Using Software Libraries

Similar to the way a shield extends the hardware functionality of your Arduino, software libraries can extend your sketch by useful functions.

In principle such a library can be created by anyone, because it just separates code and functionality into additional files. Usually we use libraries to make communication with specific sensors less complicated, and fortunately most hardware vendors provide such libraries for us.

A lot of libraries are already included with the Arduino IDE, but those for the senseBox sensors have to be installed manually. You should have added these already, if you followed the chapter Software Installation.

Importing additional libraries

When using additional sensors, it is likely that you need to add the associated library manually.

First you have to download the library which is usually a zip file. The Arduino IDE has a function to add external libraries. To do this, click in the menu on Sketch -> Import Library -> Add Library. In the following dialog navigate to the downloaded zip file and select it.

Adding a library to your sketch

To use a library you have to include it in your sketch, after installing the library in the Arduino IDE. To do this, you generally have two options:

Using the menu

In the Arduino IDE menu click on Sketch -> Import Library, and select the desired library in the following list.

When we need additional functionality in our projects, you will be told which libraries to include.

Writing code

When you do this task often, it may be more efficient and convenient to write a single line of code to include a library.

Using the #include directive a library can be included. This line has to be at the very top of your sketch, even before the setup() function is defined. For example, with the line #include <Ethernet.h> the required library for the ethernet shield is included.

To make things more clear, have a look at the following code example:

#include <Ethernet.h> // including the library

int Sensor;           // declaration of variables


void setup() {
  Ethernet.begin();   // this function is only available after importing
                      // the Ethernet.h library!
}

void loop() {
  // continuously executed commands, as usual
}