PlatformIO
v4.1.0

Getting Started

Configuration

Instruments

PIO Plus

Integration

Miscellaneous

Custom Development Platform

PlatformIO was developed like a tool that may build the same source code for the different development platforms via single command platformio run without any dependent software or requirements.

For this purpose PlatformIO uses own pre-configured platforms data: build scripts, toolchains, the settings for the most popular embedded boards and etc. These data are pre-built and packaged to the different packages. It allows PlatformIO to have multiple development platforms which can use the same packages(toolchains, frameworks), but have different/own build scripts, uploader and etc.

Step-by-Step Manual

  1. Choose Packages for platform

  2. Create Manifest File platform.json

  3. Create Build Script main.py

  4. Finish with the Installation.

Packages

PlatformIO has own registry with pre-built packages for the most popular operating systems and you can use them in your manifest. These packages are stored in super-fast and reliably CDN storage provided by JFrog Bintray:

Manifest File platform.json

See example with a manifest for packages:

{
  "name": "myplatform",
  "title": "My Platform",
  "description": "My custom development platform",
  "url": "http://example.com",
  "homepage": "https://platformio.org/platforms/myplatform",
  "license": "Apache-2.0",
  "engines": {
    "platformio": "~3.0.0"
  },
  "repository": {
    "type": "git",
    "url": "https://github.com/platformio/platform-myplatform.git"
  },
  "version": "0.0.0",
  "packageRepositories": [
    "https://dl.bintray.com/platformio/dl-packages/manifest.json",
    "http://dl.platformio.org/packages/manifest.json",
    {
      "my_custom_package": [
        {
          "url": "http://dl.example.com/my_custom_package-darwin_x86_64-1.2.3.tar.gz",
          "sha1": "bb7ddac56a314b5cb1926cc1790ae4de3a03e65c",
          "version": "1.2.3",
          "system": [
              "darwin_x86_64",
              "darwin_i386"
          ]
        },
        {
          "url": "http://dl.example.com/my_custom_package-linux_aarch64-1.2.3.tar.gz",
          "sha1": "127ddac56a314b5cb1926cc1790ae4de3a03e65c",
          "version": "1.2.3",
          "system": "linux_aarch64"
        }
      ],
      "framework-%FRAMEWORK_NAME_1%": [
        {
          "url": "http://dl.example.com/packages/framework-%FRAMEWORK_NAME_1%-1.10607.0.tar.gz",
          "sha1": "adce2cd30a830d71cb6572575bf08461b7b73c07",
          "version": "1.10607.0",
          "system": "*"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "frameworks": {
    "%FRAMEWORK_NAME_1%": {
      "package": "framework-%FRAMEWORK_NAME_1%",
      "script": "builder/frameworks/%FRAMEWORK_NAME_1%.py"
    },
    "%FRAMEWORK_NAME_N%": {
      "package": "framework-%FRAMEWORK_NAME_N%",
      "script": "builder/frameworks/%FRAMEWORK_NAME_N%.py"
    }
  },
  "packages": {
    "toolchain-gccarmnoneeabi": {
      "type": "toolchain",
      "version": ">=1.40803.0,<1.40805.0"
    },
    "framework-%FRAMEWORK_NAME_1%": {
      "type": "framework",
      "optional": true,
      "version": "~1.10607.0"
    },
    "framework-%FRAMEWORK_NAME_N%": {
      "type": "framework",
      "optional": true,
      "version": "~1.117.0"
    },
    "tool-direct-vcs-url": {
      "type": "uploader",
      "optional": true,
      "version": "https://github.com/user/repo.git"
    }
  }
}

Build Script main.py

Platform’s build script is based on a next-generation build tool named SCons. PlatformIO has own built-in firmware builder env.BuildProgram with the deep libraries search. Please look into a base template of main.py.

"""
    Build script for test.py
    test-builder.py
"""

from os.path import join
from SCons.Script import AlwaysBuild, Builder, Default, DefaultEnvironment

env = DefaultEnvironment()

# A full list with the available variables
# http://www.scons.org/doc/production/HTML/scons-user.html#app-variables
env.Replace(
    AR="ar",
    AS="gcc",
    CC="gcc",
    CXX="g++",
    OBJCOPY="objcopy",
    RANLIB="ranlib",

    UPLOADER=join("$PIOPACKAGES_DIR", "tool-bar", "uploader"),
    UPLOADCMD="$UPLOADER $SOURCES"
)

env.Append(
    ARFLAGS=["..."],

    ASFLAGS=["flag1", "flag2", "flagN"],
    CCFLAGS=["flag1", "flag2", "flagN"],
    CXXFLAGS=["flag1", "flag2", "flagN"],
    LINKFLAGS=["flag1", "flag2", "flagN"],

    CPPDEFINES=["DEFINE_1", "DEFINE=2", "DEFINE_N"],

    LIBS=["additional", "libs", "here"],

    BUILDERS=dict(
        ElfToBin=Builder(
            action=" ".join([
                "$OBJCOPY",
                "-O",
                "binary",
                "$SOURCES",
                "$TARGET"]),
            suffix=".bin"
        )
    )
)

# The source code of "platformio-build-tool" is here
# https://github.com/platformio/platformio-core/blob/develop/platformio/builder/tools/platformio.py

#
# Target: Build executable and linkable firmware
#
target_elf = env.BuildProgram()

#
# Target: Build the .bin file
#
target_bin = env.ElfToBin(join("$BUILD_DIR", "firmware"), target_elf)

#
# Target: Upload firmware
#
upload = env.Alias(["upload"], target_bin, "$UPLOADCMD")
AlwaysBuild(upload)

#
# Target: Define targets
#
Default(target_bin)

Installation

  1. Create platforms directory in core_dir if it doesn’t exist.

  2. Create myplatform directory in platforms

  3. Copy platform.json and builder/main.py files to myplatform directory.

  4. Search available platforms via platformio platform search command. You should see myplatform platform.

  5. Install myplatform platform via platformio platform install command.

Now, you can use myplatform for the platform option in “platformio.ini” (Project Configuration File).

Examples

Please take a look at the source code of existing PlatformIO Development Platforms.