Main diagram

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

Subprograms

Read more about subprograms in the article:

Add blocks to the scene

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

Drag and drop from the palette

Left-click on the necessary block located in the Palette 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 Behavior 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

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.

The list of available blocks depends on the chosen robotics kit and on the robot model (real robot or 2D model simulation). Blocks unavailable for the current kit are not shown at all, and blocks inaccessible for this model within the same platform are shown in gray and are not available for dragging onto the scene.

Common blocks for all platforms are presented below. A program using only these blocks will be executed on any platform without any changes.

A list of blocks specific to a particular robotics kit can be found in the relevant sections:

• TRIK

• LEGO EV3

• LEGO NXT

• Geoscan Pioneer Quadcopter

List of common blocks

Initial Node

The starting point for program execution.

Each diagram should have only one such block. There should not be any incoming links in it, and there should be only one outgoing link from this element.

The process of diagram interpretation begins with this block.

Final Node

End of the program.

If the program consists of several parallel execution sections, reaching this block completes the corresponding execution section.

This block cannot have outgoing links.

Variable Initialization

Properties

Condition

Separation of program execution in accordance with a given condition.

This block must have two outgoing connections, at least one of which must have the value of the Condition parameter set: true or false.

Properties

End if

Pre-conditional Loop

A loop with a precondition is a loop that is true so far for some condition specified before it starts. This condition is checked before the loop body is executed, so the body may not be satisfied even once (if the condition is false from the very beginning).

Properties

Loop

Block that provides the execution of a sequence of blocks several times. The number of repetitions is set by the value of the Iteration parameter. The block must have two outgoing connections, one of which must be marked with the value “body” (that is, the value of the “Condition” parameter the connection must have “body”). Another connection coming from the “Cycle” block should remain unmarked: it will go through when the program passes through the “Loop” block the specified number of times. Infinite loops and loops of the form while / do and while are organized without using this block, looping the control flow using links. An exit from such a loop is carried out using the “Condition” block.

Switch

A condition with several alternatives.

This block must have several outgoing links. All relations, except one, should be marked with an elementary value (string, number, etc.), which can take an expression (the value is simply written in the Condition property of the connection). One of the links should not be marked: it jumps if the expression is not equal to any of the listed values.

Expression

Evaluate the value of the specified expression. Initialization of variables is also allowed.

Subprogram

Subprogram execution. Subprograms are used to keep repeating program fragments on a separate diagram. When adding this block to the diagram, you will be prompted to enter the name of the subprogram, after which double-clicking on the block will be able to go to the diagram corresponding to this subprogram. An additional palette with all the subprograms will also appear. Subprograms from it can be dragged onto the scene and used as normal blocks. The appearance, name, and properties of the block can be changed using the context menu.

Properties

Changing the properties of this block does not perform in the "Properties Editor" panel, but using the "Change Properties" item in the context menu. To call the context menu, right-click on the block "Subprogram".

In the window that opens, you can:

• Change subprogram name.

• Add and change subprogram parameters by specifying a name, type, and value.

• Change the picture on the icon of your subprogram.

• Change subprogram icon background.

Fork

Join

Block for merging parallel tasks.

It blocks the execution of the program until the execution of all parallel tasks included in this block reaches this block.

A block must have at least two incoming links. On the outgoing connection (in the “Condition” property) there must be an identifier for the task, which will continue after the block has completed.

Kill thread

Finishes the task with the identifier specified in the "Task" property. Must be applied from another task.

Random Initialization

A block for assigning a specified variable to a random integer from a specified interval using the From and To properties.

Comment

Block for adding arbitrary text to the diagram as a comment.

Used to explain a specific block or section of a diagram. May be associated with the block, which he explains.

When the program is executed, the block is not taken into account.

Timer

Block for setting the delay. The delay time is set in the Delay parameter in milliseconds.

Marker Down

Start drawing with a marker of a given color on the floor. When the robot moves in a two-dimensional model, a colored line will remain behind it.

The block is available only in the two-dimensional model mode.

Marker Up

Finish drawing with a marker.

The block is available only in the two-dimensional model mode.

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

Example

Create links

Links can be created in two ways:

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

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

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.

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

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 Lua 5.3 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

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

Unlike Lua, 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.

See the article about the syntax of expressions in blocks:

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

Or with explicit indices:

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

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: