{"id":8431,"date":"2022-01-23T08:40:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-23T13:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dronebotworkshop.com\/?p=8431"},"modified":"2023-04-12T06:25:31","modified_gmt":"2023-04-12T10:25:31","slug":"arduino-ide-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dronebotworkshop.com\/arduino-ide-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Arduino IDE 2.0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Download \"Parts<\/a> \"View<\/a><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s explore the latest iteration of the popular Arduino IDE. Version 2.0 is now a Release Candidate, and it sports a new look and a number of new features.<\/span><\/p>\n

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We\u2019ll see how to install the IDE on all popular platforms, and then we\u2019ll take it for a test drive with a number of microcontrollers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Introduction<\/span><\/h2>\n

The Arduino IDE, or Integrated Development Environment, is a familiar tool to most microcontroller users. It allows you to create programs, or \u201csketches\u201d, for not only Arduino devices, but for a number of microcontrollers from other manufacturers as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

The product has many features to simplify your programming tasks. It allows you to make use of libraries to improve your code and to install new \u201cboards managers\u201d for new microcontrollers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Arduino<\/p>\n

The IDE has been around for several years now and while it has had many updates the look, feel, and operation have remained essentially the same. Meanwhile, numerous other development environments have become available, some of them with more advanced features like real-time debugging and auto-complete.<\/span><\/p>\n

So now Arduino has created a new version of the IDE, a fairly radical departure from the old design.\u00a0 This new IDE, version 2.0, is now in the Release Candidate stage, meaning that very soon the final product will be released.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today we\u2019ll take a look at the Arduino IDE 2.0. But before we do that, let\u2019s take a quick look back at the old IDE.<\/span><\/p>\n

Arduino IDE History<\/span><\/h2>\n

I\u2019m sure that if we were to examine the history of many popular products, we would be able to dig up some interesting stories, and the evolution of Arduino is certainly one of them. It\u2019s a story of innovation, trademark disputes, and reconciliations. And it all started in a bar.<\/span><\/p>\n

It Begins in a Pub<\/span><\/h3>\n

The story begins in 2003 at the Interactive Design Institute in Ivrea, Italy.\u00a0 It was here that five developers created a thesis named \u201cArduino\u2013La rivoluzione dell\u2019open hardware\u201d, which is roughly translated to \u201cArduino \u2013 The Revolution of Open Hardware\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

The name \u201cArduino\u201d was derived from a pub that the developers used to frequent, the \u201cBar Di Ri Arduino\u201d. The pub, in turn, was named after <\/span>Arduin of Ivrea<\/span><\/i>, who was the king of Italy from 1002 to 1014.\u00a0 But this was not the product’s original name, initially, it was called \u201cWiring\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The thesis described a low-cost open-source hardware platform, one that would be inexpensive enough to be used by experimenters to create all sorts of microcontroller-based projects.\u00a0 The original platform consisted of a printed circuit board with an Atmel (now Microchip) ATmega128, a development environment called \u201cProcessing\u201d, and a custom library that simplified programming tasks.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2005 one of the lead developers, Massimo Banzi, forked the project and renamed it Arduino.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trademark Disputes<\/span><\/h3>\n

In 2008 the five developers registered a business and named it \u201cArduino LLC\u201d. The company subcontracted the work of building the Arduino boards and collected royalties from the subcontractors.\u00a0 They registered the trademark \u201cArduino\u201d in the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the developers, Gianluca Martino, created his own company called \u201cSmart Projects\u201d and registered the Arduino name in Italy, without telling his partners at Arduino LLC. The Italian trademark registration was kept secret for two years and wasn\u2019t discovered until Arduino LLC tried to register the name in Europe.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although they initially established a non-binding agreement to have Smart Projects pay a royalty to Arduino LLC, it broke down in 2014. In that year, Smart Projects appointed a new CEO who changed the company name to Arduino SRL.\u00a0 To further the confusion, Arduino SRL copied the website of Arduino LLC.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2015 Arduino LLC filed a lawsuit against Arduino SRL.<\/span><\/p>\n

To get around the Italian trademark registration, Arduino LLC created a worldwide trademark named \u201cGenuino\u201d and used it to brand their products outside the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n

The whole legal mess was finally settled in 2017, and now everything is once again named \u201cArduino\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

IDE Evolution<\/span><\/h3>\n

The original Arduino IDE, whose latest iteration is version 1.8.19 as of this writing, was a derivative of the Processing IDE. \u00a0 It is an editor that allows you to write code in C++, with enhancements for controlling microcontrollers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It employs a program called <\/span>avrdude<\/span><\/i> to compile the text into machine-readable code.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2018 Arduino released a web-based IDE, which is still in use with the Arduino IoT Cloud.<\/span><\/p>\n

In October 2019 Arduino announced a new version of the IDE, which they called Arduino Pro.<\/span><\/p>\n

A year later, Arduino Pro became Arduino IDE 2.0. Alpha version.\u00a0 It went into Beta the next year.<\/span><\/p>\n

The current version of the Arduino IDE 2.0, as of this writing, is Release Candidate 3.<\/span><\/p>\n

Installing the IDE<\/span><\/h2>\n

The new Arduino IDE 2.0 can be installed on Microsoft Windows, macOS, or Linux.<\/span><\/p>\n

Regardless of which operating system you are using, the first step in the installation is to go to the Arduino website and download the installation files<\/a>.\u00a0 You can download the latest release candidate, which as of this writing is Release Candidate 3, or you can be daring and go for the nightly build to get the very latest version.<\/span><\/p>\n

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You\u2019ll find files for all three operating systems on the download page, so grab the one suitable for your computer and follow the appropriate instructions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Microsoft Windows<\/span><\/h3>\n

Installing the IDE under Windows is very simple, it\u2019s really no different from the installation procedure for any Windows software.<\/span><\/p>\n

Windows users can choose between grabbing an EXE file, a ZIP file, or an MSI (Microsoft Installer) file. I used the EXE file, but the installation procedure for the other formats is quite similar.<\/span><\/p>\n

Begin by executing the file, which in the case of the EXE file is simply a matter of clicking on it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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You\u2019ll need to agree to the terms of the license agreement first.<\/span><\/p>\n

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After that, let Windows know if you\u2019re installing the application for all users, or just for the currently logged-in user.<\/span><\/p>\n

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You then need to select a location to install the application. Unless you have a specific requirement, you should just choose the default destination folder, which will already be listed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Click the <\/span>Install<\/span><\/i> button and the installation will begin. There are quite a few files to copy, so it may take a few minutes. A progress bar will keep you updated.<\/span><\/p>\n

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When the installation finishes, you\u2019ll be given the option to run the IDE. Keep that option selected and click the Finish button.<\/span><\/p>\n

The IDE installation is complete.<\/span><\/p>\n

macOS<\/span><\/h3>\n

The installation on a Mac is about as easy as it can get!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Download the DMG file from the Arduino site and then open it. A window will appear, with the IDE and the <\/span>Applications <\/span><\/i>folder icons in it.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Simply drag the IDE icon into the <\/span>Applications<\/span><\/i> folder and the installation program will copy all the files.\u00a0 A window will display the progress of the copy operation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once the copy process is finished, the IDE installation is complete. You can look in your Launchpad to find the new IDE and run it.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The first time you run it, you\u2019ll need to agree to give the Arduino IDE permission to run on your computer, as it is a file downloaded from the Internet.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the IDE first runs it may copy some additional files, these are used to set up the programming environment. It will only need to do this once.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ubuntu Linux<\/span><\/h3>\n

The installation of the Arduino IDE 2.0 under Linux is a bit different, as there is no actual installation program. Instead, the files are copied to a supportable directory on your computer and the product is launched using the Terminal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Keep in mind that the following instructions are for the Release Candidate 3 of the Arduino IDE 2.0, and may change when the final product is released.<\/span><\/p>\n

First, you\u2019ll need to download the ZIP file from the Arduino website.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Next, find the file you just downloaded and open it with your Archive Manager.\u00a0 Extract the files into a suitable directory, I would suggest your Home directory.<\/span><\/p>\n

The extraction process will create a new directory inside your Home directory. Use your file manager and enter this directory.<\/span><\/p>\n

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You\u2019ll need to use the Terminal to run the IDE, so right-click inside the new directory and select \u201cOpen in Terminal\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now use the following command to run the IDE.<\/span><\/p>\n

$ .\/arduino-ide<\/pre>\n
To make it easier you just need to type \u201c.\/a\u201d and press the Tab key, the Linux autocomplete will fill in the rest as the executable file just happens to be the only one that begins with the letter \u201ca\u201d!<\/span><\/p>\n
The IDE will now launch. Remember, you\u2019ll need to do this every time that you want to run the Arduino IDE 2.0.<\/span><\/p>\n
You\u2019ll also notice that, unlike the Windows and Mac versions, the Linux version of the Arduino IDE 2.0 does not seem to have an icon associated with it.<\/span><\/p>\n
Once again, I suspect that when the product is finalized the Linux installation and operation will be different, probably more like the current Arduino IDE. And it will likely have an icon!<\/span><\/p>\n
IDE Tour & Tests<\/span><\/h2>\n
NOw that you\u2019ve installed the new Arduino IDE 2.0 it\u2019s time to check out all of its features.<\/span><\/p>\n
Basic IDE Features<\/span><\/h3>\n
When you first see the new Arduino IDE 2.0 you\u2019ll probably notice its dark theme, which is the default theme that the IDE uses.\u00a0 You can change to a different theme if you wish, more on that later.<\/span><\/p>\n
Sidebar Icons<\/span><\/h4>\n
The IDE consists of the main window with another smaller window below it. When you first open it up you may not see the lower window, it will appear when it is needed.<\/span><\/p>\n
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On the left side of the IDE, you\u2019ll notice five icons. Clicking on one of these icons will open a side panel, whose contents depend upon which icon you have selected.<\/span><\/p>\n
The icon functions are as follows, from top to bottom:<\/span><\/p>\n