TLDR: PlatformIO is a better and more customizable ArduinoIDE that is just an extension for VSCode, so it is a great resource for prototyping with development boards

VSCode (Visual Studio Code) is probably the most popular IDE for software development because of its versatility and lightweight framework. You can go from writing C++ to Python to Javascript to HTML in a single IDE, with tools you can download for formatting and writing each language. VSCode also works on macOS, Linux, and Windows, and operates pretty much the same across all of them. VSCode is simple, effective, cross-platform, and powerful.

Downloading VSCode

To download VSCode, you just need to go to this link to install it on your machine. Then follow the instructions in the installation wizard, making sure to add any “open with code” options you see. For Windows, you may also want to add to PATH.

Little VSCode Overview

Sample PlatformIO Project/VSCode View

VSCode is essentially just a normal text editor on steroids. On the left side of the screen, you got some of the main functionality of the IDE. VSCode works best when you open a directory, which you can do by clicking File in the top left, and then choosing Open Folder. You can also edit single files by opening a file with VSCode, or by going to File and then Open File.

View of the side of VSCode

In order, the icons under the blue VSCode logo in the top left are:

1. File Explorer
   1. Let’s you open, make, delete files and directories
2. Search
   1. Let’s you search the whole project for a word or phrase, and let’s you replace it too
3. Source Control
   1. Integrates with Git to help you track what changes need to be added/committed
   2. I’m not a big fan of using this, I like using Git in the Command Line better
4. Debug
   1. Allows you to run your code step by step to find bugs
   2. I haven’t really ever used this, it is especially useless for embedded code and firmware
5. Remote Explorer
   1. Essentially Docker integration
6. Extensions
   1. This is the true bread and butter of VSCode, where you can download extensions that the community/VSCode has made to help format your code, check for syntax errors, build code, etc.
   2. There’s even an extension where you can get a virtual pet for while you code
   3. This is where you can install PlatformIO
7. Testing
   1. This is where users can write and utilize testing scripts/frameworks to test their code before releasing it
8. The last icon is the PlatformIO icon, which I’ll go into more depth about in the next section

Installing PlatformIO

To install PlatformIO, navigate to the Extensions tab on the left and search for PlatformIO, then install it. That is essentially it. I have seen a bug where you can’t have spaces in your username, specifically for Windows, so keep in mind that this is just an open-source project and might have a few bugs.