework expects, it's a completely different name.

The C++ extern "C" declaration tells C++ not to use conventional C++ name mangling on that function name, but instead use the same calling convention that C uses. It's very commonplace to see this syntax used inside header files:

// prevent multiple includes
#ifndef __WONDERFUL_H__
#define __WONDERFUL_H__

#ifdef __cplusplus
extern "C" {
#endif

bool IsMyFunctionWonderful(void);

bool IsThisFunctionAwesome(int x);

void CantThinkOfAnyMoreCuteNames(void);

#ifdef __cplusplus
}; // close the extern "C" block
#endif

#endif // __WONDERFUL_H__

This way, when the header file is included when compiling as C++, all of the header's declarations are enclosed by an extern "C" block, which makes the C++ object files play nice with the C object files and library files.

+1 for Extern "C". Super important. Held me up for days when converting C to C++ and gives no errors. The desired interrupt handler simply won't run because the dummy handler is running, almost as if you misnamed it (because that is actually what is happening). It's the problem that has no name and cannot be specified unless you already know what the problem and solution are so you can't even search for the proper keywords or ask people specifically about it. — DKNguyen, Jun 23 '19 at 00:15
I added the 'extern "C" void USART3_EXTI28_IRQHandler(void);' and it worked like a charm! To think that I lost so many hours debugging that part is ridiculous! +1 for thoroughness. I've used FreeRTOS with Arduino (C++) and it's worked pretty well so far. Never knew about name mangling though. — scriptsNgiggles, Jun 23 '19 at 14:07
Might be worth noting that the problem has *nothing* to do with FreeRTOS. A user-defined ISR, after compilation, did not have the correct/expected name. The problem would have appeared without any OS with the most basic C++ program you can come up with which uses at least one ISR. — JimmyB, Jun 24 '19 at 12:30

STM32 crashes when FreeRTOS project is converted to C++

1 Answers1