Ultimate GPS, Problem uploading a file

[Sailmike]

Hi, I'm just following the instructions in the PDF for the Ultimate GPS kit. On page 10 I'm asked to download Adafruit_GPS and place it in sketchbookfolder/library. There isn't a sketchbookfolder that I can see, so I placed it in the examples folder. The folder "Adafruit_GPS" doesn't show up in file >> examples. To open "echo" I went to file >> open and located "echo" there. When I clicked on "Upload" I got an error: 'NewSoftSerial' does not name a type. How do I fix this?

I'm using an Arduino UNO (SMT version) and version 3 of Ultimate GPS. I'm a Macintosh user mostly, so Windows is still fairly confusing for me.

Thank you for your help,
Mike

[adafruit_support_bill]

Select "File->Preferences". The dialog box should show you the location of your sketchbook folder.

If there is no "Libraries" folder in the sketchbook folder, create one and copy the Adafruit_GPS folder there.

[Sailmike]

There isn't a file named "sketchbookfolder".

That was a fast reply.

Thanks,
Mike

[adafruit_support_bill]

There isn't a file named "sketchbookfolder".

That is true. But if you selct "File->Preferences" in the Arduino IDE, it will tell you the path of what it considers to be your sketchbook folder.

[Sailmike]

Alright I created a library in the folder you mentioned, but I'm still getting the 'NewSoftSerial' does not name a type error message. I'm able to access the file via file >> sketchbook >> library >> Adafruit_GPS >> echo.

#if ARDUINO >= 100
SoftwareSerial mySerial(3, 2);
#else
NewSoftSerial mySerial(3, 2); //IDE highlighted this line
#endif

Error messages:
Expected ';' before '*' token
echo 35: error: 'NewSoftSerial' does not name a type
echo 37: error: 'mySerial' was not declared in this scope

Thanks for your help,
Mike

[adafruit_support_bill]

Which version of the IDE are you using? If it is 1.0 or later, the sketch should be using SoftwareSerial, not NewSoftSerial.

Make sure you have the latest version of the library. There were recent changes in this area.

[Sailmike]

Looks like I was using the wrong version. It works now. Thanks.

Got another question for you: At the end of the PDF instructions there are links to some files. One of them is for tools, which is an .rar file. What are the tools for and how do I open the file?

Thanks,
Mike

[adafruit_support_bill]

.RAR files are "Roshal ARchive" files. Most archive utilities such as WinZip will handle them. There are several free downloadable utilities available for them as well.