Prerequisites
Software Requirements
WPILib & Game Tools
Install WPILib VS Code and National Instruments Game Tools. On this stack you only need Game Tools for the Driver Station, the program that enables and disables the robot.
Phoenix Tuner X
You'll use this to configure and tune TalonFX and other CTRE hardware.
AdvantageScope
A viewer for robot logs and data. You'll need it for debugging and tuning. A lite version comes preinstalled with WPILib, but we recommend downloading the latest full version from the GitHub releases page.
Git
Use Git for version control. Summarize changes clearly (e.g., 'Add drivetrain PID tuning logic').
WPILib 2027 Alpha stack (2027-Template)
This workshop runs on the WPILib 2027 alpha, an early-release version of FRC's programming toolkit. It uses Java 25 and deploys to SystemCore, the robot's onboard computer. Start from the team's 2027-Template, a ready-made robot project you copy. One catch: pick the 2027-dev branch (a branch is one version of the code; main is still last season's). PathPlanner is not required; driving in auto is covered in Workshop #2.
Elastic Dashboard
Drivers use a dashboard to select autonomous routines, check for motor errors, and monitor the robot during a match.
Java Knowledge
Some basic Java knowledge helps, but it isn't required.
Ready to Start?
Make sure everything above is installed before you move on to hardware setup.