How to use THIS section of the FORUM

[ballscrewbob]

Welcome to the ONLINE EDITOR...

How to use this section of the forum - please read.

Before you start please ask yourself if you followed the The getting started completely.
SELECT THE PLUGIN OPTION !



1. Basic information needed

This is the CREATE ONLINE EDITOR section.
Please try to include the following information in your post.

• Your computer operating system and version. E.g. Windows 10 pro x 64.
• Your Browser information such as Chrome Version 56.0.2924.87 (64-bit).
• The type of Arduino you are using (clones are accepted).
• Does your board work on the regular DESKTOP IDE (If so please include the version).
• Actual problem description ?
"Same here" or "Me too" do not really help anyone as there are so many differences between
computers so often a similar looking problem may be something entirely different.
• Types of USB port being used with the Arduinos ?
A lot of USB 3.0 ports can cause issues (not all) If you only have USB 3.0 and are having
intermittent connection issues try insert a USB 2.0 powered hub between the computer and
the  Arduino as that is known to fix a few issues.
• Copies of any error reports seen. PLEASE use code tags </> to post those errors
• If your issue concerns a sketch on CREATE PLEASE supply a link to that sketch. You can use the SHARE option to get your link.

NEVER HIJACK somebody else's thread or DUPLICATE your post elsewhere !
This is frowned upon and can result in problems getting the correct answer always start your own thread.

Other things to try to get a bit more information.
Before loading any sketches go straight to PREFERENCES and turn on ALWAYS SHOW OUTPUT PANEL and CONSOLE SHOW VERBOSE OUTPUT"



If there is anything in the lower console you can copy it out and paste it back here



2. Do some research before posting

Try to solve your problem, or answer your question, yourself. For example, if you are wondering how to connect an ESP8266, try Googling exactly that by using the term "arduino create editor esp8266 " to narrow things down.



The above example gave lots of hits. Read some of them, perhaps your question has already been answered.

Remember that the people trying to help you are just Arduino users like you. Try to help them in order to best help yourself

If that doesn't help, try browsing existing threads in the forum for a while. Maybe what you are asking is currently under discussion in another thread.


3. Click on the New Topic button



4. Make a meaningful subject line

Try to summarize your problem with a helpful and informative subject line. Helpful subjects draw in people who might know the answer. Unhelpful ones are likely to be skipped.

Examples of unhelpful subject lines:
• Noob here, help needed
• Help me, quickly!
• Got error
• Lost, help me
• Problem with my circuit
• No idea what I am doing



In particular avoid subject lines in ALL CAPITALS. That annoys a lot of people, they feel as if you are shouting at them.

For code, error messages, program output, etc. select the code, and click the "Insert code" button, as shown



This makes the code much more readable, and also stops the forum eating your code or changing characters as they may be interpreted as control characters.



If you click the "Preview" button under your post you'll see what the code tags have done, and can check everything looks OK before posting:



6. You can add attachments

If your code is too long to fit into a post, or you have multiple files (e.g. code and libraries), or you want to show an image, click on the Additional Options button:



Then you can browse your hard disk for the image, code, schematic, photo, that you want to attach.

Please resize photos down to a reasonable size. A 4 megabyte photo takes a long time to download. As a courtesy to other forum users, images should be no more than a couple of hundred K bytes. If your picture is too large you will be notified. In that case open your favourite picture editor and select the resize option. Try 75% to start and if it is still too large try 75 % again. Don't forget to save your reduced image with a new file name e.g. Connection error screenshot crop 01 and Connection error screenshot crop 02 etc.

7. You can insert images

If you have an image hosted on your own (or a public) site, you can embed the image directly inside the post, for example:



8. Post in proper sentences

This is a forum you are using, not a mobile phone or Facebook.

As a courtesy to the people you are hoping to have help you, type complete sentences. That is:

• Start with a capital letter.
• Spell words properly.
• Finish with a period (full-stop). (Just the one, thanks!)

Taking the time to make a proper, punctuated, post is a mark of courtesy and respect. It will improve your chance of a response.

9. Tips for getting the most out of your post

• Mention which Arduino you have. Is it a Uno? Leonardo? Due? Mini? Mega?
The problem might be specific to a certain model.
• Describe your problem in detail.
• If it relates to an electronics part (chip or board), give the exact part number and preferably
a link to the data sheet.
• Describe how you have connected things like switches. Are they wired to ground? Or +5V?
Are there pull-up or pull-down resistors? Post a circuit if there is doubt.
• Post a complete sketch (program code)! If you don't you waste time while people ask you to do that.
However, with coding problems, if possible post a "minimal" sketch that demonstrates the problem
not hundreds of lines of code. If the problem goes away in the minimal sketch, it wasn't where you
thought it was.
• Copy and paste code. Don't retype "from memory" on your mobile phone, in the train.
• If you get an error, post the error (copy and paste). Not just "I got an error".
• If you have debugging information in your sketch, post your debugging displays.
• If you are using a library that does not come with the IDE (in other words, you downloaded it
from somewhere) please post a link to this library.
• Describe what you expected to happen, and what actually happened. Not just "it doesn't work".
• If possible, describe what you are really trying to do, not what you think might work. For example
"I am trying to turn on an aquarium heater and pump at the same time", not "how do I break out of
an interrupt?".
• Try to narrow down the problem, whether coding or electronic. Don't confuse us and yourself by
trying to do everything at once. For example, if you are having problems reading a sensor,
make up a simple test case, that tests that sensor (both electrically and in code).
• Put your location (country) in your forum profile. That allows answers to better help you with
mains voltages, local suppliers, and other local issues.

[ballscrewbob]

10. Don't "message" technical questions to people

The messages part of the forum is for personal messages. Not technical questions.

It is not appropriate to find someone who you think might be able to help, and try to get one-on-one personal assistance. If you do, I suggest you be prepared to pay for such personal help.

If you are really keen to get the attention of what appears to you to be an expert in your problem, post a forum question first (as described above).

Then wait a day or two. That person may be busy. If they haven't answered by then, and if no-one else has been able to help you, you could send a brief message politely asking for assistance, including the URL (link) of the forum thread.

If you don't post a link to the forum question, the person you are asking for help has to try to work out where it is, and the time and effort involved may slow down, or stop, their response.

Note that generally questions posted on the forum are answered within the hour, by someone or other. Asking a particular person to help may cause at least an 8-hour delay, if they happen to be asleep, at work, out fishing or whatever they are doing.

11. Forum etiquette

Once you have made your post, here are a few other guidelines:

Don't cross-post!
We know you are anxious to get an answer to your problem, but re-posting the same question to multiple parts of the forum causes duplicate effort, and divides the focus on your problem. You'll get a better answer if everyone can discuss it in one place. Cross-posting is very annoying; the moderators will delete your extra posts, and you will get a warning. Save all the hassle, and just post the question once. It will be noticed.

If you aren't sure what section to post in (Programming Questions, Electronics, etc.) make a guess. Don't cross post "just in case".

Don't bump!
Don't bump your thread after an hour. Because of the different time-zones the person who knows the answer may be asleep, or away for the day. Maybe after a couple of days.

If your question didn't get an answer, honestly review it to see if you posted enough information to help people answer you. Did you even ask a question?

People are trying to help
If someone asks for more details, they are probably trying to visualize what you are attempting to do. Don't fob them off with "that's irrelevant" sort of responses. The more detail about your project, the better the help you will get.

Keep your signature short
A signature should be preferably one line, and relevant. A signature that links to some unrelated-looking site (like football competitions) is likely to get you banned as a spammer. To keep bandwidth down, no images, thanks.

Be polite
A little courtesy and politeness goes a long way. Even if you think a question has been asked before, or you don't see the point of it, try to answer politely. Remember a lot of the posters with high post counts see the same questions every day, and they may get a bit terse if you appear not to have tried very hard to help yourself in the first place. You will find that if you respond in a friendly way, people will stick with you and you will almost certainly get your problem solved. Personal insults are not acceptable. Stick to the topic.

12. Once you have a response ...

You will probably quickly get some helpful suggestions. Read them carefully.

• If a reply mentions something you don't understand (e.g. "shift register") try to find out for yourself what that means, by using Google.
• If you don't understand part of a reply, say so. Say which part. Don't just ignore it.
• Apply suggested fixes, even if they don't seem relevant to you. Seemingly insignificant changes might actually solve your problem.
• Look for hints about what is wanted. For example: "what code?" means: "Please post your code."
• If you make changes, and things still don't work, post the changed code (or wiring) as appropriate (in a new reply).
• Answer questions. It is frustrating to have to take three pages of a thread to drag out of someone what code they are using, or what their wiring is.
• Except for adding code tags, please don't modify earlier posts to make corrections. That makes the following posts read strangely. Post the modified code in a new reply.
• Once you have solved your problem, do not delete the thread! The forum is supposed to be a knowledge-base. Deleting a thread once you are happy does not help future people with similar problems. Nor should you replace your original post with something meaningless like a dot.
• Similarly, if you have worked the problem out, as a courtesy to other people reading the thread later, explain what you changed that made it work (e.g. post the corrected circuit, or corrected code).
• If you consider the issue solved, please edit your original post (the first one in the thread) and add "[solved]" to the subject line. That helps people know the issue is resolved. Also please post the solution, whether you worked it out yourself, or if someone else helped you. A note that "this was solved by doing X" is very helpful to other people with the same problem. Thanks!

"Thanks to Nick Gammon as this is based on his forum guide"

SIMPLE TROUBLESHOOTING.

• If applicable provide your SKETCH inside CODE TAGS ( </> ).
• If applicable provide a schematic even if hand drawn.
• Ensure you turn off any additional security / antivirus just to test.
• Where possible use USB 2.0 ports or a USB 2.0 POWERED HUB.
• Try other computers where possible.
• Try other USB leads where possible.
• Avoid cloud / network based installations where possible OR Ensure your Network / Cloud based software is RUNNING.
• You do not have the correct driver installed.
• There may be a problem with the PC.
• You may be selecting the wrong COM port.
• There is a problem with the board.
• You have something connected to pins 0 and 1.
• Remove any items connected to pins 0 and 1.
• Restart your computer.
• Clear your browsers CACHE.
• Close the IDE before using any other serial programs.
• Check you have a COMMON GROUND where required.
• Preferably install IDE's as ADMINISTRATOR

CREATE editor install locations.

• On macOs ~/Applications/ArduinoCreateAgent-1.1/ArduinoCreateAgent.app/Contents/MacOS/config.ini
• On Linux ~/ArduinoCreateAgent-1.1/config.ini
• On Windows C:\Users[your user]\AppData\Roaming\ArduinoCreateAgent-1.1

Attached below is this forum post, a suggestion for cleaning up if you are changing IDE's, Ideas to get ready to import sketches and libraries.  ALL in PDF format.

[ballscrewbob]

Welcome to the Arduino forums.

The people here want to help you but to do that we need certain bits of information. Without the correct information it is difficult or impossible to give you the help and advice you need. To help us to help you please read General guidance andHow to use this forum and provide the information asked for.

Being new here you might think this is asking too much or having rules for the sake of rules, that is not the case. If you don't follow the guidelines all that happens is there is a long exchange of message while we try to get you to tell us what we need in order to help you, this is frustrating for you and frustrating for us.

Common mistakes for people posting here the first time:

Code problems:
Not posting any code while expecting us to work out what is wrong with your code; we are not telepathic and can only find problems in code we can see.
Posting a snippet of code in the belief that the problem is in the code snippet. It is almost always the case that the problem is not where you think it is but elsewhere in the code, hence we need all the code.
Not correctly formatting code. Before posting code use Tools / auto format at the top of the IDE, or use control T. Once you've done that use edit / copy for forum.
Posting code without code tags (</>), these are explained in the instructions linked to above. Using code tags makes the code easier to read. Not using code tags means some of the code gets interpreted as HTML with the result that it is displayed with smiley faces and other stuff that should not be there.
Not being clear about what is expected from code or what happened instead. Code ALWAYS works, that is the nature of code. Whether it does what you expect is a different thing altogether. We need to know what you expected the code to do and what happened instead.
Asking for complete code; we are not here to write code for you, we are here to help you if you get stuck writing code yourself. If you really want someone to write code for you please click on 'report to moderator' and ask them to move this to 'Gigs and Collaborations' and indicate how much you are willing to pay.

Schematics:
The language of electronics is a schematic or circuit diagram. Long descriptions of what is connected to what are generally useless. A schematic is a drawing of what connects to what, please make one and photograph it. We don't mind if it's hand drawn, scruffy and does not use the correct symbols. We do mind if you don't at least try to post a schematic. Most images will self-attach to the bottom of your post but if it doesn't Please read How to post an image

General:
Posting links to other sites where code or photos or schematics are hosted. Most of us will not follow such links, partly because of the risk that they hold malware or other unwanted content, partly to maintain everything on this site for the benefit of future users looking for an answer to a similar question and partly because we feel that if you want our help you should provide everything we need on this site not expect us to go hunting elsewhere for it. Exceptions are where you may be asked for a specific link such as a datasheet or product etc. However don't post links to "similar" items only the ones you have there or want advice about.

Questions:
Not being clear about what is being asked, for example not asking a question at all or asking a vague question like 'please help' or some such thing. The same if you don't follow somebody's answer. Ask them to explain a little more and be clear you did not quite understand the answer you were given.

About us:
Those of us answering questions have a wide variety of backgrounds and electronics knowledge, some though working in electronics, some through electronics as a hobby, some both. Most of us are not trained as teachers so probably miss the finer points of how to teach and explain things effectively. We are not, with the rare exception, employees or representatives of Arduino.
Please also remember we are volunteers doing this for free in our spare time and are more inclined to help people who make it easy for us to provide help by providing the information we ask for.

About you:
We only know about you what you tell us; we need to know your level of experience with electronics or microcontrollers, if we don't know then we can't tailor our answer to your level of knowledge. We also don't know if you have problems with English or language or communications in general unless you tell us. We can be sympathetic about problems we know about, but if you don't tell us we don't know.
Thank you.


COMMON ISSUES

• Check you have a COMMON GROUND where required.
• Where possible use USB 2.0 ports or a USB 2.0 POWERED HUB to rule out USB 3.0 issues.
• Try other computers where possible.
• Try other USB leads where possible.
• You may not have the correct driver installed. CH340/341 or CP2102
• There may be a problem with the board check your wiring first.
• Remove any items connected to pins 0 and 1.

COMPUTER RELATED

• close any other serial programs before opening the IDE.
• Ensure you turn off any additional security / antivirus just to test.
• There may be a problem with the PC try RESTARTING it.
• You may be selecting the wrong COM port.
• Avoid cloud/network based installations where possible OR ensure your Network/Cloud software is RUNNING.
• Clear your browsers CACHE.
• Close the IDE before using any other serial programs.
• Preferably install IDE's as ADMINISTRATOR or your OS equivalent

Arduino specific boards

• CH340/341 based clones do not report useful information to the "get board info" button.
• NANO (Old Types) some require you to use the OLD BOOTLOADER option.
• NANO (New Types) See the specific sections in the forum.
• NANO (New Types) Install your board CORE's.
• Unless using EXTERNAL PROGRAMMERS please leave the IDE selection at default "AVRISP mkII".
• Boards using a MICRO usb connector need a cable that is both DATA and CHARGE. Many are CHARGE ONLY.

CREATE editor install locations.

• On macOs ~/Applications/ArduinoCreateAgent-1.1/ArduinoCreateAgent.app/Contents/MacOS/config.ini
• On Linux ~/ArduinoCreateAgent-1.1/config.ini
• On Windows C:\Users[your user]\AppData\Roaming\ArduinoCreateAgent-1.1

Performing the above actions may help resolve your problem without further help.

Language problem ?
Try a language closer to your native language:

• 中文 (Chinese)
• Deutsch - German
• Español  - Spanish
• Français - French
• অসমীয়া,  বাংলা,  बड़ो - India
• Italiano - Italian
• Nederlands  - Dutch
• Portugues - Portuguese
• Россия - Russia
• Scandinavia  Swedish, Suomi - Finnish, Norsk - Norwegian

Thanks to all those who helped and added to this list.