Programming, Controls & SensorsStart here · Prerequisite module

Programming Foundations: A Java Primer

A beginner-friendly primer that builds the core programming and Java fundamentals every newcomer needs before writing a single line of FRC robot code. Start from absolute zero with variables, control flow, and objects, then learn why FRC robots are programmed in Java and how to read the WPILib library you'll lean on all season. Complete this before diving into the department's main robot-code lessons.

Programming Foundations: A Java Primer is the prerequisite module of the Programming, Controls & Sensors guide — the ground the 12 numbered modules after it assume you already have, and Foundations: Tools, Languages, and Your First Robot Program follows it. It holds 4 of the guide's lessons.

4 lessons51 lessons in this guide

Start with lesson 1 All of Programming, Controls & Sensors

In this module

4 lessons

01Programming Basics: Variables, Data Types, and OperatorsMeet the three building blocks behind every program: places to store data, the kinds of data you can store, and the operators that let you work with it.

02Control Flow: Conditionals, Loops, and MethodsLearn how programs make decisions, repeat work, and stay organized so your code reacts to the world instead of running blindly top to bottom.

03Object-Oriented Java: Classes, Objects, and InheritanceDiscover how Java models the real world with classes and objects, and how inheritance lets you build on existing code instead of starting over.

04Why Java for FRC and How to Read WPILib CodeSee why Java is the most popular FRC language and learn to read a real WPILib robot file so the examples you'll meet all season stop looking like magic.

DepartmentProgramming, Controls & Sensors

Next moduleFoundations: Tools, Languages, and Your First Robot Program

Jargon check

FRC terms used in Programming Foundations: A Java Primer

WPILibThe official, free software library for programming FRC robots in Java, C++, or Python (RobotPy).

Longer reads

Articles that go deeper on this

FRC Programming Languages: Java vs C++ vs PythonAn honest, beginner-friendly comparison of the three WPILib-supported FRC languages — Java, C++, and Python (RobotPy) — with vendor support and how to choose.7 min read

FRC Programming Tutorial: Getting Started with WPILibA beginner-friendly guide to programming an FRC robot with WPILib: pick a language, install the tools, write your first robot program, and deploy it.5 min read

All 13 modules in Programming, Controls & Sensors

Department overview