Use terminal command to verify software

Question

I've seen that it is possible to use terminal command to verify software instead of using the IDE. Something like arduino --verify lab.ino. Is there a way to do so on Mac OS?

Thank you

Answer 1

I managed to verify code from terminal by invoking /Applications/Arduino.app/Contents/MacOS/Arduino --verify lab.ino BUT this command automatically starts the IDE and exits it afterwards. Even with an IDE instance open it will start a new one. This is annoying since it will switch the active workspace away, but it kinda works. See arduino manpage.

Answer 2

Currently, you have the option to compile it using Arduino CLI.

You just need to know the Fully Qualified Board Name that you are using and inside your project directory you run:

arduino-cli compile --fqbn arduino:avr:uno main.ino

Replace main.ino for your entry file, if applicable.

In order to know your fqbn, you can list them:

arduino-cli board listall

Answer 3

Use AVRDude, and set the op field to v for verify. E.g.:

/Applications/Arduino.app/Contents/Java/hardware/tools/avr/bin/avrdude -C/Applications/Arduino.app/Contents/Java/hardware/tools/avr/etc/avrdude.conf -v -patmega328p -carduino -P/dev/cu.usbserial-A703114N -b57600 -D -Uflash:v:/var/folders/tp/grrlc56j3z7057f12_7f1_0r0000gn/T/build7a7055aab8d0564b6a7844b201562ffe.tmp/CV-turner.ino.hex:i 

change /dev/cu.usbserial-A703114N to your serial port.

change /var/folders/tp/grrlc56j3z7057f12_7f1_0r0000gn/T/build7a7055aab8d0564b6a7844b201562ffe.tmp/CV-turner.ino.hex to your hex file.

More info on avrdude at http://www.nongnu.org/avrdude/user-manual/avrdude_4.html#Option-Descriptions

Sample output would be:

avrdude: Version 6.0.1, compiled on Apr 14 2015 at 16:30:25
         Copyright (c) 2000-2005 Brian Dean, http://www.bdmicro.com/
         Copyright (c) 2007-2009 Joerg Wunsch

         System wide configuration file is "/Applications/Arduino.app/Contents/Java/hardware/tools/avr/etc/avrdude.conf"
         User configuration file is "/Volumes/Lion-Data/home/.avrduderc"
         User configuration file does not exist or is not a regular file, skipping

         Using Port                    : /dev/cu.usbserial-A703114N
         Using Programmer              : arduino
         Overriding Baud Rate          : 57600
         AVR Part                      : ATmega328P
         Chip Erase delay              : 9000 us
         PAGEL                         : PD7
         BS2                           : PC2
         RESET disposition             : dedicated
         RETRY pulse                   : SCK
         serial program mode           : yes
         parallel program mode         : yes
         Timeout                       : 200
         StabDelay                     : 100
         CmdexeDelay                   : 25
         SyncLoops                     : 32
         ByteDelay                     : 0
         PollIndex                     : 3
         PollValue                     : 0x53
         Memory Detail                 :

                                  Block Poll               Page                       Polled
           Memory Type Mode Delay Size  Indx Paged  Size   Size #Pages MinW  MaxW   ReadBack
           ----------- ---- ----- ----- ---- ------ ------ ---- ------ ----- ----- ---------
           eeprom        65    20     4    0 no       1024    4      0  3600  3600 0xff 0xff
           flash         65     6   128    0 yes     32768  128    256  4500  4500 0xff 0xff
           lfuse          0     0     0    0 no          1    0      0  4500  4500 0x00 0x00
           hfuse          0     0     0    0 no          1    0      0  4500  4500 0x00 0x00
           efuse          0     0     0    0 no          1    0      0  4500  4500 0x00 0x00
           lock           0     0     0    0 no          1    0      0  4500  4500 0x00 0x00
           calibration    0     0     0    0 no          1    0      0     0     0 0x00 0x00
           signature      0     0     0    0 no          3    0      0     0     0 0x00 0x00

         Programmer Type : Arduino
         Description     : Arduino
         Hardware Version: 2
         Firmware Version: 1.16
         Vtarget         : 0.0 V
         Varef           : 0.0 V
         Oscillator      : Off
         SCK period      : 0.1 us

avrdude: AVR device initialized and ready to accept instructions

Reading | ################################################## | 100% 0.00s

avrdude: Device signature = 0x1e950f
avrdude: safemode: lfuse reads as 0
avrdude: safemode: hfuse reads as 0
avrdude: safemode: efuse reads as 0
avrdude: verifying flash memory against /var/folders/tp/grrlc56j3z7057f12_7f1_0r0000gn/T/build7a7055aab8d0564b6a7844b201562ffe.tmp/CV-turner.ino.hex:
avrdude: load data flash data from input file /var/folders/tp/grrlc56j3z7057f12_7f1_0r0000gn/T/build7a7055aab8d0564b6a7844b201562ffe.tmp/CV-turner.ino.hex:
avrdude: input file /var/folders/tp/grrlc56j3z7057f12_7f1_0r0000gn/T/build7a7055aab8d0564b6a7844b201562ffe.tmp/CV-turner.ino.hex contains 7902 bytes
avrdude: reading on-chip flash data:

Reading | ################################################## | 100% 3.34s

avrdude: verifying ...
avrdude: verification error, first mismatch at byte 0x0002
         0x64 != 0x6a
avrdude: verification error; content mismatch

avrdude: safemode: lfuse reads as 0
avrdude: safemode: hfuse reads as 0
avrdude: safemode: efuse reads as 0
avrdude: safemode: Fuses OK (H:00, E:00, L:00)

avrdude done.  Thank you.

Notice the verification error, first mismatch at byte 0x0002

PS. you need an actual hex file, not an ino file. Different compilers and different versions of the Arduino IDE can produce slightly different hex files, for the exact same C-program.