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Hi Folks,
As previously mentioned on this forum, FIRST recommends that teams migrate away from the MIT App Inventor and transition to the FTC Blocks Programming Tool for the 2017-2018 season. The FTC Blocks Programming Tool uses a visual programming interface that is very similar to the MIT App Inventor.
The Blocks Programming Tool, however, has several advantages over the App Inventor:
1. Users do not need to install any extra software in order to get started programming. The Blocks Programming Tool lets a user create, edit and save their op modes with a web browser. This means that you can program your robot using a laptop with a web browser, or even a device like a Google Chromebook or an Apple iPad (or even your Driver Station or Robot Controller smartphones).
2. The Blocks Programming Tool is served up by the Robot Controller app. If you install the app on your phone from Google Play, then you have everything you need to get started. If there is a system update to the software, you can use the Google Play update mechanism to perform the app update. You no longer need to download and install a large virtual appliance file.
3. The op modes that are generated by the Blocks Programming Tool get saved directly to the Robot Controller device and they are available for immediate execution once they have been saved. This means you do not have to build an APK file and then reinstall it on your Robot Controller device. You simply edit the op mode with a browser, push the save button, and the op mode is ready to run.
Details on how to use the Blocks Programming tool can be found at the following address:
Tom
As previously mentioned on this forum, FIRST recommends that teams migrate away from the MIT App Inventor and transition to the FTC Blocks Programming Tool for the 2017-2018 season. The FTC Blocks Programming Tool uses a visual programming interface that is very similar to the MIT App Inventor.
The Blocks Programming Tool, however, has several advantages over the App Inventor:
1. Users do not need to install any extra software in order to get started programming. The Blocks Programming Tool lets a user create, edit and save their op modes with a web browser. This means that you can program your robot using a laptop with a web browser, or even a device like a Google Chromebook or an Apple iPad (or even your Driver Station or Robot Controller smartphones).
2. The Blocks Programming Tool is served up by the Robot Controller app. If you install the app on your phone from Google Play, then you have everything you need to get started. If there is a system update to the software, you can use the Google Play update mechanism to perform the app update. You no longer need to download and install a large virtual appliance file.
3. The op modes that are generated by the Blocks Programming Tool get saved directly to the Robot Controller device and they are available for immediate execution once they have been saved. This means you do not have to build an APK file and then reinstall it on your Robot Controller device. You simply edit the op mode with a browser, push the save button, and the op mode is ready to run.
Details on how to use the Blocks Programming tool can be found at the following address:
Tom