After that, a simple example will show you how to use ESP-IDF (Espressif IoT Development Framework) for menu configuration, then for building and flashing firmware onto an {IDF_TARGET_NAME} board.
Powered by 40 nm technology, {IDF_TARGET_NAME} provides a robust, highly integrated platform, which helps meet the continuous demands for efficient power usage, compact design, security, high performance, and reliability.
Espressif provides basic hardware and software resources to help application developers realize their ideas using the {IDF_TARGET_NAME} series hardware. The software development framework by Espressif is intended for development of Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, power management and several other system features.
***Toolchain** to compile code for {IDF_TARGET_NAME}
***Build tools** - CMake and Ninja to build a full **Application** for {IDF_TARGET_NAME}
***ESP-IDF** that essentially contains API (software libraries and source code) for {IDF_TARGET_NAME} and scripts to operate the **Toolchain**
**or** get through the onboarding process using the following official plugins for integrated development environments (IDE) described in separate documents
*`Eclipse Plugin <https://github.com/espressif/idf-eclipse-plugin>`_ (`installation link <https://github.com/espressif/idf-eclipse-plugin#installing-idf-plugin-using-update-site-url>`_)
To build applications for the {IDF_TARGET_NAME}, you need the software libraries provided by Espressif in `ESP-IDF repository <https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf>`_.
To get ESP-IDF, navigate to your installation directory and clone the repository with ``git clone``, following instructions below specific to your operating system.
This guide uses the directory ``~/esp`` on Linux and macOS or ``%userprofile%\esp`` on Windows as an installation folder for ESP-IDF. You can use any directory, but you will need to adjust paths for the commands respectively. Keep in mind that ESP-IDF does not support spaces in paths.
The scripts introduced in this step install compilation tools required by ESP-IDF inside the user home directory: ``$HOME/.espressif`` on Linux and macOS, ``%USERPROFILE%\.espressif`` on Windows. If you wish to install the tools into a different directory, set the environment variable ``IDF_TOOLS_PATH`` before running the installation scripts. Make sure that your user account has sufficient permissions to read and write this path.
If changing the ``IDF_TOOLS_PATH``, make sure it is set to the same value every time the Install script (``install.bat``, ``install.ps1`` or ``install.sh``) and an Export script (``export.bat``, ``export.ps1`` or ``export.sh``) are executed.
The installed tools are not yet added to the PATH environment variable. To make the tools usable from the command line, some environment variables must be set. ESP-IDF provides another script which does that.
:ref:`get-started-windows-tools-installer` for Windows creates an "ESP-IDF Command Prompt" shortcut in the Start Menu. This shortcut opens the Command Prompt and sets up all the required environment variables. You can open this shortcut and proceed to the next step.
Technically, you can add ``export.sh`` to your shell's profile directly; however, it is not recommended. Doing so activates IDF virtual environment in every terminal session (including those where IDF is not needed), defeating the purpose of the virtual environment and likely affecting other software.
Now you are ready to prepare your application for {IDF_TARGET_NAME}. You can start with :example:`get-started/hello_world` project from :idf:`examples` directory in IDF.
There is a range of example projects in the :idf:`examples` directory in ESP-IDF. You can copy any project in the same way as presented above and run it.
It is also possible to build examples in-place, without copying them first.
Navigate to your ``hello_world`` directory from :ref:`get-started-start-project`, set {IDF_TARGET_NAME} chip as the target and run the project configuration utility ``menuconfig``.
Setting the target with ``idf.py set-target {IDF_TARGET_PATH_NAME}`` should be done once, after opening a new project. If the project contains some existing builds and configuration, they will be cleared and initialized. The target may be saved in environment variable to skip this step at all. See :ref:`selecting-idf-target` for additional information.
You are using this menu to set up project specific variables, e.g. Wi-Fi network name and password, the processor speed, etc. Setting up the project with menuconfig may be skipped for "hello_word". This example will run with default configuration.
If you use ESP32-DevKitC board with the **ESP32-SOLO-1** module, enable single core mode (:ref:`CONFIG_FREERTOS_UNICORE`) in menuconfig before flashing examples.
If you run the given command and see errors such as "Failed to connect", there might be several reasons for this. One of the reasons might be issues encountered by ``esptool.py``, the utility that is called by the build system to reset the chip, interact with the ROM bootloader, and flash firmware. One simple solution to try is manual reset described below, and if it does not help you can find more details about possible issues in `Troubleshooting <https://github.com/espressif/esptool#bootloader-wont-respond>`_.
``esptool.py`` resets {IDF_TARGET_NAME} automatically by asserting DTR and RTS control lines of the USB to serial converter chip, i.e., FTDI or CP210x (for more information, see :doc:`establish-serial-connection`). The DTR and RTS control lines are in turn connected to ``GPIO0`` and ``CHIP_PU`` (EN) pins of {IDF_TARGET_NAME}, thus changes in the voltage levels of DTR and RTS will boot {IDF_TARGET_NAME} into Firmware Download mode. As an example, check the `schematic <https://dl.espressif.com/dl/schematics/esp32_devkitc_v4-sch-20180607a.pdf>`_ for the ESP32 DevKitC development board.
In general, you should have no problems with the official esp-idf development boards. However, ``esptool.py`` is not able to reset your hardware automatically in the following cases:
- Your hardware does not have the DTR and RTS lines connected to ``GPIO0`` and ``CIHP_PU``
- The DTR and RTS lines are configured differently
- There are no such serial control lines at all
Depending on the kind of hardware you have, it may also be possible to manually put your {IDF_TARGET_NAME} board into Firmware Download mode (reset).
- For development boards produced by Espressif, this information can be found in the respective getting started guides or user guides. For example, to manually reset an esp-idf development board, hold down the **Boot** button (``GPIO0``) and press the **EN** button (``CHIP_PU``).
- For other types of hardware, try pulling ``GPIO0`` down.
If you'd like to use the Eclipse or VS Code IDE instead of running ``idf.py``, check out the :doc:`Eclipse guide <eclipse-setup>`, :doc:`VS Code guide <vscode-setup>`.
If IDF monitor fails shortly after the upload, or, if instead of the messages above, you see random garbage similar to what is given below, your board is likely using a 26 MHz crystal. Most development board designs use 40 MHz, so ESP-IDF uses this frequency as a default value.
If building an example, please check the README file for the ``Supported Targets`` table. If this is present including {IDF_TARGET_NAME} target, or the table does not exist at all, the example will work on {IDF_TARGET_NAME}.
You should update ESP-IDF from time to time, as newer versions fix bugs and provide new features. The simplest way to do the update is to delete the existing ``esp-idf`` folder and clone it again, as if performing the initial installation described in :ref:`get-started-get-esp-idf`.
After updating ESP-IDF, execute the Install script again, in case the new ESP-IDF version requires different versions of tools. See instructions at :ref:`get-started-set-up-tools`.
