Generate, compile and upload programming code to any compatible Arduino board for testing and subsequent modification or adjustment. Uno, Nano, Mega, Esplora, Ethernet, Fio, Pro or Pro Mini, as well as LilyPad models of Arduino boards are accessible.
Arduino is a rich Integrated Development Editor that comes packed with numerous features that allow users to write, compile, and upload their code. With this IDE you can search which board you are using and which libraries you want to link and the program will do the rest.
The program's GUI is quite catchy, thanks to the well-chosen theme colors and the nicely-crafted button icons. Moreover, it has various themes to choose from along with other few interesting customizations options.
What makes Arduino a powerful IDE is the wide support for Arduino boards, such as Esplora, Fio, LilyPad Arduino, Arduino Uno or Nano. Besides that, it offers features like syntax highlighting, brace matching, and automatic indentation.
The supported programming languages are C and C++, so the software will mainly be used by those who understand these languages. It can be used by programmers who know other languages and who are keen to learn C and C++ syntaxes, but it's not suited for novices with no programming knowledge.
Arduino's environment includes built-in libraries, such as Firmata, GSM, Servo, EEPROM or WiFI, but it also offers the possibility of adding one of your own.
The only discovered cons were the program slow loading time and the fact that it lacks a built-in debugger. Despite those cons, Arduino is a program that makes programming language easy to learn and modify, and that, overall, delivers what you expect.
v1.8 [Dec 22, 2016]
-Fixed IDE doesn't start if library_index.json is corruped.
-Fixed IDE doesn't start if a library with invalid version is found.
-Fixed Rare build errors in very complex sketches (like Marlin firmware).
-Fixed Better dialog explaining that MacOSX 10.8 is now required. Thanks @PaulStoffregen
-Fixed Slow "File" and "Tools" menus in MacOSX
-Fixed Weird Board Manager behaviour if AVR core is downgraded to a version earlier than 1.6.22
-Improved first-use usability if the user don't select the serial port. Thanks @PaulStoffregen
-Custom "Tools" menu now keeps the order as defined in boards.txt.
[core]:
-AVR Fixed EEPROM warnings. Thanks @bxparks
-AVR Treat "narrowing conversion" as warning, not error. This will make some libraries to compile again. Thanks @PaulStoffregen
