Careful, there's a programmer in the strategist section! No, don't worry, there's a reason we're programmers

...
Anyway, I am just very paranoid about how we actually control the robot at the competition.
How do we communicate with the robot - through RF like in practice, or do they hook us up to a port which somehow "magically" talks to our robot?
How is autonomous mode controlled? Do the people at the competition control that, and if so, how?
I want to make sure my code will match what FIRST expects for the parts that they control. Please be very specific, and don't worry about spilling over into other areas besides programming.
Demothesis