4 VSCode+PlatformIO

I Use Arduino IDE to program ESP32. But I found it is not very convenient. So I use VSCode+PlatformIO to program ESP32.

Comparison Table: ESP32 Development Tools

Feature	Arduino IDE (2.x/3.0)	VSCode + PlatformIO
Primary Focus	Simplicity & Accessibility	Professional Workflow & Scalability
Installation	Single installer, easy	VSCode extension, requires setup
Code Intelligence	Basic (limited autocomplete)	Advanced (Full IntelliSense/Refactoring)
Dependency Mgmt	Manual (Global library manager)	Automated (Project-specific)
Project Structure	Flat (mostly .ino files)	Structured (src, include, lib folders)
Debugging	Limited (Serial Monitor focus)	Powerful (Hardware breakpoints, JTAG)
Build System	Slower (Full re-compile)	Fast (Incremental & Parallel builds)
Version Control	Poor (Not Git-friendly)	Excellent (Fully Git/GitHub compatible)

Source: Gemini by Google, Mar 2026

4.1 Install VSCode and PlatfomrIO

I download and install Visual Studio Code (VSCode) from website (https://code.visualstudio.com/) . I open VSCode , search PlatformIO IDE extension and install it .

I open PlatformIO in VSCode,and create New Project for ESP32 Dev Kit.

After creating the project, I can use pio run command to compile and upload the code to the board.

4.3 let LED on and off

The following example demonstrates programming the ESP32 using the VSCode and PlatformIO extension to make an LED fade in and out.

#include <Arduino.h>

// 大多数 ESP32 开发板（如 DevKit V1）的内置 LED 连接在 GPIO 2
// 如果你的板子 LED 引脚不同，请修改此处的数字
#define LED_PIN 2

void setup() {
    // 设置引脚模式为输出
    pinMode(LED_PIN, OUTPUT);
}

void loop() {
    // 对应 MicroBlocks 的 setUserLED true
    digitalWrite(LED_PIN, HIGH);
    // 对应 waitMillis 500
    delay(500);

    // 对应 MicroBlocks 的 setUserLED false
    digitalWrite(LED_PIN, LOW);
    // 对应 waitMillis 500
    delay(500);
}

4.4 let servo motor rotate

The following example demonstrates programming the ESP32 using the VSCode and PlatformIO extension to make an servo motrot rotate.

#include <Arduino.h>
#include <ESP32Servo.h>

// 引脚定义
const int BUTTON_PIN = 34;
const int SERVO_PIN = 23;

// 变量定义
bool btn = false;
bool lastBtnState = false;
Servo myServo;

void setup() {
    Serial.begin(115200);
    
    // 初始化按钮：GPIO 34 通常没有内部上拉，需确保硬件有外部电阻
    // 对应 MicroBlocks 的 (not (digitalReadOp 34)) 逻辑
    pinMode(BUTTON_PIN, INPUT);

    // 初始化舵机
    myServo.setPeriodHertz(50); // 标准 50Hz 频率
    myServo.attach(SERVO_PIN, 500, 2400); // 绑定引脚并设置脉宽范围
    myServo.write(0); // 初始位置 0 度
}

void loop() {
    // 1. 读取按钮状态
    // MicroBlocks 中使用了 'not'，说明是低电平触发（按下为 low，取反后为 true）
    btn = !digitalRead(BUTTON_PIN);

    // 2. 对应 sayIt 和 graphIt (输出到串口监视器/绘图仪)
    Serial.print("Button_State:");
    Serial.println(btn);

    // 3. 对应 whenCondition btn (检测按钮从 false 变为 true 的瞬间)
    if (btn == true && lastBtnState == false) {
        Serial.println("Action: Servo Moving!");
        
        // 模拟 MicroBlocks 中的舵机序列
        myServo.write(0);
        delay(500);
        myServo.write(90);
        delay(500);
        myServo.write(0);
        delay(500);
    }

    lastBtnState = btn; // 记录状态用于下次对比
    delay(50); // 对应 waitMillis 50
}