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
• 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)

Usage examples

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 in an a2l file

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

Update the addresses in an a2l file, while keeping invalid elements

a2ltool input.a2l --elffile input.elf --update-preserve --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

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 calibraction over a protocol such as XCP and/or offline tuning by generating flashable parameter sets. There are several commercial tools for this purpose.

The a2l file format is specified by ASAM and is formally called ASAM MCD-2 MC.