Using Arduino in VS Code

If you’re looking to combine the power of Arduino with the flexibility of Visual Studio Code, you’re in the right place! Visual Studio Code is a favorite among developers for a bunch of languages like JavaScript and Python.
Getting it up and running is super easy—just head over to the official website and grab the installer that matches your operating system.
This guide is for those who already have Visual Studio Code set up and want to dive into integrating it with Arduino.
The first step is creating a project folder, something like ‘Arduino Test’ will work great.
Don’t worry; there’s a video coming up that will walk you through writing Arduino code in Visual Studio Code, which can really boost your productivity!.

Alright, so the first thing you want to do is create a folder called Arduino Test .
If you already have Visual Studio Code and the CLI set up, you can totally access it right from there.
Now, Visual Studio Code might not come packed with features out of the box, but don’t worry! It opens the door to tons of functionalities through its extensions .
To get started, just search for the Arduino extension by Microsoft and install it—make sure you have Arduino installed on your PC or Mac, too.
Once that’s sorted, create your Arduino code file named ArduinoTest.ino to match that folder name.
After that, just use the palette menu to get things rolling for Arduino, and choose your board, like the Arduino Uno in this case..

So, when you search for Arduino in Visual Studio Code, it might run, but keep in mind that not all the compilation files are included in the extensions.
That’s why having your existing Arduino setup is super important for making everything work properly.
Personally, I love using Visual Studio Code because it offers great features like syntax highlighting and error checking, plus handy snippets that really boost my coding productivity.
Once I kick off the Arduino project, I start by writing the void setup and then move on to the essential void loop function.
I usually write code randomly every three seconds, and I rely on the Arduino IDE’s verify function to catch any errors.
One cool thing about VS Code is that it lets you customize shortcuts, making the process of verifying code a breeze!.

So, here’s the deal with the verification process: it helps you figure out if your code is good to go or if there are any errors lurking around.
You’ll get friendly little error messages pointing out issues, like that pesky missing semicolon.
For example, if you run into an error, it might say you need to drop a semicolon before line 1.
Before you hit that upload button, make sure all your settings are on point, especially your port configurations.
In the Palette menu, you can choose the Arduino Port which is super important for making sure your upload works, so don’t skip this step! And remember, if everything looks right but the Arduino screen is still playing hard to get, your upload might not succeed..

Alright, so the first thing you want to do is wait for that uploading progress bar to disappear—it’s like a sign that the Arduino upload is finished and you’re good to go.
Once you’ve verified that the upload went smoothly using the serial monitor at a baud rate of 9600, you’ll notice a new VS Code directory pop up.
This directory is pretty handy, as it includes all the local info like the port and your sketch file, making it easy to save that valuable work on GitHub.
If you run into any pesky connection issues with the serial monitor, don’t sweat it! Just close and reopen Arduino, and you should see your output showing ‘hello’ followed by ‘world’.
That’s your basic serial communication at work! For a deeper dive into your serial communication data, checking out Coolterm is a solid recommendation..

The Arduino IDE is packed with some pretty cool features! For starters, it has a handy library manager that lets you find and install libraries without any hassle.
Just by typing ‘Arduino’, you can explore helpful examples, including both built-in and custom libraries, which can really boost your learning and experimentation.
Plus, you can easily search for and add more libraries right within the manager to take your projects to the next level.
Stay tuned for the next session, where we’ll be diving into VS Code snippets, which allow users to use shortcuts that fill in templates automatically..