Getting Started with Development

This guide will help you set up your development environment and begin working on the programming challenges. By the end, you’ll have your own local copy of our robot code template and be ready to start coding.

# What You’ll Need

  • A computer running Windows, macOS, or Linux
  • Basic familiarity with using a terminal/command prompt
  • A GitHub account (free)

# Step 1: Introduction to Git and GitHub

# What is Git?

Git is a version control system that tracks changes to your code over time. It allows you to:

  • Save snapshots of your work (commits)
  • Work on new features without breaking existing code (branches)
  • Collaborate with others without overwriting each other’s changes
  • Revert mistakes and see the history of your project

# What is GitHub?

GitHub is a website that hosts Git repositories online. It adds collaboration features like:

  • Pull requests for code review
  • Issue tracking for bugs and features
  • Online code browsing and search
  • Automated testing and deployment

# Learning Resources

If you’re new to Git and GitHub, work through these tutorials first:

# Essential Git Commands

Here are the commands you’ll use most often. Each command has both a command-line option and an IDE option using VS Code:

# Clone a Repository

Download a repository to your computer.

Command Line:

git clone <repository-url>

VS Code:

  1. Press Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+P (macOS)
  2. Type “Git: Clone” and press Enter
  3. Paste the repository URL and choose a folder

# Check Status

See which files have been modified.

Command Line:

git status

VS Code:

  • The Source Control panel (sidebar icon with branches) shows modified files automatically
  • Click the Source Control icon or press Ctrl+Shift+G / Cmd+Shift+G

# Stage Files for Commit

Prepare files to be saved in the next commit.

Command Line:

git add <file-name>          # Add specific file
git add .                    # Add all changed files

VS Code:

  1. Open the Source Control panel (Ctrl+Shift+G / Cmd+Shift+G)
  2. Click the + icon next to individual files, or click + next to “Changes” to stage all

# Commit Changes

Save a snapshot of your staged changes.

Command Line:

git commit -m "Description of changes"

VS Code:

  1. Open the Source Control panel
  2. Type your commit message in the text box at the top
  3. Press Ctrl+Enter (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Enter (macOS), or click the checkmark icon

# Push to GitHub

Upload your commits to GitHub.

Command Line:

git push

VS Code:

  1. Open the Source Control panel
  2. Click the … menu → Push, or
  3. Click Sync Changes if available at the bottom of the window

# Pull from GitHub

Download the latest changes from GitHub.

Command Line:

git pull

VS Code:

  1. Open the Source Control panel
  2. Click the … menu → Pull, or
  3. Click Sync Changes at the bottom of the window (pulls and pushes)

# Create and Switch to a New Branch

Start working on a new feature or challenge.

Command Line:

git checkout -b <branch-name>

VS Code:

  1. Click the branch name in the bottom-left corner of the window
  2. Select Create new branch…
  3. Enter the branch name and press Enter

# Switch to an Existing Branch

Change to a different branch.

Command Line:

git checkout <branch-name>

VS Code:

  1. Click the branch name in the bottom-left corner
  2. Select the branch you want from the list

# View Commit History

See past commits.

Command Line:

git log --oneline

VS Code:

  1. Open the Source Control panel
  2. Click the … menu → View History (requires Git Graph extension), or
  3. Right-click a file and select View File History

# Step 2: Install the GitHub CLI

The GitHub CLI (gh) is a command-line tool that makes it easy to interact with GitHub. We’ll use it to manage your development workflow.

# Installation Instructions

# macOS

Using Homebrew (recommended):

brew install gh

# Windows

Using winget:

winget install --id GitHub.cli

Or download the installer from cli.github.com.

# Linux

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install gh

Fedora/RHEL:

sudo dnf install gh

Arch Linux:

sudo pacman -S github-cli

# Authenticate with GitHub

After installation, authenticate the CLI with your GitHub account.

Command Line:

gh auth login

Follow the prompts to:

  1. Choose “GitHub.com”
  2. Select “HTTPS” as your preferred protocol, or “SSH” if you’re comfortable with managing your own keys
  3. Authenticate using your web browser

Verify it worked:

gh auth status

VS Code:

  1. Open the Source Control panel (Ctrl+Shift+G / Cmd+Shift+G)
  2. If not signed in, you’ll see a Sign in to GitHub button
  3. Click it and follow the browser authentication prompts
  4. Look for your GitHub username in the bottom-left corner to confirm

# Step 3: Understanding the Drive Template

Team Resistance maintains a base robot code template at teamresistance/Newbie_Gym. This repository contains:

  • WPILib project structure - Standard FRC robot code layout
  • AdvantageKit integration - Logging framework for replay and debugging
  • Phoenix 6 configuration - Motor controller libraries for CTRE devices
  • Swerve drive implementation - Team 86’s standard drivetrain code
  • Code quality tools - Linters, formatters, and CI/CD configuration

# Why Use the Template?

For the programming challenges, you’ll be creating your own robot subsystems and commands. Rather than starting from scratch, you’ll clone (download a copy of) the Newbie_Gym repository. This gives you:

  • A working build system configured for FRC
  • Team coding standards and best practices pre-configured
  • Simulation support for testing without hardware
  • The ability to practice Git workflows (branches, commits, pull requests)

You’ll work in your local copy independently, and mentors can review your progress through your branches.

# Step 4: Clone the Template

# Clone the Repository

Download your local copy of the Newbie_Gym.

Command Line:

git clone https://github.com/teamresistance/Newbie_Gym.git

This command will clone the repository to your computer in a new Newbie_Gym folder.

VS Code:

  1. Press Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+P (macOS)
  2. Type “Git: Clone” and press Enter
  3. Enter the repository URL: https://github.com/teamresistance/Newbie_Gym.git
  4. Choose a folder location on your computer

Command Line:

cd Newbie_Gym

VS Code:

  • If you just cloned: Click Open when prompted, or use File → Open Folder and select the Newbie_Gym folder

# Verify Your Setup

Check that your clone is properly connected.

Command Line:

git remote -v

VS Code:

  1. Open the terminal in VS Code (Terminal → New Terminal)
  2. Type git remote -v and press Enter

You should see origin pointing to the Team Resistance repository (teamresistance/Newbie_Gym).

# Step 5: Open the Project in VS Code

FRC development uses Visual Studio Code with the WPILib extension. If you haven’t already:

  1. Install VS Code
  2. Install the WPILib suite (includes Java, Gradle, and robot libraries)

Open your cloned project.

Command Line:

code .

VS Code:

  • Launch VS Code and use File → Open Folder to select the Newbie_Gym directory

# Step 6: Build and Simulate

Before starting the challenges, verify the project builds and runs in simulation.

# Build the Project

In VS Code, press Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+P (macOS) and type:

WPILib: Build Robot Code

The build should complete successfully. If you see errors, ask a mentor for help.

# Run Simulation

Press Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P and type:

WPILib: Simulate Robot Code

Choose “Sim GUI” when prompted. The simulation window should open, and you can enable the robot. This confirms your development environment is working.

# Step 7: Start Your First Challenge

Now you’re ready to begin! Head over to the Programming Challenges page and start with Challenge 1: Command-Based Fundamentals. You’ll work in your local clone.

# Workflow for Each Challenge

As you work through challenges, follow this Git workflow. Each step shows both command-line and IDE options:

# 1. Create a Branch for the Challenge

Important Branch Naming: Always include your first name at the beginning of your branch names (e.g., john-challenge-1 or sarah-challenge-1). This helps mentors identify whose work they’re reviewing.

Important About main Branch: The main branch is locked and you cannot merge changes into it. Instead, you’ll build each new challenge branch off your previous challenge branch. For example:

  • Challenge 1: Create yourname-challenge-1 from main
  • Challenge 2: Create yourname-challenge-2 from yourname-challenge-1
  • Challenge 3: Create yourname-challenge-3 from yourname-challenge-2

This way, each challenge builds on your previous work.

Command Line (for Challenge 1):

git checkout -b yourname-challenge-1

Replace yourname with your actual first name (e.g., git checkout -b john-challenge-1).

VS Code (for Challenge 1):

  1. Click the branch name in the bottom-left corner
  2. Select Create new branch…
  3. Type yourname-challenge-1 (replace yourname with your first name) and press Enter

# 2. Make Your Changes and Test Your Code

Write your code and test it in simulation!

# 3. Stage and Commit Your Work

Command Line:

git add .
git commit -m "Complete Challenge 1: Command-based fundamentals"

VS Code:

  1. Open the Source Control panel (Ctrl+Shift+G / Cmd+Shift+G)
  2. Click + next to “Changes” to stage all files
  3. Type your commit message: “Complete Challenge 1: Command-based fundamentals”
  4. Press Ctrl+Enter / Cmd+Enter or click the checkmark

# 4. Push to the Repository

Command Line:

git push -u origin yourname-challenge-1

Replace yourname with your actual first name.

VS Code:

  1. Click Sync Changes at the bottom of the window, or
  2. Open Source Control panel → … menu → Push
  3. If prompted, confirm you want to publish the branch

# 5. Create a Pull Request (for Mentor Review)

Create a pull request so mentors can review your work. Note: Your pull request will remain open for review only - it will not be merged into main since that branch is locked. This is just for feedback and code review.

Command Line:

gh pr create --title "[YourName] Challenge 1 Complete" --body "Completed command-based fundamentals challenge"

Replace [YourName] with your actual first name.

VS Code / Web Browser:

  1. After pushing, VS Code may show a notification to Create Pull Request - click it, or
  2. Visit the repository on GitHub (github.com/teamresistance/Newbie_Gym)
  3. Click the Compare & pull request button that appears
  4. Add title: “[YourName] Challenge 1 Complete” (replace with your first name)
  5. Add description: “Completed command-based fundamentals challenge”
  6. Click Create pull request

# 6. After Mentor Review, Create Your Next Branch

Your mentor will review your PR and provide feedback. Once approved, you’re ready for the next challenge!

For the next challenge, create a new branch from your current challenge branch (not from main):

Command Line:

git checkout yourname-challenge-1
git checkout -b yourname-challenge-2

VS Code:

  1. Click the branch name in the bottom-left corner
  2. Select your previous challenge branch (e.g., yourname-challenge-1)
  3. Click the branch name again and select Create new branch…
  4. Type your next challenge branch name (e.g., yourname-challenge-2)

This builds Challenge 2 on top of your Challenge 1 work. Repeat this process for each subsequent challenge.

# Getting Help

If you run into problems:

  • Build errors: Ask a mentor to review your code
  • Git issues: Check the Git Handbook or ask for help
  • WPILib questions: See WPILib documentation
  • Team-specific questions: Talk to programming mentors at meetings

# Next Steps