FTC: Moving from Robot-C to Java

5/2/15Jeanne Boyarsky

Programming Mentor FRC Team 694

slideshare.net/boyarskyTwitter @jeanneboyarsky

Blog: http://www.selikoff.netModerator on Java forums at:

http://www.coderanch.com

Pause for CommercialMy first book:

Choices for CodingStep Tool Type of

programmingComments

Crawl Point to Point (download two existing apps)

Configuration Rookie teams?Prototyping?

Walk MIT App Inventor

Blocks Like Scratch

Run Android Studio Text (most like Robot-C)

Real programmers use

http://appinventor.mit.edu/explorehttps://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html

Java – the lay of the land

Non-Android Java program stops here

Major parts

JDK (Java Development Kit)

IDE (integrated development environment)

Editor Emulator

javac

JRE (java runtime environment)

APIs (libraries)

Git (version control)

javaGradle (build)

Note: Github.com offers free hosting

Installing Android Studio

Pre-reqs:

Java JDK 8 (or 7 if already have it)

Lots of RAM (2-4 GB)

Any Operating System

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html

https://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html

The official IDE for Android!

SetupPre-reqs:

Time

Internet

Admin rights

Wizard guides you through setup/downloads runtime

Create Android project (even to play with Java)

Create Java library

Finish up

First class

Run it

Run > Run FTC

C/C++ vs Java - differences

For C/C++ Java

Constants Header file Interfaces or static/final fields

Referencing other code

#include import

Primitives bool, int, short, etc boolean, short, int, long, float, double

Strings char[] or string String

These are not logical equivalents. Just in similar spaces.

Same in Java

LotsArrays

If statements

Math

Calling a method (mostly)

Comments

Big differences in Java

Garbage collection!

no malloc/free – unless calling C/C++

No pre-processor directives

No pointers

No operator overloading

Platform independent

Android Studio - ViewsDefault – Android view

Project view – shows file system

Android Studio – AutocompleteControl + space

Reading: Parts of a class

Imports

Superclass Interface

Reading: C-like enough, right?

Instancevariable

Package (like a folder for grouping)Top level Class

Nested class

Comment

Constant

Reading: Complex Android Class

Java Version Q&A

Why doesn't Java know how to count? The versions go 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Blame marketing!

What books are good for learning Java?Head First Java

Thinking in Java (older versions free)

Java for Dummies

Deitel & Deitel

Core Java

Questions

About Java:

– Friendly forums for those new (or not new) to Java:

http://www.coderanch.comFor FTC specific questions:

– http://www.chiefdelphi.com

– http://ftcforum.usfirst.org/forum.php

– https://www.reddit.com/r/FTC/

– Where else?

References

Android Studio: https://developer.android.com/sdk/index.htm

FTC Schematic: http://modernroboticsinc.com/Content/Images/uploaded/Schematicx1000.jpg

FTC Kit: http://modernroboticsinc.com/first-ftc

FTC Controller: http://first.intelitek.com