Details:

• VEX-Supported

• Bytecode interpreted

• Preemptive multitasking

• Proprietary libraries

• Works out-of-box, built-in IDE

• Superseded by Midnight C​

RobotC is an interpreted C-like programming language available for the VEX PIC and VEX Cortex. It offers real-time debugging and a relatively simple set of internal libraries mostly based on the use of (real or virtual) arrays.

Features

• Built-in debugger allows pausing and resuming user code and real-time monitoring of variables

• IDE integrates firmware updates, code authoring, compilation, and flashing into one program

• Primitive multi-tasking built in

• Support available on website and from VEX

• Simple and easy to learn, no need for users to interest themselves with technical details

Shortcomings

• Interpreter emulates an 8-bit processor, substantially slowing user code and preventing any numerically intensive algorithms from being useful

• Library abstracts many details and prevents advanced access or fine-tuning VEX sensors​

• Neither free nor open-source, and only works on Windows

• Lack of support for objects, dynamic allocation, wide integers, or interrupts severely limits code capabilities

• Array-like syntax can be confusing and is rife with opportunities for indexes out of bounds or overflow

• Optimizer is poor and IDE is generally low-quality, with a fixed code style and terrible code completion

Teams Contributed to this Article:

• ​BLRS (Purdue SIGBots)