Interface and Application Programming

What is Interface and Application Programming?

Interface and application programming is all about how users interact with machines and microcontrollers. It involves creating visual or tangible interfaces — like buttons, sliders, or sensors — that communicate with embedded systems. The goal is to bridge the gap between humans and hardware through software.

Whether it’s a touchscreen, a desktop app, or a web interface — the idea is to let users control or get feedback from a device in an intuitive and effective way.

What Did I Do This Week?

This week, I explored how to control a hardware component (a buzzer) using a web interface hosted locally on an ESP32-S3 board. I essentially created a mini IoT application — a web switch that could turn the buzzer on or off from any browser connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

Let’s walk through the whole process step by step:

Step 1:Testing the ESP32-S3 Board

Before anything else, I wanted to ensure my XIAO ESP32-S3 board was working. I ran a basic "blink" test — uploading a simple LED blink sketch to confirm that the board was functioning correctly and that my setup (drivers, port, board manager) was all set.