Missing library Error message does not appear as useful in BETA IDE

M_James_O · May 10, 2021, 9:25pm

When I am missing a library, and verify code, the Arduino IDE 1.8.13 shows this error message:

Arduino_Marino_v6_a:8:10: fatal error: RTClib.h: No such file or directory
** #include <RTClib.h>**
** ^~~~~~~~~~**
compilation terminated.
exit status 1
RTClib.h: No such file or directory

Notice the last line, which is extremely useful for me to realize "Hey, you forgot to install the library!" This is just the standard output (not on verbose output).

When I run the same code on the Arduino IDE 2.0.0 - Beta 5

This is the error message I get:

Compilation error: Error: 2 UNKNOWN: exit status 1

Unless I set the error output to verbose mode, I loose the blaring indication about the missing library being the issue.

Not sure if this is useful feedback, but I just wanted to post this for the Arduino IDE developers to see if that more meaningful error message could be rolled into the Arduino IDE Beta.

Thanks!

pert · May 10, 2021, 9:28pm

Hi @M_James_O. Thanks for your valuable feedback.

I agree that this is a serious problem. The issue is being tracked here:

github.com/arduino/arduino-ide

Non-standard and cryptic error message when compilation fails due to no match for #include directive

opened 04:02PM - 25 Feb 21 UTC

ubidefeo

priority: low type: bug

**Describe the bug** ne of the most common errors encountered by beginners is c…aused by them trying to compile a sketch they found without installing the library dependencies (all too often the sketch author doesn't even bother to document deps). Since we don't currently bundle the standard libraries with Arduino IDE 2.0.0 (https://arduino.atlassian.net/browse/ATL-825), this is likely to be even more common. In the Java IDE, Arduino CLI, and Arduino Web Editor, compiling a sketch with an #include directive for a non-existent header file, for example: ```C #include <Nonexistent.h> void setup() {} void loop() {} ``` will produce an error message that looks like this (even without verbose compilation output enabled): ``` C:\program-files\arduino\cli\arduino-cli_nightly\Foo\Foo.ino:1:10: fatal error: Nonexistent.h: No such file or directory #include <Nonexistent.h> ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ compilation terminated. Error during build: exit status 1 ``` This is all you get with the default non-verbose compilation output setting: ``` Compilation error: Error: 2 UNKNOWN: exit status 1 ``` The verbose compilation output is still pretty cryptic ``` Alternatives for Nonexistent.h: [] ResolveLibrary(Nonexistent.h) -> candidates: [] Compilation error: Error: 2 UNKNOWN: exit status 1 ``` You're not going to find many helpful results if you Google these strings, whereas there are zillions for "No such file or directory". The Java IDE and Arduino Web Editor also highlight the line of the sketch associated with the error: ![Clipboard01](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/1894487/109180571-4c591c80-778b-11eb-9c23-99b5a5bf6d30.png) while Arduino IDE 2.0.0 gives no indication of the source of the error. **Desktop (please complete the following information):** - OS: Windows 10 - Version: 2.0.0-beta.2-snapshot.298cc11 - CLI Version: 0.16.0 alpha [c977a238] [ originally reported by @per1234 ]