Platformio within virtual environment
It is very frequently mentioned online that if you want to use Platformio then first install VSCode followed by the extension. I really don’t get that since Platformio itself is a standalone solution that easily can be installed and used without the need of all the bloat VSCode brings.
In my usecase I, primarily, use Platformio for compiling firmware for my Frankenstein 3D printer (story for another day) and to set up Platformio I simply do the following;
1) Create a virtual python environment
python -m venv ~/eddie/projects/python-environments/platformio-skr-e3-mini
2) Activate virtual environment
source ~/eddie/projects/python-environments/platformio-skr-e3-mini/bin/activate
Note: Once environment is active it will show up, in full name, infront of terminal’s rendering of PS1 variable (i.e. at the very beginning).
3) Install/upgrade pip
pip install --upgrade pip
4) Install/upgrade Platformio
pip install --upgrade platformio
Well, that is it and now Platformio can be invoked and used in a clutter free way since it all is contained in an virtual python environment that easily can be wiped afterwards.