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authorMarti Bolivar <mbolivar@leaflabs.com>2011-06-11 20:47:54 -0400
committerMarti Bolivar <mbolivar@leaflabs.com>2011-06-11 20:56:40 -0400
commit2134210f6e269f60c0a8034bcb57b276545617f2 (patch)
treec9e4e11a45d6b6ce3c667dd241a75deef293573e
parent97a63a4d6ea57ed39f82d60529b2fef01d8eed35 (diff)
downloadlibrambutan-2134210f6e269f60c0a8034bcb57b276545617f2.tar.gz
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ide: Document further, reorganize.
Move screenshot down into its own section. Add table of contents. Reorganize toolbar button descriptions as subsections of a new section dedicated to the purpose. Add a stub about getting to the examples.
-rw-r--r--source/ide.rst116
1 files changed, 72 insertions, 44 deletions
diff --git a/source/ide.rst b/source/ide.rst
index b3ef653..58dca1c 100644
--- a/source/ide.rst
+++ b/source/ide.rst
@@ -11,116 +11,135 @@ The :ref:`Maple Quickstart <maple-quickstart>` is another good source of
information on the IDE; it is especially useful for setting up a
computer for the first time.
+.. contents:: Contents
+ :local:
+
+IDE Windows
+-----------
+
+The following screenshot shows the appearance of a Maple IDE window:
+
.. figure:: /_static/img/ide-blinky.png
:align: center
:alt: Maple IDE
+Note the toolbar buttons at the top; they're the icons with circles or
+squares around them. You can program your board mostly through the
+use of these buttons, which are described in the next section.
+
+Toolbar Buttons
+---------------
+
.. _ide-verify:
Verify
-------
+~~~~~~
.. image:: /_static/img/button-verify.png
:align: left
-Click Verify to compile the current sketch.
+Click Verify to compile the current sketch. This will process your
+program and produce an executable which can run on your board.
.. _ide-stop:
Stop
-----
+~~~~
.. image:: /_static/img/button-stop.png
:align: left
-Click Stop to cancel a compilation.
+Click Stop to cancel a compilation. Longer programs may take a while
+to compile. Clicking Stop will let you go back to writing code
+without having to wait for compilation to finish.
.. _ide-new:
New
----
+~~~
.. image:: /_static/img/button-new.png
:align: left
-Click New to begin a fresh sketch.
+Click New to make a fresh sketch.
.. _ide-open:
Open
-----
+~~~~
.. image:: /_static/img/button-open.png
:align: left
-Click Open to open a new sketch. By default, this will look in you
-*sketchbook*, which is a directory on your system which contains all
-of your sketches. The default directory of your sketchbook varies by
-operating system; you can change it in the IDE preferences.
+Click Open to open an existing sketch. Maple IDE will first look for
+the sketch in your *sketchbook*, which is a folder on your computer
+that contains your sketches. The sketchbook is stored in different
+places depending on your operating system. You can change its
+location in the IDE's preferences.
.. _ide-save:
Save
-----
+~~~~
.. image:: /_static/img/button-save.png
:align: left
-Click Save to save the currently opened sketch.
+Click Save to save the currently opened sketch. This will save all
+open tabs, not just the one you're currently looking at.
.. _ide-upload:
Upload
-------
+~~~~~~
.. image:: /_static/img/button-upload.png
:align: left
Click Upload to send the compiled sketch to your Maple to run. Before
you click Upload, you must have a memory location and serial port
-selected. The memory location, either Flash or RAM, determines
-whether the compiled sketch binary will be stored on the Maple. You
-can choose this using the Tools > Board menu. The serial port
-corresponds to the Serial-over-USB connection the Maple has
-established with your computer. This looks like "COM1", "COM2",
-etc. on Windows, "/dev/tty.usbmodemXXX" on Mac (where "XXX" is some
-sequence of letters and numbers), or "/dev/ttyACMXXX" on Linux (again,
-where "XXX" is some sequence of letters and numbers). You can choose
-a serial port using the Tools > Serial Port menu.
-
-If you click Upload without having made these choices; The IDE
-*should* prompt you to do so. However, if you're trying to upload and
-are unsuccessful, make sure you've made choices for both board and
-serial port.
-
-For more help, the upload process is documented in more detail (with
-screenshots) in the :ref:`quickstart <maple-quickstart-upload>`.
+selected.
+
+The memory location, either Flash or RAM, determines whether the
+compiled sketch binary will be stored on the Maple. You can choose
+this using the Tools > Board menu.
+
+The serial port corresponds to the :ref:`SerialUSB <lang-serialusb>`
+connection the Maple establishes with your computer. This looks like
+"COM1", "COM2", etc. on Windows, "/dev/tty.usbmodemXXX" on Mac (where
+"XXX" is some sequence of letters and numbers), or "/dev/ttyACMXXX" on
+Linux (again, where "XXX" is some sequence of letters and numbers).
+You can choose a serial port using the Tools > Serial Port menu.
+
+If you're trying to upload and are unsuccessful, make sure you've made
+choices for both board and serial port. More help on uploading
+(including screenshots) is available in the :ref:`quickstart
+<maple-quickstart-upload>`.
If all else fails, try putting your Maple in :ref:`perpetual
bootloader mode <troubleshooting-perpetual-bootloader>` before
-uploading.
-
-In any case, you can always find us on the `forum`_ or `contact us
-directly`_.
+uploading. You can always find us on the `forum`_ or `contact us
+directly`_ for help on any problems you're having.
.. _ide-serial-monitor:
Serial Monitor
---------------
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.. image:: /_static/img/button-serial-monitor.png
:align: left
-Click Serial Monitor to open up a communications channel between your
-PC and the Maple's :ref:`Serial-over-USB <lang-serialusb>`
-(``SerialUSB``) virtual serial port.
+Click Serial Monitor to open up a communication channel between your
+PC and the Maple's :ref:`SerialUSB <lang-serialusb>` virtual serial
+port.
If the serial monitor is open, any information sent to the computer
-(e.g. using :ref:`SerialUSB.println() <lang-serialusb-println>` will
-be displayed in the large text area. You can send data to the Maple
-(to be read with e.g. :ref:`SerialUSB.read() <lang-serialusb-read>`)
-by typing into the small text box and either hitting the Enter key or
-pressing the Send button.
+(for example, using :ref:`SerialUSB.println()
+<lang-serialusb-println>`) will be displayed in the large text area.
+You can send data to the Maple by typing into the small text box and
+either hitting the Enter key or pressing the Send button. (The Maple
+can read the data you send with :ref:`SerialUSB.read()
+<lang-serialusb-read>`).
Here is an example serial monitor session with the InteractiveTest
sketch (which you can load in the IDE by choosing menu item File >
@@ -134,3 +153,12 @@ This is the result of typing "?" in the text box and clicking Send.
If you click :ref:`Upload <ide-upload>` while the serial monitor is
open, the IDE will close it for you before proceeding with the
upload.
+
+.. _ide-examples:
+
+Example Code
+------------
+
+Maple IDE comes with a variety of sample code you can use to help you
+get started writing your own programs. To load an example in a new
+Maple IDE window, choose one from the submenus under File > Examples.