Change border color of each IDE window with different port selection

[okpapt]

Describe the request

Give a unique border color for each Arduino IDE window with a different port selected.

If several Arduino IDE windows have the same port selected, they have same border color.

Same request for Serial Monitor.

Describe the current behavior

When I have several Arduino boards connected by USB cable, it is not easy to choose quickly the Arduino window that is associated with a given board.

Arduino IDE version

d6a4b0f

Operating system

All

Operating system version

Any

Additional context

Related discussion: https://forum.arduino.cc/t/is-it-possible-specific-color-each-instance-of-arduino-ide/461540

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

[facchinm]

Hi @okpapt ,
the serial port is shared among all IDE instances unless you open more than one instance (eg. with double click on .ino files). Anyway, implementing your request works particularly bad with boards that change port name during upload, since the serial port is automatically switched to the one that "reappears".

I'd leave the issue here, tagging it properly, but I don't think we'll work on it anytime soon.

[PaulStoffregen]

sort of related to arduino/Arduino#6490

[okpapt]

Thank you for your answer.
Sorry for my explanation error.
I complete it with more text.

Each time I open a new instance of IDE (click on arduino.exe) I can use a specific serial port with a different Arduino board.

If I open a new window with file/open or with double click on .ino files I have same serial port for this instance.

One instance of Arduino IDE can have several windows with same serial port.

Each instance of Arduino IDE can have separte serial port.

Maybe it is possible to write skin for IDE Arduino ?
I want a specific color for each instance of IDE Arduino.

[matthijskooijman]

@facchinm, I think you might be misunderstanding the request here. AFAIU, @okpapt indeed knows you can start the IDE multiple times to connect to different serial ports. I also do that sometimes, when I have a few Arduinos attached and I want to keep their serial output open side by side. However, among these windows, it is not always easy to quickly see which is which (you'd have to look at the COMx number and remember which is which).

I think @okpapt is requesting that each serial port gets a different color, which is displayed somewhere in the GUI (e.g. the border of the window). This means that a given serial port (and, at least on Windows where a given Arduino always gets the same COM port, a give Arduino) has a specific color, which makes it easier to quickly distinguish them.

[PaulStoffregen]

FWIW, better support for using multiple boards is one of the most commonly requested features I hear for Teensy. Admittedly, this is one of the places Teensy is weakest, because I use HID protocol instead of serial for uploading, so part of the process involves searching for the first available device because it's no a serial port.

I understand multiple board support might be a too-complex feature for Arduino. I know the use of specific colors is a careful and deliberate "branding" choice for Arduino. Still, I'm interested in whatever can be done to better support using 2 or more boards.

[okpapt]

If you read this topic
http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=480263.msg3279281#msg3279281
you can sea It is not within the competences of Arduino forum.

I do tthis picture with paint very quickly just to illustrade what I want to do, sorry for quality.

Thank you for your help.

[okpapt]

matthijskooijman commented on 12 Oct 2017 understand exactly my mind 👍 :)

In picture I made quickly with red, yellow and original color , I change number port com but I forget change name of sketch, sorry !