Interface Of The Pc Software - Shape Robotics Fable User Manual

Interface of the PC Software

Figure 8 showcases the different sections of the main interface. These are as follows:
Contains buttons for:
Main menu
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running a program (or stopping that program),
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project setup - starting a new project, loading, saving, or opening an example
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a settings menu,
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turning on the camera (which can be used for some programs),
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reading the Getting Started guide, and
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switching between block-based (Blockly) and text-based programming (Python).
Programming Categories
blocks are sorted and placed in a category based on their function, e.g. all available arithmetic
operations are placed in the Math category.
Programming Area
blocks will now be a part of the program that will be executed when the user presses the Run
button (see Main menu). The application uses vertical order to determine which block gets
executed first. If in Python mode, this area is replaced by a big space that allows code editing.
Status Bar
Shows the connected Hub and all of the active modules that are paired with it.
If a program is executed and has errors, those will be shown here.
Python Code
All of the available blocks correspond directly to Python code, which makes
the transition to text-based programming a bit easier. This section visualizes how the
constructed program in the Programming Area will look like if it were written in Python.
Plotting Area
Some blocks allow users to plot data, e.g. the data read from a sensor. The
result is shown in this section of the app.
Visible when using block-based programming. All of the available
Drag blocks from the categories section to this workspace. These
Figure 8 – Main interface of Fable Blockly
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