Building

Environment Variables

A number of new environment variables have been setup to control parts of the build flow.

Name	Default	Description
GP2040_BOARDCONFIG	Pico	The boards.h config file to use for the build.
SKIP_WEBBUILD	FALSE	Determines whether the web configurator is built during the cmake configuration step.
SKIP_SUBMODULES	FALSE	Determines whether the submodule init command is run automatically during the cmake configuration step.

SDK Variables

There are a few SDK variables we take advantage of for our builds.

Name	Default	Description
PICO_BOARD	pico	This is the embedded board that the RP2040 chip is part of. By default, it assumes the Pico. This variable would match the <boardname.h> file in the board's configs folder.

Windows (Pico SDK)

After installing the Raspberry Pi Pico SDK, you should now have a shortcut to "Pico-Visual Studio Code" (search for it using Windows Search). This shortcut should already have everything configured, allowing you to skip to step 7. If you're experiencing compilation issues, consider following the manual steps outlined here.

Ensure the PICO_SDK_PATH environment variable is set:

1. Search for "Edit environment variables for your account" in Windows.
2. Under "User Variables," click "New...".
3. In the dialog that appears, enter PICO_SDK_PATH for the Variable Name.
4. Click "Browse Directory" and navigate to C:\Program Files\Raspberry Pi\Pico SDK v1.5.1\pico-sdk for the Variable Value.
5. Create another new variable.
6. Enter GP2040_BOARDCONFIG for the Variable Name.
7. Enter Pico (or the name of your edited config folder) for the Variable Value.

You can also set the variable within VSCode:

1. Press Ctrl + , to open the settings.
2. Use the search bar to find "CMake."
3. Scroll until you see "CMake: Configure Environment."
4. Click "Add Item."
5. Key: GP2040_BOARDCONFIG
6. Value: Pico (or your working folder name).

When prompted, choose GCC 10.3.1 ARM NONE EABI for "Select a kit for GP2040-CE"

From inside VSCode:

1. Click the CMake icon on the left sidebar of VSCode.
2. You'll see three icons at the top-right corner of the CMake project outline. Click the "Configure All Projects" icon (looks like a page with an arrow).
3. Wait for the configuration process to complete. If progress isn't visible, open a new terminal in VSCode by clicking on the "Terminal" menu, then "New Terminal". A new terminal window will open at the bottom, navigate the "Output" tab.
4. Click "Build All Projects" in the CMake project outline.
5. The files should be in a new folder named "build" inside the GP2040-CE folder

Windows (Manual)

Start in the GP2040-CE folder. From a Developer Powershell or Developer Command Command Prompt:

note

A new Powershell or Command Prompt session will be required after setting an environment variable.

1. Ensure you have the PICO_SDK_PATH environment variable set to the path to your pico-sdk folder.

2. (optional) Set the GP2040_BOARDCONFIG environment variable to the folder name for your board configuration.

   • Default value is Pico

3. Create a build directory, configure the build, and execute the build.

   mkdir build
   cd build
   cmake -G "NMake Makefiles" ..
   nmake

4. Your UF2 file should be in the build directory.

Linux

Start in the GP2040-CE folder

1. Ensure you have the PICO_SDK_PATH environment variable set to the path to your pico-sdk folder.

2. (optional) Set the GP2040_BOARDCONFIG environment variable to the folder name for your board configuration.

   • Default value is Pico

3. Create a build directory, configure the build, and execute the build.

   mkdir build
   cd build
   cmake ..
   make

4. Your UF2 file should be in the build directory.