Torizon Application Development With Visual Studio Code
Introduction
Visual Studio Code is a text editor that can be enhanced with extensions to become your custom development environment. Toradex provides the Visual Studio Code Extension for Torizon to make your development life easier.
Resources
Browse for VS Code on Torizon resources from the tabs below.
Requirements
- Toradex Computer on Module with Torizon installed
- A desktop PC for development with build environment for torizon containers set up.
- If using Windows, you must have the Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2) and Docker Desktop installed and configured.
- If using Linux, you must have the Docker Engine installed and configured.
caution
If using Linux, make sure to have installed the Docker Engine instead of Docker Desktop.
How to Start
Following our Step-by-step Quickstart Guide for fully supported modules is the easiest way to get you set up in no time.
Alternatively, you can follow the instructions below if you prefer a summarized version. This is only recommended if you have some knowledge of Torizon and VS Code, especially how to use the VS Code command palette.
Installation
The latest versions of the Toradex Torizon Support extension can be found on the Visual Studio Code marketplace, in two versions:
- Toradex Torizon Support: stable version, with a slower release cycle.
- Toradex Torizon Support (Early Access): preview version, always gets the latest features but is not as thoroughly tested as the stable release.
Click on the Extensions button in Visual Studio Code as shown in the image below and search for Toradex Torizon Support, then select the option you prefer among the ones presented above:
Verify that the extension has been enabled:
Add a Target Device
Add a target device from either the network or the serial port. In the VS Code command palette, use either of the commands:
- Network:
Torizon: Detect device via network connection - Serial Port:
Torizon: Detect device via serial port connection
Alternatively, from the VS Code graphical interface:
The board will reboot once you add it.
Create an Application From a Template
In the VS Code command palette, type torizon create. You will be presented with some options, from which you can choose the programming language you want to work with:
You will be prompted with a series of questions to configure your project. See below an example for C/C++, but keep in mind that options vary depending on the programming language:
info
this operation may take some time, especially if you create a new C/C++ project. This is due to the download of the SDK.
Deploy and Debug
To start the process, all you have to do is press F5. Alternatively, you can select the menu Run and click on Start Debugging. A third method would be to open the command palette and type Debug: Start Debugging.
Additional Resources
Proceed to the Documentation tab on this page.
VS Code on Torizon Documentation
An overview of relevant articles is presented in this tab. You can scroll through contents or click on your topic of interest below:
- First Steps
- Essentials
- Application Development
- Application Development With VS Code
- Toradex Containers
- Partner Demo Containers
- Third-party Containers
- Displays
- Graphical User Interface (GUI)
- Hardware Access
We use icons to help you identify the content in an article:
Visual Studio 
Visual Studio Code 
Command Line 
Conceptual 
Starting Point 
Docker Concepts 
Torizon Samples on Github
First Steps
| Article | Brief Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Quickstart Guide | A step-by-step guide, with sections and lessons, for you to start with Toradex modules |
| TorizonCore Technical Overview | A plentiful overview of TorizonCore and its features |
| | Basic Linux Commands | If you are new to Linux, learn some basic Linux commands to help you get started |
| | Scan your local network to find the board IP and MAC address | How to scan you local network and find your board's IP |
| | SSH | Access the Linux console (terminal) through the network and configure passwordless access |
| | Configuring Serial Port Debug Console (Linux/U-Boot) | Alternative to SSH, access the Linux console through the debug UART |
Essentials
| Article | Brief Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Toradex Download Links (Torizon, Linux BSP, WinCE and Partner Demos) | Download TorizonCore tarballs for offline installation or customization with TorizonCore Builder |
| | Deploying Container Images to TorizonCore | Learn how to deploy your application on different phases of the development |
| | Run and Manage Containers with Portainer and the Command-line on Torizon | How to run and manage containers using Portainer, a container manager, and the command-line |
| How to Autorun an Application With TorizonCore | Learn how to automatically start a container on the boot of Torizon |
| | Torizon Best Practices Guide | Learn the best practices to develop on Torizon, including data storage, hardware access and more |
| | Toradex Embedded Linux Support Strategy | Read more about the software versioning scheme adopted by Toradex, the Linux release types and also software alerts |
| | Torizon Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) | Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Torizon and TorizonCore |
Application Development
| Article | Brief Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Configure Build Environment for Torizon Containers | Prepare your host machine to cross-build ARM containers |
| How to speed-up docker containers builds on Linux | Learn tips and tricks to build containers fast |
| | How to do C/C++ Development on Torizon | Conceptual article with examples on how to develop your own app targeting Debian-based containers |
| | Python development on TorizonCore | Overview article about how to do Python development on TorizonCore |
| | Using Multiple Containers with TorizonCore | How to orchestrate multiple containers and manage the inter-communication process |
Application Development With VS Code
| Article | Brief Description | |
|---|---|---|
 | Torizon Application Development With Visual Studio Code | A cover page with info on how to quickly setup VS Code and a list with related documents |
| | Visual Studio Code Extension for Torizon | Learn how to install, configure and use the VS Extension on Torizon |
| How to Update an Existing VS Code Project to a Newer Debian Container Version | How to upgrade your VS Code Project Container from Buster to Bullseye |
| .NET Core Development and Debugging on Torizon Using Visual Studio Code | Setup a .NET Core development environment for Visual Studio Code |
| Python Development and Debugging on Torizon Using Visual Studio Code | Setup a Python development environment for Visual Studio Code |
| C/C++ Development and Debugging on TorizonCore Using Visual Studio Code | How to run and debug C/C++ Applications on TorizonCore using the Visual Studio Code |
 | Qt C++ application development using Visual Studio Code and Torizon | Learn how to integrate Qt Design Studio with Visual Studio Code |
| .NET Uno Development and Debugging on Torizon Using Visual Studio Code | Learn how to develop using .NET Uno on Visual Studio Code |
| | How to Import a C/C++ Application to Torizon | Conceptual article with examples on how to import a C/C++ application to Torizon using Visual Studio Code |
| | Torizon IDE Backend Architecture and Internals | Moses is the open-source Torizon IDE backend. You can add support to your preferred IDE, script the release of software, and more |
| | Torizon IDE Backend Command-line Interface | Learn how to use IDE backend CLI into production and CI/CD tools to build, test, and release it. |
| | Troubleshooting guide for the IDE extensions | Read about common issues regarding the IDE extension and how to solve them. |
Toradex Containers
| Article | Brief Description | |
|---|---|---|
| List of Container Images for Torizon | A brief overview with a list of containers and links to additional resources |
| Debian Containers for Torizon | Toradex provides several base containers as a friendly starting environment |
| TorizonCore Containers Tags and Versioning | Learn more about the tags and environment variables from TorizonCore containers |
| Modifying TorizonCore Debian Based Container Images | How to install packages and modify a base container for custom application startup |
| Web Browser on Toradex Computer on Modules | An overview about Web Browser support on Toradex Computer on Modules |
| Kiosk Mode Browser with TorizonCore | How to use the Kiosk Mode Browser to display web-based Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) |
| Qt Debian Container for Torizon | Example how to bring up a Qt container for Torizon |
| | Remote Access the TorizonCore GUI Using VNC or RDP | How to enable a VNC or an RDP backend in a Weston Debian Container for Torizon |
Partner Demo Containers
Partner Demo Containers are ready-to-use demonstrations fully integrated into containers.
| Partner | Demo Container | Brief Description | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Codesys | Codesys PLC Runtime | CODESYS programmable logic controller (PLC) demo runtime on a Torizon container and how to use it |
 | Crank Software | Crank Storyboard | Crank Storyboard allows you to build embedded systems optimized, rich GUI on a cross-platform IDE |
 | BE.services Matrikon | BE.services Matrikon OPC UA Server | Matrikon OPC UA Server implementation by BE.services GmbH |
 | TotalCross | TotalCross SDK | TotalCross is an easy-to-use Open Source SDK aiming the fast designing of beautiful Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) for multiple platforms |
Third-party Containers
| Container | Article | Brief Description | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Node-RED | Node-RED | How to get started with Node-RED on Torizon |
 | InfluxDB | Using Multiple Containers with TorizonCore | How to run multiple containers using InfluxDB and Grafana as examples |
 | Grafana | Using Multiple Containers with TorizonCore | How to run multiple containers using InfluxDB and Grafana as examples |
Displays
| Article | Brief Description | |
|---|---|---|
| First Steps with Capacitive Touch Display 7" Parallel | How to start working with the Capacitive Touch Display 7 Inch Parallel |
| First Steps with Resistive Touch Display 7" Parallel | How to start working on the Parallel Resistive Touch Display 7 Inch Parallel |
| First Steps with Capacitive Touch Display 10.1 Inch LVDS | How to start working with the Capacitive Touch Display 10.1 Inch LVDS |
| | Setting up Displays with Torizon | How to set up displays with Torizon |
| Working With Weston on TorizonCore | How to customize Weston container to add some features on the graphical interface |
Graphical User Interface (GUI)
| Article | Brief Description | |
|---|---|---|
| | Getting Started with Qt | Overview article including the pros and cons of using Torizon as the platform for Qt apps |
| | How to build a GUI with Qt for Python and TorizonCore | How to use Qt for Python in TorizonCore, relying on the Qt Debian Container for Torizon |
 | How to Build a GUI with ASP.NET Core and Blazor for TorizonCore | Create a GUI with Blazor and display it using a Web Browser in Kiosk Mode |
| Crank Storyboard | Crank Storyboard allows you to build embedded systems optimized, rich GUI on a cross-platform IDE |
| TotalCross | TotalCross is an easy-to-use Open Source SDK aiming the fast designing of beautiful Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) for multiple platforms |
| | Remote Access the TorizonCore GUI Using VNC or RDP | How to enable a VNC or an RDP backend in a Weston Debian Container for Torizon |
Hardware Access
| Article | Brief Description | |
|---|---|---|
| | GPIO (Linux) | Base GPIO article applicable to both the BSP and TorizonCore |
| How to Use GPIO on TorizonCore | How to access GPIO using libgpiod, the new Linux kernel API for GPIO |
| How to Use GPIO with Torizon Visual Studio Extension | How to manipulate GPIO using Torizon C/C++ Application development Visual Studio Plugin |
| How to Use UART on TorizonCore | How to add a UART device to be accessed in a containerized application in TorizonCore |
| How to Use UART with Torizon VS Code Extension (Python) | How to manipulate UART using Python on Visual Studio Code Extension for Torizon |
| | How to Use UART with Torizon Visual Studio Code Extension (.NET Core) | How to use the UART interface with .NET Core on Visual Studio Code Extension For Torizon |
| ADC (Linux) | Base ADC article applicable to both the BSP and TorizonCore |
| How to Use ADC on TorizonCore | How to access ADC through the sysfs interface in a container |
| | Using PWM in a Container | How to use PWM in a Container |
| How to Use I2C on Torizon | How to give containers access to I2C devices in Torizon |
| CAN (Linux) | Base CAN article applicable to both the BSP and TorizonCore |
| | How to Use CAN on TorizonCore | How to use CAN on Torizon both from the command-line and VS Code |
| EtherCAT | How to get started with EtherCAT on Toradex modules |
For a list with the entire Torizon documentation, go to the Torizon Documentation.
Videos and Webinars
This section has on-demand videos and webinars to help you through development.