pyalamake 2.1.0

python module to generate Makefiles for arduino, GTest, /CC++, etc.

• website: Website
• installation: Common Setup

Summary

This Python module generates a multi-target Makefile for cross-platform projects all of which is compatible with JetBrain's Clion IDE.

For example, see gen.py for a Python script (gen.py) that generates:

• two Arduino projects and an Arduino core for them
• a GTest project to run UTs against an Arduino Project
• a C/++ project
• SWIG projects
• C/C++ shared and static libraries
• see doc/example-makefile.md for more details

all into one Makefile, and all recognized by CLion.

See also gen_3cores.py that shows how to build 3 Arduino on 3 different boards in the same project and same Makefile.

Recent updates

• It now uses arduino-cli. This made the arduino target handling cross-platform (roughly speaking). The gen.py file is the same across all three platforms (ubuntu, macos, win/msys2)
• Added ./do_test_deps. This does a check of all targets and associated targets to ensure they work independently of each other i.e. the target dependencies are correct.
• cleaned up this README.md and added more documentation in the doc directory, for example see doc/api.md for a list of commands available for use in gen.py

Why not CMake?

I use JetBrain's CLion. It can handle only a CMake or Makefile based project.

Also, I like to use GTest to UT my Arduino projects (if possible). But CMake can't handle a project that uses two compilers i.e. avr-gcc for Arduino and gcc for GTest. It tried some different CMake techniques to allow that but they either didn't work or CLion still did not recognize the components being used.

The only option then was to use Python to generate a Makefile that CLion was compatible with.

Why not ninja instead of make?

Because CLion can't use that to self-configure. CMake in CLion can be configured to use Ninja, but the IDE uses CMake to configure itself for the project. Therefore, Makefile.

Why?

Currently, I have relatively simple projects using one Arduino and some GTest UTs. But I do have some projects that could use multiple Arduino's communicating with each other. And possibly some other microcontrollers e.g. STM32, ESP32, etc. that communicate with Arduino's or themselves.

CLion can't handle that.

But (finger crossed) I should be able to extend pyalamake to build STM32 and ESP32 targets relatively easily, still allow GTests for those microcontrollers, etc.

Limitations

• See todo.md for more work to be done.
• tested with an Arduino Nano (boardid: nano-atmega328old), Arduino MegaADK (boardid: megaadk) and Arduino Uno (boardid: uno). Other boards should work correctly, but there is always a possibility it fails.
• I have not tested using an Arduino programmer
• I have not tested an app that requires Arduino EEPROM uploads.

How to use

See doc/example-makefile.md for detailed explanation of the current makefile.

See doc/convert-from-cmake.md for examples of converting Arduino cmake into gen.py.

• Check tools/arduino_reqmts.txt for Arduino libraries needed for this project:

Servo

Run ./do_install to install them:

<snip>
OK   do_arduino_install: install rc=0 Servo
     do_arduino_install: libraries installed
 --  1] Name  Installed     Available         Location Description
 --  2] Servo 1.3.0         -                 user     -
 --  3]
     do_install: arduino_install rc=0
<snip>

• run ./do_gen. This takes gen.py and uses pyalamake to generate all the defined targets. It will generate two files:

  • Makefile - a top level makefile that handles including the correct makefile for the current OS.
  • One of Makefile.ubuntu, Makefile.macos, Makefile.win - the OS specific makefile

• run make help to confirm that all of the targets have been generated

• run make xx to run build a specific target.

• if the target is executable, use make xx-run. See doc/example-makefile.md for examples of how to add CLI arguments