Hey guys, I’m wondering what are some of the best resources for FRC programming? I need some recommended resources to learn control theory, program structure, and just how to program a robot overall. I have tried to read through the WPILIB but found it very hard to attain a lot of information. I have also tried to read through public github repos but I get very confused. Please help me.
1 Like
the wpilib docs are very well made, if sometimes hard to search through. i have a repo here that organizes and links to other resources, although you probably should ignore the advantagekit and simulation resources while you’re just starting out.
3 Likes
4 Likes
I’ve assembled some useful links here.
7 Likes
The thing is that the video seems to cover topics too fast for me.
W fr!
Our programming textbook was created by our student programming lead last year. We’ve received great feedback from a few teams that it helps explain programming FRC robots pretty well.
2 Likes
Look at https://docs.wpilib.org/en/stable/docs/zero-to-robot/step-4/creating-test-drivetrain-program-cpp-java.html. Keep it simple and get the robot driving!!
1 Like
What topics are too fast for you? If anything’s too fast, there are plenty of other resources, and you’re gonna have to marry your favorite search engine for extra help.
Thanks!
Well I guess it’s really just the syntax is too much to memorize and there is too much information to be covered in the smartdashboard sections and stuff so I forget right after a week.
Which syntax do you struggle with?
If you struggle with overall Java syntax, try going through the Codecademy Java course, or even simply write code out with a small syntax cheat sheet to the side. I’d highly recommend figuring out syntax before moving on to code.
1 Like
I like to browse through sample code. One issue here is making sure your looking a good habits and not OLD out of date samples. I also learn by video, some learn using the java-docs. Our JumpStart Robotic YouTube channel has many different videos to sort through. They are starting to get dated but I feel still have a lot of great information.
@gdefender has a great one here FRC Java Programming Basics
I have a video here on using RobotBuilder to get start Robot Builder
2 Likes
It’s not java syntax but FRC syntax or just like command based programming overall.
First you should read the documentation, here is the link to the command based part. You can also take a look at the examples.
Learning a programming language isn’t really about memorizing syntax. If natural language is something like 30% grammar/70% vocabulary, computer language is the other way around. Focus on the concepts; the words will stick once they have a framework in which to live.
4 Likes
I empathize with you somewhat in that I struggle to remember things like computer language words (even though I’ve been programming about 65 years) but it’s mostly for lack of concerted effort to memorize, I suspect. I eventually learn most of the words by doing and I especially like making “cheat sheets” and programming notes and snippets to jog my memory and lean heavily on Internet search engines as I learn and for when I don’t use something often enough to learn it.
But @Oblarg is correct in that it’s not much about the vocabulary. My FORTRAN 66 had 30 words and now Java is up to about 68 words. WPILib Command-Based has approximately 50 words (depending on how you count them and there are near duplicates with one version preferred over the other). My cat knows or can express nearly 50 words. (Her favorite two mean “I can see the bottom of my food bowl.” and “Let’s go down to the basement.”)
Learning by looking at public code repositories is fraught with frustrating problems. There is too much of “what not to do!” Learning about anti-patterns by example has a small place in your education but the negative is not the ideal way to learn so be careful using unreliable sources. Teasing out the good in public code is difficult.
2 Likes
I have read through the textbook and I gotta say that it is wonderful!
3 Likes
This topic was automatically closed 180 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.