Programming, Controls & SensorsModule 2 of 13

The Robot Program: Lifecycle and Command-Based Architecture

Learn how a robot program is structured and runs. Start with TimedRobot's lifecycle, then adopt the command-based framework — the modern, recommended way to organize FRC code with Subsystems, Commands, and Triggers.

The Robot Program: Lifecycle and Command-Based Architecture is module 2 of 13 in the Programming, Controls & Sensors guide. It picks up where Foundations: Tools, Languages, and Your First Robot Program left off and hands over to Motors, Sensors, and Closed-Loop Control. Its 4 lessons are about 160 minutes of the guide's ~30 hours.

4 lessons~160 min51 lessons in this guide

Start with lesson 1 All of Programming, Controls & Sensors

In this module

4 lessons

01TimedRobot and the Robot LifecycleUnderstand the periodic loop that drives every robot program: init and periodic methods, robot modes, and the 20 ms (50 Hz) cycle.35 min read

02Why Command-Based? Subsystems and the SchedulerAdopt the modern command-based framework. Learn what subsystems are and how the command scheduler manages resources.40 min read

03Writing Commands and CompositionsCreate commands with lambdas and factory methods, then combine them into sequences and parallel groups.45 min read

04Reading Joysticks and Binding TriggersRead gamepads with CommandXboxController and bind buttons to commands using Triggers (onTrue, whileTrue).40 min read

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

Next moduleMotors, Sensors, and Closed-Loop Control

Jargon check

FRC terms used in The Robot Program: Lifecycle and Command-Based Architecture

Command-Based ProgrammingWPILib's recommended structure that organizes robot code into Subsystems and Commands for clean, reusable behavior.

Longer reads

Articles that go deeper on this

FRC Command-Based Programming: Subsystems, Commands, and the SchedulerA beginner-friendly guide to WPILib command-based programming in Java: subsystems, commands, the CommandScheduler, triggers, and composing commands.9 min read

FRC Code Structure Best Practices: Command-Based Project ArchitectureHow to structure an FRC command-based robot project the right way — subsystems, commands, RobotContainer, and Constants — verified against official WPILib docs.13 min read

All 13 modules in Programming, Controls & Sensors

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