Write Your Own Code

In Arduino IDE, click on File and then New. You will get a blank sketch that looks like this:

void setup() {
    // put your setup code here, to run once:

}
void loop() {
    // put your main code here, to run repeatedly:

}

Making notes in your code

Any line that starts with // is a comment. Comments are ignored by the computer.

They’re useful for making notes for yourself, or for other people who want to your code!

Go to Sketch and then Include Library, and select Adafruit NeoPixel. You should see this code get added to the top of your sketch: #include <Adafruit_NeoPixel.h>.
Click at the end of the line and hit the Return key a few times to add some blank lines below it.
Below the new line of code, type the following: #define PIXELS_PIN 6

With this code you are setting which pin (the same as a hole here, remember) of the Flora to use for data (instructions). So the pin you connect the data holes of the NeoPixels to is number 6.

Below that, type #define NUM_PIXELS 8. This is the number of NeoPixels you have. If you have a different number than eight, type that number instead of 8.
Finally, below that, type:

Adafruit_NeoPixel strip = Adafruit_NeoPixel(NUM_PIXELS, PIXELS_PIN, NEO_GRB + NEO_KHZ800);

Inside the setup function, add the following two lines:

void setup() {
    // put your setup code here, to run once:
    strip.begin();
    strip.show();
}

What is the setup function?

The code void setup () defines the setup function. This is a block of code that runs when the Flora is turned on.

All the code in between the curly braces { and } is in the function and so will run when the Flora turns on.

After strip.show();, press Return and type these two lines below:

strip.setPixelColor(0, strip.Color(0, 0, 255));
strip.show();

Click Verify to compile your code and check for errors. If there are any mistakes, you will need to fix the code and check it again. Usually the error messages tell you which line of code needs fixing. Check that you typed it exactly as shown!
Let’s plug in the Flora and run your code! Press the reset button on the Flora and then press the Upload button. When it’s done, what happens?

You should see the first NeoPixel light up blue.

Let’s do another! Above the second strip.show();, type two more lines:

strip.setPixelColor(1, strip.Color(0, 0, 255));
strip.setPixelColor(2, strip.Color(0, 0, 255));

The setup function should look like this now:

void setup() {
    // put your setup code here, to run once:
    strip.begin();
    strip.show();
    strip.setPixelColor(0, strip.Color(0, 0, 255));
    strip.setPixelColor(1, strip.Color(0, 0, 255));
    strip.setPixelColor(2, strip.Color(0, 0, 255));
    strip.show();
}

Can you work out what some of this code is doing?

Verify and upload your code once more. This time you should see the first three NeoPixels light up blue.
See if you can add more lines of code to make the rest of the pixels light up as well!

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