Configuring the development environment

Download VS Code from here

Download Python from here

Before installing check the Add Python to PATH

Open terminal and check if you have Python 3 installed.

$ python3 --version

If you don't have Python 3 installed then run the following command.

$ sudo apt install python3

Wether you already had Python installed or not, you need to run the following command.

$ sudo apt install python3-distutils

1. Click on the Extensions icon or press Ctrl+Shift+X to open the extensions tab
2. Search for “PlatformIO IDE”
3. Select the first option
4. Click the Install button

After installing make sure the extension is enabled.

After that, the PlatformIO icon should show up on the left sidebar as well as an Home icon that redirects you to PlatformIO home.

On VS Code, click on the PlartfomIO Home icon. Click on + New Project to start a new project.

Give your project a name, select the board WeMos D1 MINI ESP32 (WEMOS) and the framework as Arduino

After finishing the setup the project should be accessible from the explorer tab.

The platformio.ini file is the PlatformIO Configuration File for your project. It shows the platform, board, and framework for your project. You can also add other configurations like libraries to be included, upload options, changing the Serial Monitor baud rate and other configurations.

The src folder is your working folder. Under the src folder, there’s a main.cpp file. That’s where you write your code. Click on that file. The structure of an Arduino program should open with the setup() and loop() functions.

In PlatformIO, all your Arduino sketches should start with the

#include <Arduino.h>

To test and upload your code first save your code and then click on the Build icon on the bottom of the editor to verify that your code can be ran. After a successful build press the Upload icon. Alternatively, you can got to the PIO Project Tasks menu and select build or upload from there..