This is a command line or GUI tool, written in Python, to automatically generate a Pico C SDK Project.
The tool will generate all required CMake files, program files and VSCode IDE files for the set of features requested.
It will also add example code for any features and optionally for some standard library functions.
Running ./pico_project --help will give a list of the available command line parameters
usage: pico_project.py [-h] [-o OUTPUT] [-x] [-l] [-c] [-f FEATURE] [-over] [-b] [-g] [-p PROJECT] [-r] [-uart] [-usb] [name]
Pico Project generator
positional arguments:
name Name of the project
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
-o OUTPUT, --output OUTPUT
Set an alternative CMakeList.txt filename
-x, --examples Add example code for the Pico standard library
-l, --list List available features
-c, --configs List available project configuration items
-f FEATURE, --feature FEATURE
Add feature to generated project
-over, --overwrite Overwrite any existing project AND files
-b, --build Build after project created
-g, --gui Run a GUI version of the project generator
-p PROJECT, --project PROJECT
Generate projects files for IDE. Options are: vscode
-r, --runFromRAM Run the program from RAM rather than flash
-uart, --uart Console output to UART (default)
-nouart, --nouart Disable console output to UART
-usb, --usb Console output to USB (disables other USB functionality)
cpp, --cpp Generate C++ code
-d DEBUGGER, --debugger DEBUGGER Select debugger (0 = SWD, 1 = PicoProbe)
You can list the features supported by the tools by using ./pico_project --list. These features can
be added to the project using the --feature options, this can be used multiple times.
The GUI version of the tool, run by adding --gui to the command line, uses tkinter to provide a platform agnostic script that will run on Linux, Mac and Windows. All the options from the command line tool are also supported in the GUI.
You can add specific features to your project by selecting them from the check boxes on the GUI. This will ensure the build system adds the appropriate code to the build, and also adds simple example code to the project showing how to use the feature. There are a number of options available, which provide the following functionality.
| Console Options | Description |
|---|---|
| Console over UART | Enable a serial console over the UART. This is the default. |
| Console over USB | Enable a console over the USB. The device will act as a USB serial port. This can be used in addition to or instead of the UART option, but note that when enabled other USB functionality is not possible. |
| Code Options | Description |
|---|---|
| Add examples for Pico library | Example code will be generated for some of the standard library features that by default are in the build, for example, UART support and HW dividers. |
| Run from RAM | Usually, the build creates a binary that will be installed to the flash memory. This forces the binary to work directly from RAM. |
| Generate C++ | Any generated source files will use the .cpp extension. |
| Advanced | Brings up a table allowing selection of specific board build options. These options alter the way the features work, and should be used with caution. |
| Build Options | Description |
|---|---|
| Run Build | Once the project has been created, build it. This will produce files ready for download to the Raspberry Pi Pico. |
| Overwrite Project | If a project already exists in the specified folder, overwrite it with the new project. This will overwrite any changes you may have made. |
| IDE Options | Description |
|---|
Create VSCode Project | As well as the CMake files, also create the appropriate Visual Studio Code project files. Debugger | Use the specified debugger in the IDE