Slint with Rust on ESP32 Workshop - no_std and std

Welcome to the Slint with Rust on ESP32 workshop!

About this workshop

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This hands-on workshop is designed to introduce embedded developers to designing modern graphical user interfaces using the Slint UI Toolkit in Rust for the ESP32 platform. The workshop supports both no_std (bare-metal) and std (ESP-IDF) approaches, with no_std as the primary and recommended path due to its simplicity, better performance, and official Espressif support.

Unlike traditional workflows that start directly on embedded hardware, this training emphasizes a desktop-first approach: you begin by developing and testing the UI on your desktop, then port the same code to an embedded platform. This is made possible thanks to Slint’s cross-platform design and support for Rust in both no_std and std environments.

While Slint supports other languages such as C++ or Python, this workshop is focused entirely on pure Rust.

Although the examples run on the ESP32-S3, the concepts can be ported to other ESP32 targets with display capability.

Choosing Your Development Approach

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This workshop supports both development approaches with no_std (bare-metal) as the primary recommendation:

no_std (Bare-Metal) - RECOMMENDED ✅

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Why choose no_std:

• ✅ Much simpler setup - No C/C++ toolchain required
• ✅ Pure Rust - No ESP-IDF complexity
• ✅ Official Espressif support - First-class citizen in esp-hal ecosystem
• ✅ Smaller binary size and memory footprint
• ✅ Better performance and lower latency
• ✅ Direct hardware control with esp-hal
• ✅ Faster compilation times
• ✅ More predictable behavior
• ✅ Highly portable code - Works across different embedded platforms

When to choose no_std: Recommended for most embedded projects, especially when you want a pure Rust experience.

std (ESP-IDF) - Alternative Approach

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When to choose std:

• You specifically need existing ESP-IDF C/C++ components
• You have a large existing C/C++ codebase to integrate
• You require std-only crates that don’t have no_std alternatives

Considerations with std:

• ❌ Complex setup - Requires full C/C++ ESP-IDF toolchain
• ❌ Larger binary size and higher memory usage
• ❌ Slower compilation times
• ❌ Platform-specific code - harder to port to other embedded platforms

Default Choice: Start with no_std for the best embedded Rust experience. Only switch to std if you have specific requirements that necessitate it.

Agenda

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With the prerequisites in place, follow the assignments in order:

• Assignment 1: Environment Setup — install Rust toolchain, dependencies, and tools for Slint and ESP32.
• Assignment 2: Run GUI on Desktop — create a simple two-tab UI with the Slint logo and a placeholder for Wi-Fi list.
• Assignment 3: Run GUI on ESP32-S3 — port the same app to embedded hardware such as M5Stack CoreS3, ESoPe Board (SLD_C_W_S3), ESP32-S3-BOX-3, or ESP32-S3-LCD-EV-Board.
• Assignment 4: Add Wi-Fi list on Desktop — populate the placeholder list with available networks using the OS backend.
• Assignment 5: Add Wi-Fi scan on ESP32 — replace the desktop data source with live Wi-Fi scan results from the ESP32.
• Assignment 6: Explore more Slint examples — interactive demos and links to advanced usage patterns.

Prerequisites

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Hardware:

• M5Stack CoreS3 (recommended - touchscreen, speakers, microphone)
• ESoPe Board SLD_C_W_S3 with Schukat Smartwin display-concept (RGB interface)
• Alternative boards: ESP32-S3-BOX-3, ESP32-S3-LCD-EV-Board
• USB-C cable for M5Stack CoreS3 and ESP32-S3-BOX-3, or USB micro cable with ESP-Prog for ESoPe board

Software:

• Rust toolchain (stable channel is sufficient)
• espup to install and configure esp-rust toolchain (recommended method)
• espflash for flashing firmware
• cargo-generate for creating project templates
• JetBrains RustRover or CLion — recommended IDEs, available free for students and open source projects
• Alternatively, VS Code with Rust Analyzer, or any terminal-based Rust development setup

JetBrains IDEs (CLion or RustRover) are highly recommended and provide excellent Rust tooling out of the box. These tools are available free of charge for students and open source contributors.

Follow Slint Embedded Setup Instructions for more details.

Time Estimate

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Pacing depends on your experience with embedded Rust and Slint.

Target Audience

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This workshop is suitable for:

• Embedded developers with C/C++ background exploring Rust
• Rust developers curious about no_std embedded development
• Anyone interested in building fast, modern GUIs for microcontrollers

Basic knowledge of embedded systems and Rust syntax is helpful but not required.

Support and Feedback

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If you get stuck or have feedback, please open a discussion on GitHub or reach out to the Slint Discord.

Feedback and Contributions

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This workshop is available on GitHub and welcomes contributions and improvements. If you encounter issues or want to propose updates, feel free to open a discussion or pull request.

Goals

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By the end of this workshop, you will:

• Be able to create a UI with Slint in Rust using no_std
• Deploy graphical apps to ESP32-S3 boards with display and optional touch
• Understand how to separate logic from presentation with properties and callbacks
• Integrate the Slint runtime with an embedded framebuffer and event loop

Credits

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This workshop was created in collaboration between Espressif Systems, Slint, M5Stack, ESoPe, and Schukat.

If you are interested in organizing a workshop or need support, we recommend reaching out to the trainer: Michael Winkelmann.

Let’s get started: Assignment 1