The Toolchain

The Wombat broadcasts a WiFi network to which your computer can connect. First, note the SSID and Password. From your devices WiFi settings, look for a network that matches the SSID, then use the password. If you aren’t sure if something is the letter “O” or the number “0”, it is the number “0.”

Once your computer is connected, open a browser and type the the address you see on the WiFi line in on the Wombat about page, followed by “:8888.” For example:

• Battery charged and connected; the Wombat boots to its home screen.
• I found the Wombat’s network name and joined it from my computer.
• I found the IP address on the Wombat’s screen and typed it into a browser.
• I added the port number 8888 after the address, and the IDE loaded.
• I created a user folder for my projects.
• I created my first project.

Write these in your notebook as well. You will type them at the start of every session.

The IDE turns your C into numbers the Wombat can follow. That step is called compiling, and it is why a single missing semicolon stops everything.

• I can say what hardware is on my robot and point at three pieces.
• I can say what software is and where mine is stored.
• I know what pressing Compile actually does, and that it cannot guess what I meant.

Make a new project called hello_c and type this in. Do not paste it — type it.

#include <kipr/wombat.h>

int main()
{
	printf("ready\n");
	return 0;
}

Anatomy of This Program

For now, treat the first and last lines as boilerplate — standard pieces you copy into every program:

• #include <kipr/wombat.h> makes the Wombat’s robot commands available.
• int main() and its curly braces mark the part of the program that runs.
• return 0; tells the controller the program finished normally.

The printf line to understand today is printf("ready\n");. printf prints a message in the IDE’s output area. The text between the quotation marks is what appears, and \n means start a new line after it.

You can also leave a placeholder inside the message and supply its value after the quotation marks:

printf("Trial: %d\n", 1);

Here %d is a placeholder for a whole number, so the output is Trial: 1. When a message has more than one placeholder, the values after the quotation marks fill them from left to right.

• I typed it myself and it compiled with no errors.
• I ran it on the robot and saw ready appear.
• I have seen what a missing semicolon looks like as an error, on purpose.
• I made that error on purpose, read the message, and fixed it.

Shutdown Guide

Do not just flip the switch. Do it in this order:

• On the Home Screen, press Shutdown.
• Press Yes to confirm.
• Wait for it to finish, then flip the power switch off.
• Unplug the battery — hold the yellow connectors, never the wires.

• I can find my saved projects again after the Wombat is switched off and back on.
• Our team has agreed how projects are named, so we can find each other’s work.
• I know where a copy of our code is kept off the robot.
• I know our Wombat’s password is not shared outside the team.