Pybricks Runner for VSCode

Pybricks Runner is an VSCode extension that allows you to easily program and run your LEGO SPIKE Prime, EV3, and other Pybricks-compatible bricks directly from Visual Studio Code using the pybricksdev command-line tool.

Features

• One-click programming: Easily program your LEGO brick directly from the VSCode editor.
• Simple integration: Runs the pybricksdev run command directly in the integrated VSCode terminal.
• Immediate feedback: Quickly see output and errors directly within VSCode.

Screenshots

🎥 Demo

🚀 Flash Your Robot

1. Open a .py file (e.g. main.py)
2. Click the 🚀 Run on <RobotName> button in the status bar
3. The terminal launches and executes:

   pybricksdev run ble --name "YourRobot" main.py
   
   
   

⚙️ Select or Change Robot Name

1. Click the ⚙️ Select or Change Robot button top right or Press Ctrl+Shift+P → Select LEGO Robot
2. Choose from the list in .robotNameList or enter a custom name
3. .robotName is updated
4. Status bar updates instantly

🛠️ Installation

Prerequisites

• Visual Studio Code
• pybricksdev (pip install pybricksdev)

🛠️ Installation

🧩 From VS Code Marketplace (Recommended for VS Code)

Install directly from the Visual Studio Code Marketplace:

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
3. Search for pybricks-runner
4. Click Install

🌐 From Open VSX (For VSCodium, code-server, Theia, etc.)

Install from Open VSX:

Manual Installing for development

1. Clone or download this repository:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/pybricks-runner-vscode.git

2. Open the folder in VSCode:

cd pybricks-runner-vscode
code .

3. Install dependencies and package the extension:

npm install -g vsce
npm install
vsce package

4. Install as below

code --install-extension pybricks-runner-<version>.vsix

Or Install the .vsix extension file from VSCode:

• Open VSCode
• Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
• Click on ... and select "Install from VSIX"
• Select the generated .vsix file

Usage

• Open a Python (.py) file intended for LEGO Pybricks.
• Click on the "🚀 Run on LEGO Brick" button at the top right corner.

The extension will execute:

pybricksdev run yourfile.py

🧩 Troubleshooting

• Error: 'pybricksdev' not found
  Make sure you've installed it globally using pip install pybricksdev.

• Robot not connecting
  Ensure Bluetooth is enabled and your robot is turned on. Try re-pairing via your OS.

• Web Bluetooth not available
  Check if you're using a Chromium browser and have enabled the chrome://flags/#enable-web-bluetooth flag.

Requirements

• Node.js LTS (18.x recommended)
• Python installed and configured (pybricksdev)
• Supported LEGO hardware (EV3, SPIKE Prime, etc.)

✅ Web Bluetooth Setup for VSCode & code-server:

To enable Web Bluetooth:

1. Open Chrome Flags:
   Go to chrome://flags/#enable-web-bluetooth and set it to Enabled.

2. Use HTTPS or localhost:
   Web Bluetooth only runs in secure contexts.

3. Browser Compatibility:
   Ensure you're using a Chromium-based browser (Chrome, Edge).

After enabling the flag, reload your VSCode web interface. Web Bluetooth functionality will then be available and reliable.

🙌 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to open issues, submit pull requests, or suggest enhancements.

1. Fork this repository.
2. Create your feature branch: git checkout -b my-new-feature
3. Commit your changes: git commit -am 'Add some feature'
4. Push to the branch: git push origin my-new-feature
5. Submit a pull request.

📜 License

Distributed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for more information.

Happy Building!