How to create and use button name(s) in Java

Technical Java
1

Hey all,

Is there a better way to create and name buttons on a controller instead of using something like this:

buttonValue = exampleStick.getRawButton(1);

Mainly just so it’s easier to read. Thanks for any help!

2

We created a class for our controller:

Usage here:

3

As Ty suggested, you can create your own class that extends the Joystick class to provide friendly references to the components of your controller. Here is a very simple, partial, example.

import edu.wpi.first.wpilibj.Joystick;

public class Gamepad extends Joystick {
	
	public Gamepad(int port) {
		super(port);
        }
	
	public boolean buttonA() {
		return this.getRawButton(1);
	}
	
	public boolean buttonB() {
		return this.getRawButton(2);
	}

	public double leftStickY() {
		return this.getRawAxis(1);
	}
}

Then in your main program you’d instantiate a “Gamepad” instead of a Joystick:

Gamepad gamepad = new Gamepad(0);

And reference the buttons like this:

if (gamepad.buttonA()) {
     // do something
}
4

Thank you for your responses. But what does the extends, this, and super mean? Thank you!

5

That’s the heritage notion, The class Joystick has been already created in the WPILIB, he just created a child class (name “Gamepad”) that can use all of the method that are in the class Joystick.

6

Here is the Java documentation on inheritance with a pretty good example: https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/IandI/subclasses.html

7