FlipCode Improvements to Prepare Students for Script Based Coding
TechTalk
November Edition 2
Actura has made some exciting changes to our FlipCode environment which will further improve the computational thinking skills students learn through our FlipRobot solution. These are the additions of the “Set Up” and “Loop” functions.
Actura has included these two blocks to create a better connection between the Blockly coding used for FlipCode and Arduino Script Based coding students would eventually progress to. Both Set Up and Loop commands are used in Arduino script coding as the basis for any new piece of programming so introducing students to these principles early will allow an easier transition when they are ready to progress to more senior level coding and robotics.
These additions mean that now when you first load FlipCode you will see the Set Up and Loop blocks already on the coding panel as shown in the image below.
These blocks are now required to complete any program in FlipCode. All that needs to be done is to connect either Set Up or Loop to the outside of a constructed program and then it will be ready for use. It is easy to tell if it is ready because if Set Up or Loop are not connected the program will be greyed out but when attached they will be coloured in as shown below.
The difference between Set Up and Loop is how you want your program to run. If you want the program to run only once than you can use the Set Up block and if you want the program to run repeatedly then you can use the Loop function. You can have programs in both Set Up and Loop functions as shown below. What will happen is the program in Set Up will run first followed by the program in Loop. This is the same as how Arduino script programs run when using both Set Up and Loop functionality. You don’t need to have programs in both so long as one of them is being used.
If you have any further questions about this change to FlipCode, please, don’t hesitate to contact your Actura account representative who will be able to assist.
