Why PlatformIO and not Arduino IDE?

Overview

ESP-SimHub firmware was developed using PlatformIO and VS Code, moving away from Arduino IDE for several compelling reasons. While Arduino IDE is popular for small projects, PlatformIO offers a more robust development environment that’s better suited for complex projects like ESP-SimHub.

Key Benefits

Professional Development Environment

• Built on Visual Studio Code, providing:
  • Superior code autocompletion
  • Better dependency management
    • The Arduino IDE requires either manual library downloads and installations OR inclusion of the library in the project folder. PlatformIO automatically manages all dependencies, ensuring consistent versions across all developers.
  • Professional-grade development tools
  • Integrated debugging capabilities
  • Git integration

Understanding PlatformIO Project Structure

PlatformIO uses a different folder structure than Arduino IDE. Here’s what you need to know:

Key Files and Folders

platformio.ini

• The main project configuration file
  • platformio.ini
• Defines:
  • Project libraries and versions
  • Target platforms
  • Board configurations
  • Framework settings (Arduino)
  • Serial port settings
  • Upload configurations

Project Folders

• lib/: Project-specific libraries
  • Contains ESP compatibility functions
  • WiFi-related code
• src/: Main source code
  • main.cpp: The primary firmware file (equivalent to Arduino’s .ino file)
  • Additional SimHub-generated files

Important Considerations

1. Stricter Compilation

PlatformIO may be stricter about type conversions and other programming constructs compared to Arduino IDE. While this might require more attention to detail, it generally results in more robust code.

2. Port Configuration

You have two options for configuring the upload port:

• Let PlatformIO auto-detect by removing the upload_port setting in platformio.ini
• Explicitly specify it with upload_port = COM4 (or your specific port) in platformio.ini

Getting Started

If you’re new to PlatformIO, follow our Getting Started Guide for detailed setup instructions. While there might be a slight learning curve coming from Arduino IDE, the benefits of using PlatformIO make it worthwhile for ESP-SimHub development.