Welcome to the base code repository for the 2025 Megazord Operator Touch-screen Interface (FRC Team 7563). This documentation provides an overview of how the interface works, how to install it, how to use and integrate it with the robot code, and some example codes. The project was developed by the Megazord #7563 mentor Ricardo Castilho Anunciacao during January and February 2025 and recently implemented in the 2025 competitive robot.
More information are available at GitHub: https://github.com/MegaZord7563/TouchScreenInterface
Scoring Cycles Overview: https://bit.ly/3Db1bJK
Interface Overview: https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/0196e820-e6ba-48a1-985c-26b94871a3bf
The Interface is designed to control auto-generated paths, optimizing routines to score corals in the Reef. While the driver only presses the score button in their joystick, the operator should pre-select the desired position to supply the score button, selecting the desired reef position (A-L) and level (L1-L4).
The Interface is split into two sections: the status section and the command section.
This part of the interface provides the operator with the connection status with the NetworkTables (NT) and the robot, as well as the match and FMS info. Also, the Interface Status informs whether the interface is enabled to use or not, and the Alliance Status informs whether the team is a blue or red alliance and automatically changes the reef image to the correct alliance.
This part of the interface contains the virtual buttons to configure the desired path to score the coral in the Reef, including the desired position (A-L) and level (L1-L4).
The Interface uses the pynetworktables2js library to connect the HTML/JS interface with the NetworkTables and the FRC-roborio.
A cross-platform library that forwards NetworkTables key/values over a WebSocket, so that you can easily write a Driver Station Dashboard for your robot in HTML5 + JavaScript.
This library does not provide a full dashboard solution but is intended to provide the necessary plumbing for creating one with only knowledge of HTML/JavaScript. Because the communications layer uses NetworkTables, you can connect to all FRC languages (C++, Java, LabVIEW, Python).
Note: NetworkTables is a protocol used for robot communication in the FIRST Robotics Competition and can be used to talk to Shuffleboard/SmartDashboard. It does not have any security, and should never be used on untrusted networks.
Documentation can be found at http://pynetworktables2js.readthedocs.org/
To install the pynetworktables2js, follow the instructions at https://github.com/robotpy/pynetworktables2js/tree/main.
Remember: The last Python 3 version must be previously installed on the machine. Install through https://www.python.org/downloads/
To run the Interface is necessary to run the pynetworktables2js.exe file. It is preffered to execute the file in the terminal from inside the directory.
1. Open Interface's directory:
cd "C:\Users\my-folder-path\src\main\deploy\UIv1"
2. To run in simulation robot code:
./pynetworktables2js.exe
3. To run in the FRC-roborio through FRC Driver Station (replace XXXX for your team number):
./pynetworktables2js.exe --robot roborio-XXXX-frc.local
Similar to the XboxController class, the Interface has its own easy-to-control subsystem class: the TouchScreenInterface.java. That way, to implement the Interface in the robot code it is only necessary to copy the TouchScreenInterface.java class in the Subsystems directory.
// Copyright (c) FIRST and other WPILib contributors.
// Open Source Software; you can modify and/or share it under the terms of
// the WPILib BSD license file in the root directory of this project.
package frc.robot;
import edu.wpi.first.networktables.BooleanEntry;
import edu.wpi.first.networktables.BooleanTopic;
import edu.wpi.first.networktables.NetworkTableInstance;
import edu.wpi.first.wpilibj.smartdashboard.SmartDashboard;
import edu.wpi.first.wpilibj2.command.SubsystemBase;
import edu.wpi.first.wpilibj2.command.button.NetworkButton;
public class TouchScreenInterface extends SubsystemBase {
public enum Button {
/** A button. */
kA("A"),
/** B button. */
kB("B"),
/** C button. */
kC("C"),
/** D button. */
kD("D"),
/** E button. */
kE("E"),
/** F button. */
kF("F"),
/** G button. */
kG("G"),
/** H button. */
kH("H"),
/** I button. */
kI("I"),
/** J button. */
kJ("J"),
/** K button. */
kK("K"),
/** L button. */
kL("L"),
/** L button. */
kL1("L1"),
/** L button. */
kL2("L2"),
/** L button. */
kL3("L3"),
/** L button. */
kL4("L4");
public final String value;
Button(String value) {
this.value = value;
}
/**
* Get the human-friendly name of the button, matching the relevant methods.
* This is done by stripping the leading `k`,
* and appending `Button`.
*
* <p>Primarily used for automated unit tests.
*
* @return the human-friendly name of the button.
*/
@Override
public String toString() {
// Remove leading `k`
return this.name().substring(1) + "Button";
}
}
// Instance NetworkTables and Entries
NetworkTableInstance inst = NetworkTableInstance.getDefault();
BooleanTopic booleanTopic[] = new BooleanTopic[16];
boolean[] btnValue = new boolean[16];
BooleanEntry[] bEntry = new BooleanEntry[16];
NetworkButton[] networkButtons = new NetworkButton[16];
boolean enableInterface = false;
/** Creates a new TouchScreenInterface. */
public TouchScreenInterface() {
for (Button button : Button.values()) {
// Create a new boolean topic for each button
booleanTopic[button.ordinal()] =
new BooleanTopic(inst.getBooleanTopic(button.toString()));
// Set the default value of the button to false
btnValue[button.ordinal()] = false;
// Create a new boolean entry for each button
bEntry[button.ordinal()] =
booleanTopic[button.ordinal()].getEntryEx("boolean", btnValue[button.ordinal()]);
// Create a new network button for each button
networkButtons[button.ordinal()] =
new NetworkButton(bEntry[button.ordinal()].getTopic()
.subscribeEx("boolean", btnValue[button.ordinal()]));
// Set the default value of the button to false and put it on the SmartDashboard
SmartDashboard.putBoolean(button.toString()+"Value", btnValue[button.ordinal()]);
}
// Put the enableInterface boolean on the SmartDashboard
SmartDashboard.putBoolean("enableInterface", enableInterface);
}
@Override
public void periodic() {
// This method will be called once per scheduler run
// Get the value of the enableInterface boolean from the SmartDashboard
enableInterface = SmartDashboard.putBoolean("enableInterface", isInterfaceEnabled());
for (Button button : Button.values()) {
// Get the value of the button from the SmartDashboard
btnValue[button.ordinal()] =
SmartDashboard.getBoolean(button.toString()+"Value", btnValue[button.ordinal()]);
// Set the value of the button to the value from the SmartDashboard
bEntry[button.ordinal()].get(btnValue[button.ordinal()]);
bEntry[button.ordinal()].set(btnValue[button.ordinal()]);
}
}
// Get the boolean value of the button
public boolean getButtonValue(Button button) {
return networkButtons[button.ordinal()].getAsBoolean();
}
// Get the NetworkButton object of the button
public NetworkButton getButton(Button button) {
return networkButtons[button.ordinal()];
}
// Enable or disable the interface
public void enableInterface() {
enableInterface = true;
}
// Enable or disable the interface
public void disableInterface() {
enableInterface = false;
}
// Get the value of the enableInterface boolean
public boolean isInterfaceEnabled() {
return enableInterface;
}
}By default, the TouchScreenInterface.java instantiates sixteen NetworkButton; however, if the network is overloaded, there is an option to comment those buttons and only use the boolean values. To do so, comment the following lines:
[...]
--> // Create a new boolean topic for each button
--> booleanTopic[button.ordinal()] =
new BooleanTopic(inst.getBooleanTopic(button.toString()));
[...]
--> // Create a new boolean entry for each button
--> bEntry[button.ordinal()] =
booleanTopic[button.ordinal()].getEntryEx("boolean", btnValue[button.ordinal()]);
--> // Create a new network button for each button
--> networkButtons[button.ordinal()] =
new NetworkButton(bEntry[button.ordinal()].getTopic()
.subscribeEx("boolean", btnValue[button.ordinal()]));
[...]
@Override
public void periodic() {
// This method will be called once per scheduler run
for (Button button : Button.values()) {
--> // Set the value of the button to the value from the SmartDashboard
--> bEntry[button.ordinal()].get(btnValue[button.ordinal()]);
--> bEntry[button.ordinal()].set(btnValue[button.ordinal()]);
}
[...]