Find solutions to common issues

Here are listed the most common causes of errors and the most frequently asked questions.

Before reporting an issue, there are basic checks to be performed.

• Saying that compilation fails is not enough: more information is needed.

• If the sketch doesn’t compile successfully with the standard Arduino IDE, the error isn’t generated by Visual Studio Code and emCode alone.

• If the example or Blinky sketck compiles and runs successfully with Visual Studio Code, the error may come from the project.

Solve compilation issues

Symptom	Compilation fails.
Solution	Does the name of your project include a space or a special character in its name or path?
Reference	See Avoid spaces and special characters in projects names and paths.

Symptom	Compilation fails.
Solution	Do the installed IDEs and compatible correspond to the expected versions?
Reference	Check the Index of boards and platforms.

Symptom	Compilation fails.
Solution	Are the installed IDEs compatible with the supported versions?
Reference	See Install the Arduino tools.

Symptom	Compilation fails.
Solution	By default, no library is compiled. If the project uses libraries, mention them in the main Makefile after the APP_LIBS_LIST and USER_LIBS_LIST variables.
Reference	See Add libraries to the project.

Symptom	Compilation fails.
Solution	Some user’s libraries may be incompatible. Exclude the conflicting libraries.
Reference	See Manage non-standard libraries.

Symptom	Compilation fails.
Solution	Does the sketch compiles normally on the standard Arduino IDE?
Reference	If the sketch doesn’t compile on the standard Arduino IDE, then the error isn’t generated by Visual Studio Code or emCode alone.

Symptom	Compilation fails.
Solution	What is the selected target? The targets All, Upload and Fast require a board to be connected.
Reference	See Select a target.

Symptom	Compilation fails.
Solution	Compilation of an emCode project fails with the standard Arduino IDE. Use the EMCODE pre-processing variable.
Reference	See Use the EMCODE pre-processing variable

Symptom	Compilation fails with some with the message 'uint8_t' was not declared in this scope.
Solution	Some boards ignore the C99 standard [u]int{8|16|32|64}_t types. Refer to the procedure to add them.
Reference	See the Install section for the board under Manage the boards.

Solve libraries issues

Symptom	Visual Studio Code can’t find the libraries.
Solution	Is the sketchbook directory defined?
Reference	See Configure Arduino-CLI or Configure the Arduino IDE.

Symptom	Visual Studio Code can’t find the libraries.
Solution	Is the library folder created inside the sketchbook folder?
Reference	See Use the user’s libraries.

Symptom	Visual Studio Code can’t find the libraries.
Solution	Is the library mentioned in the main Makefile? Or is the library excluded, as Wifi and ArduinoRobot?
Reference	See Use the libraries.

Symptom	Visual Studio Code can’t find the libraries of the board.
Solution	Have the libraries for the boards been installed?
Reference	See Install additional boards on Arduino-CLI or Install additional boards on Arduino IDE.

Symptom	Visual Studio Code can’t find the libraries of the board.
Solution	Have the libraries for the boards been updated?
Reference	See Check and update the boards on Arduino-CLI or Update the boards on Arduino IDE.

Symptom	Visual Studio Code can’t find some sub-libraries of a library.
Solution	Some libraries do not follow the official Arduino library specification and include sub-libraries.
Reference	See Manage non-standard libraries.

Solve pre-compiled libraries issues

Symptom	Visual Studio Code fails to link one or more pre-compiled libraries.
Solution	The target if the pre-compiled library does not correspond to board of the project.
Reference	See Use a pre-compiled library.

Solve upload issues

Symptom	Upload fails.
Solution	Check the USB connection and the drivers.
Reference	Try with another USB cable.

Symptom	Upload fails.
Solution	Check the connection isn’t already used by another application.
Reference	Close the other application.

Symptom	Upload fails.
Solution	The name of the USB port is different.
Reference	See Customise the serial port.

Symptom	Upload fails.
Solution	Some boards have specific upload procedures.
Reference	See the Upload section for the board under Manage the boards.

Symptom	Upload fails after having used a programmer.
Solution	The programmer has erased the boot-loader. You need to burn the boot-loader again.
Reference	See the Upload section for the board under Manage the boards.

Solve boards and platforms issues

Symptom	I want the same code for different platforms.
Solution	Use the conditional statements based on MCU or on IDE.
Reference	See Manage code for multiple platforms and MCUs.

Symptom	My board isn’t listed.
Solution	Create a specific Board Configuration Settings File for your board.
Reference	See Add a board.

Solve compatibility issues

Symptom	The standard Arduino IDE fails to open or compile a project created with emCode.
Solution	Check the compatibility of the project.
Reference	See Manage compatibility with standard Arduino IDE.

Symptom	emCode fails to open or compile a project created with a standard Arduino IDE.
Solution	Check the compatibility of the project.
Reference	See Manage compatibility with the standard Arduino IDE.

Symptom	The standard Arduino IDE fails to compile a project with pre-compiled libraries created with emCode.
Solution	The standard Arduino IDE does not support pre-compiled local libraries. Check the compatibility of the project.
Reference	See Manage pre-compiled libraries.

Solve other issues

Symptom	I need more information about Visual Studio Code.
Solution	Buy a book about Visual Studio Code.

Symptom	I need more information about Arduino.
Solution	Buy a book about Arduino.

Symptom	My issue is not listed.
Solution	Report an issue at the GitHub repository.
Reference	See Visit the official websites.