Arduino IDE

What is an IDE?

IDE is a software that integrates a bunch of tools

• A text editor, using which the programmer can enter the C++ program.

• A compiler, which translates the C++ program into an executable file. The executable file contains a machine language program (binary) composed of a sequence of 1's and 0's. These 1's and 0's form the instructions which the Arduino board should execute.

• A programmer, which uploads the machine language program to the Arduino board.

Downloading and Installing the IDE

• Download from https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software (download the .exe version for Windows)

• Online version available (but the local version is recommended).

• Installation is straight forward. 

• Remember to allow the installation of the driver for Windows.

• Note for Ubuntu Linux users : The arduino version in the apt repositories is extremely old. So DO NOT do sudo apt install arduino. Instead, install it using snap - sudo snap install arduino.

IDE Look and Feel

Open

Settings:  Serial Port

Open

• Your computer communicates to the Arduino via a serial port through a USB-Serial adapter.

• Check to make sure that the drivers are properly installed.

• Usually, Arduino Uno will appear next to the correct COM port.

• The COM port could be different when you plug Arduino into a different USB port, or when you plug in a different Arduino board.

• If you are unsure, go to device manager (in Windows, Run > type devmgmt.msc and press enter). You can then unplug the Arduino board and see which COM port disappears under the 'Ports' category.

Settings:  Board

• Next, double-check that the proper board (Arduino Uno unless you are selecting another board) is selected under the Tools-->Board menu

Note : Arduino IDE supports a large number of boards, including ESP8266 / ESP32 and ARM boards. We just need to add support for those boards.