docs/reference/mpremote.rst: Extend the mpremote guide.

Changes in this commit:
- Add a extra detail to each of the commands.
- Add more about handling options and arguments.
- Include shortcut commands that behave like real commands to the command
  list (e.g. bootloader, rtc).
- Add extra information and reword to address common misconceptions, in
  particular how commands chain together.
- Add additional examples showing some more interesting combinations.
- Add descriptions to each of the examples.
- Add pipx installation instructions.
- Describe how user-configuration works.

This work was sponsored by Google Season of Docs.

Signed-off-by: Jim Mussared <jim.mussared@gmail.com>
This commit is contained in:
Jim Mussared 2023-05-30 17:31:05 +10:00 committed by Damien George
parent b6b19798c2
commit bd5d0163c4
2 changed files with 476 additions and 73 deletions

View File

@ -4,46 +4,88 @@ MicroPython remote control: mpremote
====================================
The ``mpremote`` command line tool provides an integrated set of utilities to
remotely interact with and automate a MicroPython device over a serial
connection.
remotely interact with, manage the filesystem on, and automate a MicroPython
device over a serial connection.
To use mpremote install it via ``pip``:
To use mpremote, first install it via ``pip``:
.. code-block:: bash
$ pip install mpremote
$ pip install --user mpremote
Or via `pipx <https://pypa.github.io/pipx/>`_:
.. code-block:: bash
$ pipx install mpremote
The simplest way to use this tool is just by invoking it without any arguments:
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote
$ mpremote
This command automatically detects and connects to the first available USB
serial device and provides an interactive REPL. Serial ports are opened in
exclusive mode, so running a second (or third, etc) instance of ``mpremote``
will connect to subsequent serial devices, if any are available.
serial device and provides an interactive terminal that you can use to access
the REPL and your program's output. Serial ports are opened in exclusive mode,
so running a second (or third, etc) instance of ``mpremote`` will connect to
subsequent serial devices, if any are available.
Additionally ``pipx`` also allows you to directly run ``mpremote`` without
installing first:
.. code-block:: bash
$ pipx run mpremote ...args
Commands
--------
For REPL access, running ``mpremote`` without any arguments is usually all that
is needed. ``mpremote`` also supports a set of commands given at the command
line which will perform various actions on remote MicroPython devices.
``mpremote`` supports being given a series of commands given at the command line
which will perform various actions in sequence on a remote MicroPython device.
See the :ref:`examples section <mpremote_examples>` below to get an idea of how
this works and for some common combinations of commands.
For commands that support multiple arguments (e.g. a list of files), the
argument list can be terminated with ``+``.
Each command is of the form ``<command name> [--options] [args...]``. For commands
that support multiple arguments (e.g. a list of files), the argument list can
be terminated with ``+``.
If no command is specified, the default command is ``repl``. Additionally, if
any command needs to access the device, and no earlier ``connect`` has been
specified, then an implicit ``connect auto`` is added.
In order to get the device into a known state for any action command
(except ``repl``), once connected ``mpremote`` will stop any running program
and soft-reset the device before running the first command. You can control
this behavior using the ``resume`` and ``soft-reset`` commands.
See :ref:`auto-connection and auto-soft-reset <mpremote_reset>` for more details.
Multiple commands can be specified and they will be run sequentially.
The full list of supported commands are:
- connect to a specified device via a device-name shortcut:
- `connect <mpremote_command_connect>`
- `disconnect <mpremote_command_disconnect>`
- `resume <mpremote_command_resume>`
- `soft_reset <mpremote_command_soft_reset>`
- `repl <mpremote_command_repl>`
- `eval <mpremote_command_eval>`
- `exec <mpremote_command_exec>`
- `run <mpremote_command_run>`
- `fs <mpremote_command_fs>`
- `df <mpremote_command_df>`
- `edit <mpremote_command_edit>`
- `mip <mpremote_command_mip>`
- `mount <mpremote_command_mount>`
- `unmount <mpremote_command_unmount>`
- `rtc <mpremote_command_rtc>`
- `sleep <mpremote_command_sleep>`
- `reset <mpremote_command_reset>`
- `bootloader <mpremote_command_bootloader>`
.. code-block:: bash
.. _mpremote_command_connect:
$ mpremote <device-shortcut>
- connect to specified device via name:
- **connect** -- connect to specified device via name:
.. code-block:: bash
@ -54,41 +96,60 @@ The full list of supported commands are:
- ``list``: list available devices
- ``auto``: connect to the first available USB serial port
- ``id:<serial>``: connect to the device with USB serial number
``<serial>`` (the second entry in the output from the ``connect list``
command)
- ``port:<path>``: connect to the device with the given path
``<serial>`` (the second column from the ``connect list``
command output)
- ``port:<path>``: connect to the device with the given path (the first column
from the ``connect list`` command output
- any valid device name/path, to connect to that device
- disconnect current device:
**Note:** Instead of using the ``connect`` command, there are several
:ref:`pre-defined shortcuts <mpremote_shortcuts>` for common device paths. For
example the ``a0`` shortcut command is equivalent to
``connect /dev/ttyACM0`` (Linux), or ``c0`` for ``COM0`` (Windows).
**Note:** The ``auto`` option will only detect USB serial ports, i.e. a serial
port that has an associated USB VID/PID (i.e. CDC/ACM or FTDI-style
devices). Other types of serial ports
.. _mpremote_command_disconnect:
- **disconnect** -- disconnect current device:
.. code-block:: bash
$ mpremote disconnect
After a disconnect, auto soft-reset is enabled.
After a disconnect, :ref:`auto-soft-reset <mpremote_reset>` is enabled.
- resume a previous ``mpremote`` session:
.. _mpremote_command_resume:
- **resume** -- maintain existing interpreter state for subsequent commands:
.. code-block:: bash
$ mpremote resume
This disables auto soft-reset.
This disables :ref:`auto-soft-reset <mpremote_reset>`. This is useful if you
want to run a subsequent command on a board without first soft-resetting it.
- perform a soft-reset of the device:
.. _mpremote_command_soft_reset:
- **soft-reset** -- perform a soft-reset of the device:
.. code-block:: bash
$ mpremote soft-reset
This will clear out the Python heap and restart the interpreter. It also
disables auto soft-reset.
prevents the subsequent command from triggering :ref:`auto-soft-reset <mpremote_reset>`.
- enter the REPL on the connected device:
.. _mpremote_command_repl:
- **repl** -- enter the REPL on the connected device:
.. code-block:: bash
$ mpremote repl [options]
$ mpremote repl [--options]
Options are:
@ -96,47 +157,121 @@ The full list of supported commands are:
- ``--capture <file>``, to capture output of the REPL session to the given
file
- ``--inject-code <string>``, to specify characters to inject at the REPL when
Ctrl-J is pressed
``Ctrl-J`` is pressed. This allows you to automate a common command.
- ``--inject-file <file>``, to specify a file to inject at the REPL when
Ctrl-K is pressed
``Ctrl-K`` is pressed. This allows you to run a file (e.g. containing some
useful setup code, or even the program you are currently working on).
- evaluate and print the result of a Python expression:
While the ``repl`` command running, you can use ``Ctrl-]`` or ``Ctrl-x`` to
exit.
**Note:** The name "REPL" here reflects that the common usage of this command
to access the Read Eval Print Loop that is running on the MicroPython
device. Strictly, the ``repl`` command is just functioning as a terminal
(or "serial monitor") to access the device. Because this command does not
trigger the :ref:`auto-reset behavior <mpremote_reset>`, this means that if
a program is currently running, you will first need to interrupt it with
``Ctrl-C`` to get to the REPL, which will then allow you to access program
state. You can also use ``mpremote soft-reset repl`` to get a "clean" REPL
with all program state cleared.
.. _mpremote_command_eval:
- **eval** -- evaluate and print the result of a Python expression:
.. code-block:: bash
$ mpremote eval <string>
- execute the given Python code:
.. _mpremote_command_exec:
- **exec** -- execute the given Python code:
.. code-block:: bash
$ mpremote exec <string>
- run a script from the local filesystem:
By default, ``mpremote exec`` will display any output from the expression until it
terminates. The ``--no-follow`` flag can be specified to return immediately and leave
the device running the expression in the background.
.. _mpremote_command_run:
- **run** -- run a script from the local filesystem:
.. code-block:: bash
$ mpremote run <file>
$ mpremote run <file.py>
- execute filesystem commands on the device:
This will execute the file directly from RAM on the device without copying it
to the filesystem. This is a very useful way to iterate on the development of
a single piece of code without having to worry about deploying it to the
filesystem.
By default, ``mpremote run`` will display any output from the script until it
terminates. The ``--no-follow`` flag can be specified to return immediately and leave
the device running the script in the background.
.. _mpremote_command_fs:
- **fs** -- execute filesystem commands on the device:
.. code-block:: bash
$ mpremote fs <command>
$ mpremote fs <sub-command>
``<command>`` may be:
``<sub-command>`` may be:
- ``cat <file..>`` to show the contents of a file or files on the device
- ``ls`` to list the current directory
- ``ls <dirs...>`` to list the given directories
- ``cp [-r] <src...> <dest>`` to copy files; use ":" as a prefix to specify
a file on the device
- ``cp [-r] <src...> <dest>`` to copy files
- ``rm <src...>`` to remove files on the device
- ``mkdir <dirs...>`` to create directories on the device
- ``rmdir <dirs...>`` to remove directories on the device
- ``touch <file..>`` to create the files (if they don't already exist)
- edit a file on the device:
The ``cp`` command uses a convention where a leading ``:`` represents a remote
path. Without a leading ``:`` means a local path. This is based on the
convention used by the `Secure Copy Protocol (scp) client
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secure_copy_protocol>`_. All other commands
implicitly assume the path is a remote path, but the ``:`` can be optionally
used for clarity.
So for example, ``mpremote fs cp main.py :main.py`` copies ``main.py`` from
the current local directory to the remote filesystem, whereas
``mpremote fs cp :main.py main.py`` copies ``main.py`` from the device back
to the current directory.
All of the filesystem sub-commands take multiple path arguments, so if there
is another command in the sequence, you must use ``+`` to terminate the
arguments, e.g.
.. code-block:: bash
$ mpremote fs cp main.py :main.py + repl
This will copy the file to the device then enter the REPL. The ``+`` prevents
``"repl"`` being interpreted as a path.
**Note:** For convenience, all of the filesystem sub-commands are also
:ref:`aliased as regular commands <mpremote_shortcuts>`, i.e. you can write
``mpremote cp ...`` instead of ``mpremote fs cp ...``.
.. _mpremote_command_df:
- **df** -- query device free/used space
.. code-block:: bash
$ mpremote df
The ``df`` command will print size/used/free statistics for the device
filesystem, similar to the Unix ``df`` command.
.. _mpremote_command_edit:
- **edit** -- edit a file on the device:
.. code-block:: bash
@ -147,7 +282,9 @@ The full list of supported commands are:
variable ``$EDITOR``). If the editor exits successfully, the updated file will
be copied back to the device.
- install packages from :term:`micropython-lib` (or GitHub) using the ``mip`` tool:
.. _mpremote_command_mip:
- **mip** -- install packages from :term:`micropython-lib` (or GitHub) using the ``mip`` tool:
.. code-block:: bash
@ -155,16 +292,34 @@ The full list of supported commands are:
See :ref:`packages` for more information.
- mount the local directory on the remote device:
.. _mpremote_command_mount:
- **mount** -- mount the local directory on the remote device:
.. code-block:: bash
$ mpremote mount [options] <local-dir>
During usage, Ctrl-D will soft-reboot and normally reconnect the mount automatically.
If the unit has a main.py running at startup however the remount cannot occur.
In this case a raw mode soft reboot can be used: Ctrl-A Ctrl-D to reboot,
then Ctrl-B to get back to normal repl at which point the mount will be ready.
This allows the remote device to see the local host directory as if it were
its own filesystem. This is useful for development, and avoids the need to
copy files to the device while you are working on them.
The device installs a filesystem driver, which is then mounted in the
:ref:`device VFS <filesystem>` as ``/remote``, which uses the serial
connection to ``mpremote`` as a side-channel to access files. The device
will have its current working directory (via ``os.chdir``) set to
``/remote`` so that imports and file access will occur there instead of the
default filesystem path while the mount is active.
**Note:** If the ``mount`` command is not followed by another action in the
sequence, a ``repl`` command will be implicitly added to the end of the
sequence.
During usage, Ctrl-D will trigger a soft-reset as normal, but the mount will
automatically be re-connected. If the unit has a main.py running at startup
however the remount cannot occur. In this case a raw mode soft reboot can be
used: Ctrl-A Ctrl-D to reboot, then Ctrl-B to get back to normal repl at
which point the mount will be ready.
Options are:
@ -173,22 +328,74 @@ The full list of supported commands are:
local directory that is mounted. This option disables this check for symbolic
links, allowing the device to follow symbolic links outside of the local directory.
- unmount the local directory from the remote device:
.. _mpremote_command_unmount:
- **unmount** -- unmount the local directory from the remote device:
.. code-block:: bash
$ mpremote umount
Multiple commands can be specified and they will be run sequentially.
This happens automatically when ``mpremote`` terminates, but it can be used
in a sequence to unmount an earlier mount before subsequent command are run.
.. _mpremote_command_rtc:
- **rtc** -- set/get the device clock (RTC):
.. code-block:: bash
$ mpremote rtc
This will query the device RTC for the current time and print it as a datetime
tuple.
.. code-block:: bash
$ mpremote rtc --set
This will set the device RTC to the host PC's current time.
.. _mpremote_command_sleep:
- **sleep** -- sleep (delay) before executing the next command
.. code-block:: bash
$ mpremote sleep 0.5
This will pause execution of the command sequence for the specified duration
in seconds, e.g. to wait for the device to do something.
.. _mpremote_command_reset:
- **reset** -- hard reset the device
.. code-block:: bash
$ mpremote reset
**Note:** hard reset is equivalent to :func:`machine.reset`.
.. _mpremote_command_bootloader:
- **bootloader** enter the bootloader
.. code-block:: bash
$ mpremote bootloader
This will make the device enter its bootloader. The bootloader is port- and
board-specific (e.g. DFU on stm32, UF2 on rp2040/Pico).
.. _mpremote_reset:
Auto connection and soft-reset
------------------------------
Connection and disconnection will be done automatically at the start and end of
the execution of the tool, if such commands are not explicitly given. Automatic
connection will search for the first available USB serial device. If no action
is specified then the REPL will be entered.
connection will search for the first available USB serial device.
Once connected to a device, ``mpremote`` will automatically soft-reset the
device if needed. This clears the Python heap and restarts the interpreter,
@ -198,38 +405,60 @@ executed: ``mount``, ``eval``, ``exec``, ``run``, ``fs``. After doing a
soft-reset for the first time, it will not be done again automatically, until a
``disconnect`` command is issued.
Auto soft-reset behaviour can be controlled by the ``resume`` command. And the
``soft-reset`` command can be used to perform an explicit soft reset.
Auto-soft-reset behaviour can be controlled by the ``resume`` command. This
might be useful to use the ``eval`` command to inspect the state of of the
device. The ``soft-reset`` command can be used to perform an explicit soft
reset in the middle of a sequence of commands.
.. _mpremote_shortcuts:
Shortcuts
---------
Shortcuts can be defined using the macro system. Built-in shortcuts are::
Shortcuts can be defined using the macro system. Built-in shortcuts are:
- ``devs``: list available devices (shortcut for ``connect list``)
- ``devs``: Alias for ``connect list``
- ``a0``, ``a1``, ``a2``, ``a3``: connect to /dev/ttyACM?
- ``a0``, ``a1``, ``a2``, ``a3``: Aliases for ``connect /dev/ttyACMn``
- ``u0``, ``u1``, ``u2``, ``u3``: connect to /dev/ttyUSB?
- ``u0``, ``u1``, ``u2``, ``u3``: Aliases for ``connect /dev/ttyUSBn``
- ``c0``, ``c1``, ``c2``, ``c3``: connect to COM?
- ``c0``, ``c1``, ``c2``, ``c3``: Aliases for ``connect COMn``
- ``cat``, ``ls``, ``cp``, ``rm``, ``mkdir``, ``rmdir``, ``touch``, ``df``:
filesystem commands
- ``cat``, ``edit``, ``ls``, ``cp``, ``rm``, ``mkdir``, ``rmdir``, ``touch``: Aliases for ``fs <sub-command>``
- ``reset``: reset the device
Additional shortcuts can be defined by in user-configuration files, which is
located at ``.config/mpremote/config.py``. This file should define a
dictionary named ``commands``. The keys of this dictionary are the shortcuts
and the values are either a string or a list-of-strings:
- ``bootloader``: make the device enter its bootloader
.. code-block:: python3
Any user configuration, including user-defined shortcuts, can be placed in the file
``.config/mpremote/config.py``. For example:
"c33": "connect id:334D335C3138",
The command ``c33`` is replaced by ``connect id:334D335C3138``.
.. code-block:: python3
"test": ["mount", ".", "exec", "import test"],
The command ``test`` is replaced by ``mount . exec "import test"``.
Shortcuts can also accept arguments. For example:
.. code-block:: python3
"multiply x=4 y=7": "eval x*y",
Running ``mpremote times 3 7`` will set ``x`` and ``y`` as variables on the device, then evaluate the expression ``x*y``.
An example ``config.py`` might look like:
.. code-block:: python3
commands = {
"c33": "connect id:334D335C3138",
"bl": "bootloader",
"c33": "connect id:334D335C3138", # Connect to a specific device by ID.
"bl": "bootloader", # Shorter alias for bootloader.
"double x=4": "eval x*2", # x is an argument, with default 4
"wl_scan": ["exec", """
import network
@ -237,10 +466,16 @@ Any user configuration, including user-defined shortcuts, can be placed in the f
wl.active(1)
for ap in wl.scan():
print(ap)
""",],
"test": ["mount", ".", "exec", "import test"],
""",], # Print out nearby WiFi networks.
"wl_ifconfig": [
"exec",
"import network; sta_if = network.WLAN(network.STA_IF); print(sta_if.ifconfig())",
""",], # Print ip address of station interface.
"test": ["mount", ".", "exec", "import test"], # Mount current directory and run test.py.
"demo": ["run", "path/to/demo.py"], # Execute demo.py on the device.
}
.. _mpremote_examples:
Examples
--------
@ -249,38 +484,205 @@ Examples
mpremote
Connect to the first available device and implicitly run the ``repl`` command.
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote a1
mpremote connect /dev/ttyUSB0 repl
Connect to the device at ``/dev/ttyACM1`` (Linux) and implicitly run the
``repl`` command. See :ref:`shortcuts <mpremote_shortcuts>` above.
mpremote ls
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote c1
Connect to the device at ``COM1`` (Windows) and implicitly run the ``repl``
command. See :ref:`shortcuts <mpremote_shortcuts>` above.
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote connect /dev/ttyUSB0
Explicitly specify which device to connect to, and as above, implicitly run the
``repl`` command.
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote a1 ls
Connect to the device at ``/dev/ttyACM0`` and then run the ``ls`` command.
It is equivalent to ``mpremote connect /dev/ttyACM1 fs ls``.
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote exec "import micropython; micropython.mem_info()"
Run the specified Python command and display any output. This is equivalent to
typing the command at the REPL prompt.
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote eval 1/2 eval 3/4
Evaluate each expression in turn and print the results.
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote a0 eval 1/2 a1 eval 3/4
Evaluate ``1/2`` on the device at ``/dev/ttyACM0``, then ``3/4`` on the
device at ``/dev/ttyACM1``, printing each result.
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote resume exec "print_state_info()" soft-reset
Connect to the device without triggering a soft reset and execute the
``print_state_info()`` function (e.g. to find out information about the current
program state), then trigger a soft reset.
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote reset sleep 0.5 bootloader
Hard-reset the device, wait 500ms for it to become available, then enter the
bootloader.
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote cp utils/driver.py :utils/driver.py + run test.py
Update the copy of utils/driver.py on the device, then execute the local
``test.py`` script on the device. ``test.py`` is never copied to the device
filesystem, rather it is run from RAM.
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote cp utils/driver.py :utils/driver.py + exec "import app"
Update the copy of utils/driver.py on the device, then execute app.py on the
device.
This is a common development workflow to update a single file and then re-start
your program. In this scenario, your ``main.py`` on the device would also do
``import app``.
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote cp utils/driver.py :utils/driver.py + soft-reset repl
Update the copy of utils/driver.py on the device, then trigger a soft-reset to
restart your program, and then monitor the output via the ``repl`` command.
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote cp -r utils/ :utils/ + soft-reset repl
Same as above, but update the entire utils directory first.
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote mount .
mpremote mount . exec "import local_script"
Mount the current local directory at ``/remote`` on the device and starts a
``repl`` session which will use ``/remote`` as the working directory.
mpremote ls
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote mount . exec "import demo"
After mounting the current local directory, executes ``demo.py`` from the
mounted directory.
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote mount app run test.py
After mounting the local directory ``app`` as ``/remote`` on the device,
executes the local ``test.py`` from the host's current directory without
copying it to the filesystem.
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote mount . repl --inject-code "import demo"
After mounting the current local directory, executes ``demo.py`` from the
mounted directory each time ``Ctrl-J`` is pressed.
You will first need to press ``Ctrl-D`` to reset the interpreter state
(which will preserve the mount) before pressing ``Ctrl-J`` to re-import
``demo.py``.
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote mount app repl --inject-file demo.py
Same as above, but executes the contents of the local file demo.py at the REPL
every time ``Ctrl-K`` is pressed. As above, use Ctrl-D to reset the interpreter
state first.
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote cat boot.py
Displays the contents of ``boot.py`` on the device.
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote edit utils/driver.py
Edit ``utils/driver.py`` on the device using your local ``$EDITOR``.
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote cp :main.py .
Copy ``main.py`` from the device to the local directory.
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote cp main.py :
Copy ``main.py`` from the local directory to the device.
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote cp :a.py :b.py
Copy ``a.py`` on the device to ``b.py`` on the device.
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote cp -r dir/ :
Recursively copy the local directory ``dir`` to the remote device.
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote cp a.py b.py : + repl
Copy ``a.py`` and ``b.py`` from the local directory to the device, then run the
``repl`` command.
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote mip install aioble
Install the ``aioble`` package from :term:`micropython-lib` to the device.
See :ref:`packages`.
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote mip install github:org/repo@branch
Install the package from the specified branch at org/repo on GitHub to the
device. See :ref:`packages`.
.. code-block:: bash
mpremote mip install --target /flash/third-party functools
Install the ``functools`` package from :term:`micropython-lib` to the
``/flash/third-party`` directory on the device. See :ref:`packages`.

View File

@ -306,7 +306,7 @@ _BUILTIN_COMMAND_EXPANSIONS = {
"command": "connect list",
"help": "list available serial ports",
},
# Filesystem shortcuts.
# Filesystem shortcuts (use `cp` instead of `fs cp`).
"cat": "fs cat",
"ls": "fs ls",
"cp": "fs cp",
@ -314,6 +314,7 @@ _BUILTIN_COMMAND_EXPANSIONS = {
"touch": "fs touch",
"mkdir": "fs mkdir",
"rmdir": "fs rmdir",
# Disk used/free.
"df": [
"exec",
"import uos\nprint('mount \\tsize \\tused \\tavail \\tuse%')\nfor _m in [''] + uos.listdir('/'):\n _s = uos.stat('/' + _m)\n if not _s[0] & 1 << 14: continue\n _s = uos.statvfs(_m)\n if _s[0]:\n _size = _s[0] * _s[2]; _free = _s[0] * _s[3]; print(_m, _size, _size - _free, _free, int(100 * (_size - _free) / _size), sep='\\t')",