My team is getting V5 fairly soon, and I want to figure out the coding situation soon as I am the main programmer on my team. Based on my understanding, there are 3 main ways to program for V5; VEX Coding Studio, Robot Mesh Studio, and PROS. I definitely know I want to code in C++ as I have experience in it outside of VEX, but all 3 options support C++, so that doesn’t really help me narrow it down. I’ve actually played around with all 3 options for a bit. VEX Coding Studio has a slightly weird interface in my opinion with no toolbar, and I couldn’t even figure out how to use find (CTRL+F wasn’t working), but I might be missing something obvious. RMS seems slightly clunky to me, but it looks like it’s solved some of my issues with VCS. And finally, PROS definitely seems like a good option IF I have more time to get everything working, as it seems like it’s a more DIY option. I’ve actually used PROS on the Cortex before and it seemed like a decent option, but I was kind of rushing to get the code done and I decided I didn’t have time to learn everything about PROS so I switched back to RobotC for this season.
I can’t figure out if RMS and VCS support multiple files like RobotC and PROS do, which I sometimes like using if I have a more advanced program with a lot of code. Also, it seems to me like VCS and RMS have fairly similar APIs. Does code in VCS usually work in RMS without many changes? If so, that seems like it would be nice to know in some cases.
I think I know what I’m going to use at this point, but I want to hear other’s opinions and what you all use as I feel that it should help me make a better informed decision.
You can do multiple files with RMS using the command line RMBuild tool.
For most things, yes. By design, we picked the same names for things that had identical function so that this would be possible. The implementations on the back end are different, notably for threading, and RMS has some things that VCS does not such as the drivetrain class and OO voltage control.
If you have UI feedback, we’d love to hear it. We have some changes planned for after the feature set for V5 gets nailed down, so it would be good to see if our plans address your suggestions.
I’d recommend VCS. I use it, and I really have no issues with it. I use RMS to test stuff in mimic on occasion.
You’re not not missing anything. VCS has no ctrl-F or ctrl-S. I currently use rmbuild, but I may switch over to pros as I’ve heard it has a better gyro integrator and for okapilib.
VCS hasn’t received a single update since its public release. That alone should be enough reason to steer clear.
This.
This.
This. It’s missing basic functions of a programming environment.
Given that you have experience with C++, I’d recommend pros. We’ve been using VCS since the beginning of the season and, while it works, it lacks a lot of basic features (as stated above).
I strongly recommend against VCS.
I have, along with some members from the VEX programming community, written this comparison.
https://7842navigators.com/tutorials/introductions/programming-softwares/
I hope this answers your question.
I am a avid PROS user, and I love it, but it is not for the beginner programmer. For a beginner, I would recommend RMS, as it is simple yet usable (and not VCS).
Okapilib is definitely a reason to switch, but unfortunately what you heard about the gyro integrator only applies to PROS 2. For the V5, gyro integration is done directly on the processor that handles the legacy ports, so it is impossible to customize it aside from an update by VEX. Also, the user does not have access to fast enough gyro readings to make their own integrator.
I find it much more likely VEX will come out with a new gyro than improve the legacy integrator.
@theol0403 Woah, I didn’t know that about the gyro, thanks for letting me know. I’ll still probably switch for okapilib and LVGL, but thanks for dispelling that rumor.