TRIK Studio — free robot programming environment.

It allows you to solve problems using both visual and textual programming languages.

A distinctive feature of TRIK Studio is an interactive simulation mode. You don't need to have a constructor to learn how to program.

TRIK Studio — universal software for teaching programming basics. It provides a smooth transition .

Supported platforms

TRIK Studio supports 4 platforms:

• .

• .

• .

• .

Download

You can download the latest version of TRIK Studio on the website .

Recommended system requirements

• RAM: 4 GB or more.

• Operating system:

  • 64-bit Microsoft Ⓡ Windows 10.

  • Ubuntu 16.04 and later.

TRIK help — a guide for working with the free robot programming environment TRIK Studio. You can find the open-source TRIK Studio code in our repository at .

The help also describes how TRIK Studio interacts with supported platforms:

• .

• .

The TRIK Studio Junior version is displayed in the window title.

And also on the start page.

The TRIK Studio interface depends on the selected mode. TRIK Studio Junior, like , has two modes:

1. It is intended for creating a robot control diagram and executing it in the generation mode.

2. It is intended for executing and debugging a program on a 2D model.

The TRIK Studio Junior interface depends on the selected mode and coincides with the TRIK Studio interface:

You can change the "Character movement" image in the TRIK Studio Junior settings.

1. Choose Settings → Preferences ... in the

2. Choose the "Robots" tab in the opened window, click the "Browse" button next to the "2D Robot Image" field and select the desired image.

The syntax for expressions in blocks in TRIK Studio Junior is similar to the syntax for expressions in TRIK Studio blocks:

TRIK Studio can be integrated with the external programming environment .

This will allow experienced TRIK Studio users to use all the features of professional text editors and their plugins:

• static analyzers,

• auto formatters,

TRIK Studio has only one built-in constant. It can be used in the same way as sensor variables, but its value cannot be changed.

Editing element properties in TRIK Studio Junior is similar to editing element properties in TRIK Studio:

Some antiviruses recognize TRIK Studio as a threat, which prevents TRIK Studio from working correctly.

Below are the instructions for solving similar antivirus problems:

• Avast antivirus blocks TRIK Studio. What to do?

Any program in TRIK Studio can be saved as a subprogram and used in another program.

Working with subprograms in TRIK Studio Junior is similar to working with subprograms in TRIK Studio:

For programming the TRIK controller with the visual language, TRIK Studio has specialized blocks, as well as sensor variables.

Read more about visual programming in the article

Adding and removing blocks in TRIK Studio Junior is the same as in TRIK Studio:

The TRIK Studio version is displayed in the window title.

And also on the start page.

If the program is launched in the interpretation mode on the robot or in the two-dimensional model, you can see the readings of the robot sensors on the graph in the special window.

The graph is scaled automatically so that the readings curve fits entirely in height.

From the drop-down list below you can select a sensor, the values ​​from which will be displayed on the graph.

When you hover over a point on the graph, the value at that point will be displayed.

To the right of the graph there are four buttons for working with it:

Robot settings in TRIK Studio can be opened in two ways.

Way 1

Using the toolbar button:

Way 2

1. Choose in the Settings → Preferences → Robots.

2. In the opened window open the tab "Robots".

Interface language can be changed in the TRIK Studio settings.

1. Choose Settings → Preferences ... in the main menu

2. Choose the "Behaviour" tab in the opened window.

3. Select necessary language. Now TRIK Studio supports English, Russian and French.

“<System language>” means that the TRIK Studio interface language will be determined by the language of the operating system.

4. Press "OK".

5. Restart TRIK Studio to apply the changes.

PuTTY — a client program for working with network protocols. You can connect to the TRIK controller using the SSH and Serial protocols.

Launching PuTTY from TRIK Studio

To run PuTTY, go to Tools → External tools → PuTTY.

Connection to the TRIK controller in PuTTY

1. Connect the controller to the computer via .

2. In the TRIK Studio settings on the tab, write down the IP address of the controller, which is displayed on the main screen of the controller.

3. Launch PuTTY from TRIK Studio by selecting Tools → External tools → PuTTY from the main menu.

4. In the window that opens, enter the root login. Leave the Password field blank.

TRIK Studio can be integrated with the external VSCode programming environment.

This will allow experienced TRIK Studio users to use all the features of professional text editors and their plugins:

• static analyzers,

• autoformatter,

• color themes.

Read about how to integrate VSCode with TRIK Studio in the next articles:

Provides access to information about the battery or power supply unit.

readVoltage

Returns the current-voltage of the battery (or power supply) in volts.

Syntax

Three external programs are available in TRIK Studio:

1. PuTTY.

2. WinSCP.

3. TRIK Gamepad.

To start the program, go to the menu Tools → External tools.

The TRIK controller has a Wi-Fi module that can work in two modes:

1. The access point mode, when the controller creates a new network, and we connect devices to it.

2. The Wi-Fi client mode, when we connect the controller to an existing network.

To select a mode in the controller menu, select the Network item.

Read about connecting the controller to devices in different modes and the interaction of several controllers in the articles:

Links between blocks in TRIK Studio indicate the control flow of interpretation between blocks.

Example

Let it be necessary that after the delay the program ends immediately. To do this, connect the and blocks with a link pointing from the "Timer" block to the program end block.

Creating and deleting links in TRIK Studio Junior is the same as in TRIK Studio:

Main window

After starting TRIK Studio, you will see the start page that displays the of TRIK Studio, quick access to recent projects, and buttons for and .

Unlike , the TRIK Studio language is statically-typed, that is, the type of each expression and each variable must be known at compile time. Moreover, the language does not require (and does not even allow!) to explicitly write the types of variables. It uses automatic type inference for the use of variables.

For example, environment "understands" from the expression a = 1 that type of a is integer.

Besides , in TRIK Studio reserved variables are available that store the values ​​of the readings of sensors connected to the corresponding ports.

These values ​​can be assigned to variables and used in mathematical expressions.

Variables have the form

For example, sensorA1 for TRIK or sensor1 for Lego NXT.

A complete list of sensor variables is provided in sections for specific platforms:

Avast gives a message about a blocked file

If Avast antivirus gives a message about blocking the file when you install or run TRIK Studio, you should add the file to exceptions in the antivirus settings, or select "MORE OPTIONS"→"Open anyway".

TRIK Studio Junior is a free programming environment with the for elementary grades.

The environment has a common interface with the programming environment for robots, which allows for a continuous learning process, starting from elementary grades.

Main window

After starting TRIK Studio Junior, you will see the start page that displays the of TRIK Studio Junior, quick access to recent projects, and buttons for and .

Exercise is a regular program in which you cannot modify some parts of a solution (blocks, sensors setup, world parameters). That is, any diagram can be saved as an exercise for students.

Exercises are created and loaded in TRIK Studio Junior in the same way as in TRIK Studio:

A program in the TRIK Studio is represented as a sequence of the connected by the .

Each program corresponds to the , which may contain other . Diagrams are packaged in projects stored on the disk.

Main diagram

The main diagram is created when the

1. Turn on the controller.

2. Go to More... → Version & Update.

3. The "OS version" is the controller firmware version.

WinSCP — an SFTP and SCP protocol graphical client for Windows. Using it, you can exchange files between the TRIK controller and the computer using the SCP protocol.

Run WinSCP from TRIK Studio

To start the utility go to the menu Tools → External tools → WinSCP.

The TRIK controller is an educational robotics platform developed by a team of experienced engineers specifically for robotics.

supports this platform.

The TRIK controller has a color touchscreen display, and a Wi-Fi module that can operate in .

The TRIK controller is compatible with a wide range of , including all the necessary equipment for controlling DC motors and servo drives, as well as for receiving and processing information from digital and analog sensors, microphones, and video modules.

The TRIK controller supports various ways of connecting via , .

TRIK Studio can be integrated with the external programming environment.

This will allow experienced TRIK Studio users to use all the features of professional text editors and their plugins:

• static analyzers,

• auto formatters,

1. Connect the controller to the computer with TRIK Studio installed in either of .

2. In the TRIK Studio settings, go to the "Robots" section and select the TRIK platform in the "Platforms" window.

3. Enter the IP address of the controller in the "TCP Settings" field.

Also, the controller IP address can be specified on the toolbar:

4. Click "OK".

Settings window

To open TRIK Studio preferences press the corresponding item in the :Settings → Preferences....

The interface of the settings window in TRIK Studio Junior is the same as the interface of the settings in TRIK Studio:

The TRIK controller allows you to build a robotic model without limiting yourself in the choice of "equipment" for it.

It allows you to connect digital and analog sensors, external devices via i2c and UART protocols, has two video ports and a USB connector.

There are 6 ports for servo motors and 4 ports for power motors.

This section contains information on how to connect sensors, motors, cameras to the TRIK controller - it describes the process of testing the connected devices, their configuration, and effective use together with the TRIK Studio programming environment.

To declare variables and set certain values ​​for them, the “Variable Initialization” block is used.

For mathematical expressions — "Expression" block.

Also, mathematical expressions, including those that change the values ​​of variables, can be used almost everywhere where you can specify a value.

Blocks and their properties that do not allow the use of mathematical expressions are described in the section "Common blocks".

All variables in the program are global, i.e. their values ​​can be used in any block in the program.

TRIK Studio language

The language used inside the blocks is based on and largely follows its syntax. Nevertheless, there are significant differences, so a full description of the language used in TRIK Studio is given here.

Examples of expressions

Declaration of several variables in one block "":

The same using blocks:

Proportional controller for driving along the line using two light sensors for the TRIK platform:

An example of using to set the ports of the “Motors forward” block. An array is created with the name a, the port M3 is assigned to the zero element, the first is M1, then the contents of the first element of the array are changed to M4, then the resulting array is transferred to the “Ports” property of the “Motors forward” block:

In mathematical expressions, you can use the functions available for any platform.

The text-based programming mode allows you to edit the program generated from the diagram before downloading it to the robot or write the program in text form from scratch.

Create a new text program

1. Create a diagram containing the "Initial Node" and "Final Node" blocks.

2. Select a real robot mode.

3. Click on the “Generate Code” button. After that, an empty program template that contains all the necessary declarations will appear.

Generate code from the diagram

1. Select the real robot mode.

2. Press the "Generate code" button.

Supported programming languages

The supported text programming language is platform-dependent. One platform can have multiple target text languages.

TRIK controller

For the TRIK platform, generation is possible in:

• .

• .

Lego EV3 controller

Experts in EV3 can look at the code generated in the internal language of EV3 using the "Generate into EV3 byte code" button. Theoretically, it can be edited and run for execution or even used for EV3 text programming, but it is inconvenient to do this - the language was created to automatically generate, rather than write programs.

Lego NXT controller

For Lego NXT, generation in is supported using the ECRobot library.

Geoscan Pioneer quadcopter

For the quadcopter Geoscan Pioneer, generation in Lua is possible.

A program in the TRIK Studio Junior is represented as a sequence of the blocks connected by the links.

Each program corresponds to the main diagram, which may contain other diagrams (subprograms). Diagrams are packaged in projects stored on the disk.

Main diagram

The main diagram is created when the . About adding and removing blocks to the , read the article:

Subprograms

The diagrams with subprograms are created automatically when you add the block "Subprogram" to the scene. In this case, the subprogram is displayed by double-clicking on the "Subprogram" block on the scene.

Read more about subprograms in the article:

This article discusses the possibility of simultaneous loading of programs on a group of robots using the external text editor Sublime Text. The article is a continuation of the next material

Setting up

Download the send_files.cmd file for Windows and place it in the folder where TRIK Studio is installed.

Before starting the program for the first time, you should log in to the TRIK controller via WinSCP. Instructions on how to do this are available . After that WinSCP will remember that it was allowed to establish a connection with this robot and will not require confirmation. This step must be repeated each time a new controller is connected.

1. Start Sublime Text.

2. Choose Tools → Build System → New Build System

3. A window with a text file will open. In it, you need to erase everything and insert the following code instead:

Where:

• <path to scripts dir> — the full path to the folder with the programs to be loaded onto the robots,

• <file with ip addresses> — the name of the.txt file that contains the IP addresses of the robots to upload the files.

• There must be one IP address per line. The file must be in the same folder as the programs to be uploaded.

4. Specify your path to the send_files.cmd file instead of the one specified in the code.

Exapmple:

5. Save the file in the suggested directory <system directory>\Sublime Text 3\Packages\User under the nameTRIK_SEND.sublime-build.

6. ChooseTools → Build System and then in the list opened chooseTRIK_send.

7. To start sending programs to robots, just click Tools → Build or the corresponding key combination Ctrl+B. In order to return to , select Tools → Build System and select TRIK in the list that opens.

Provides control of the LED on the body of the robot.

red

Turns the LED on in "red" mode.

Syntax

green

Turns the LED on in the "green" mode.

Syntax

orange

Turns the LED on in the "orange" mode.

Syntax

off

Turns off the LED.

Syntax

Represents the accelerometer of the TRIK controller.

read

Returns the current sensor reading as an array of three elements corresponding to the sensor readings along each axis.

Syntax

newData

The signal sent by the sensor when new data is ready.

An array is one of the types of TRIK Studio language that stores a set of values ​​(array elements) identified by an index. The numbering of indices in the array starts at 0.

Arrays can be created explicitly using the following expressions (the next lines are equivalent):

a = {1; 2; 3; 4};
a = {1, 2, 3, 4};

Or with explicit indices:

a = {[0] = 1, [10] = 2, [20] = 3};

You can use arrays without creating them. For example, like this:

a[1] = 1;
a[2] = 2;

In this case, "empty spaces" in the array (indices that did not have an explicit assignment) will be filled with default values:

• 0 — for real and integer;

• false — for boolean;

• empty lines for arrays of strings.

Array values ​​can also be used without curly braces if used as the return value. For example, this expression will return an array of numbers 1 and 2:

This is implemented in order to interpret the enumerations of values ​​(for example, the ports of motors in the block ) as arrays. Therefore, wherever you use a comma-separated value notation, you can use an array.

To work with the TRIK controller in the TRIK Studio settings, go to the "Robots" section and select the TRIK platform.

There are several options for executing programs for the TRIK controller:

• Step-by-step diagram interpretation with a simulation of robot behavior on a 2D model.

• Uploading the program to the robot and its further autonomous execution without communication with the computer.

Interpretation with a simulation of robot behavior

1. Turn on 2D model mode.

2. Click on the "Run" button.

3. The 2D model window will open and the program will start running.

4. When you switch to edit mode, you can track the steps of the program.

Uploading to the controller

From TRIK Studio, you can upload a program to a robot in order to execute it autonomously later without connection to a computer. 1. the TRIK controller to TRIK Studio. 2. Click on the "Upload Program" button.

3. To run the program on the controller go to the "Files" menu, select the desired program and press the "Enter" button.

This article discusses setting up and using the Sublime Text external programming environment to call programs in the TRIK Studio 2D model.

This will allow experienced TRIK Studio users to use all the features of professional text editors and their plugins: static analyzers, auto formatters, color themes.

It also describes how to automatically run the program on several fields, which can be useful for participants in competitions with automated verification systems.

Preparation

It is assumed that the user is writing a program in an external editor and would like to run this program on one or more fields. Fields can be presented both in the .xml format (more details in the article ""), and in the.qrs format.

1. Download file for Windows or for Linux and place it in the folder where TRIK Studio is installed.

2. Place the fields on which you want to test the program in a separate folder. If the fields are in .xml format, create an empty default.qrs project in this folder.

Setting up Sublime Text

1. Open Sublime Text.

2. ChooseTools → Build System → New Build System.

3. A window with a text file will open. You need to erase everything in it and paste the following code instead, where <path to field dir> is the full path to the folder with the fields:

4. Edit this file:

• For Linux, substitute your path to the run_2d_model.sh file instead of the one specified in the code. For example: "cmd": ["/home/admin/TRIKStudio/run_2d_model.sh", “/home/admin/fields/”, "$file"]

• For Windows, substitute your path to the run_2d_model.cmd file instead of the one specified in the code. For example: "cmd": ["D:\TRIKStudio\run_2d_model.cmd", "D:\Users\Admin\fields", "$file"]

5. Save this text file in the suggested directory <system folder>\Sublime Text 3\Packages\User under the name TRIK.sublime-build.

6. Open your source code in Sublime Text. To launch it, just click Tools → Build or the corresponding key combination (Ctrl + B).

In TRIK Studio, there are two ways to edit property values ​​of blocks and links between them:

1. Using Property Editor panel.

2. Directly on the diagram.

Using Property Editor panel

When a block, link, or element is selected, all the properties of the current element are displayed on the panel.

The property editor is a table. In the left column, the property name of the element is displayed, in the right - its value.

You can change the value of any property by clicking on the corresponding cell in the right column and entering the desired value.

For properties that allow only a specific set of values, for example, the “Port” property of the "" block, when you try to edit them, a drop-down menu will appear where the desired value is selected:

Property editing on the diagram

To edit properties directly on the diagram:

1. Hover over the value of the desired property.

2. Double-click the left mouse button to activate editing properties.

3. Enter the desired value.

4. Click on any place in the scene.

The TRIK controller can be connected to other devices in two ways:

1. Using the TRIK controller as an access point (the controller creates a new network) and connects the devices to it.

2. Using the TRIK controller in Wi-Fi client mode and connect the devices and the controller itself to an existing network.

Method 1. The controller in the Wi-Fi access point mode

In this mode, the controller creates a new network, so we can connect devices to it.

1. Select Network → Wi-Fi hotspot in the menu. The controller will distribute Wi-Fi, and the network parameters will appear on the screen:

• Network name.

• Password.

• Controllers IP address.

2. When connecting a computer or smartphone to a Wi-Fi network, select the network and enter the password.

Method 2. The controller in the Wi-Fi client mode

In this mode, we connect the controller and devices to an existing Wi-Fi network.

To do this, in the controller's , we need to enter the name and password of the network to which we will connect the controller.

1. To launch the web interface, connect your computer or smartphone to the controller as an access point.

2. In the address bar of the browser, enter the IP address of the controller. The web interface will open.

3. In the "Wi-Fi client" field, enter the name and password of the network to which you want to connect the controller. Click the Save button.

4. Switch the controller to Wi-Fi client mode.

5. If the connection is successful, the controller's IP address will be displayed at the top of the screen next to the icon , and the network name will be highlighted in the list with the icon .

Function description

Allows you to use functions implemented by the user in other files. It is supposed to write your own libraries.

As a passed parameter you must specify the full system path to the file with the required functions or the name of the file. In the second case, the file for a connection must be in the same directory as the main file in which include is called.

Function call

Any program in TRIK Studio can be saved as a subprogram and used in another program.

Subprograms to a local collection or to a separate file for transfer to other computers.

To work with the collection of subprograms, use the menu item Tools → Subprograms:

1. .

Exercise is a regular program in which you cannot modify some parts of a solution (blocks, sensors setup, world parameters). That is, any diagram can be saved as an exercise for students.

Exercise creation

1. Draw a field on the scene using the , if it is necessary for your task.

2. Create a diagram.

This article discusses setting up and using the VSCode external programming environment to call programs in the TRIK Studio .

This will allow experienced TRIK Studio users to use all the features of professional text editors and their plugins: static analyzers, auto formatters, color themes.

It also describes how to automatically run the program on several fields, which can be useful for participants in competitions with automated verification systems.

Preparation

It is assumed that the user is writing a program in an external editor and would like to run this program on one or more fields. Fields can be presented both in

Creating a text program

Read the article about creating a new text program and generating a diagram to code:

This article discusses the possibility of simultaneous uploading of programs on a group of robots using an external text editor VSCode. The article is a continuation of the next material

Setting up

Download the file for Windows and place it in the folder where TRIK Studio is installed.

A screenshot of the TRIK controller screen can be taken in two ways:

1. Using the .

2. With the .

The camera in color sensor mode.

The language uses spaces, tabs, and line breaks outside of string literals only as separators between tokens — they do not affect the interpretation of expressions.

The language has the following keywords:

• and

• false

Represents a sensor (analog or digital) connected to ports A1, ..., A6, D1, D2.

Add blocks to the scene

You can add blocks to the scene in TRIK Studio in three ways:

1. Drag and drop the corresponding icons from the palette of elements onto the diagram.

2. .

3. between blocks using a linker.

Drag and drop from the palette

Left-click on the necessary block located in the panel. Without releasing the mouse button, move the block onto the scene.

Use mouse gestures

Draw on the scene a special image of the block with the Right mouse button. The block appears in the center of the drawn image.

Gestures can be drawn with a few strokes. The gesture input ends if the strokes have not been drawn for some time (you can set the time in the settings window on the tab).

Available conditional images can be found in two ways:

1. In the "Mouse Gestures" window, which opens through the main menuTools → Mouse gestures.

2. In the tooltip that appears when you hover over a block in the Palette panel.

Add block when creating a new connection

1. Start (a colored circle to the right of the block that appears after the block is selected) and release the left mouse button when the cursor is on an empty section of the diagram.

2. In the menu that appears, select "Create new element". A new menu with blocks will appear.

3. Select the block you need.

Delete block

Deleting a block from the scene is possible in two ways:

1. Select the block with the left mouse button and then click the "Delete" button on the keyboard.

2. Right-click on the block and select "Delete" in the menu that appears.

Delete several blocks

1. Select the necessary blocks in one of the following ways.

1.1. Hold down the "Ctrl" button and right-click the necessary blocks.

1.2. Right-click on an area in the scene with the necessary blocks.

2. Delete the selected blocks in one of the following ways.

2.1. Press the “Delete” button on the keyboard.

2.2. Right-click on any selected block and select "Delete" from the menu that appears.

Replace block

To replace the block on the scene:

1. Right-click on the block and select "Replace by..." in the menu that appears.

2. Select the block that you want to put instead of from the list.

Links between blocks in TRIK Studio indicate the control flow of interpretation between blocks.

Example

Let it be necessary that after the delay the program ends immediately. To do this, connect the Timer and End blocks with a link pointing from the "Timer" block to the program end block.

Create links

Links can be created in two ways:

1. .

2. .

Using mouse gestures

Hover over a block, hold down the right mouse button and draw a line to the second block. The line shape can be arbitrary. It is important that it starts strictly on one block and ends on the second.

If you move the mouse cursor over the link, gray markers are displayed at its ends. By pulling on one of these markers, you can control the link. To attach one of the ends of the connection to the block, you need to pull the corresponding gray marker and release it on the block of interest.

Using linkers

The Linker is a colored circle to the right of the block that appears after the block is selected. When you click on this circle and move the mouse with the left button pressed, the link begins to stretch out of the element.

If you drop this relationship on an existing element, these elements will be connected.

If you release the left mouse button when the cursor is on an empty section of the diagram, a menu with the following items will appear:

• Delete

• Create new element

When you select the "Delete" menu item, the created link will be deleted.

When you hover over the menu item "Create a new element" a new menu appears, listing all the possible elements to create. When you select one of these items on the diagram, the corresponding element will be created and join the current link.

Delete links

Links are removed in the same way as .

Add a new block on the link

If you need to add a new block between two linked blocks, drag a block from the Palette panel to the link. Release the mouse button when you hover over a link (not a block).

Create breakpoints

Links in TRIK Studio can be broken lines. To add a breakpoint, move the mouse cursor over the link, click the left mouse button and drag the gray marker that appears.

If the breakpoint of the connection is positioned so that it and the two nearest to it will be located approximately on one straight line, this will lead to the destruction of this breakpoint and smoothing of the broken line in this place.

This article deals with setting up and using the external programming environment PyCharm to call programs in the 2D model of TRIK Studio.

This will allow experienced TRIK Studio users to use all the features of professional text editors and their plugins: static analyzers, auto formatters, color themes.

It also tells how to automatically run the program on several fields, which can be useful for participants of competitions with automated checking systems.

Preparation

It is assumed that the user is writing a program in an external editor and would like to run this program on one or more fields. Fields can be presented both in the .xml format (more details in the article ""), and in the.qrs format.

1. Download file for Windows or for Linux and place it in the folder where TRIK Studio is installed.

2. Place the fields on which you want to test the program in a separate folder. If the fields are in .xml format, create an empty default.qrs project in this folder.

Setting up PyCharm

1. Open the source code folder in PyCharm with File → Open.

2. ChooseFile → Settings or press the key combination «Ctrl+Alt+S».

3. ChooseTools → External tools and click on the «+».

4. In the Name field, enter the desired name of the tool, for example, «run_2d_model». In the Program field, type your path to the file run_2d_model.cmd. In the Arguments type the parameters $FileDir$ and $FileName$ or chooseInsert Macros and select the desired parameters from the list. In the Working Directory type$FileDir$ or chooseInsert Macros and select the desired parameter. Click the OK button.

5. To run the code, select Tools→ External tools and run_2d_model (or its name, chosen earlier).

6. To add "hotkeys" select File → Settings or press the key combination «Ctrl+Alt+S». In the menu that appears, select the tab Keymap and go to the created external tool. Click on run_2d_model right mouse button, select Add Keyboard Shortcut.

7. In the window that opens, enter the desired key combination to call the Toolbox and click «ОК».

8. Now you just have to press the selected combination (in this case Shift+B, but it is possible to choose any other) to run the code.

Camera in line sensor mode.

detect

Detects the dominant color in the vertical bar in the center of the frame and remembers it as a line color. Then the "" method starts returning data for that line.

Syntax

init

Turns the camera on and initializes it inline sensor mode. The boolean parameter determines whether to display the image from the camera (true - display).

Syntax

The boolean parameter defines whether to display the image from the camera:

• true — output,

• false — don't output.

read

Returns an array with the following data in its cells:

• the zero cell is the X coordinate of the line center relative to the center of the frame (from -100 to 100, -100 is the center of the line on the edge of the frame on the left);

• in the first cell - the probability of crossing (the number from 0 to 100, showing how many points of the line color are in the horizontal stripe in the frame center);

• the second cell - the relative size of the line, a number from 0 to 100 (100 - the line occupies almost the whole frame, 0 - the line is absent in the frame).

Syntax

stop

Turns off the video camera and stops the sensor.

Syntax

Used to operate the buttons on the robot's remote control.

buttonPressed

Sent when the button with the specified code is pressed or released.

Syntax

The first parameter is the code of the button, the second - 1 if the button is pressed, 0 if released.

isPressed

Returns true if the button with the specified code is currently pressed. Possible options:

• KeysEnum.Left (code105),

• KeysEnum.Up (code 103),

• KeysEnum.Down (code 108),

Syntax

reset

Resets memorized button presses.

Syntax

wasPressed

Returns whether or not a button with the specified code was pressed, reset the remembered presses for that button. Possible options:

• KeysEnum.Left (code 105),

• KeysEnum.Up (code 103),

• KeysEnum.Down (code 108),

Syntax

TRIK controllers can interact with each other, which makes it possible to solve problems of transferring messages between robots.

For the interaction of controllers, it will be necessary to select a master controller — the one to which we will connect the rest of the controllers. And also connect all controllers to one network. This can be done in two ways:

1. Using the existing network.

2. By creating a Wi-Fi access point on one of the controllers.

Method 1. Interaction using an existing Wi-Fi network

1. Select a master controller and connect it to an existing Wi-Fi network in .

2. In the of the master controller, in the "Interaction of robots" field, specify the tail number (usually for the master it is 01, but any other is possible) and its IP address.

3. Connect all other controllers to the same Wi-Fi network in .

4. Specify for each of them in your web interfaces in the "Interaction of robots" field the tail number (different from the others) and the IP address of the master controller.

4. On all controllers go to the Interaction menu item and click the "Connect" button. The icon should appear in the upper right corner of the controller screens.

Method 2. Interaction using a Wi-Fi access point on one of the controllers

Actions with the master controller

1. Select a master controller and share Wi-Fi from it using (select Network → Wi-Fi access point in the menu).

2. Next, return to the main menu screen and select Interaction.

3. Specify the tail number (usually for the master it is 01, but any other is possible) and its IP address.

Actions with other controllers

4. Connect the rest of the controllers to the master using the . To do this, in the web interface of each controller, in the "Wi-Fi client" fields, specify the name and password of the network of the master controller.

5. Open the web interface using the IP address displayed on the controller in Wi-Fi client mode.

6. Specify for each of the controllers in their web interfaces in the "Interaction of robots" field the tail number (different from others) and the IP address of the master controller.

Action with all controllers

7. On all controllers go to the Interaction menu item and click the "Connect" button. An icon should appear in the upper right corner of the controller screens.

Camera in object sensor mode. Captures a contrasting object in the center of the frame and returns its coordinates and size in the frame.

detect

Detects the dominant color in the center of the frame and remembers it as the color of the object. After that, the "" method starts to return data for the object.

Syntax

init

Switches the camcorder on and initializes it in object sensor mode. The boolean parameter determines whether to display the image from the camera (true — display).

Syntax

The boolean parameter defines whether to display the image from the camera:

• true — output,

• false — don't output.

read

Returns an array that contains the following data in its cells:

• In the zero cell, the X-axis coordinate of the object center relative to the center of the frame (-100 to 100, -100 is the center of the object on the edge of the frame on the left);

• The Y-coordinate of the object's center relative to the frame center (from -100 to 100, -100 is the center of the object on the frame edge at the top);

• The second cell is the relative size of the object, a number from 0 to 100 (100 - the object occupies almost the entire frame, 0 - the object is not on the frame).

Syntax

stop

Turns off the camera and stops the sensor.

Syntax

Provides control of the robot motor (power or servo motor) connected to ports M1, ..., M4, S1, ..., S6.

brake

Blocking of motors for braking for a specified time in milliseconds.

Syntax

As a parameter, you must specify the time in milliseconds.

power

Returns the current motor power (-100 to 100).

Syntax

powerOff

Turns the motor off.

Syntax

setPower

Turns on the motor with the specified power.

Syntax

As a parameter, you must specify the power. The power is set in the range from -100 ("full reverse") to 100 ("full forward"). 0 corresponds to a force break, i.e. the motor stops, it is blocked and remains energized.

The task

Send message "5" from one robot and receive it on another.

Solution

To solve the problem, you have to:

1. Write a for the leading robot.

2. Write a for the second robot.

3. robots to a single network.

4. Run programs on robots.

Message transmission algorithm

1. Switch TRIK Studio to the .

2. Enter a message variable for the message and initialize it by assigning it the number 5 in the "" block.

3. Add "" and "" blocks. In the properties of the "Send message" block, specify the onboard number of the robot to which you want to send the message and the variable containing the message.

The complete algorithm

Message reception algorithm

1. Switch TRIK Studio to the .

2. Add the "" block. In the block properties, specify the variable in which you want to write a message sent from another robot. The variable can be named whatever you want. Set the "Wait for message" property to true.

3. After the message has arrived, display it on the robot's screen for 3 seconds, and then finish the algorithm. To do this, add blocks "", "" and "". In the properties of the "Print text" block, check the Calculate box and specify true in the "Update image" field.

The complete algorithm

Provides management of parallel threads.

1. Binary operators.

2. Unary operators.

3. Assignment operator.

4. .

5. .

Binary operators

Unary operators

Assignment operator

It has the following form:

variable1, variable2, …, variableN = expression1, expression2, …, expressionN

In its simplest form variable = expression.

Return operator

It is written as an expression and should be at the end of the statement block.

Empty operator

Written as ;.

Example

A statement block with two assignment operators and a return operator:

It implements communication between robots in the network by means of the mailbox mechanism.

connect

Connects to the robot with a given IP address on a given port (or default port), gives it its on-board number, and registers with the "mailbox" network.

Syntax

As parameters, you must specify the IP address of the robot and the port. If no port is specified, the default port is used.

Example

hasMessages

Returns true if the robot received a new message.

Syntax

myHullNumber

Returns the onboard number of the robot.

Syntax

newMessage

Sends a message after receiving a message.

Syntax

The first parameter is the sender's onboard number, the second is the message itself.

receive

Gets a new message or blocks script execution until the message arrives.

Syntax

send

Sends the specified message to the robot with the specified board number (or all robots).

Syntax

As a parameter, you must specify the on-board number of the robot to which you want to send the message and the message. If no on-board number is specified, the message is sent to all robots registered in the network.

Example

The table below shows the default shortcuts. You can change the keyboard shortcut for actions in the settings of TRIK Studio.

Function description

The function returns a one-dimensional array of bytes containing the pixels of an rgb32-formatted image taken from the camera (image size 160x120). This function can be used to solve marker recognition problems.

Function call

Work example

Let's look at an example of converting a frame taken with a camera to grayscale and black-and-white color formats.

Take a picture and display the result with the function.

Rwsult:

Implementing the grayscale function

Converts the image to black and white and outputs it to the display:

Result:

Implementing the image binarization function

Translates the image to black and white and outputs it to the display:

Result:

Choose your operating system:

The main menu of TRIK Studio contains a set of basic operations and environment settings:

Represents of the TRIK controller. At rest, the average value of the gyroscope output is not zero and is called a bias or bias error.

The parameter is determined by many factors and can vary, for example, depending on the ambient temperature.

In order for the gyroscope to work properly it is necessary to subtract the zero offset from the incoming values. This can be calculated using the "" method.