Add a portable mode

[ornea]

Describe the request

Allow the Arduino IDE installation and dependencies (application, preferences, platforms, sketchbook) to be stored under a single folder.

🙂 The user can put a complete sketch development environment on a portable drive and use it on any available computer.
🙂 The user can create a complete self-contained project environment with all project dependencies, including the IDE application itself.

Describe the current behavior

The IDE installation and dependencies are stored in multiple separate places on the user's computer:

• Application folder (e.g., C:\Program Files\Arduino IDE\)
• Configuration folder (e.g., C:\Users\<username>\.arduinoIDE\)
• Data folder (e.g., C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Arduino15\)
• Sketchbook folder (e.g., C:\Users\<username>\Documents\Arduino\)

It is not possible for the user to configure the location of the "configuration folder".

It is possible to configure the location of the "data folder" (via <configuration folder>/arduino-cli.yaml), but doing so is user friendly and the configuration file is under the non-configurable "configuration folder" anyway.

🙁 A complete sketch development environment can not be easily moved between computers.
🙁 Complete self-contained project environments can't be created.

Arduino IDE version

58aac23

Operating system

All

Operating system version

Any

Additional context

Arduino IDE 1.x has a portable installation capability, which is enabled by creating a folder named portable under the Arduino IDE installation folder. The configuration, boards platforms, and sketchbook are then stored under that folder:

https://docs.arduino.cc/software/ide-v1/tutorials/PortableIDE

Due to system security restrictions, it is not possible for users of the macOS or Microsoft Store packages of Arduino IDE 1.x to use that feature. These deficiencies in the previous system might be considered when designing an equivalent feature for Arduino IDE 2.x

Additional reports

• Add a portable mode #122 (comment)
• Add a portable mode #122 (comment)
• Add a portable mode #122 (comment)
• Add a portable mode #122 (comment)
• Add a portable mode #122 (comment)
• Add a portable mode #122 (comment)
• Add a portable mode #122 (comment)
• Add a portable mode #122 (comment)
• Add a portable mode #122 (comment)
• Add a portable mode #122 (comment)
• Add a portable mode #122 (comment)
• Add a portable mode #122 (comment)
• Add a portable mode #122 (comment)
• Add a portable mode #122 (comment)
• Add a portable mode #122 (comment)
• Add a portable mode #122 (comment)
• Add a portable mode #122 (comment)
• Add a portable mode #122 (comment)
• Add a portable mode #122 (comment)
• Add a portable mode #122 (comment)
• Add a portable mode #122 (comment)
• Add a portable mode #122 (comment)
• Add a portable mode #122 (comment)
• Add a portable mode #122 (comment)
• Add a portable mode #122 (comment)
• Add a portable mode #122 (comment)
• Add a portable mode #122 (comment)
• IDE 2.0 not work Portable mode (portable folder) #210 (comment)
• IDE 2.0 not work Portable mode (portable folder) #210 (comment)
• Add Portable Mode (from Theia source) #2321 (comment)
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/is-there-really-a-portable-version-of-the-arduino-ide-2/1101134
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/italiano-lo-spamm-bar-part-2/847652/5079
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/arduino-ide-2-0-portable/1031833/1
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/arduino-ide-2-0-portable/1031833/6
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/arduino-ide-2-0-portable/1031833/9
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/arduino-ide-2-0-portable/1031833/10
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/arduino-ide-2-0-portable/1031833/11
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/arduino-ide-2-0-portable/1031833/13
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/arduino-ide-2-0-portable/1031833/16
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/arduino-ide-2-0-portable/1031833/17
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/arduino-ide-2-0-portable/1031833/19
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/portable-version/1033334
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/instructions-for-portable-installation-of-ide-2-0/885980
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/how-to-use-arduino-ide-2-0-0-b9-in-offline-mode/888926
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/portable-is-not-honored/850853
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/post-here-for-ide-2-0-rc/937541/3
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/arduino-ide-2-0-windows-multiuser-environment/972533
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/italiano-lo-spamm-bar-part-2/847652/6854
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/missing-old-ide-features/698280/1
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/missing-old-ide-features/698280/2
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/checking-back-in-after-8-months-any-progress-on-a-true-portable-ide-2-x/1166551
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/arduino-ide-2-0-portable/1031833/24
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/arduino-ide-2-0-portable/1031833/25
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/arduino-ide-2-2-1-portable/1170657
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/arduino-ide-2-2-1-portable/1170657/9
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/your-reason-for-not-switching-to-the-2-x-ide/1176322/12
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/your-reason-for-not-switching-to-the-2-x-ide/1176322/17
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/your-reason-for-not-switching-to-the-2-x-ide/1176322/23
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/your-reason-for-not-switching-to-the-2-x-ide/1176322/49
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/your-reason-for-not-switching-to-the-2-x-ide/1176322/145
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/need-a-way-to-make-newer-versions-of-2-0-portable/1259445
• https://forum.arduino.cc/t/is-there-a-portable-version/1265230
• https://www.facebook.com/official.arduino/posts/pfbid02x5KM54Gf7L56Tea79pLYVafrciYAGZrioedDVD6YFKEnJdsiNT3w6S2WinZtrAc9l?comment_id=941291360659178

Issue checklist

• I searched for previous requests in the issue tracker
• I verified the feature was still missing when using the latest nightly build
• My request contains all necessary details

[ubidefeo]

@tophe2019
thank you for your feedback.
We know that portable mode is very useful to some users, and it is in our backlog.
We do not plan to give it higher priority for now as our first goal is to release a stable IDE and later focus on more niche uses.

@modtronix-com
being able to reproduce a build will be implemented in a more efficient way once the Reproducible Build RFC goals are reached (https://github.com/arduino/tooling-rfcs/blob/main/RFCs/0003-build-profiles.md)
This will allow anyone to simply get a Sketch and make sure that everything they need to build it successfully is available to the CLI and IDE 2.0

[per1234]

Hi all. Feedback about the community's need for this missing feature is valued, but "+1" comments can generate a lot of noise for the people who watch the repository to follow the development.

Comments that add new information to the discussion are always welcome, but if you only want to express support then I suggest the use of GitHub's "Reactions" feature.

[torntrousers]

being able to reproduce a build will be implemented in a more efficient way once the Reproducible Build RFC goals are reached (https://github.com/arduino/tooling-rfcs/blob/main/RFCs/0003-build-profiles.md) This will allow anyone to simply get a Sketch and make sure that everything they need to build it successfully is available to the CLI and IDE 2.0

I'm not sure that the 0003-build-profiles proposal is enough to replace portable mode, as its currently written. For example, one thing I use portable mode for is fiddling with the board support packages, like source files within portable\packages\esp32.

[kittaakos]

Copied from #2321 (comment):

Since Theia has implemented portable mode, can it be ported to the Arduino IDE?
References: eclipse-theia/theia#12690
eclipse-theia/theia-blueprint#276

I've seen #122, but I can't comment on that one, and thought that this information could be useful for devs.

---

Since Theia has implemented portable mode, can it be ported to the Arduino IDE?

No, it's currently not available from the Theia Blueprint app.