a2ltool

A tool to edit, merge and update a2l files

Features of a2ltool

• update the addresses of measurement variables and tunable parameters (characteristics) based on the elf file containing the compiled embedded application
• merge multiple a2l files into a single file
• add new measurements or characteristics based on the elf file
• check a2l files for consistency
• display XCP connection parameters embedded in the a2l file, if any exist
• maintain the formatting and ordering of items in the a2l file during manipulation, so that the diff between the original and the updated/modified file is as small as possible
• Supports files up to a2l version 1.71 (current)

Installation

a2ltool binaries are available on the releases page. You can get pre-built binaries for Windows (x64) and Linux (x64) there.

For any other platform you can compile a2ltool using cargo build --release.

Usage

Refer to the manual for a detailed description of the features and options of a2ltool.

Examples

The following examples show how to use a2ltool for common use cases:

Merge two A2L files

a2ltool file1.a2l --merge file2.a2l --output merged.a2l

Merge multiple A2L files

a2ltool file1.a2l --merge file2.a2l --merge file3.a2l --merge file4.a2l --output merged.a2l

Merge all included files into the main file

a2ltool file1.a2l --merge-includes --output flat.a2l

Update the addresses and other data in an A2L file

a2ltool input.a2l --elffile input.elf --update --output updated.a2l

Update the addresses and other data in an A2L file, while keeping invalid elements

a2ltool input.a2l --elffile input.elf --update --update-mode PRESERVE --output updated.a2l

Update only the addresses in an A2L file, and exit with an error if any other A2L elements are incorrect

a2ltool input.a2l --elffile input.elf --update ADDRESSES --update-mode STRICT --output updated.a2l

Create a new A2L file and add a characteristic from an ELF file to it

a2ltool --create --elffile input.elf --characteristic my_var --output newfile.a2l

Create a new A2L file and add multiple measurements from an ELF file to it using a regular expression

a2ltool --create --elffile input.elf --measurement-regex ".*name_pattern\d\d+*" --output newfile.a2l

Create a new A2L file and add multiple measurements from an ELF file to it using an address range

a2ltool --create --elffile input.elf --measurement-range 0x1000 0x3000 --output newfile.a2l

Change the version of an A2L file, while deleting any incompatible elements

a2ltool input.a2l --a2lversion 1.5.1 --output downgraded.a2l

Check an A2L file for consistency

a2ltool input.a2l --check --strict

Use response files containing command arguments

Assume that the file a2ltool.rsp exists and contains valid arguments for a2ltool.

a2ltool @a2ltool.rsp

About A2L Files

A2L files describe measurement variables and tunable parameters of an embedded device (typically, an automotive ECU).

The consumer of the A2L file typically allows online calibration over a protocol such as XCP and/or offline tuning by generating flashable parameter sets. Several commercial tools are available for this purpose.

The A2L file format is specified by ASAM and is formally called ASAM MCD-2 MC.

License

a2ltool is dual-licensed under the MIT and Apache2 licenses.