{"id":131227,"date":"2023-01-16T19:23:11","date_gmt":"2023-01-16T19:23:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/appleinsider.com\/inside\/macos-ventura\/tips\/how-to-get-started-coding-for-arduino-on-macos-ventura?utm_medium=rss"},"modified":"2023-01-16T19:23:11","modified_gmt":"2023-01-16T19:23:11","slug":"how-to-get-started-coding-for-arduino-on-macos-ventura","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2023\/01\/16\/how-to-get-started-coding-for-arduino-on-macos-ventura\/","title":{"rendered":"How to get started coding for Arduino on macOS Ventura"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In a previous article, we looked at connecting various kinds of Arduino hardware to your Mac. Here’s how to get started programming on them to create your own projects.\n<\/p>\n

Getting started<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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In order to program your Arduino, you need the Arduino IDE (Integrated Development Environment) from the arduino.cc<\/a> website. We mentioned how to download and install the IDE in the previous article but we’ll reiterate it here:\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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On your Mac, go to arduino.cc<\/a>, click on “Software”<\/a>, then under the Download Options section, click the link for the Mac version for either Intel or Apple Silicon. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Note that unless you want to explore the current development version, you don’t<\/em> want the link under the section “Nightly Builds”. Nightly builds may be unstable and contain bugs.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Once you’ve downloaded the IDE, refer to the previous article for details about how to connect and set up your Arduino on your Mac in the IDE. You need a connection before you can upload code from the IDE to your Arduino.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Basics<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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You only need rudimentary programming skills to program your Arduino. You can use Arduino’s C-like programming language, or Python<\/a>, but we’ll only use C<\/a> in the examples below.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In Arduino programs, called Sketches<\/em>, you essentially write code to set up your Arduino for a specific tasks or tasks, then run a continuous loop which gets called repeatedly by the Arduino microcontroller once your Sketch is uploaded to your Arduino device. The loop usually waits for input from sensors or users, and sends control signals back to sensors and devices to display some sort of output. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The loop code can also connect to, and interact with, the internet.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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You can also install third-party libraries which support various sensor devices and shields using the Library Manager in the IDE. To access the Library Manager, create or open a sketch window, and click the icon on the left side which looks like a set of books:\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A pane will appear and at the top, you can browse available libraries by Type and Topic by clicking either of the two popup menus:\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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You can also check for installed library updates by selecting “Updatable”<\/strong> from the “Type:”<\/strong> menu.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Library Manager pane lets you download official and third-party libraries. Libraries are code bundles that add a specific functionality or device support to the IDE. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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For example, if you use a particular brand of a non-generic sensor, you’ll need to download its library and install it first.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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You can view different categories of libraries by clicking the “Topic” popup menu at the top of the Library Manager window.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Most Arduino Sketches are simple and short and are stored in a “Sketchbook” folder specified in the Arduino IDE Settings<\/strong> window. You can change where the IDE stores sketches from here by clicking the Browse<\/strong> button next to “Sketchbook location”:\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Sketches have a file extension of .ino, which stands for “innovation”.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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You can also change text editor and compiler settings here. If you have an unsupported Arduino, you can add its board support file or URL by clicking the small icon in the lower right of the window, one which looks like a stack of documents.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Click on the “Click for a list of unofficial board support URLs”<\/strong> text in the Additional Boards Manager URLs window to view the vast array of boards<\/a> supported on Arduino’s GitHub.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Arduino IDE provides a sample sketch with a simple program outline in a text window when you first open it.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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There are also a vast array of code samples under the File->Examples<\/strong> submenu item. Samples are organized by “Built-In” and “UNO Examples” in the menu. Custom-installed libraries may also provide examples.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A first example sketch<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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In our first example, we’ll use the built-in Blink<\/a><\/em> example. To open it, select File->Examples->0.1Basics->Blink<\/strong> submenu item. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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After a few seconds, a new editor window will open with the Blink example. Make sure your Arduino board and port are selected from the connection popup menu at the top of the IDE’s editor window.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Blink does one thing \u2014 it blinks a built-in LED on the Arduino. There’s a description of the sample in the comment at the top of the editor window and online.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In code, comments<\/em> are notes programmers leave to describe what code is doing. Comments are ignored during compilation.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The IDE editor window uses C-style comments: the compiler<\/a> will ignore anything bracketed inside of \/* and *\/. Single-line comments start with \/\/ but must be on one line only. Anything after the \/\/ is ignored.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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When you click the large Verify<\/strong> button with the checkmark icon in the editor’s upper left corner, the IDE will compile the code in that window. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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During compilation, an Output pane will appear at the bottom of the editor window in black showing progress. If there are no errors, you’ll see messages such as:\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Sketch uses 924 bytes (2%) of program storage space. Maximum is 32256 bytes.
Global variables use 9 bytes (0%) of dynamic memory, leaving 2039 bytes for local variables. Maximum is 2048 bytes.\"<\/code>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Or something similar.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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If there are errors, they will appear in red text and you’ll have to fix your code until there are no more errors. Some errors are not critical, and your sketch will still run with them, but other errors can prevent your sketch from running at all.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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You can clear the Output messages by clicking the small icon in the upper right corner of the Output pane. You can hide the Output pane entirely by clicking the small square icon in the lower right corner of the editor window.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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When you click the Upload<\/strong> button (the one with a large right arrow icon) next to the Verify<\/strong> button, the IDE uploads the compiled binary program into the Arduino on the port you specified. The Arduino microcontroller takes over from there and executes your code on the Arduino.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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During upload, if your Arduino has an RX (Receive) LED built-in, you should see it flash rapidly as it receives the sketch data.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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If your Sketch couldn’t be uploaded for any reason, the Output pane will list a description and why.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A few words about C-based languages<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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C is the language of operating systems. Some early Mac apps in the late 1980s and the 1990s were written in C or one of its later variants: C++<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Arduino IDE programming language is based on C-like syntax.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In most C-like languages, all code lines end with a “;” \u2014 without the semicolon, the code won’t compile and you’ll get an error.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Most C-based languages also use predefined code text files called headers<\/em>, which usually have a “.h” file extension.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Think of a .h file as a predefined set of code that describes how functions are to be accessed, called prototypes. Each prototype defines a function name, parameters to be passed to the function (inside parenthesis), and a return type<\/a> that is sent back from the function when it exits.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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If you call (access) any library or built-in functions in your Sketch code, how you call each function must match its prototype defined in a .h file somewhere. Libraries work the same way.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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For example, if a prototype says a function must take two input parameters (in the parenthesis), and a certain type of return value (listed before the function name), then you must call it in precisely the same way. Anything else will throw an error during compilation.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Header files can also contain a C-style construct called a ‘define.’ A define creates a label as another code expression, such as a number, text (a string<\/em> in C), a calculation, or some other function. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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To create a define, you use the #define C preprocessor<\/a> directive. For example:\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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#define FALLING 2<\/code>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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This code defines the label ‘FALLING’ as the value of 2. Anywhere you use FALLING in your code, the number 2 will be substituted at compile time. #defines can get quite complex but can make your code shorter and more readable.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Arduino IDE uses #defines to define things like I\/O pin numbers, modes, and other things.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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You can also create your own headers and #defines.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Headers can be included in other files – in other .h files, or in Sketches themselves. The contents each included .h file get inserted at compile time into the top of any files they are included in. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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To insert a header into another file, use the #include C directive. For example at the top of Arduino.h you’ll see:\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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#include \"binary.h\"<\/code>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Which includes another header file called “binary.h” into the top of Arduino.h at compile time.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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If you look at the screenshot shown above you’ll see two included .h files in the example Sketch:\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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EEPROM.h
Ethernet.h<\/code>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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All this may seem confusing at first, but it’s actually quite simple: you put function prototypes and #defines in .h files so they can be used in many other files. Then you #include them in other files and the compiler inserts them where indicated during compilation. Easy. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Organizing definitions into seperate headers enables code reuse<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Just think of .h files as definitions, and your Sketch files as programs that use them.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Modern programming languages such as Apple’s Swift<\/a> and Microsoft’s C#<\/a> have done away with header files, in the interest of simplicity.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n