PlatformIOĪccording to the PlatformIO documentation “ PlatformIO is a cross-platform, cross-architecture, multiple framework, professional tool for embedded systems engineers and for software developers who write applications for embedded products.” PlatformIO has more features than the Arduino IDE, features that make it much easier to create and troubleshoot your code. Things like auto-complete, which can save you some typing, inline error checking to catch your mistakes as you make them, and an onboard reference to help you understand your code. Well despite all of its features the Arduino IDE is really just a basic IDE, and it is missing a lot of features that advanced editors and IDEs have. It can manage libraries and you can add alternate microcontrollers to it. It also has a Serial Monitor to observe activity on the microcontroller and to exchange commands with it. The Arduino IDE has all of the features you need to compose, compile, and upload code to your target microcontroller. You can use a basic text editor and a command-line utility to do all of the above, but most people find it easier to use specialized GUI-based tools. In the case of interpreted languages, such as Python, the editor interfaces directly with the device and an interpreter translates the code every time it is run. That machine-readable code is then uploaded to the target device.This is a job for either a compiler or an interpreter, depending upon which language you are using, That text needs to be converted into machine-readable code, suitable for your target device.The most common languages for writing microcontroller code are C++ and Python (or microPython). You need to use some form of text editor to write the code in the desired programming language. Integrated Development Environmentsĭeveloping code, whether it be for microcontrollers, mobile devices or desktop platforms, requires a number of common steps: So it is certainly worth taking a look at, no matter what your level of coding experience.īefore we begin, let’s run over a few features common to many IDE’s. PlatformIO has those missing features, along with many more. But beginners can still benefit from features like auto-complete and an integrated code reference, as they help anyone write code with fewer errors. It cannot be integrated with a code repository, such as GitHub.įor beginners, many of those features, like the debugger and Git integration, are not essential.It does not provide help such as auto-complete or built-in references to allow you to catch errors before you compile.It requires you to manually determine which USB or serial port your microcontroller is connected to, sometimes (especially with Linux or Mac OSX) this is not obvious.It lacks a debugger, a tool that allows you to insert breakpoints into your code and then observe the state of key variables when these points are reached.And, because it’s so popular, you’ll find an abundance of information to assist you on the web and on YouTube (and, of course, here on the DroneBot Workshop!).īut for all of its glory, the Arduino IDE does have many shortcomings. By adding additional Boards Managers you can use it for more than just Arduino boards. It’s very easy to use, especially for beginners, and it comes with a great assortment of sample sketches to get you going. It’s a fundamental piece of software that runs on Linux, Windows, or Mac OSX and it allows us to program our little microcontroller wonders to do just about anything. When we begin working with the Arduino one of the first steps is to install the Arduino IDE (Integrated Development Environment). I’ll show you how to set it up and how to use it with the Arduino Uno, ESP32, and Seeeduino XIAO. It’s a bit of a learning curve, but well worth it, as PlatformIO has many advantages over using the Arduino IDE.
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