Develop with VSCode Plug-in

Install VSCode

1. Open the download page of the official VSCode website, and select the corresponding system and system bit to download.

2. After running the installation package, the rest can be installed by default, but here for the subsequent experience, it is recommended to check boxes 1, 2, and 3.

• • After the first and second items are enabled, you can open VSCode directly by right-clicking files or directories, which can improve the subsequent user experience.
  • After the third item is enabled, you can select VSCode directly when you choose how to open it.

Install Espressif IDF Plug-in

• Note: The latest version of the current plug-in is V1.6.0, for a consistent experience, users can choose the same version as us.

1. Open VSCode and use the shortcut key Shift + Ctrl + X to enter the plugin manager.

2. In the search bar, type Espressif IDF, select the corresponding plug-in, and click install.

3. Press F1 to enter:

esp-idf: configure esp-idf extension

4. Choose express (This tutorial is for first-time users, so only the first general installation tutorial is covered.)

5. Open and display this screen.

6. Choose a server to download. Choose Espressif

7. Select the ESP-IDF version you want now, we choose the latest V5.0.1 (note that ESP-IDF started to support ESP32-S3 only after V4.4).

8. The following two are the ESP-IDF directory installation address and the ESP-IDF required tools installation address respectively.

• • Note: If you have installed ESP-IDF before, or if it has failed, please make sure to delete the file completely or create a new path.

9. Once the configuration is finished, click "install" to download.

10. Enter the download page, and it will automatically install the corresponding tools and environment, just wait a moment.

11. After the installation is completed, it will enter the following screen, indicating that the installation is finished.

Official Demo Usage

• Click here to view more details provided by the official ESP.

Creating a Demo

1. Using the shortcut F1, type:

esp-idf:show examples projects

2. Choose your current IDF version:

3. Take "Hello World" as an example:

4. Choose the corresponding demo.

5. The readme file will explain which chip the demo is suitable for (the following section will introduce how to use the demo and its file structure, which is omitted here).

6. Click to create the demo.

7. Choose the path to place the demo and ensure that there is no folder with the same name as the demo.

Modify COM Port

1. The corresponding COM port is displayed here, click on it to modify.

2. We check the device manager COM port, and select COM5, please select your corresponding COM port:

3. Choose the project and demo.

4. Then the COM port is modified.

Modify the Driver

1. Here shows the driver used, click here to modify the corresponding driver:

2. Choose the project or demo:

3. Wait for a few seconds after clicking.

4. Choose the driver we need, that is, the main chip ESP32S3.

5. Choose the openocd path, we can just choose one at random as it doesn't matter.

The Rest of the Status Bar Introduction

• ① SDK configuration editor: many functions and configurations of ESP-IDF can be modified within it.
• ② Clean up everything and delete all compiled files.
• ③ Compile.
• ④ Current download method, default is UART.
• ⑤ Program the current firmware, please do it after compiling.
• ⑥ Open the serial monitor to view serial information.
• ⑦ Combined button for compiling, programming, and opening the serial monitor (most commonly used during debugging).

Compile, Program, and Serial Port Monitoring

1. Click on the Compile, Program, and Open Serial Monitor buttons we described earlier.

2. It may take a long time to compile, especially for the first time.

• During this process, ESP-IDF may take up a lot of CPU resources and therefore may cause system lag.

3. Because we use CH343 as a USB to serial port chip, and the on-board automatic download circuit, it can be downloaded automatically without manual operation.

4. After successful download, it will automatically enter the serial monitor, and you can see the corresponding information output from the chip and prompt to reboot after 10s.