Windows 10 instructions

[gojimmypi]

created separate section with explicit instructions for using git version of library with Windows 10 Arduino IDE (or Visual Micro Arduino IDE for Visual Studio)

[d-a-v]

Result visible at https://github.com/gojimmypi/ESP8266-Arduino/blob/master/doc/installing.rst#instructions---windows-10

I can't test this myself. I am wondering whether the hardware directory is always (by default) created by Arduino in %USERPROFILE%\Documents\

[Juppit]

By default Arduino installes under window in C:\Program Files (x86)\Arduino and so we find the harware folder as:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Arduino\hardware

.

[lrmoreno007]

and so we find the harware folder as: C:\Program Files (x86)\Arduino\hardware

If you aren't admin, you can't install there. Hardware folder in Documents is the most correct place for everybody, except if you want install for all users.

[Juppit]

If you aren't admin you are asked to install it as admin, and so you install it in
C:\Program Files (x86)\Arduino\hardware
I tried both.

[gojimmypi]

My C:\Program Files (x86)\Arduino\hardware contains only items initially installed at application-install time. (I'm also local admin) Other hardware installed by Arduino Boards Manager end up in:

C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\esp8266\hardware

(then with version numbers for a directory name such as:

C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\esp8266\hardware\esp8266\2.4.1

There's apparently a download cache, as if I remove and re-install a hardware library with the Board Manager, the file dates are retained from when first downloaded.

In Arduino IDE: File - Preferences, my Sketchbook Location is (I believe the default):

C:\Users\{username}\Documents

Which is, per my updated instructions in this PR:

%USERPROFILE%\Documents\

...and this is where I have my hardware directory. This is also where I installed this ESP8266/Ardunio repository per the current instructions. It seems to work.

See also: https://github.com/arduino/arduino/wiki/arduino-ide-1.5-3rd-party-hardware-specification

This specification allows a 3rd party vendor/maintainer to add support for new boards inside the Arduino IDE by providing a file to unzip into the hardware folder of Arduino's sketchbook folder.

Granted, this seems to be a "pre-Board Manager" spec, but I don't think the C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local would be a good choice for manual installs due to the volatile nature when otherwise managed by the Board Manager.

It should be noted for completeness that I also have VisualGDB installed; it stores files in C:\SysGCC\esp8266 (but these files are also managed by sysprogs folks, so not mentioned in instructions)

In any case, my PR still includes the "This is typically the sketchbook directory" text.

Are there some suggestions for improved clarity?

[Juppit]

After uninstall, cleaning the registry, deleting C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Arduino15, deleting C:\Users\{username}\Documents\Arduino ...
I install Arduino (arduino-1.8.5-windows.exe from https://www.arduino.cc/) and then Arduino sets the default sketchbook location to:
C:\Users\{username}\Documents\Arduino and there is only a folder libraries after installation.
This is the same behaver as the existing installing.rst describes.
And in my opinion this should be also the default location of the hardware folder:
C:\Users\{username}\Documents\Arduino\hardware

I personly use a script wich consists of the following steps:
1.) Figure out how will the package be called in build_boards_manager_package.sh
ver=...
2.) Call ./build_boards_manager_package.sh
3.) cp versions/$ver/package_esp8266com_index.json versions/package_esp8266com_index.json
4.) Start a small HTTPServer python -m SimpleHTTPServer

When you insert http://localhost:8000/versions/package_esp8266com_index.json
as Additional Boards Manager URLs: in the Arduino-IDE under file->preferences
then all the stuff will delivered to the right location C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Arduino15.

[lrmoreno007]

I use my own script for windows, valid for ESP8266 and ESP32:
https://github.com/lrmoreno007/ESP-Easy-Updater-for-Windows

I create shortcuts to the scripts in my desktop and update git version with one click.

When I change some code in the core and I want back to the official git version, only delete the folder of esp8266 or esp32 and click in the shortcut.

Regards.

[gojimmypi]

@Juppit Indeed you are quite correct. Thank you. I did the same and confirmed the freshly installed Arduino app has a default sketchbook directory of C:\Users\{username}\Documents\Arduino I've never done a complete purge of all existing directories, nor do I have an explanation for the old value; perhaps it remembered it from my C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Arduino15\preferences.txt (from an older version?)

Any discussion regarding Arduino libraries should probably also reference:

https://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/Libraries

I've made the changes:

https://github.com/gojimmypi/ESP8266-Arduino/blob/master/doc/installing.rst