Project Setup
Project Setup: Launching Your Codebase
Step-by-step guide to creating a new WPILib project. This workshop's robot code is built on Commands v3 + OpModes, so the starting point is the team's 2027-Template, which already organizes your code into mechanisms and OpModes.
Start from the Commands v3 / OpMode project so your code is organized into mechanisms and OpModes from day one.
This workshop targets the 2027 alpha (Commands v3 + OpModes)
The robot code uses Commands v3 + the OpMode framework, runs on Java 25, and deploys to SystemCore. The workshop's canonical starting point is the team's 2027-Template repo. Clone it (the default 2027-dev branch has the 2027 stack; the main branch is still the older 2026 stack) so you start with the OpMode wiring already in place, then set your team number in .wpilib/wpilib_preferences.json. The site mirrors the 2027 alpha stack (GradleRIO 2027.0.0-alpha-6, Phoenix 6 26.50.0-alpha-1).
The Workshop Path: Clone the 2027-Template
This is the path the workshop follows. Four steps and you have a building project with the OpMode wiring, mechanisms folder, and GradleRIO 2027 alpha configuration already in place.
Clone the template
git clone -b 2027-dev https://github.com/Hemlock5712/2027-Template.git Workshop (the 2027-dev branch is the 2027 stack; the main branch is still the older 2026 stack).
Open the folder in VS Code
Use the WPILib 2027 alpha VS Code install from the Prerequisites page. Avoid OneDrive-synced locations; they break Gradle builds.
Set your team number
Edit .wpilib/wpilib_preferences.json and set teamNumberto your FRC team number. Deploys won't find your robot without it.
Build once to verify
Run ./gradlew build(or WPILib: Build Robot Code). A clean build means Java 25, the vendordeps, and the alpha toolchain are all in place. Then read the template's ONBOARDING.md (it's the tour of what you just cloned).
Alternative: Creating a Blank WPILib Project
For reference, this is how you'd create a project from WPILib's built-in generator. Note that the generated skeleton does notinclude the OpMode structure this workshop teaches; you'd be wiring mechanisms and OpModes up by hand, which is exactly why we clone the template instead.
Open VSCode
Launch Visual Studio Code with the WPILib extension installed.
Select the WPILib Logo in Top Right Corner
Click on the WPILib logo/icon in the top right corner of VSCode.
Select "Create a New Project"
From the WPILib menu, choose the "Create a new project" option.
Select "Select a project type (Example or Template)"
Choose Template → Java → Command Robot Skeleton (Advanced). This generates the classic project layout; the workshop path above starts from the 2027-Template instead.
Base folder: select "Downloads"
Warning
Project Name "Workshop"
Enter "Workshop" as your project name.
Team Number
Enter your FRC team number. This is required for deploying code to your robot.
Check "Enable Desktop Support"
This allows you to test your robot code on your computer without a robot.
Generate Project
Click "Generate Project" and then open the new project when prompted.
Next Step