Arduino 1.0

Posted on 05 Oct 2011, 09:18, by Didier, under Information, Programming.

I gave Arduino 1.0 a try and these are my quick and dirty comments about it.
At first glance, nothing is really revolutionary: the look makes beginners feel comfortable with the interface, and that’s great. It has nothing to do with the sophisticated IDEs like Eclipse or .NET IDE which are at the opposite of the concept of Arduino and require far more mental investment.

However, I feel frustrated by the lack for code editing functions that are standard with my [still] favourite Notepad+ editor. Amongst the ‘missing’ functions, I am namming:

  • Underlining of all occurrences of a selected variable
  • Advanced ‘find/replace’ features
  • Line counter

    • Not really missing, but so desirable are the following functions:

  • Comments in // or in /**/ modes
  • User defined color coding for specific strings (e.g. variable types)
  • Routine or functions collapse
  • More functions in the popup list
  • ‘Recent files’ sub menu
  • Auto format the code itself. OK, I know, each of us has his own practices. But it would be great to suggest a default one so that the code in the forum/blogs are more readable. Nothing prevents the courageous programmers to allow user defined patterns.

    • Strange things

  • The IDE displays the name of the latest attached board and its corresponding serial port. However, it stays here even if a new board is attached to any other serial port
  • It still takes ages before the ‘Tools’ menu shows up

    • The reason why I will not move from Notepad+ is the lack for a simultaneous library code editor. Libraries may put off beginners, but they are essential when the code is over hundred lines, or when some advanced functions are to be used in various applications.

    Now, it’s your turn. Download Arduino 1.0 from here and contribute to the development to the incredible Arduino’s concept! Many thanks to all contributors, and especailly to this team of visionary authors.

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