Arduino IDE

The Arduino IDE is an open-source software, which is used to write and upload
code to the Arduino boards. The IDE application is suitable for different operating
systems such as Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. It supports the programming
languages C and C++. Here, IDE stands for Integrated Development Environment.
The program or code written in the Arduino IDE is often called as sketching. We
need to connect the Arduino board with the IDE to upload the sketch written in
the Arduino IDE software. The sketch is saved with the extension '.ino'.
The Arduino IDE will appear as:
Toolbar Button
The icons displayed on the toolbar are New, Open, Save, Upload, and Verify.
It is shown below:

Upload
The Upload button compiles and runs our code written on the screen. It further
uploads the code to the connected board. Before uploading the sketch, we need
to make sure that the correct board and ports are selected.
We also need a USB connection to connect the board and the computer. Once all
the above measures are done, click on the Upload button present on the toolbar.
The latest Arduino boards can be reset automatically before beginning with
Upload. In the older boards, we need to press the Reset button present on it. As
soon as the uploading is done successfully, we can notice the blink of the Tx and
Rx LED.
If the uploading is failed, it will display the message in the error window.
We do not require any additional hardware to upload our sketch using the
Arduino Bootloader. A Bootloader is defined as a small program, which is loaded
in the microcontroller present on the board. The LED will blink on PIN 13.
Open
The Open button is used to open the already created file. The selected file will be
opened in the current window.
Save
The save button is used to save the current sketch or code.
New
It is used to create a new sketch or opens a new window.
Verify
The Verify button is used to check the compilation error of the sketch or the
written code.
Serial Monitor
The serial monitor button is present on the right corner of the toolbar. It opens
the serial monitor.
It is shown below:

When we connect the serial monitor, the board will reset on the operating system
Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. If we want to process the control characters in our
sketch, we need to use an external terminal program. The terminal program
should be connected to the COM port, which will be assigned when we connect
the board to the computer.
Menu Bar
File Menu
When we click on the File button on the Menu bar, a drop-down list will appear. It
is shown below:

Let's discuss each option in detail.

New
The New button opens the new window. It does not remove the sketch which is
already present.
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Open
It allows opening the sketch, which can be browsed from the folders and
computer drivers.
Open Recent
The Open Recent button contains the list of the recent sketches.
Sketchbook
It stores the current sketches created in the Arduino IDE software. It opens the
selected sketch or code in a new editor at an instance.
Examples
It shows the different examples of small projects for a better understanding of the
IDE and the board. The IDE provides examples of self-practice.
Close
The Close button closes the window from which the button is clicked.
Save
The save button is used to save the current sketch. It also saves the changes made
to the current sketch. If we have not specified the name of the file, it will open the
'Save As...' window.
Save As...
We can save the sketch with a different name using the 'Save As...' button. We can
also change the name accordingly.
Page Setup
It allows setting the page margins, orientation, and size for printing.
Print
According to the settings specified in the 'Page Setup', it prepares the current
sketch for printing.
Preferences
It allows the customization settings of the Arduino IDE.
Quit
The Quit button is used to close all the IDE windows. The same closed sketch will
be reopened when we will open the Arduino IDE.
Edit Menu
When we click on the Edit button on the Menu bar, a drop-down list appears. It is
shown below:

Let's discuss each option in detail.

Undo
The Undo button is used to reverse the last modification done to the sketch while
editing.
Redo
The Redo button is used to repeat the last modification done to the sketch while
editing.
Cut
It allows us to remove the selected text from the written code. The text is further
placed to the clipboard. We can also paste that text anywhere in our sketch.
Copy
It creates a duplicate copy of the selected text. The text is further placed on the
clipboard.
Copy for Forum
The 'Copy for Forum' button is used to copy the selected text to the clipboard,
which is also suitable for posting to the forum.
Copy as HTML
The 'Copy for Forum' button is used to copy the selected text as HTML to the
clipboard. It is desirable for embedding in web pages.
Paste
The Paste button is used to paste the selected text of the clipboard to the
specified position of the cursor.
Select All
It selects all the text of the sketch.
Go to line...
It moves the cursor to the specified line number.
The window will appear as:

Comment/Uncomment
The Comment/ Uncomment button is used to put or remove the comment mark
(//) at the beginning of the specified line.
Increase Indent
It is used to add the space at the starting of the specified line. The spacing moves
the text towards the right.
Decrease Indent
It is used to subtract or remove the space at the starting of the specified line. The
spacing moves the text towards the left.
Increase Font Size
It increases the font size of the written text.
Decrease Font Size
It decreases the font size of the written text.
Find...
It is used to find the specified text. We can also replace the text. It highlights the
text in the sketch.
The window will appear as:

Find Next
It highlights the next word, which has specified in the 'Find...' window. If there is
no such word, it will not show any highlighted text.
Find Previous
It highlights the previous word, which has specified in the 'Find...' window. If there
is no such word, it will not show any highlighted text.
Sketch Menu
When we click on the Sketch button on the Menu bar, a drop-down list appears. It
is shown below:

Let's discuss each option in detail.

Verify/Compile
It will check for the errors in the code while compiling. The memory in the console
area is also reported by the IDE.
Upload
The Upload button is used to configure the code to the specified board through
the port.
Upload Using Programmer
It is used to override the Bootloader that is present on the board. We can utilize
the full capacity of the Flash memory using the 'Upload Using Programmer'
option. To implement this, we need to restore the Bootloader using the Tools-
> Burn Bootloader option to upload it to the USB serial port.
Export compiled Binary
It allows saving a .hex file and can be kept archived. Using other tools, .hex file can
also be sent to the board.
Show Sketch Folder
It opens the folder of the current code written or sketch.
Include Library
Include Library includes various Arduino libraries. The libraries are inserted into
our code at the beginning of the code starting with the #. We can also import the
libraries from .zip file.
Add File...
The Add File... button is used to add the created file in a new tab on the existing
file.
For example, let's add 'Blink' file to the 'Javatpoint' file. The tab will now appear
as:

We can also delete the corresponding file from the tab by clicking on the small
triangle -> Delete option.
Tools Menu
When we click on the Tools button on the Menu bar, a drop-down list appears. It is
shown below:

Let's discuss each option in detail.

Auto Format
The Auto Format button is used to format the written code. For example, lining
the open and closed curly brackets in the code.
Archive Sketch
The copy of the current sketch or code is archived in the .zip format. The directory
of the archived is same as the sketch.
Fix Encoding and Reload
This button is used to fix the inconsistency between the operating system char
maps and editor char map encoding.
Manage Libraries...
It shows the updated list of all the installed libraries. We can also use this option
to install a new library into the Arduino IDE.
Serial Monitor
It allows the exchange of data with the connected board on the port.
Serial Plotter
The Serial Plotter button is used to display the serial data in a plot. It comes
preinstalled in the Arduino IDE.
WiFi101/Wi-Fi-NINA Firmware Updater
It is used to check and update the Wi-Fi Firmware of the connected board.
Board
We are required to select the board from the list of boards. The selected board
must be similar to the board connected to the computer.
Processor
It displays the processor according to the selected board. It refreshes every time
during the selection of the board.
Port
It consists of the virtual and real serial devices present on our machine.
Get Board Info
It gives the information about the selected board. We need to select the
appropriate port before getting information about the board.
Programmer
We need to select the hardware programmer while programming the board. It is
required when we are not using the onboard USB serial connection. It is also
required during the burning of the Bootloader.
Burn Bootloader
The Bootloader is present on the board onto the microcontroller. The option is
useful when we have purchased the microcontroller without the bootloader.
Before burning the bootloader, we need to make sure about the correct selected
board and port.
Help Menu
When we click on the Help button on the Menu bar, a drop-down list will appear.
It is shown below:

The Help section includes several documents that are easy to access, which comes
along with the Arduino IDE. It consists of the number of options such as Getting
Started, Environment, Troubleshooting, Reference, etc. We can also consider the
image shown above, which includes all the options under the Help section.