Before writing the first line of code, it's important to understand where that code will travel before it actually moves the robot — this avoids most of the initial confusion for people just starting out in FTC.
EcosystemLink to this section
The Control Hub runs the code, the Driver Station sends commands from the controller, and the FTC SDK is the software layer that connects all of it. Understanding this path — from the tap on the controller to the motor spinning — helps diagnose problems later, instead of poking at the code in the dark.
- Understand how the Control Hub, Driver Station and SDK connect to each other.
- Learn the path the code takes until it reaches the robot.
- Understand the basics of communication between phone/computer and robot.
Setting up the environmentLink to this section
Before you actually program the robot, you need the development environment ready: Android Studio installed, the FTC SDK configured, and a basic understanding of how ADB enables a Wi-Fi connection so you can test code without needing a cable the whole time.
- Install and configure Android Studio.
- Create the first project.
- Install the FTC SDK and set up the programming environment.
- Learn about ADB and the Wi-Fi connection for development.