What Language Does Arduino Use? Find out the 'real' language that is used - It is probably not what you thought! What are the real differences when programming using the Arduino IDE compared to using a traditional compiler... and why that is important to your question.

To answer the question "What Language Does Arduino Use?", You have to look at the system as a whole to understand "what language Arduino uses" because the entire environment creates the "Arduino Language" which is built on top of a C++ compiler.

Throughout this discussion you'll see mention of a specific C++ function that is provided by the Arduino environment. If you have ever done any Arduino programming you will be familiar with it:

    digitalWrite(pin, output_level);

This function encapsulates three ideas:

  1. Hardware abstraction
  2. Library abstraction,
  3. Board abstraction.

When you look at the function there is no mention of the chip PORT or specific bit within a port that must be used to control a pin on any microcontroller. Instead you have an abstraction i.e. the pin number. The pin number is simply a number printed next to an output pin on the physical Arduino board.

This function allows libraries to be abstracted since they too do not need to know anything about the underlying hardware when they use this function.

Also included in the underlying code is the ability to use different boards. each Arduino board will use different physical pins and ports but the code within the Arduino environment will set up the digitalWrite function to operate correctly for each Arduino board type.

It means that digitalWrite will work across different:

  • Microcontrollers,
  • Arduino boards,
  • and Libraries.

So in fact digitalWrite becomes part of the Arduino programming language. This is true of other functions that are used in the Arduino environment e.g. analogRead etc.

The combination of libraries, board manager and supporting code effectively add to the C++ language making it an enhanced language.

The key to the system is the IDE which brings these elements together.

What Language Does Arduino Use?: Arduino IDE

The Arduino IDE (integrated Development Environment) is the key to using any Arduino Board, allowing you to program any supported board using this one interface with a version of C++.

The Arduino IDE is so popular is that many aspects of programming and using Arduino boards are hidden behind this simple interface. It is virtually a single push button interface that:

  • Reports coding syntax errors.
  • Compiles the source code.
  • Automatically includes any required libraries (or tells you to get them!).
  • Compiles all the files in the current directory/project.
  • Links all the object files from the compilation together.
  • Produces a machine code output.
  • Automatically uploads the machine code to the Arduino Board.
  • Automatically verifies the programmed code.

What do you have to do to get the operations above?

Answer: Click One Button (after writing the C++ source files of course).

The IDE also gives you:

  • A syntax highlighting text editor.
  • Viewable serial output as text.
  • Viewable serial output as a graph.
  • A library manger.
  • A boards manager.

What Language Does Arduino Use?: C++ simplified

The version of compiler used under the hood is gcc (the open source Gnu C Compiler) and specifically avr-gcc which is the Atmel Avr version. You can download the avr-gcc and use it from the command line but the Arduino IDE allows for one click compilation with virtually no user setup.

While you will see a lot of discussions saying that a simplified compiler is used, in fact, the compiler is a fully capable C++ compiler. When people say it is simplified they actually mean it is enhanced for ease of use.

What Language Does Arduino Use?: Language C or C++?

So when you ask the question: What Language Does Arduino Use? the actual answer is C++. Of course since C++ is an addition to standard C, it also allows you to use old style C syntax (or a mixture of both).

This can be very useful as old style C uses less memory than C++ which can be important in memory constrained Arduinos.

Note: it is not simplifed C++ - you can use any C++ syntax you want since the avr-gcc compiler is extremely capable. You may however not be able to use all of C++ as some operations consume huge amounts of memory.

The ability to use classes that encapsulate private variables and then put this code into a library makes using libraries for different peripherals such as humidity detectors ADCs, and more, extremely simple.

What Language Is Arduino?: Arduno IDE vs avr-gcc

The key differences (or so-called simplifications of C++) between the Arduino C++ and standard C++ are:

  • Automatic Header file inclusion,
  • setup() and loop() functions,
  • Board management,
  • Library management,
  • Hardware abstraction.

The Arduino IDE language is formed from a combination of IDE and C++ functions.

Header files

When you use the stand-alone avr-gcc you have to include all the header files that contain prototypes of standard functions that you use in your code. In normal code writing this is just a pain, and feels like pleasing the compiler to get it all to compile - it does not feel like useful  work and just makes you feel important as you have the knowledge "Oh that function is defined in math.h".

The Arduino system scans your code and automatically includes the header files so you don't have to think about them.

Setup and loop

One key difference in Arduino code is that the Arduino system always expects you to define the functions:

    setup();
    loop();

The first function is executed once while the second is executed endlessly.

This makes writing code a little simpler since you don't need to write the 'forever' loop code and makes all Arduino programs follow a standard template.

Board Management

Multiple different Arduino Boards are supported in the Arduino IDE meaning you can program any Arduino Board using the IDE. This gives you a familiar interface without needing to change to a different programming environment.

Library Management

The Arduino IDE also includes a library manager that can import code from Github etc. These libraries support all the different peripheral hardware modules and chips making it easy to develop a system since there is likely to be a library already created for the hardware you want to use.

Detailed Hardware Abstraction

An example of hardware abstraction is most easily seen when you control an output pin on an Arduino board.

Typically you use the following code

    pinMode(10,OUTPUT);
    digitalWrite(10,HIGH);

This sets pin 10 as output and drives it to high voltage.

When you look at the board you will see pin 10 labelled so you know physically where the pin is located. You can continue this process for as many pins as available on your Arduino board.

This makes controlling an external device extremely simple.

If you ask a traditional microcontroller coder, "what is pin 10?" you will get an answer such as "It is bit two of PORTB". In traditional use, for an 8 bit processor (e.g. Arduino UNO, Nano, Mega) port pins are arranged in blocks of 8.

However the coder will have to look at an Arduino pin layout that maps physical pins to the "abstract pin" and ascertain the PORT and BIT be used whereas an Arduino user "Just looks at the board"!

Accessing the pin using traditional non-abstracted coding you would write:
 
   DDRB  | = _BV(2); // Set bit 1 of  DDRB to output. pinMode operation.

   PORTB |= _BV(2); // digitalWite(10,HIGH) operation.

Note_BV is a macro that returns in this case (1<<2) - the value 1 (left value) shifted left by two bit positions (right value).

In any case bit 2 of PORTB is set to high .i.e. the same as:

   digitalWrite(10,HIGH);

The only difference is that as the software programmer you don't need to know anything about ports or bit shifting when you use digitalWrite(). So you can see that hardware abstraction makes software programming easier as you don't have to think about how the underlying hardware operates.

Note: The one downside to hardware abstraction is that it is slower.

Hardware abstraction makes code writing easy, but to get that magic, more processing must be done so the code operates slower. However, Arduinos are really fast and you won't notice - fast operation is rarely need unless you are doing something really critical.

Note: This is just one example of hardware abstraction in the Arduino enviroment. There are many more such as Timer control, PWM control [analogWrite()] etc.

What Language Does Arduino Use?: Conclusion

You can see that the Arduino coding language used is C++ (which includes all of old-style C - useful for memory saving) but additionally the complete Arduino environment adds functions and that allow hardware abstraction.

These new functions form part of the "Arduino Language".

It means that the same code can operate for different microcontrollers, different Arduino boards and libraries.

It is the reason that Arduino is so popular - it's just easier.


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