What stops your Arduino project?

I just fired up Arduino and it printed this:

void setup() {
  // put your setup code here, to run once:

}

void loop() {
  // put your main code here, to run repeatedly:

}

Which is ok, there's some help, but maybe needs a structure to help. For instance (this is just a crude example I just typed now, but there must be better examples out there):

/*********************************************
 * My Application Name
 * revision 1.0 - date - name - description
 * 
 *********************************************/

// Includes
#include <Wire.h>

// **** Definitions *****
// general
#define LED_PIN 0x01
// I2C addresses

// other GPIO registers

// convenient values, states

//******* typedef structs ********


// ******* consts ****************


// ****** global variables *******

// ****** function prototypes ****

// ****** setup function runs at startup *****
void setup() {

}

// ****** loop runs forever after setup *****
void loop() {

}


// ****** other functions *******************

And then when people start with a neat template with comments etc., then that kind of makes them want to continue to write neat code for the remainder, and just seeing the different sections makes one realize to read up on those sections because they are probably there for a reason! : )

I am thinking of my little son of 10 years, this year he has gone from programming in Scratch to start programming with Arduino. In scratch he already had a good level, conditionals, loops, passing messages between objects, variables and use of semaphores, understanding races and critical sections.

With Arduino and that "sketch" mini-skeleton it hasn't cost him anything to start. With a more complex template or or force to define function prototypes first I think he would have been scared and given up.

I remember my beginnings with BASIC and the ZX81, with the GOTOs and the GOSUBs, reading the code was a pain but in return it was easy to switch to the assembly language of the Z80. I don't take Arduino programming seriously, I see it more as a diversion to do inelegant and fast things. I am still looking forward to how PRO boards can evolve and what response they have in the industry.

I think it's a great platform to introduce younger and not so young people to embedded systems.

Hi Enrique,

I agree, but there comes a point when some extra help is needed, otherwise even the basics for real-time, such as button-debouncing, display updating and so on, are in a long unmaintainable loop. The single loop() is fine to begin with, without the clutter.

But for next steps, without a template or reminder of how to organize code may be hard.

I suppose I should add, technically a long loop can be fine : ) I worked on a communications product where the code (not written by me) was in fact a long loop.. one function call after the next, there must have been 40 of them in the loop : ) It was in equipment intended for mission-critical purposes : ) It was certainly hard adding new features, and today things can be done differently (there was no OS in use in that product) but good code can be written in a long loop, my comment above was very general.

With all these additional comments you want to add then your loop could potentially get even longer

However it sounds like a good topic for further discussion.

With all these additional comments you want to add then your loop could potentially get even longer

However it sounds like a good topic for further discussion.