BLE

Overview

The shape of a BLE app: register a service builder before init, bring up the stack, advertise, then pump core_ble_process() from your main loop so the radio gets serviced.

#include "core.h"

  int main(void) {
      core_init();
      core_ble_set_services(app_services);   // builder, defined below
      core_ble_enable_pairing();             // optional: Just Works pairing
      core_ble_init();
      core_ble_advertise("Core.ST.W5");

      while (1) {
          core_ble_process();                // must run continuously
      }
  }

Advertising

Advertising is what makes the device discoverable. Start and stop it by name, and tune the interval and transmit power to trade discovery latency against battery:

core_ble_set_adv_interval(100, 150);   // min/max ms (20–10240)
  core_ble_set_tx_power(1);              // 0 low (-20 dBm), 1 medium (0 dBm), 2 high (+10 dBm)
  core_ble_advertise("Core.ST.W5");
  // ... core_ble_stop_advertise();

GATT server

A GATT server is services, each holding characteristics — the values a phone or hub reads, writes, or subscribes to. Build them in your service-builder function. UUIDs are generated from the names you give:

static core_ble_char_t led_char, count_char;

  static void on_led_write(const uint8_t *data, uint16_t len, void *ctx) {
      if (data[0]) core_led_on(); else core_led_off();
  }

  void app_services(void) {
      core_ble_svc_t led = core_ble_add_service("LED Control");
      led_char = core_ble_add_char(led, "LED State", CORE_BLE_RW, CORE_BLE_BOOL,
                                   on_led_write, NULL);

      core_ble_svc_t ctr = core_ble_add_service("Counter");
      count_char = core_ble_add_char(ctr, "Count", CORE_BLE_READ | CORE_BLE_NOTIFY,
                                     CORE_BLE_UINT8, NULL, NULL);
  }

Push a new value with core_ble_set_value; if the characteristic is notify-enabled and the central subscribed, core_ble_notify sends it:

uint8_t n = ++counter;
  core_ble_set_value(count_char, &n, 1);
  core_ble_notify(count_char);

Declaring a contract

Writing the builder by hand is the escape hatch, not the default. A project can declare its services and characteristics in config.json and have coregen generate ble_contract.c: the builder above, a typed ble_<name>_set() per value, and a weak ble_<name>_on_write() you override to receive writes.

"ble": {
    "enabled": true,
    "name": "My Board",
    "contract": [
      { "name": "Counter", "id": "0xFE40",
        "characteristics": [
          { "name": "Count", "id": "0xFE41", "type": "uint16",
            "access": ["read", "notify"],
            "source": { "var": "count" } }
        ] }
    ]
  }

Ids are declared, never generated, so inserting a service cannot renumber the ones after it and break a client you have already shipped. Use "sig" instead of "id" for a Bluetooth SIG UUID that generic scanners can name on sight.

The source field is the part that saves the most work. Bind a characteristic to a variable and it publishes itself: assign count anywhere in your program and the new value reaches the phone, with nothing added to your loop.

int count;            /* not static — the generated publisher reads it */

  int main(void) {
      core_init();
      core_ble_init();
      core_ble_advertise(BLE_DEVICE_NAME);
      while (1) {
          core_ble_process();   /* publishes bound values as a side effect */
          count++;
          core_delay_ms(100);
      }
  }

Leave source out and you get the setter and nothing else, which is the hand-written path above. Say "source": "code" to say you meant it, and coregen stops warning that nothing publishes the value.

Connections

Poll core_ble_connected(), or register callbacks to react the moment a central connects or drops:

static void on_connect(void *ctx)    { core_led_on(); }
  static void on_disconnect(void *ctx) { core_led_off(); }

  core_ble_on_connect(on_connect, NULL);
  core_ble_on_disconnect(on_disconnect, NULL);

Pairing is optional Just Works — call core_ble_enable_pairing() before init and the phone shows a one-time pair prompt, then reconnects automatically. Central/scanner mode and bonded keys aren’t implemented yet.

Cross-architecture support

BLE is hardware-verified on the wireless Core; the other ST Cores have no radio. The Nordic (nRF54) family will bring BLE to a second architecture behind the same intent.

See the implementation status for the full matrix.

Known gaps

What the SDK itself lists as missing here, straight from the header:

API reference

void core_ble_set_services(void);

int core_ble_add_services(void);

void core_ble_init(void);

int core_ble_advertise(const char * name);

int core_ble_stop_advertise(void);

void core_ble_process(void);

core_ble_svc_t core_ble_add_service(const char * name);

core_ble_svc_t core_ble_add_service_id(const char * name, uint16_t id);

core_ble_char_t core_ble_add_char(core_ble_svc_t svc, const char * name, uint8_t access, uint8_t type, core_ble_write_cb on_write, void * ctx);

core_ble_char_t core_ble_add_char_id(core_ble_svc_t svc, const char * name, uint16_t id, uint8_t access, uint8_t type, core_ble_write_cb on_write, void * ctx);

core_ble_svc_t core_ble_add_service_sig(const char * name, uint16_t uuid16);

core_ble_char_t core_ble_add_char_sig(core_ble_svc_t svc, const char * name, uint16_t uuid16, uint8_t access, uint8_t type, core_ble_write_cb on_write, void * ctx);

int core_ble_set_value(core_ble_char_t ch, const void * data, uint16_t len);

int core_ble_notify(core_ble_char_t ch);

int core_ble_subscribed(core_ble_char_t ch);

int core_ble_connected(void);

void core_ble_on_connect(void * ctx);

void core_ble_on_disconnect(void * ctx);

void core_ble_set_tx_power(uint8_t level);

void core_ble_set_adv_interval(uint16_t min_ms, uint16_t max_ms);

void core_ble_set_conn_params(uint16_t min_ms, uint16_t max_ms, uint16_t latency, uint16_t timeout_ms);

void core_ble_enable_pairing(void);