A Beginner's Arduino Guide/Arduino Sketch

Arduino Sketches are lines of code that the user of an Arduino device writes in easy to understand language to tell the Arduino what to do.

Arduino IDE with blink program open - a common sketch.

These lines of code are then converted to machine language (complex language that the Arduino can understand) and stored (uploaded) into the Arduino device.

Writing and uploading sketches are usually done using an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) e.g the Arduino IDE (an all-in-one piece of software for working with Arduino devices)

The Arduino sketches are written by default using the Arduino language which has its unique keywords, expressions and rules.

Arduino Sketch Structure

The Arduino Sketch is made up of two parts 'Setup' and 'Loop'

The setup configures (adjusts the settings of) the Arduino device while the loop contains the actions that the user wants the Arduino to perform