How to Program Arduino With C++
This tutorial will discuss programming an Arduino in C++ using the Arduino IDE.
Programming an Arduino With C++
The Arduino company provides their official software Arduino IDE to program the Arduino. The Arduino IDE is built using the C and C++ languages.
We can download the Arduino IDE from their official site. The Arduino IDE consists of a toolbar, text editor, and compiler window.
We can write our code in C++ inside the text editor, which by default contains two functions. The first function is the setup function which will only run when we power the Arduino board.
We can define the variables, pin modes, and import libraries inside the setup function. The second function is the loop function which runs in a loop when we power the Arduino board.
We can write our code in this function which will run in a loop. The programming language of Arduino is not completely similar to C++; there are many functions of C++ which we cannot use in the Arduino IDE.
Arduino IDE has its functions, which are written in C and C++. Check this link for complete information about the Arduino functions, variables, and how to use them in your code.
Arduino IDE also comes with a library manager that we can use to install libraries for Arduino, like the liquid crystal library used to interact with an LCD. The libraries and functions of Arduino make Arduino programming very easy because we don’t have to write our code from scratch.
We can also create our functions to use in the code, same as we create functions in C++. We can use the toolbar in Arduino IDE to verify, compile, and test our code.
The Arduino IDE also comes with a serial monitor, which we can use to check the inputs being received by the Arduino board. The toolbar also allows us to choose the specific Arduino board and the code compiler.
The compiler window at the bottom of the Arduino IDE gives us information about the compilation process, like the memory usage and error flags, if any. If, for some reason, we don’t want to code the Arduino in C++, we can also use other languages.
For example, the make blocks allow us to use the mBlock software to program the Arduino using code blocks. Check this link for more details about the make blocks software.
We can also use other software like Matlab, which provides an extension that we can install to communicate and program an Arduino board. The Arduino IDE provides libraries for all kinds of sensors so that we don’t have to write the code from scratch.
For example, if we need to use a stepper motor with Arduino, we can install and use its library using the library manager of Arduino IDE.
