ESP32 Exception Decoder missing from menu

Development Tools IDE 2.x
1

Using IDE 2.3.7 on Win 11 with an ESP32 Dev board (not a fancy variant) I get an exception error and reboot that I want to get to the bottom of. However, the ESP32 Exception decoder does not appear in the IDE menu. I thought that it used to be in Tools

I have esp-exception-decoder-1.1.1.vsix in C:\Users<myUsername>.arduinoIDE\plugins but I cannot recall the last time that I used it

What am I missing ?
Do I need to change a board setting perhaps ?

2

Hi @UKHeliBob.

That is only in Arduino IDE 1.x (with the Arduino IDE 1.x plugin).

With the Arduino IDE 2.x extension, the exception decoder is accessed via Arduino IDE's "command palette":

https://github.com/dankeboy36/esp-exception-decoder#usage

Usage

  1. Open a sketch in the Arduino IDE and verify it.
  2. Upload the sketch to your ESP8266/ESP32 board.
  3. Open the Serial Monitor view to monitor the output for exceptions.
  4. When an exception occurs, open the Exception Decoder terminal:
    • Open the Command Palette using Ctrl/⌘+Shift+P.
    • Type ESP Exception Decoder: Show Decoder Terminal and press Enter.

Give that a try and let us know if you still have any problems using the "ESP Exception Decoder" extension.

3

Thanks Per, it works

Whether or not I can decipher what it is telling me is another matter !

4

All sorted.

Details don't matter in this case but with the help of the decoder I figured out that the sketch, an example from a library, was trying to control the brightness, colour, colour temperature and saturation of a wireless controlled plug. No wonder that there was a problem

I have made a note of the instructions for the Exception decoder for future use