Forgot to Click the Upload Button

Once you have written some code, you need to send it to Arduino by clicking the "upload" button. This button has an arrow on it, and is in the top-left hand corner of the Arudino IDE.

Clicked the Wrong Button

The "verify" button has a check mark on it and is right next to the "upload" button. Don't click the verify button - it won't upload your code. Instead, click the upload button.

Arduino is not Connected to Your Computer

You should make sure that your Arduino is plugged into your computer using your USB cable. One end of the cable should be plugged into a USB port on your computer, and the other end should be connected to the USBA port on your Arduino.

It can help to unplug the Arduino, and plug it back in.

Port is not Set

In the "Tools" menu, select "Port". Under port you should see a few different options that you can select. One of them should say "(Arduino/Genuino Uno)" next to it. Make sure this option is selected, by clicking it.

Not Using the Awesome Shield Template Sketch

The Awesome Shield template sketch has some code in it that is needed in every Awesome Shield sketch. You should start every project by opening this sketch, and saving it under a new name.

If you have alreay created a new sketch without using the template sketch, it might not upload. You can add this code at the top of your sketch, and that should fix the issue.

Mistake in Your Code

If there is a mistake in your code, when you click the upload button, the Arduino IDE will turn the status bar orange, and display an orange error message at the top of the black box at the bottom of the IDE. It may also highlight a line in your sketch in red. This gives you a hint about where the problem is in your code.

Missing Semicolon

Error Message: expected ';' ...

It's really easy to forget to put a semicolon at the end of a line of code. If you got the error message above, that is the issue.

When a semicolon is missing, the Arduino IDE will hightlight the line after the missing semicolon in red. Add a semicolon at the end of the line before the one that's highlighted in red, and try compiling again.

Typo or Misspelling

Error Message: 'class Awesome' has no member named ...

It's really easy to misspell something in your code. If you do, the Arduino IDE may get confused by it.

If you get the error message above, the Arduino IDE should highlight the line of code with the typo on it in red. Fix any typos on this line of code, and try uploading again.

TIP: If a line of Awesome Shield code, like Awesome.LED.turnOn(); isn't spelled correctly (in this case Awesome should be lowercase so awesome), the misspelled part should be black. Correctly spelled Awesome Shield code will be blue or orange.