BlocklyPy Commander for VSCode

A Visual Studio Code extension to interact with LEGO® Hubs running the Pybricks firmware.

Features

Streamline your Pybricks coding experience with:

• Connect/disconnect your Hub via Bluetooth
• Start/stop programs directly from VS Code
• Compile and upload Python scripts from your workspace
• View compilation and runtime errors in your code
• Auto-connect to the last used hub
• Auto-start your script on save
• Open and convert majority of the LEGO robotics file formats
• Receive program status and display hub output messages

Getting Started

1. Install this extension from the VS Code Marketplace.
2. Connect your LEGO Hub via Bluetooth.
3. Open your Python or LEGO robotics files.
4. Use the command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) to access Pybricks commands.

Supported LEGO File Formats

This extension opens, displays, analyzes, and converts most major LEGO robotics file formats for easy onboarding, backup, and analysis.

Features for LEGO Files

• Pseudocode representation of block programs
• Graphical preview of block-based code
• Module dependency visualization of code structure
• Convert block code to compatible Pybricks Python code^*

^{*Experimental: Please verify converted code and provide feedback.}

Platforms & File Types

SPIKE Prime / Essentials / Robot Inventor platform

SPIKE Prime (45678) and SPIKE Essentials (45345) kit and Robot Inventor (51515) kit for word-blocks and icon-blocks.

• SPIKE v2 (.llsp) and v3 (.llsp3)
• Robot Inventor (.lms)

EV3 Mindstorms platform

LEGO® MINDSTORMS® EV3 (31313) graphical-blocks and compiled-binary.

• EV3 Classroom (.lmsp)
• EV3 Lab (.ev3)
• EV3 iPad (.ev3m)
• EV3 Lab Compiled Binary (.rbf)

WeDo 2.0 platform

LEGO® WeDo 2.0 (45300) graphical-blocks.

• LEGO WeDo 2.0 project files (.proj)

Pybricks platform

• Pybricks Python (.py), supports multiple files.

Limitations

• Only custom modules in the same folder as the main script are supported
• Package structures and relative imports are not currently supported
• Runtime error locations may be inaccurate after changing tabs

Guide: Fun First Things to Explore

• Connect to a SPIKE Pybricks Hub via Bluetooth
• Reconnect to the last Pybricks Hub via Bluetooth
• Check out the auto-connect to the last Pybricks Hub via Bluetooth on VSCode start
• Open a Pybricks Python file, compile and upload
• Use the auto-start feature by adding # LEGO autostart header
• Check the feedback for any runtime error reported by the hub
• Check the feedback from any print statements reported by the hub
• Use imports from other local python modules
• Open a depedency graph to explore the project call dependencies
• Open a SPIKE hub version 3 or version 2 file to check the blockly preview
• Explore pseudocode to see a simplified text representation of the SPIKE code
• Check the converted Pybricks Python code, compile and run it directly
• Observe the dependency call graph for the SPIKE file
• Make changes on the SPIKE source file in the LEGO app, and see instant updates
• Open a Robot Inventor MINDSTORMS App file and check the above features
• Open a SPIKE Essential Iconblocks file and check the above features
• Open an EV3 classic EV3-G file and check the pseudocode and graph features
• Check the converted python code for the EV3G file; compile and run it
• Download a compiled and running binary (.rbf) file from your EV3 hub and check the pseudocode, python code and graph features
• Open an EV3 iPad file and check the pseudocode, python and graph features
• Open an EV3 classroom file and check the pseudocode, python and graph features
• Open a WeDo 2.0 file and check the pseudocode and python features

Acknowledgements

This project is rooted on the work of Song-Pei Du dusongpei and on the work of the Pybricks authors, Laurens Valk and David Lechner.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Screenshot