Eclipse - LdhssRobotics/How-Tos-2015 GitHub Wiki

By: Haowei Zheng (hw2zheng) ##About

Starting 2015, Eclipse has become the main IDE for C++ programming. It is better than WindRiver in many ways, and does not need a license to be used. It can interface with any RoboRio robot. So far, one robot has been made using a RoboRio: the lifting bot. It features Mecanum wheels which move in all directions and arms which open and close to grab totes. It is, as well as the Frisbee bot, great for practicing programming, although the drive function is more difficult to master. One feature that Eclipse and the RoboRio have over WindRiver is that the RoboRio can load new code onto the robot without having to restart, making debugging significantly easier.

##Installation

Eclipse should be installed on all the programming computers. These are located in the cupboard next to the printer. However, some computers might not have Eclipse installed, or you may wish to install Eclipse on your personal computer.

In order to install Eclipse, go here:

http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc

Go to Technical Resources-> Programming-> Installing Eclipse

Inside, you will find all the instructions for installing Eclipse. The page should look like this:

##FRC Update

In order for Eclipse to be able to interface with the RoboRIO, you must install the FRC Update that is provided by FIRST every year. It includes sample code, base classes to make programming easier, and tools to link up to the roboRIO. A new update is released every year, with small modifications to base classes and some additional features.

Instructions for the installation should be included in the link above. Even though most computers have a working FRC Update, it is important to update this every year.

Programming with Eclipse

General programming instructions can be found here