general programming help

[pmore21]

hi guys this my first year doing the programming for my team. I was happy that I was able to do ths this year.
The one down side is that this is the first time i have really ever done any programming. I was hoping that someone would be able to give me some general tips about the programming for this year.

see you at the competition,
pmore21

[Alan Anderson]

General tip #1: http://www.usfirst.org/frccontrolsystem

Get and read all the documentation you can.

General tip #2: find a good mentor who can help you in person.

General tip #3: specific questions here will usually get very helpful answers.

[Hanna2325]

Double check...oh ya and double check

mostly (i'm new too..I started over the summer) I'd say read over the booklets provided by FIRST and anything your mentors might give you. Don't be afraid to ask 's and watch for patterns. Also, it makes it a lot easier if you actually understand the math/etc that u are typing in, and understand why you are doing it. One of my friends on programming (she's a beast at it fyi) always is asking questions and this is why she's so good, she really gets what she is doing then and she doesnt just type in a word b/c a piece of paper says it belongs there, she wants to know why...I guess this is the best advice i can give since i really can't give ne on actual physical facts (since im still figuring those out myself...lol)

I hope this helps and good luck

[Ryan O]

Definately read the documentation - and if you can try some basic stuff, like just making the bot move - start be modifying small stuff and work your way up to the bigger - it proved a good technique for our new members.

[Bharat Nain]

I would also suggest buying a basic book to programming in C/C++ or LabView, whichever you are using. Teaching yourself how to program the first time is quite an undertaking and I would highly recommend that you find an experienced student or mentor to help you through the process. It will be easier on you and us. As others have mentioned above, when programming robots, the guides provided by NI/WPI/FIRST are your best friends.