How to Use the Software Track
This track teaches FTC Java: how the SDK is structured, how the robot's hardware is addressed from code, and how an autonomous routine is built up from parts you can test. It runs from Java fundamentals through vision and path following.
You can start this track before finishing the mechanical track, and you can work on the robot before finishing this one. The tracks cover the same machine from different roles. Each group should understand enough of the other's work to discuss requirements and diagnose problems together.
Who each unit is for
| If your role is | Start with |
|---|---|
| New member, no assignment yet | Units 0 through 3 |
| TeleOp and driver controls | Units 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| Drivetrain programmer | Units 4, 5, 8, 10, 12 |
| Mechanism programmer | Units 7, 8, 9, 11 |
| Autonomous lead | Units 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15 |
| Vision and pathing | Units 12, 14, 15 |
| Software lead | All of them, in order |
Full sequences with time estimates and checkpoints are in Learning Paths and Time Estimates.
What is different about this track
You check code by running it, so nearly every lesson includes a browser simulator. Write the lesson's Java, run the FTC lifecycle against simulated hardware, and inspect the telemetry.
The mechanical track uses focused calculators to check design values before the team cuts a part.
Run each example and change it. The simulator gives you a quick way to find mistakes before the same code is connected to real hardware.
How to work through a unit
- Read the unit overview to see what it covers and why.
- Work the lessons in order. Each ends with fill-in-the-blank practice.
- Complete the unit-wide coding challenge from the supplied FTC SDK class shell. Its checks cover every unit objective, so passing it demonstrates full mastery and lets you continue directly to the next unit.
- If you already know the material, take the coding challenge first and use any failed checks to choose which lessons to review.
- Test what you learned on the actual robot as soon as you can. Real wiring, mechanisms, timing, and field conditions add behavior the simulator does not model.
Every official rule, SDK, and vendor source is collected in Official FTC Documentation.
This track teaches practice, not rules. Before any decision that touches legality or the control system, read the current season's documents.
- FIRST Tech Challenge game manuals: Game and Season Info
- FTC SDK Javadocs: RobotCore
- REV control system documentation: REV DUO Control System
A warning about copying
Sample OpModes and other teams' repositories are useful references. Before relying on copied code, make sure you can explain what each part does, what hardware names and assumptions it uses, and how you will test it.
That understanding is what lets you diagnose the code when the autonomous routine behaves differently on your robot or field.
Stuck on this lesson?
Ask about anything on this page. It can see which lesson you have open and which part you are reading.