Scribd
Upload
73 views

Arduino Sketch - Odt

The document provides an overview of the key components of an Arduino sketch: 1) A sketch is the name for an Arduino program and contains comments, variables, functions, and two special functions called setup() and loop(). 2) Comments are lines preceded by /* or // that explain parts of the code but are ignored when running the sketch. 3) Variables store and retrieve data through named locations that can change, while functions are named and reusable blocks of code that perform tasks. 4) The setup() function runs once at the start to initialize variables and pins, while loop() runs repeatedly and contains the main code for active control of the Arduino board.

Uploaded by

sweetsuresh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as ODT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
73 views

Arduino Sketch - Odt

The document provides an overview of the key components of an Arduino sketch: 1) A sketch is the name for an Arduino program and contains comments, variables, functions, and two special functions called setup() and loop(). 2) Comments are lines preceded by /* or // that explain parts of the code but are ignored when running the sketch. 3) Variables store and retrieve data through named locations that can change, while functions are named and reusable blocks of code that perform tasks. 4) The setup() function runs once at the start to initialize variables and pins, while loop() runs repeatedly and contains the main code for active control of the Arduino board.

Uploaded by

sweetsuresh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as ODT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

First Sketch

In the getting started guide (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux), you uploaded a sketch that blinks an
LED. In this tutorial, you'll learn how each part of that sketch works.

Sketch
A sketch is the name that Arduino uses for a program. It's the unit of code that is
uploaded to and run on an Arduino board.

Comments
The first few lines of the Blink sketch are a comment:

/*
* Blink
*
* The basic Arduino example.  Turns on an LED on for one second,
* then off for one second, and so on...  We use pin 13 because,
* depending on your Arduino board, it has either a built-in LED
* or a built-in resistor so that you need only an LED.
*
* http://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/Blink
*/
Everything between the /* and */ is ignored by the Arduino when it runs the sketch (the * at
the start of each line is only there to make the comment look pretty, and isn't required). It's there for
people reading the code: to explain what the program does, how it works, or why it's written the way it
is. It's a good practice to comment your sketches, and to keep the comments up-to-date when you
modify the code. This helps other people to learn from or modify your code.

There's another style for short, single-line comments. These start with // and continue to the
end of the line. For example, in the line:
int ledPin = 13; // LED connected to digital pin 13

the message "LED connected to digital pin 13" is a comment.

Variables
A variable is a place for storing a piece of data. It has a name, a type, and a value. For example,
the line from the Blink sketch above declares a variable with the name ledPin, the type int, and an
initial value of 13. It's being used to indicate which Arduino pin the LED is connected to. Every time
the name ledPin appears in the code, its value will be retrieved. In this case, the person writing the
program could have chosen not to bother creating the ledPin variable and instead have simply written
13 everywhere they needed to specify a pin number. The advantage of using a variable is that it's easier
to move the LED to a different pin: you only need to edit the one line that assigns the initial value to
the variable.

Often, however, the value of a variable will change while the sketch runs. For example, you
could store the value read from an input into a variable. There's more information in the Variables
tutorial.

Functions
A function (otherwise known as a procedure or sub-routine) is a named piece of code that can
be used from elsewhere in a sketch. For example, here's the definition of the setup() function from the
Blink example:

void setup()
{
pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT); // sets the digital pin as output
}

The first line provides information about the function, like its name, "setup". The text before
and after the name specify its return type and parameters: these will be explained later. The code
between the { and } is called the body of the function: what the function does.

You can call a function that's already been defined (either in your sketch or as part of the
Arduino language). For example, the line pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT); calls the pinMode() function,
passing it two parameters: ledPin and OUTPUT. These parameters are used by the pinMode() function
to decide which pin and mode to set.

pinMode(), digitalWrite(), and delay()


The pinMode() function configures a pin as either an input or an output. To use it, you pass it
the number of the pin to configure and the constant INPUT or OUTPUT. When configured as an input,
a pin can detect the state of a sensor like a pushbutton; this is discussed in a later tutorial. As an output,
it can drive an actuator like an LED.

The digitalWrite() functions outputs a value on a pin. For example, the line:
digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH);

set the ledPin (pin 13) to HIGH, or 5 volts. Writing a LOW to pin connects it to
ground, or 0 volts.

The delay() causes the Arduino to wait for the specified number of milliseconds before
continuing on to the next line. There are 1000 milliseconds in a second, so the line:
delay(1000);
creates a delay of one second.

setup() and loop()


There are two special functions that are a part of every Arduino sketch: setup() and
loop(). The setup() is called once, when the sketch starts. It's a good place to do setup tasks like
setting pin modes or initializing libraries. The loop() function is called over and over and is heart of
most sketches. You need to include both functions in your sketch, even if you don't need them for
anything.
Sample Bare minimum code

Code
The setup() function is called when a sketch starts. Use it to initialize variables, pin modes,
start using libraries, etc. The setup function will only run once, after each powerup or reset of the
Arduino board.
After creating a setup() function, the loop() function does precisely what its name
suggests, and loops consecutively, allowing your program to change and respond as it runs. Code in the
loop() section of your sketch is used to actively control the Arduino board.
The code below won't actually do anything, but it's structure is useful for copying and pasting to
get you started on any sketch of your own. It also shows you how to make comments in your code.
Any line that starts with two slashes (//) will not be read by the compiler, so you can write
anything you want after it. Commenting your code like this can be particularly helpful in explaining,
both to yourself and others, how your program functions step by step.
void setup() {
// put your setup code here, to run once:

void loop() {
// put your main code here, to run repeatedly:

You might also like