[Closed] Platform.io presentation

Funny you mention Platform.IO, as I actually started creating content for it last summer. What stopped me was I could not figure out how to import Arduino Libraries in ZIP files into Platform.IO.  I had no problem with the libraries in the Arduino Library Manager.

If someone could enlighten me on how to do that I would certainly add it to the list, I definitely think that the user interface is vastly superior to the Arduino IDE and I love the multi-platform aspect of it.

I think, as a shortcut, you can copy a library sub-directory from your "Arduino folder"\libraries to the platformIO "project folder"\lib (the library is not installed for every project then, only used for the project).

I actually prefer it that way : libs associated with the projects that use them; it takes a bit more disk space but there are less "library collisions".

IIRC the folder must be named exactly as the main file of the library.

@zeferby

Thank you Eric, I will try that.

I would second on the motion for this video, except I'm not sure if I really need it.  I'm already familiar with how to  use these sorts of IDE's.

In any case, I just wanted to chime in and say that I have added the Arduino IDE capability to Microsoft Visual studio.    It's basically the same thing as Platform.io except it uses Visual Studio instead.   But yeah, my robot  Arduino code is getting quite complex so I'm ready to move over to Visual Studio and take advantage of the Intellisense.   That's saves a lot of  typing and  having to look back to see what you had named a particular variable.

So I'm off to program the Arduino in Visual Studio right now. ? 

I'm having a lot of fun here tonight!  I don't mean to derail this thread.  I think this is related to this topic.

 I've just recently decided to store all my files on a single external drive.  So I have an Arduino file open in the Arduino IDE on one computer.   I have the SAME Arduino file open in Visual Studio on another computer.  The intellisense is NICE!

In any case, I noticed that if I make changes to the *.ino file while in the Arduino IDE and save those changes, Visual Studio instantly alerts me that someone has made changes to the file I'm working on and asks me if I would like to reload the file  with those new changes.   So I told it to do that and it  updated the changes I had made in the Arduino IDE on the other computer.

That's pretty cool.

It doesn't work the other way around though.  If I make changes to the file in Visual Studio the Arduino IDE has no clue that the file had been modified.

I use the PlatformIO IDE / Visual Studio Code combination because I didn't want it to interfere with other dev.environments I have on Visual Studio proper.

VSCode is not too bloated if you don't add hundreds of plugins, but has most of the bells and whistles (of VS and other professional IDEs) that I can't live without.

The P.IO doc states : 

While PlatformIO itself is a console application, it can be used in combination with one’s favorite Cloud & Desktop IDE or text editor such as PlatformIO IDE for Atom, CLion, Eclipse, Emacs, NetBeans, Qt Creator, Sublime Text, Vim, Visual Studio, PlatformIO IDE for VSCode, etc.

I'm convinced, this is back on the list. 

I was actually exploring it as part of a video and article I never released (I have dozens of those, unfortunately) on alternatives to the Arduino IDE.  Of all the alternatives I liked PlatformIO the best. Arduino's web-based IDE looked intriguing but it had some pretty severe limitations.

There were some other good ones, but when I narrowed it down to IDE's that ran on all three operating systems (Linux, Windows & OSX) it came out the winner.

Posted by: @robo-pi

I'm having a lot of fun here tonight!  I don't mean to derail this thread.  I think this is related to this topic.

You didn't, it's on topic. And I'm glad to hear you're having fun!

BTW, now that PlatformIO is "on the list" I'll be locking this thread. I'll be doing that in this section once a content suggestion has been presented and accepted.  That way we can make way for other suggestions.

?

Bill