404 error - Clawbot IQ Animated Build Instructions

In each step of the Clawbot IQ instructions, there is a link to an animation of the step, following the pattern vexiq.com/clawbotiq/[step number]. This then redirects to https://www.vexrobotics.com/vexiq/animated-build/clawbot-iq#[step number].

I remember using these animations in the past few months but in checking them just now the expanded URL returns a 404 error. Does anyone know anything about the status of these animations?

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Looks like they changed URL, didn’t (can’t) update everywhere that links to it.
This works: https://www.vexrobotics.com/vexiq/resources/animated-build/clawbot-iq#1
added “/resources”
Found working link at https://www.vexrobotics.com/vexiq/resources/robot-builds
They need to add a redirect from old link…
You can edit URL after getting 404, then goes

Thought I saw some other animated builds. Anything else from VEX? I know about the various Autodesk ones and Philo’s truely awesome LDraw ones and the FLLcasts ones.

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Yeah, the URL for the animated build instructions changed pretty recently.

Would you mind linking me to the page that would then link you to the 404?

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Anything like in OP. He was talking about the printed (out there, can’t edit) and PDF Clawbot Build Instructions, both have QR codes like: https://www.vexrobotics.com/vexiq/animated-build/clawbot-iq#1
that 404.
I imagine it may be elsewhere on web…
On this page
And KiwiBots
And this page: 8thgraderoboticsclass (second row down, third column)
This old thing
And this
Halfway down: VEX IQ - robotics  and Programming
And
And
And
And more…
And some pinterest links… And twitter…
I think some 301 redirects or URL redirection or Redirects: the ultimate guide can solve it…
Some pages, like https://www.vexrobotics.com/vexiq/education/iq-curriculum/your-first-robot are correct.
Oh, and Thank You!

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To solve the specific problem I experienced, it would be sufficient to point vexiq.com/clawbotiq/[step number] at https://www.vexrobotics.com/vexiq/resources/animated-build/clawbot-iq#[step number] instead of https://www.vexrobotics.com/vexiq/animated-build/clawbot-iq#[step number]

To solve the more general problem, a more robust solution would be to to set up an HTTP 301 redirect from https://www.vexrobotics.com/vexiq/animated-build/clawbot-IQ to https://www.vexrobotics.com/vexiq/resources/animated-build/clawbot-iq (assuming this would preserve the # anchor symbol across the redirect, which I think would work but I’m not 100% sure)

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Got it. Should be fixed now. Let me know if it continues to give you any issues.

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Hi, sorry to revive this topic but I’m having some further problems with the IQ Clawbot animations.

The URLs in the paper instruction booklet, vexiq.com/clawbotiq/[step #], seem to lead to step 1 no matter what the step number is in the URL - that is, it will redirect to https://www.vexrobotics.com/vexiq/resources/animated-build/clawbot-iq#1 no matter what step number you include in the original URL.

This was only the case in Safari on current versions of macOS and iOS. The redirect worked correctly in both Chrome and Firefox on macOS.

Sorry to revive this topic again – but now I can’t find the animated instructions at all.

vexiq.com/clawbotiq/[step #] just redirects to vexrobotics.com/iq, and the direct URL https://www.vexrobotics.com/vexiq/resources/animated-build/clawbot-iq now returns a 404.

I poked around on the build instructions page and didn’t see a link to the animated instructions anywhere on there – are the animations still available?

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Pinging @DRow – any update on the animated build instructions?

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Sorry about that. Caught me the first time while I was on vacation, so I didn’t see the notification.

These instructions unfortunately did not get migrated during last year’s website backend upgrade. There was already quite a bit of tape and hot glue holding them together before that happened, and it just would not have possible to move them to the new site without them being completely unusable.

That said, there’s no guarantees that they can’t / won’t make a comeback in the future in a different format.

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Thanks for the info!

As I recall the animations for each step were just video files – any chance the video files could/will just be made available for download?

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Sure. It took a bit of digging down some old rabbit holes, but I managed to find all the old files.

The old web pages were structured to show an image of the needed parts for each step, and the video file that you referenced above. I obviously couldn’t combine those into a single file for each step, but they’re all at least sorted and numbered to easily reference.

Download link here: https://link.vex.com/animated-clawbot

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This is awesome, thanks so much!

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