Setting Up Your Environment

As mentioned before, these instructions are generally assuming you are working on the command line in a Linux-like environment (either Linux, a Raspberry Pi or at least WSL).

Before you start

It’s easier if you make a pico directory or similar in which you keep the SDK, optional Pimoroni Libraries and your projects alongside each other. This makes it easier to include libraries.

Install required packages

This should install everything you need to get going:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential gcc-arm-none-eabi cmake git python3

• build-essential contains all the ‘normal’ C/C++ development tools (compiler et al)
• gcc-arm-none-eabi is the cross-compiler that allows you to build code which will run on the processor on the PicoW
• cmake is the tool that you will use to run the build process
• git will allow you to fetch all the repositories you’ll require, and manage your own work too
• python3 is needed for some of the build operations with the Pico SDK

Fetch the Pico SDK

You will need to have the Pico SDK. Note that it’s important to run the submodule update command, to ensure that you have all the third-party libraries included in the SDK - this includes the libraries we’ll use to talk to WiFi and Bluetooth:

git clone https://github.com/raspberrypi/pico-sdk
cd pico-sdk
git submodule update --init
export PICO_SDK_PATH=`pwd`
cd ../

The PICO_SDK_PATH set above will only last the duration of your session. You should should ensure your PICO_SDK_PATH environment variable is set by ~/.profile:

export PICO_SDK_PATH="/path/to/pico-sdk"

Grab the Pimoroni libraries (optional)

git clone https://github.com/pimoroni/pimoroni-pico

Although not necessary for general PicoW development, if you’re using any of Pimoroni’s astounding range of breakouts, boards and displays (and if not, why not?!) this will make their drivers easily available to you.