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SPIFFS Partition on Nano ESP32

Get started with the SPIFFS partition scheme on the Nano ESP32.

Author Hannes Siebeneicher

Last revision 12/18/2023

The SPIFFS (Serial Peripheral Interface Flash File System) is a file system designed to be used with NOR flash memory devices and microcontrollers that support the Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) protocol such as the ESP32 found on the Nano ESP32.

Before proceeding with the SPIFFS file system setup on Nano ESP, please be aware that the mounting instructions mentioned in a comment on the code from the packaged built-in example are tailored for specific older IDE versions such as IDE 1.8. These instructions might not be relevant to IDE 2.0, as it does not support the utilization of custom tools, which are unnecessary in this case.

Hardware & Software Needed

Arduino Nano ESP32
Arduino IDE
Arduino ESP32 Board Package installed (done in the Arduino IDE).

Set Up SPIFFS File System

Start by opening the SPIFFS_Test example by navigating to:

File > Examples > SPIFFS > SPIFFS_Test

The example is also included at the bottom (see Example), together with an explanation of how the code work.

Select the correct Partition Scheme by clicking:

Tools > Partition Scheme > With SPIFFS partition (advanced)

Prepare your following these steps:

Take your unplugged board and connect a jumper cable between the GND and B1 pins.
Plug it in and the RGB LED will turn on with a green or blue color.
While the GND and B1 pins are shorted, press the white RST button on the top of the board to reset the board.
Remove the jumper cable. The RGB LED should stay on, in a purple or yellow color.

Select the correct port:

If your board shows up as a generic ESP32 device go to Tools > Board and select "Arduino Nano ESP32" as well as the correct port under Tools > Port.

Select the Esptool as Programmer by going to:

Tools > Programmer > Esptool

Burn the bootloader by clicking:

Tools > Burn Bootloader

We have now successfully changed the partition scheme and the final step is to upload a sketch using programmer and reset the board.

Upload the sketch via Using Programmer by going to:

Sketch > Upload Using Programmer

After the successful upload press the white RST button on the top of the board. You should see two ports in the drop-down menu, one showing a USB symbol and another one showing a cube.

Select the port next to the USB symbol.

Open the serial monitor and you should see the following output:

Note: It might take a short while for the messages to be printed. If you don't see any messages after one minute repeat the process.

Example

As mentioned above the code is taken from File > Examples > SPIFFS > SPIFFS_Test and can also be found inside the IDE's example section. It showcases different features available when using the SPIFSF file system.

1#include "FS.h"
2#include "SPIFFS.h"
3
4/* You only need to format SPIFFS the first time you run a
5   test or else use the SPIFFS plugin to create a partition
6   https://github.com/me-no-dev/arduino-esp32fs-plugin */
7#define FORMAT_SPIFFS_IF_FAILED true
8
9void listDir(fs::FS &fs, const char * dirname, uint8_t levels){
10    Serial.printf("Listing directory: %s\r\n", dirname);
11
12    File root = fs.open(dirname);
13    if(!root){
14        Serial.println("- failed to open directory");
15        return;
16    }
17    if(!root.isDirectory()){
18        Serial.println(" - not a directory");
19        return;
20    }
21
22    File file = root.openNextFile();
23    while(file){
24        if(file.isDirectory()){
25            Serial.print("  DIR : ");
26            Serial.println(file.name());
27            if(levels){
28                listDir(fs, file.path(), levels -1);
29            }
30        } else {
31            Serial.print("  FILE: ");
32            Serial.print(file.name());
33            Serial.print("\tSIZE: ");
34            Serial.println(file.size());
35        }
36        file = root.openNextFile();
37    }
38}
39
40void readFile(fs::FS &fs, const char * path){
41    Serial.printf("Reading file: %s\r\n", path);
42
43    File file = fs.open(path);
44    if(!file || file.isDirectory()){
45        Serial.println("- failed to open file for reading");
46        return;
47    }
48
49    Serial.println("- read from file:");
50    while(file.available()){
51        Serial.write(file.read());
52    }
53    file.close();
54}
55
56void writeFile(fs::FS &fs, const char * path, const char * message){
57    Serial.printf("Writing file: %s\r\n", path);
58
59    File file = fs.open(path, FILE_WRITE);
60    if(!file){
61        Serial.println("- failed to open file for writing");
62        return;
63    }
64    if(file.print(message)){
65        Serial.println("- file written");
66    } else {
67        Serial.println("- write failed");
68    }
69    file.close();
70}
71
72void appendFile(fs::FS &fs, const char * path, const char * message){
73    Serial.printf("Appending to file: %s\r\n", path);
74
75    File file = fs.open(path, FILE_APPEND);
76    if(!file){
77        Serial.println("- failed to open file for appending");
78        return;
79    }
80    if(file.print(message)){
81        Serial.println("- message appended");
82    } else {
83        Serial.println("- append failed");
84    }
85    file.close();
86}
87
88void renameFile(fs::FS &fs, const char * path1, const char * path2){
89    Serial.printf("Renaming file %s to %s\r\n", path1, path2);
90    if (fs.rename(path1, path2)) {
91        Serial.println("- file renamed");
92    } else {
93        Serial.println("- rename failed");
94    }
95}
96
97void deleteFile(fs::FS &fs, const char * path){
98    Serial.printf("Deleting file: %s\r\n", path);
99    if(fs.remove(path)){
100        Serial.println("- file deleted");
101    } else {
102        Serial.println("- delete failed");
103    }
104}
105
106void testFileIO(fs::FS &fs, const char * path){
107    Serial.printf("Testing file I/O with %s\r\n", path);
108
109    static uint8_t buf[512];
110    size_t len = 0;
111    File file = fs.open(path, FILE_WRITE);
112    if(!file){
113        Serial.println("- failed to open file for writing");
114        return;
115    }
116
117    size_t i;
118    Serial.print("- writing" );
119    uint32_t start = millis();
120    for(i=0; i<2048; i++){
121        if ((i & 0x001F) == 0x001F){
122          Serial.print(".");
123        }
124        file.write(buf, 512);
125    }
126    Serial.println("");
127    uint32_t end = millis() - start;
128    Serial.printf(" - %u bytes written in %u ms\r\n", 2048 * 512, end);
129    file.close();
130
131    file = fs.open(path);
132    start = millis();
133    end = start;
134    i = 0;
135    if(file && !file.isDirectory()){
136        len = file.size();
137        size_t flen = len;
138        start = millis();
139        Serial.print("- reading" );
140        while(len){
141            size_t toRead = len;
142            if(toRead > 512){
143                toRead = 512;
144            }
145            file.read(buf, toRead);
146            if ((i++ & 0x001F) == 0x001F){
147              Serial.print(".");
148            }
149            len -= toRead;
150        }
151        Serial.println("");
152        end = millis() - start;
153        Serial.printf("- %u bytes read in %u ms\r\n", flen, end);
154        file.close();
155    } else {
156        Serial.println("- failed to open file for reading");
157    }
158}
159
160void setup(){
161    Serial.begin(115200);
162    if(!SPIFFS.begin(FORMAT_SPIFFS_IF_FAILED)){
163        Serial.println("SPIFFS Mount Failed");
164        return;
165    }
166    
167    listDir(SPIFFS, "/", 0);
168    writeFile(SPIFFS, "/hello.txt", "Hello ");
169    appendFile(SPIFFS, "/hello.txt", "World!\r\n");
170    readFile(SPIFFS, "/hello.txt");
171    renameFile(SPIFFS, "/hello.txt", "/foo.txt");
172    readFile(SPIFFS, "/foo.txt");
173    deleteFile(SPIFFS, "/foo.txt");
174    testFileIO(SPIFFS, "/test.txt");
175    deleteFile(SPIFFS, "/test.txt");
176    Serial.println( "Test complete" );
177}
178
179void loop(){
180
181}

How It Works?

First, the necessary libraries are included:

1#include "FS.h"
2#include "SPIFFS.h"

The constant
```
FORMAT_SPIFFS_IF_FAILED
```
is used to specify whether the SPIFFS file system should be formatted if it fails to mount. If it's
```
true
```
, the file system will be formatted:

1#define FORMAT_SPIFFS_IF_FAILED true

The code consists of several functions defined in the code showcasing different features such as:
```
void listDir()
```
= List Files
```
void readFile()
```
= Read Files
```
void writeFile()
```
= Write Files
```
void appendFile()
```
= Append a message to an existing file
```
void renameFile()
```
= Rename Files
```
void deleteFile()
```
= Delete Files
```
void testFileIO()
```
= Testing a file's input and output by writing a large amount of data and then reading it.
Before calling all the functions mentioned above two things are done inside
```
setup()
```
:

The serial communication is initialized with a baud rate of 115200.
The SPIFFS file system is mounted and if
```
FORMAT_SPIFFS_IF_FAILED
```
is
```
true
```
it's formatted.

1void setup(){
2    Serial.begin(115200);
3    if(!SPIFFS.begin(FORMAT_SPIFFS_IF_FAILED)){
4        Serial.println("SPIFFS Mount Failed");
5        return;
6    }
7    ...
8}

Lastly, all functions are called with parameters:

1void setup(){
2    Serial.begin(115200);
3    if(!SPIFFS.begin(FORMAT_SPIFFS_IF_FAILED)){
4        Serial.println("SPIFFS Mount Failed");
5        return;
6    }
7    
8    listDir(SPIFFS, "/", 0);
9    writeFile(SPIFFS, "/hello.txt", "Hello ");
10    appendFile(SPIFFS, "/hello.txt", "World!\r\n");
11    readFile(SPIFFS, "/hello.txt");
12    renameFile(SPIFFS, "/hello.txt", "/foo.txt");
13    readFile(SPIFFS, "/foo.txt");
14    deleteFile(SPIFFS, "/foo.txt");
15    testFileIO(SPIFFS, "/test.txt");
16    deleteFile(SPIFFS, "/test.txt");
17    Serial.println( "Test complete" );
18}

All messages printed on the serial monitor are defined in the respective function, except "Test Complete" which printed by
```
setup()
```
once everything is done.

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