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Is there a good reference on how to set up an Arduino programming environment with Xcode?

An ideal answer would be along the lines of, "Oh yes, there's an active project on Google Code, just download the .dmg, copy the ${Xcode magic config file} to ${somewhere in ~Library}, restart Xcode and select "New Arduino Project" from the File menu. Click Build with your Arduino plugged in and it uploads it direct to the hardware."

Google gives a couple of hits, but they're kind of vague and out-of-date (specifically, the way Xcode does project templates changed between Xcode 3 and 4 and I can't find an Xcode 4 template.) I've officially outgrown Processing and I'd prefer not to blight my home life with Eclipse if at all possible.

Robert Atkins
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  • This question might be better suited for http://electronics.stackexchange.com – Kevin Vermeer Dec 27 '10 at 22:37
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    Also, you say that you've outgrown Processing. If that's the case, you're looking for AVR programming, not Arduino programming. Ladyada has a nice tutorial [here](http://www.ladyada.net/learn/avr/setup-mac.html), last updated two weeks ago. – Kevin Vermeer Dec 27 '10 at 22:38
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    I wasn't sure which of Electronics or StackOverflow was most appropriate. The Electronics guys have been helping me a lot with hardware questions, but this is purely software, so I thought here might be better. Can't tell if there's call for a "microcontrollers.stackexchange.com", I might poke around Area 51. As to AVR/Arduino, again it's kinda 50-50. I specifically want my environment to grok uploading builds to my Arduino hardware via USB, for which I'd guess you have to use non-"pure AVR" libs or support software. If you made this comment an answer I'd upvote :-) – Robert Atkins Dec 28 '10 at 03:38

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You can actually use the arduino GUI to compile and upload, and set the editor to external in the preferences. That way, you can edit the C++ (PDE) files from xcode, and have arduino generate the actual CPP and build the whole shebang.

You can also use XCode to write plain C++/C for the arduino, using the avr-gcc compiler.

Have a look at: https://stackoverflow.com/a/8192762/153835

You can then use the plain avrdude upload tool to program the arduino. Have a look at: http://www.ladyada.net/library/arduino/bootloader.html

It used to be that the protocol spoken by Arduino was a modification of the STK500 protocol, and that only the avrdude bundled with arduino could speak it. I don't know if the mainstream avrdude was upgraded, or if you still have to resort to the avrdude inside the Arduino folder.

Community
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wesen
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I have just come across embedXcode which does exactly what I want.

Robert Atkins
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2

Alternatively, if you are looking for a solution that is independent of XCode (or just another solution), check out CrossPack for AVR Development. Essentially, it is an AVR toolchain for OSX

This will allow you to develop outside of the Arduino IDE with C/C++. It is terminal line only.

https://www.obdev.at/products/crosspack/index-de.html

However, the instructable below gives steps for using it with the Eclipse IDE (well, the Eclipse IDE using it).

http://www.instructables.com/id/Setup-AVR-programming-on-OS-X-using-Eclipse/?ALLSTEPS

madlibzie564
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I also asked around on the Arduino forums and they're at the point where someone's posted a Makefile which works for me, but the templating system for Xcode4 is vastly different to Xcode3 and apparently still in some state of flux.

So as of May 2011 the answer I wanted to hear still doesn't exist but we're getting closer.

Robert Atkins
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