platformio / platformio/platformio-docs
[documentation] Wrong and breaking info for adding Windows PATH for CLI and pio functionality
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- Dominant language
- Python
- Stars
- 285
- Forks
- 357
- PR merge metrics
- No merged PRs in 30d
Description
Issue on your documentation page for installing shell commands:
There you say:
You need to edit the system environment variable called Path and append
C:\Users\UserName\.platformio\penv\Scripts\path in the beginning of a list...
The content of that location is:
.\penv\Scripts\
├── __pycache__
│ ├── bottle.cpython-311.pyc
│ └── readelf.cpython-311.pyc
├── Activate.ps1
├── activate
├── activate.bat
├── async-json-rpc-server.exe
├── bottle.exe
├── bottle.py
├── deactivate.bat
├── normalizer.exe
├── pio.exe
├── piodebuggdb.exe
├── pip.exe
├── pip3.11.exe
├── pip3.exe
├── platformio.exe
├── pyserial-miniterm.exe
├── pyserial-ports.exe
├── python.exe
├── pythonw.exe
├── readelf.py
├── tabulate.exe
└── uvicorn.exe
There are 3 serious issues with this PATH:
-
You are adding to Windows
SYSTEMPATH and notUSERPATH, which may break all sort of already installed tools and programs, includingPythoninterpreter. -
You are telling user to put the PATH addition on the top of the path list, (again) overriding all other PATHs.
-
There are only 3 programs needed, so why are you asking user to add entire directory?
That include an outdated Python interpreter, and several unknown executables!?
NOTE:
platformio.exe and pio.exe are the same file.
Contributor guide
No contributing guide indexed for this repository
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start with the shell-commands section at docs.platformio.org/en/latest/core/installation/shell-commands.html#piocore-install-shell-commands. Review the Windows PATH guidance against the reported USER versus SYSTEM scope, ordering, and listed executables. Done means the page gives accurate, non-breaking instructions and identifies only the commands users need.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- python
- Domain
- cli, documentation
- Issue type
- Documentation
- Difficulty
- 2/5
- Estimated time
- 1-3 hours
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 45/100