Note

This is the documentation for the latest development branch and may refer to features that are not available in released versions. If you are looking for the documentation for a specific release, use the drop-down menu on the left and select the desired version.

Using the CanMV Visual Studio Code Extension

Overview

The CanMV for Visual Studio Code extension is recommended for CanMV K230 development. The extension integrates common capabilities such as connecting to the development board, running MicroPython scripts, previewing images, managing device files, viewing terminal output, and browsing examples into Visual Studio Code, making it a suitable daily alternative to the CanMV IDE / OpenMV IDE.

Compared to traditional IDEs, the CanMV extension provides:

1. Edit, run, and stop scripts in Visual Studio Code.

2. View output through CanMV Terminal, and use REPL when no script is running.

3. Browse /sdcard, /data, /udisk in the Device view, and upload, download, edit, and sync files.

4. View IDE frame buffer images through Preview, with support for screenshots, rotation, pixel reading, ROI histograms, and recording.

5. Download and run official examples matching firmware resources through the Examples view.

6. Automatically configure K230 MicroPython stubs to provide code completion and type hints for Pylance.

Note

This document is for users migrating from CanMV IDE / OpenMV IDE to the CanMV Visual Studio Code extension. Before connecting to the development board with the extension, please close the legacy IDE to avoid the serial port being occupied by other programs.

Installing the Extension

1. Install Visual Studio Code 1.90.0 or later.

2. Search for and install the CanMV extension in Visual Studio Code’s Extensions view.

3. If using an offline VSIX package, run Extensions: Install from VSIX... in the Command Palette to install.

4. Pylance will be automatically installed as an extension dependency for Python code analysis.

Extension source code and more details can be found at canmv-vscode-extension.

Connecting to the Development Board

Connect the CanMV K230 development board to your computer via USB, then perform any of the following in Visual Studio Code:

1. Open the Command Palette and run CanMV: 连接开发板.

2. Click the CanMV icon in the sidebar and click the connect button in the Controls view.

By default, the extension automatically detects the development board via USB VID/PID 1209:abd1. After a successful connection, the CanMV Activity Bar will show the development board status, the Device view will refresh device files, and the CanMV Terminal panel will show development board output.

If automatic detection fails, configure the following in Visual Studio Code settings:

canmv.serialPath

For example, a common Linux path is /dev/ttyACM0, and a common macOS path is /dev/cu.usbmodem*. After manually setting the serial port, the extension will use canmv.baudRate to connect to the development board.

Running Python Code

After opening a Python file, you can run it in the following ways:

1. Run CanMV: 运行当前 Python 脚本 from the Command Palette.

2. Use the run button in the upper right corner of the editor.

3. Select CanMV: 在 K230 上运行当前文件 from the editor’s right-click menu.

When the script is running, CanMV Terminal will display the script output, and the run button will switch to the stop state. To interrupt the script, run CanMV: 停止脚本, or press Ctrl-C in CanMV Terminal.

Previewing Images

Open Preview from the Toolbox in the CanMV Activity Bar, or run CanMV: 启用预览 from the Command Palette. When the script outputs images to the IDE frame buffer, the extension displays the live view in the preview window.

Image preview code originally used in CanMV IDE can continue to be used, for example:

1. Display.init(..., to_ide=True) synchronizes display output to the IDE frame buffer.

2. Calling compress_for_ide() on an image object sends the specified image to the IDE frame buffer.

The Preview tool supports fit to window, original size, rotation, save PNG, pixel RGB reading, FPS display, ROI histogram, RGB/grayscale/LAB/YUV histogram, video recording, and virtual touch when supported by firmware.

Managing Development Board Files

After connecting to the development board, open the Device view in the CanMV Activity Bar to manage device files. Common operations include:

1. Expand mounted directories such as /sdcard, /data, /udisk.

2. Create new files or folders.

3. Upload local files or folders.

4. Download, rename, or delete device files.

5. Open Python files on the device; saving after editing will automatically sync back to the development board.

If you need to set up a startup script, select from the editor’s right-click menu:

1. CanMV: 另存为 main.py, to write the current file to /sdcard/main.py.

2. CanMV: 另存为 boot.py, to write the current file to /sdcard/boot.py.

Using Examples and Code Hints

The extension downloads matching examples and K230 MicroPython stubs based on the firmware resource manifest. After connecting to the development board, you can open the Examples view in the CanMV Activity Bar to browse official examples.

Common operations include:

1. Run CanMV: 刷新示例 to download or update the example cache.

2. Open an example from the Examples view; the extension opens it as an editable unsaved file to avoid modifying the local cache.

3. Right-click a Python example and select run to execute it directly on the connected development board.

The example cache is located at:

~/.kendryte/k230_canmv_examples/<examples-id>

The stubs cache is located at:

~/.kendryte/k230_canmv_stubs/<firmware-revision>

The extension writes the current stubs path to python.analysis.extraPaths so that Pylance can provide more accurate completion and diagnostics.

Migrating from CanMV IDE

CanMV IDE / OpenMV IDE Action	Corresponding Action in CanMV Visual Studio Code Extension
Click the connect button in the lower left corner	Run CanMV: 连接开发板, or use the CanMV Controls view
Open a local Python file and run	After opening the file, run CanMV: 运行当前 Python 脚本
Click the stop button	Run CanMV: 停止脚本, or press Ctrl-C in CanMV Terminal
View serial port output	Open the CanMV Terminal panel
Save as main.py	Right-click the editor and select CanMV: 另存为 main.py
Save files to the development board	Upload files in the Device view, or open a remote file and save to sync
Browse development board files	Use the Device view
Open example programs	Use the Examples view, or open Python files from the virtual U drive/local directory
View the IDE image window	Open the Preview tool
Use the threshold editor	Open Threshold Editor from Toolbox

Frequently Asked Questions

Unable to Connect to the Development Board

Confirm that the USB cable supports data transfer, the development board is properly powered on, and close any other software that may occupy the serial port. Linux users also need to confirm that the current user has serial port access permissions. If automatic detection still fails, manually set canmv.serialPath.

No Image in the Preview Window

Confirm that the script is running and that the script outputs images to the IDE frame buffer, for example using Display.init(..., to_ide=True) or compress_for_ide(). If the script is running but still no image appears, open the CanMV output channel to view preview and backend logs.

Device Files Cannot Be Displayed

First confirm that the development board is connected and in the ready state, then run CanMV: 刷新资源管理器. If the firmware version is too old or does not support remote file capabilities, please update to a newer CanMV K230 firmware.