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MARSLib Documentation

Software Setup & Git

Before you can begin programming the robot, you need to configure your local development environment. MARSLib uses industry-standard tooling alongside specific WPILib architecture to deploy its advanced zero-allocation simulations. Follow these steps meticulously to get started. Note this is still a work in progress.

1. WPILib Installation

Section titled “1. WPILib Installation”

WPILib is the official library for FIRST Robotics. It comes bundled with a custom version of Visual Studio Code, a localized JDK, and the necessary Gradle toolchains to compile FRC robot code.

  1. Navigate to the official WPILib GitHub Releases page.
  2. Download the installer corresponding to your operating system (.iso for Windows, .tar.gz for macOS/Linux).
  3. Run the installer. When prompted, select “Install for All Users” and “Download VS Code” if you don’t already have the WPILib VS Code.
  4. Do not use a standard VS Code installation. You must use the WPILib VS Code app installed on your desktop.

2. Installing Git & Authentication

Section titled “2. Installing Git & Authentication”

MARSLib relies on Git for version control and deploying to our team servers. If you aren’t familiar with Git, you should start by downloading it.

  1. Download Git from git-scm.com locally.
  2. Open a new command prompt and configure your global identity so your commits are tracked to you:
Terminal window
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"
  1. We highly recommend installing GitHub Desktop or using the built-in Git GUI within VS Code to manage your commits visually.

3. Project Creation & Installation

Section titled “3. Project Creation & Installation”

Now that your environment is ready, you should create a new empty WPILib project and install the library vendordeps. MARSLib heavily relies on AdvantageKit for logging.

Generating the Project

Section titled “Generating the Project”
  1. Open WPILib VS Code.
  2. Press Ctrl + Shift + P to open the command palette.
  3. Type WPILib: Create a new project and press Enter.
  4. Select Template -> Java -> Command Robot.
  5. Choose a project folder, enter your team number, and click Generate Project.

Installing AdvantageKit

Section titled “Installing AdvantageKit”

Because MARSLib forces deterministic Zero-Allocation telemetry, you MUST install AdvantageKit first.

  1. Open the command palette (Ctrl + Shift + P).
  2. Type WPILib: Manage Vendor Libraries and press Enter.
  3. Select Install new library (online).
  4. Paste the official AdvantageKit JSON URL (check their documentation for the latest version link).

Installing MARSLib

Section titled “Installing MARSLib”

With AdvantageKit installed, you can now inject MARSLib into your codebase.

  1. Open the command palette (Ctrl + Shift + P).
  2. Select WPILib: Manage Vendor Libraries
  3. Select Install new library (online).
  4. Paste the stable MARSLib JSON link: https://marsprogramming.github.io/MARSLib/MARSLib.json

Editing build.gradle

Section titled “Editing build.gradle”

Finally, update your build.gradle to configure AdvantageKit’s annotation processor and to allow Gradle to resolve MARSLib’s native Maven repository on GitHub Pages. Open your build.gradle and ensure you add the repository:

repositories {
    mavenCentral()
    maven { url "https://marsprogramming.github.io/MARSLib/maven" }
}

4. Configuring the Log Auto-Uploader

Section titled “4. Configuring the Log Auto-Uploader”

MARSLib includes an automated script that securely uploads AdvantageKit .wpilog files directly to our private GitHub servers over the 2614 radio network. To authorize your robot to push to our network, you must configure a PAT.

  1. Go to your GitHub Settings -> Developer Settings -> Personal Access Tokens (Fine-Grained).
  2. Generate a new token with Read/Write access directly to the LogDatabase repository.
  3. Create a new file called github_pat.txt directly in the root directory of your MARSLib project.
  4. Paste your raw token into this file. Do not worry—this file is tracked by our .gitignore and won’t be pushed publicly.
  5. When you build the code to deploy to the RoboRIO (./gradlew deploy), this file will be SCP’d into the robot’s flash automatically!

?? Further Reading & External Resources