*Note: ESP-IDF Programmers Guide is in the process of transitioning to a new documentation host. Master branch ("latest") docs will not be updated from 2020-02-05 for approximately two weeks. This note will be removed once the master branch docs are updating again. Other branch & release docs continue to update as normal.*
As well as the [esp-idf-template](https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf-template) project mentioned in Getting Started, ESP-IDF comes with some example projects in the [examples](examples) directory.
To start your own project based on an example, copy the example project directory outside of the ESP-IDF directory.
# Quick Reference
See the Getting Started guide links above for a detailed setup guide. This is a quick reference for common commands when working with ESP-IDF projects:
Replace PORT with the name of your serial port (like `COM3` on Windows, `/dev/ttyUSB0` on Linux, or `/dev/cu.usbserial-X` on MacOS. If the `-p` option is left out, `idf.py flash` will try to flash the first available serial port.
This will flash the entire project (app, bootloader and partition table) to a new chip. The settings for serial port flashing can be configured with `idf.py menuconfig`.
The `idf.py monitor` target uses the [idf_monitor tool](https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-idf/en/latest/get-started/idf-monitor.html) to display serial output from the ESP32. idf_monitor also has a range of features to decode crash output and interact with the device. [Check the documentation page for details](https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-idf/en/latest/get-started/idf-monitor.html).
The `idf.py flash` target does not erase the entire flash contents. However it is sometimes useful to set the device back to a totally erased state, particularly when making partition table changes or OTA app updates. To erase the entire flash, run `idf.py erase_flash`.
This can be combined with other targets, ie `idf.py -p PORT erase_flash flash` will erase everything and then re-flash the new app, bootloader and partition table.
* Documentation for the latest version: https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-idf/. This documentation is built from the [docs directory](docs) of this repository.
* [Check the Issues section on github](https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/issues) if you find a bug or have a feature request. Please check existing Issues before opening a new one.
* If you're interested in contributing to ESP-IDF, please check the [Contributions Guide](https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-idf/en/latest/contribute/index.html).