Assignment 1: Environment Setup

Assignment 1: Environment Setup
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In this assignment, we will set up the Rust development environment for ESP32-S3 programming using the official espup tool.

Slint supports building applications for microcontrollers like the ESP32-S3 using Rust in both no_std (bare-metal) and std (ESP-IDF) modes. This workshop primarily uses the no_std approach due to its simplicity and better performance.

Step 1: Install Rust
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Install the Rust stable toolchain using rustup if you haven’t already:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

Once installed, ensure you have the latest stable toolchain:

rustup update

Step 2: Install `espup`
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We recommend installing espup using Cargo:

cargo install espup --locked

Alternatively, you may use pre-built binaries or cargo-binstall (see espup GitHub README for details).

Step 3: Run `espup install`
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To install the toolchain for no_std development (which includes the GCC linker), run:

espup install

This will install:

The Espressif Xtensa Rust toolchain
LLVM with Xtensa backend
GCC cross compiler
export-esp.sh file containing environment variables

You may customize targets like so:

espup install --targets esp32s3

⚠️ Do not use the --std flag — we are developing in no_std.

Step 4: Source the environment variables (Unix-based systems)
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After espup install, you’ll find export-esp.sh under $HOME.

You need to load this file to correctly configure your environment:

Temporary (for current shell)
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. $HOME/export-esp.sh

Persistent (recommended)
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Append the export file to your shell configuration (e.g. .bashrc, .zshrc):

cat $HOME/export-esp.sh >> ~/.bashrc

Then:

source ~/.bashrc

On Windows, this is done automatically.

Step 5: Verify the installation
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Check that the Rust Xtensa toolchain is active:

rustc --version
cargo --version

Check that espflash is installed:

cargo install espflash

You’re now ready to compile no_std Rust applications targeting the ESP32-S3!

Development Approach: `no_std` vs `std`
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`no_std` Approach
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This workshop uses the no_std approach by default. The setup above is perfect for no_std development.

Project Directory Structure:

esp32/no_std/
├── m5stack-cores3/          # M5Stack CoreS3 implementation
├── esope-sld-c-w-s3/        # ESoPe board implementation  
├── esp32-s3-box-3/          # ESP32-S3-BOX-3 implementation
└── esp32-s3-lcd-ev-board/   # LCD-EV board implementation

`std` Approach
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If you specifically need ESP-IDF/std features, you can also set up for std development:

# For std development, install with --std flag
espup install --std

Project Directory Structure:

esp32/std/
├── m5stack-cores3/          # M5Stack CoreS3 std implementation
├── esope-sld-c-w-s3/        # ESoPe board std implementation
├── esp32-s3-box-3/          # ESP32-S3-BOX-3 std implementation
└── esp32-s3-lcd-ev-board/   # LCD-EV board std implementation

Note: std approach requires additional ESP-IDF setup and is more complex. We recommend starting with no_std for this workshop.