The additional features pack provides faster and more flexible micro-controller development for both Visual Studio and Atmel Studio development software. Some features are only available in certain Visual Studio or Atmel Studio versions but most are available in all versions.
The features pack contains a lot of great new tools such as Arduino usb debugger and management of multiple ide platforms (arduino, teensy, energis, chipkit), Atmel Studio users can benfit but in lesser way through the support for multiple avr/sam Arduino ide versions.
Additional features include support for different cketchbook paths ver ide or ide version. Normally ides like Arduino share their settings through the various versions causing custom hardware and library confusion with projects build for different versions. The Visual Micro additonal features pack allows different sketchbook folders for different Arduino versions providing clean configuration and gurantee that older projects do not break when the ide tools are upgraded.
Read about the micro ide application manager
Read about the arduino usb debugger
Read how to update variables on a running arduino using the debugger 'watch' window
Read about optimised compiler speeds
Read about including library sources inside projects and the benefits of the class explorer
Read about flexible build process
Read how to add your own applications
How to add custom applications
a. Create a folder called "My documents\Visual Micro"
b. Add the path to "tools>options>visual micro>my visual micro configs"
c. Create an applications.txt in the folder
Now you can add your custom applications to applications.txt in my documents.
You can also, optionally, inherit existing visual micro configs using the .basedon property
myarduino1.name=My Arduino 1.5.2
myarduino1.ide.basedon=arduino15x
myarduino1.ide.location.ide.winreg=Arduino152 Application
myarduino1.ide.location.sketchbook.winreg=Arduino152 Sketchbook
myarduino1.ide.hint=Arduino 1.5.2 Ide for testing
myenergia1.name=Yuri Energia Special
myenergia1.ide.basedon=energia
myenergia1.ide.location.ide.winreg=Myapp Application
myenergia1.ide.location.sketchbook.winreg=Myapp Sketchbook
If you alter the applications or platform.txt then in Visual Studio, click "Tools>Visual Micro>Reload Tool Chains" or re-start the ide
