Those numbered libraries again

Using Arduino IDE 1.x
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Q1: Can I confidently assume that none of the automatically named libraries are duplicates of those meaningfully named?

That assumption seems supported by the fact that a search for a string of text in a few (such as DFRobotPlayerMini) found no other hits in the \libraries folder. However I vaguely record you or another of the team summarising the reason for their existence was to avoid ambiguity with an existing library?

Q2: If my assumption stands, if I decide it's worth the effort could I safely change their names to meaningful ones? (Which I would do by manually inspecting their properties).

LibraryPropertiesPost
LibraryPropertiesPost438×1167 117 KB

NumberedLibraryPuzzle
NumberedLibraryPuzzle794×802 143 KB

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I agree.

I think the way it works is something like this:

  1. User triggers library installation or update via Library Manager.
  2. IDE downloads the archive file of the library from Arduino's server.
  3. IDE extracts the downloaded file to a folder with a temporary name following this arduino_nnnnn format.
  4. IDE renames the folder to the final name that reflects the library name.

If for some reason the IDE is not able to perform that final step, then the library installation folder retains the temporary name. Things that might prevent the IDE from performing the final step:

  • There is already a folder of that name.
  • The operating system has placed a file lock on the folder (which might happen if your antivirus software is performing a scan)

Sure. Library Manager normally installs them to a folder matching the value of the name field of the library's library.properties metadata file, except with any spaces replaced with underscores (e.g., Adafruit Neopixel -> Adafruit_Neopixel)

1 Like
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Thanks for your usual thorough answer.

When I get some time I’ll slog through the renaming!

Still hard to see how either of the two options applied here though.

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You are welcome.

It might be that there are other conditions under which Arduino IDE might leave the library in a folder with this name format. I have never ventured to delve much into the Java codebase of Arduino IDE 1.x so what I wrote above is purely speculation. Fortunately Arduino IDE 2.x does not have this behavior so the existence of these unfriendly folder names is generally in the rear-view mirror now.

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