4290 Programming Training Ch 2.2 - Commands & Subsystems

Commands

One of the most common design patterns for programming robots in WPILib is called “Command Based” programming. This way of writing robot code allows for commands to be scheduled based on conditions, which allows for a cleaner more understandable codebase.

Before we can go into commands into full depth, it is important to understand the concept of treating functions as data. Below are some article(s) to explain this:

• 1. Article - Treating Functions as Data (WPILib)
• 2. Article - Lambda Expressions in Java (Geeks for Geeks)

Command-based programming is also a good example of declarative programming, which is a style of programming which declare what a robot should do, and less about how it should do it. The following article(s) will go over the details of command-based programming and how to implement it:

• 3. Article - Beginner Subsystems and Commands (Spectrum 3847)
  • Higher level overview of Commands and Subsystems, good to start with.
• 4. Article - What is “Command-Based” Programming? (WPILib)
• 5. Article - Command Based Presentation Notes (Highlanders 8033)

Subsystems

Subsystems are a vital part of command-based programming. They organize where commands should be operated, and (usually) represent a physical part of a robot, such as drivetrain or arm. Below are some articles that help show this off:

• 1. Article - Subsystems (WPILib)
• 2. Video - A1U Programming Subsystems (Andromeda One 4905)

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