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StuySplash 2022 - Beta Testing

Upcoming software changes for the FRC 2022 season

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What is Beta Testing?

Beta testing is the process of working with new or updated software to document any bugs or to suggest improvements.

Every year, FIRST releases new versions of software (WPILib, FRC Game Tools) to teams who have registered for beta testing. Their job is to install and work with the software and report their experience to FIRST through task reports.

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Installation

Beta software/files are released through TeamForge (https://usfirst.collab.net)

Installer for WPILib Java/C++ and LabVIEW
FRC Game Tools
CTRE and REV libraries
roboRIO images for flashing

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Overview

A general overview of known issues and a complete list of changes can be found here:

https://tinyurl.com/frc-2022

The documentation for the most recent WPILib java version of the beta (currently 2022.1.1 Beta 3) can be found here:

https://tinyurl.com/beta-j

Alternatively, the C++ version can be found here:

https://tinyurl.com/beta-c

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Major Changes

Drive class functions no longer invert the right side by default. Instead use setInverted.
VSCode no longer allows for the old Command-Based template. Instead migrate to the new Command-Based template.
Similarly, the IterativeRobot template has been removed. Instead use the TimedRobot template.

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General Library Changes

Updated Mechanism2d with support for NetworkTables.
Added a TimesliceRobot template.
Added a C++ TankDrive template.
Added a PS4Controller controller class.
Added a Debouncer class for Java/C++.
Added a PneumaticHub class for use with REV Pneumatics Hub.

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General Library Changes

Methods in the XboxController class no longer take arguments. Instead use the appropriate method.

Ex: controller.getTriggerAxis(GenericHID.Hand.kLeft) -> controller.getLeftTriggerAxis();

getInstance() methods in CameraServer, DriverStation, LiveWindow, Preferences, SendableRegistry have been deprecated and replaced with static functions.
Timer::HasPeriodPassed() and Timer.hasPeriodPassed() have been deprecated. Instead use AdvanceIfElapsed().

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Breaking Changes

PDP has been renamed to PowerDistribution.
Classes like Solenoid and Compressor that utilize Pneumatic Control Modules now require a PneumaticsModuleType of CTREPCM or REVPH.

CTRE specific methods have been moved to PneumaticsControlModule, and REV specific methods have been moved to PneumaticHub.

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Breaking Changes cont.

Sendable has been split into NetworkTable and non-NetworkTable components to make it easier for 3rd party libraries to integrate Sendable.

InterruptableSendableBase has been split into AsynchronousInterrupt and SynchronousInterrupt.

AsynchronousInterrupt and SynchronousInterrupt should be passed through rather than extend DigitalInput.

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Breaking Changes cont.

SpeedController has been renamed to MotorController and moved to a motorcontrol package.
Duplicate SpeedController (now MotorController) methods have been removed.

setSpeed -> set, setDisable -> disable
position, bounds, periodMultiplier, zerolatch, and raw methods have been removed. These methods can be accessed through the PWM class.

Various DriverStation In[Mode] functions have been renamed.

InDisabled -> inDisabled

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Breaking Changes cont.

Several features marked for deprecation from previous years have been removed.

wpilibj.cameraserver has been removed. Instead use cameraserver.
RobotDrive has been removed. Instead use DifferientialDrive.
GearTooth has been removed. Instead us Counter.
C++: WPILib.h has been removed.

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Breaking Changes cont.

Main C++ changes

DriverStation.ReportWarning and DriverStation.ReportError have been removed. Instead use FRC_ReportError in frc\Errors.h

frc::err:Error, frc::warn:Warning

wpi::StringRef has been replaced with std::string_view
wpi::ArrayRef has been replaced with wpi::span
wpi::Twine has been replaced with fmtlib
wpi::sys::path has been replaced with fs::path

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Breaking Changes cont.

Various C++ classes have been migrated to use units

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Package Renames

Some packages from wpilibj have migrated to math

controller, estimator, geometry, kinematics, math, spline, system, trajectory

wpiutil.math has been moved to math
wpiutil is now util
SlewRateLimiter, LinearFilter, and MedianFilter have been moved to math.filters
Timer has been moved from frc2 to frc
Motor controllers have been moved to a motorcontrol package
edu.wpi.cscore has moved to edu.wpi.first.cscore

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Miscellaneous Changes

Shuffleboard

Added Field2d widget
Icons for widget layouts, titles for widgets
Fixed issues with CameraServer streams
Ease of use changes

GradleRIO

Updated to version 7.2
Ease of use changes
Deployment is more customizable

cscore

Updated OpenCV version to OpenCV4

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Miscellaneous Changes cont.

OutlineViewer

Discontinued Java version, updated to be C++ based

VSCode

Added a project importer for the 2022, which will only import 2020/2021 projects
Removed Eclipse Project importer

RobotBuilder

Improved C++ type detection
Fixed imports

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New/Heavily Modified Features

SysId

Characterization tool for simple motor setups, drivetrains, amrs, and elevators
Supersedes frc-characterization, which has been discontinued
Interface, advanced graphing analytics, Romi integration

What is characterization?

Characterization is the processing of mathematically modelling the behavior of a system. For FRC, we can use this to characterize motors and figure out the required input voltage to achieve desired velocity/acceleration outputs.

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