VisualGDB and Arduino problems

[darksimpson]

Hello, I’m using VisualGDB 5.6R3 4531 (with VS 2022) in Arduino workflow and have found several bugs/regressions. I’m using VisualGDB in a “standalone” mode without installed Arduino IDE side by side, and have already used it in this style with earlier versions. For clean test purposes I just revert Arduino Settings to default before reproducing regressions.

1. Major regression: It looks like VisualGDB can not parse latest default packages JSON received from official Arduino URL, so on clean installation no Arduino platforms are displayed in Package Manager at all, and this is a show-stopper just from very start now. I definitely can see the downloaded and cached platform JSON file in “ArduinoPackageCache” directory (with size of about 450kB), but no platforms from this file are displayed in VisualGDB, even minimal needed “Arduino AVR Boards”… I have temporarily work-arounded this problem by making a reduced copy of platforms JSON with only Arduino AVR Boards inside (and needed tools) and added it as additional platforms source in Arduino Settings, and now it works, I can use Arduino AVR Boards (at least). You can see my reduced working JSON here: http://www.darksimpson.com/ardu.json So it definitely looks like VisualGDB can’t parse default official Ardiono platforms file. (P.S. ESP and other platforms are fetched, cached, parsed and displayed in package Manager correctly just form scratch.)
2. Usability regression: You have an outdated platforms file path for STM32 in “ArduinoPackageSources.xml” that displays [DEPRECATED] platforms in Package Manager. For now a correct path is: https://github.com/stm32duino/BoardManagerFiles/raw/main/package_stmicroelectronics_index.json As a temporary workaround I’ve changed it by myself, but it needs to be fixed in distribution also.
3. Usability regression: A strange behavior with additional platforms from “ArduinoPackageSources.xml” file. For every defined additional platform source there is a checkbox created in Arduino Settings. I can uncheck these checkboxes and it stops fetching and displaying these platforms in Package Manager, but after VS restart all the checkboxes are checked again, so it looks like VisualGDB is not saving its checked/unchecked state.
4. Minor bug: Strange behavior with displaying already installed platforms in Package Manager. When I have installed f.e. Arduino AVR Boards, it is displayed in Package Manager. When I restart VS and open Package Manager again, Arduino AVR Boards is not displayed in installed packages. I need to manually click to “Online” category, then after online checking completion I need to close Package Manager, and then after reopening Package Manager again Arduino AVR Boards is displayed as installed. Looks like some installed Arduino packages detection logic are slightly broken.

[support]

Hi,

The Arduino package issues were caused by a slight change to the JSON schema on the Arduino side. VisualGDB 5.6R4 already handles it correctly.

Regarding the other issues, please let us know the email address associated with your license key so that we could link it to your support profile, and we will investigate them further.

[darksimpson]

I’m using later versions of VisualGDB sometimes to prototype with Arduinos on my colleague workstation from other dept after working hours. So I haven’t any corporate license information and I even not sure if it is legal for me to know it. They do not use VisualGDB to work with Arduinos and use it to develop for STM32/CubeMX. So I think they will not be interested to ask your support about troubles with Arduino. But at least I can try to ask my colleague for this and may be it will be permitted to repost my messages to you using corporate license/support account.

Personally I have earlier license (ver 5.2) installed on my PC that I use to support older (but still alive) projects for STM32 form our previous company for some of our key customers. That company is stopped working and was liquidated many years ago, so I have only inherit a license key and nothing more (anyway, corporate email that was used as I can remember to register this key is stopped working also many years ago). If it can help somehow, I can provide this key to you somehow.

[Author]

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