firmata IDE

Projects General Guidance
1

Im new to arduino and have a maybe stupid question. What is the difference with fimata and IDE? What are these two things? :slight_smile: I know its a basic question but want to have basic understanding to begin with ...

thanks

2

"firmata" is a sketch/protocol/library that allows a program on your PC to access hardware on the Arduino; it's something that links PC programs to external hardware connected to the arduino.

the IDE is the PC program that edits, compiles, and uploads programs (sketches) to your arduino.

So for example, you could have a "Processing" sketch that reads dials and sliders connected to the arduino, and uses their positions to modify a graphics display. To run all this, you'd use the arduino IDE to compile and upload Firmata to your arduino, and then you'd use Processing and it's Firmata libraries to compile and run the PC-side application, and the PC and Arduino would end up talking to each other...

3

so to put it short:

  • Firmata is for making communication between the computer and the arduino-hardware possible
  • IDE is the software that that tells what to communicate through firmata
4

No.
Firmata does communications between PC "applications" and hardware connected to the Arduino, more-or-less making the arduino "invisible". The Arduino CAN communicate with the PC using formats/protocols OTHER than firmata. For example, the "Serial Monitor" capability of the IDE does PC/Arduino communications in a very "Raw" form. It does not use Firmata. The IDE also communicates with the Arduino for purposes of uploading sketches, and that doesn't use firmata, either.

You can do exciting and useful things on an Arduino for YEARS without ever using Firmata.

WRT Firmata, the IDE is the tool that is used to load the Firmata protocol onto the Arduino. The IDE also does many things that have nothing to do with Firmata.