Arduino Board Manager and Library Management

So, if you want to manage boards in the Arduino IDE, head over to the Tools section where you’ll find the Board Manager.
This nifty tool lets you add and manage boards that aren’t in the default lineup.
For instance, you can easily search for an Arduino board based on STM8 and add it to your setup.
Once you’ve got it installed, you can select the STM8S mode and write code that’s tailored specifically for that board.
Now, if you’re working with boards like the ESP32, you might need to add some extra board manager URLs in your IDE preferences to access everything.
Just toss in the needed URL, and you’ll be able to search for and manage boards like the H-Tech ESP32 right from the Board Manager.
It’s a game-changer for managing a variety of hardware effortlessly..

So, let’s talk libraries in the Arduino IDE! They’re pretty much the second most used feature after, you guessed it, boards.
Adding them is super easy; you can simply hop into the Library Manager from either the Sketch or Tools menu.
For example, if you need something like an ES 33D sensor library or a PWM Servo driver library, you can just search and install it without breaking a sweat.
And while updating those libraries is a breeze using the Library Manager, just keep an eye out—changes in the API might mean that some of your old code doesn’t play nice anymore..

Importing libraries might sound technical, but it’s super important to check your configurations while doing it.
A lot of developers go for the easy route by importing a compressed file because it really simplifies the whole library management process.
Take the Pix2 library as a great example—if you want it, just head over to the sketch menu, select ‘Add ZIP Library’, and pick your ZIP file from the file explorer.
This little step helps make sure you’re including all the necessary files, which reduces the chance of missing any dependencies.
Once you’ve done that, you can check under the examples in the file menu to see if Pix2 has made it onto the list, confirming everything worked out just fine..

So, you’ve just installed a library and now you want to make sure it’s set up correctly for your project, right? This verification step is super important! You can either import the compressed file directly or unzip it to create a PC2 folder.
Once you have that folder, just toss it into the ‘libraries’ subfolder in your Arduino directory.
After you’ve double-checked that the PC2 folder is there, close out of Arduino completely, copy the library’s contents again, and reopen Arduino.
Then, you can start checking out the example files!.

So, here’s the deal: Pix2 has been added for your reference, and you’ll find it right alongside the libraries folder in your Arduino directory.
Your project folders are all laid out in a neat structure, which also features a tools folder filled with library-related goodies.
Plus, there’s a quick rundown on the Board Manager and Library Manager, making it super easy to navigate through the library.
If you’re feeling creative, you can totally whip up your own custom library or play around with multiple files, including header and .cpp files.
Stick around because we’ve got more exciting details coming up in the next session!.