Arduino IDE won't compile anything

Projects Programming
1

Hi Folks...

I just retired from 30+ years as a C++ developer - mostly Visual C++. I have never done any board-level programming (or not since school). I got a WaveShare ESP32-S3 watch for retirement and am anxious to learn the other end of the technology.

I'm looking forward to using this forum to address complex and difficult issues, but this is as dumb as they come.

Arduino IDE recognizes my board, but:

  • Won't build the simplest project.
  • Gives no indication whatsoever what the problem is.
  • I notice that autocompletion is also not working.

The code (from the WaveShare site https://www.waveshare.com/wiki/ESP32-S3-Touch-AMOLED-2.06):

void setup() {
  
 Serial.begin(115200);

}

void loop() {

 Serial.println("Hello, World!");
 delay(2000);

}

Here's the build error:

exit status 1

Compilation error: exit status 1

The run/debug errors can't be copied. They just indicate that the executable is not found.

Arduino IDE version is 2.3.6. I've downloaded and installed twice. I'm installed to the default C:\Program Files\Arduino IDE.
I've just updated to 2.3.7.
Windows 11, version 24H2
I'm running as administrator.

Can anyone offer suggestions? Am I missing headers, libraries or is there a problem with the installation?

Thanks in advance,

Placitas S

2

Welcome to the forum

Do you mean that the button to copy the errors is not displayed or that you cannot manually select the error message to copy here ?

What exactly is the error message ?
If you cannot do it any other way then make the bottom window of the IDE as big as possible and post a screen shot

3

There were no buttons to copy the errors. The errors only post very briefly. Here is a pNG of the screen capture:

Arduino run - debug errors
Arduino run - debug errors1038×203 17.8 KB

The error display does not persist.

I'm just assuming that, since the build failed, there is no executable to find.

Thanks for looking at this.

4

There is no Copy Errors button because what you are experiencing is not a compile error.

I am not able to help with errors that you are getting but other users may be better placed than me to provide help

5

Hi @placitas_scott ,

Welcome to the forum..

did you install the esp32 board package and select your board??

good luck.. ~q

6

I will take a SWAG but realize It has been since the windoz 98 days. Back then but it never took a "/" which Linux and Unix use. Your message shows both starting with "C:/". Others may know more on this. I assume it will not take both so your file will never be found.

7

qubits-us,

Thanks... Yes, the library is loaded and the Arduino IDE sees the board. Here's the complete screen capture that shows it:

Arduino run - debug errors
Arduino run - debug errors1303×815 52.4 KB

gilshultz,

Thanks... I'm a Windows guy - primarily because, thirty years ago, our customers would have balked at Linux. Windows is agnostic with respect to forward or back slashes in file paths.

In either case, I would hope that the IDE would identify the cause of the error. As shown in the screen captures, it offers no clue.

Thanks, again, to both

Placitas S

8

Both the native \ and the POSIX / path separators are supported by Windows in this context.

It is a "red herring".

The commands Arduino IDE invokes when compiling a sketch are generated from templates (referred to as "patterns" in the Arduino boards platform framework). These templates are intended to be used on all operating systems, so the POSIX / path separators are used in the hardcoded template text. Paths provided by the operating system are also used to populate the templates. These paths use the native separator.

So you end up with a mixture of path separators in the commands generated by Arduino IDE on Windows, but this is not a problem.

9

So as I understand it without the POSIX which is a portable operating system of sorts I would be correct. This is because POSIX interpreting the path, not windoz.

10

that’s the wrong package..

you need the esp32 by Espressif..

espBoard
espBoard478×430 45.4 KB

good luck.. ~q

11

Thanks, I'll have a go at that. But it's tea time, so it will be a while before I can validate.

Placitas S

12

Thanks muchly. It builds!

I have a lot to learn. It won't upload or debug, but I'll fight with that myself for awhile before I address the forum. It's not clear to me why this should be Arduino Nesso N1 and not ESP32, but I'll work at learning that. I'll be working with a more general-purpose board after Christmas and will see what that has to teach me.

Thanks again,

Placitas S

13

Doing something that’s good..

The Nesso N1 is the board I currently have selected not you cool watch..

Check the Wiki you posted it has all the details you need..

get stuck, hit us back..

have fun.. ~q