VRC | Programming Environment
One of the official programming software for VRC is known as RobotC, which is a programming language derived from a popular programing language, known as "C". RobotC allows users to easily initialize, synthesize, and analyze programs designed for VEX EDR robots. From this section of the Wiki, you will learn the basics of RobotC and how use it with the physical VEX Cortex.
RobotC, as stated above, is used to initialize, synthesize, and analyze programs.
RobotC allows users to open up programs created by the RobotC. Many files can be opened at once through a single window. The different files are shown as separate tabs, analogous to the different tabs internet browsers have. The UI, or user interface, allows users to open windows or perform certain actions in many ways. Users can perform an action using the top menu bar using the separate "File", "Edit", "View", "Robot", "Window", and "Help" menus. Alternatively, users can perform actions by using the ribbon menu, which holds the familiar icons such as "Save", "Save as", and "Open file" in addition to the unfamiliar icons such as "Motor and Sensor Setup", "Firmware Download", "Compile Program", and "Download to Robot". After reading the end of this article, you will be able to familiarize yourself with the unfamiliar buttons.
Users will be able to synthesize different RobotC programs; each separate program is usually designed for a different robot. Each program contains lines of code that are used to control the VEX Robot's every move and action. For example the following line of code, or command "startMotor(Motor1, 64)" sets a motor called "Motor1" to the speed of "64". But who tells Motor1 to rotate at the speed of "64"? In fact, the VEX Cortex coordinates the robot's activities by reading the commands that the student wrote; you will learn more about as the reader reads the article.
The analyzation of one's own program is vital for any programer to learn and master. Often enough, discrepancies in the program, also known as bugs, can be discovered while the program is running. It is important to fix these discrepancies to ensure a working robot that obeys all commands without error. RobotC includes a built-in debugger, allowing programmers to analyze sensor readings in addition to analyzing the program's response to the sensor information. If there is an error between the sensor reading and the program reaction, the user must fix the error and prevent future errors from occurring again. Sometimes, the program needs to be proofread multiple times to maximize the preventability of bugs.
Robot-C is the programming language that empowers users to instruct their robot to perform actions. The photograph below is a brief preview of the application. More about Robot-C is available via the slideshow presentation on the cloud library server, also known as "Google Drive".
