Arduino software

Development tools

In Arduino terminology, a program that runs on an Arduino is called a sketch. These are written in a limited version of C++, described here: https://www.arduino.cc/reference/en/ . In addition, one can include libraries, which are written in C++. If there is code that would be useful to share between sketches, it can be put in a library. Many open-source libraries are available for Arduino -- this lists some popular ones: https://www.arduino.cc/en/reference/libraries

There are several IDEs that support Arduino development:

• The most commonly used is the Arduino IDE provided by arduino.cc. This is free and open-source. It is somewhat limited, but adequate. https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software

• Some students prefer using Visual Studio with the Arduino extension. This actually uses the Arduino IDE under the covers, so things like library structure are the same. Visual Studio has a free community edition: https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/community/ . The extension is here: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=vsciot-vscode.vscode-arduino . (Note this is not the same as Visual Micro, which is a commercial, i.e. non-free, product.)

• Atmel Studio is a professional IDE. It does not have the library or language limitations of the Arduino IDE. https://www.microchip.com/mplab/avr-support/atmel-studio-7

It's recommended to start with the Arduino IDE as it's simpler and most Arduino information online assumes you are using it.