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RoboMind Documentation

RoboMind Documentation

Programming structures
Here you'll find the grammatical structures that are allowed to define the behaviour of the robot. Comment Loops If-structures Logical expressions Procedures End

Comments

# free text that will not be evaluated All text that appears after a hash, '#', will not be interpreted as instructions. The robot will proceed to read the next line in the script. Use this possibility to annotate parts of the script, just for yourself, as documentation about how these parts work

Loops

repeat(n){...instructions...} repeats the instructions between curly brackets exactly n times. Example:
# a square of 2x2 repeat(4) { forward(2) right() }

repeat(){...instructions...} just keeps repeating the instructions between curly brackets for ever. Example:
# just goes forward # (but eventually will stay hitting a wall) repeat() { forward() }

repeatWhile(condition){...instructions...}
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repeats the instructions between curly brackets as long as the condition holds. This condition must be a perception/seeing instruction (for example frontIsClear) Example:
# keeps going forward, # but stops when it can't go any further repeatWhile(frontIsObstacle) { forward(1) }

break allows you to jump out of the loop (e.g. a repeat() section) so it stops performing the instructions between curly brackets. The robot will resume performing the instructions left after the closing curly bracket of the loop. Example:
# keep going forward, until yu can't go any further repeat() { if(frontIsObstacle()) break } else { forward(1) } } {

Ifstructures

if(condition){...instructions...} will perform the the instructions between curly brackets, only if the condition holds. Else the robot immediatly steps to the instructions written after the closing curly bracket.The condtion must be a perception/seeing instruction (for example: frontIsClear()) Example:
# if you see white paint on your left, make it black if(leftIsWhite()) { left() forward(1) paintBlack() stopPainting()

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RoboMind Documentation backward(1)

right() }

if(condition){...instructions...}else{...instructions...} will perform the the instructions between the first pair of curly brackets, only if the condition holds. Then it will not perform the instructions of the else block (second pair of instructions). When the condition does not hold, the robot will only perform the instructions in between the second pair of curly brackets. After it performed one of the instruction blocks, it will read the instructions after the last curly bracket.The condtion must be a perception/seeing instruction (for example: frontIsClear()) Example:
# if you see white paint on your left, make it black # else drive a few steps forward if(leftIsWhite()) { left() forward(1) paintBlack() stopPainting() backward(1) right() } else { forward(3) }

The conditions of if- and repeatWhile-structures is a so-called logical expression. Such an Logical expressions expression will result in the value true or false, which is then used to decide to step to the appropriate part of the code to resume execution. A logical expression can be a perception instruction, e.g.: leftIsWhite(). Basic instructions may also be composed with the boolean operators not, and, or. Example:
if(leftIsWhite()) { left() forward(1) }

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The condition can however also be refined to more indicate more precisely when the corresponding instructions should be executed by using (a combination of) the following operators. Operation Alternative notation ~ Number of arguments 1 Negates the value of the argument : Truth table : not true = false not false = true Example: not frontIsClear() Explanation

not

and

&

2 Only true when both arguments are true. Truth table: true and true = true true and false = false false and true = false false and false = false Example: frontIsClear() and rightIsWhite()

or

2 True when at least one of the arguments is true. Truth table: true or true = true true or false = false false or true = false false or false = false Example: frontIsClear() or rightIsWhite()

The values true and false can also be applied directly as if it was a perception instruction. The order of the operators is of importance (just like multiplying and adding numbers). The operation not binds strongest, followed by and, followede by or. Brackets can be used to influence the order of evaluation. Examples:

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RoboMind Documentation repeatWhile(not frontIsClear() and (leftIsWhite() or rightIsWhite())){

forward(1) } if(flipCoin() and not rightIsWhite()) { right() backward(1) } if(true and false){ # this instruction is never executed forward(1) }

Procedures procedure name(par1, par2, ... , parN){...instructions...}

defines a new procedure with the name you want. The procedure can have zero or more parameters, which you may also give useful names. Here they are called par1, par2, . . . , parN. These are the variables you can use in the instruction beteen curly brackets. The code in a procedure will not be performed automatically, you have to write a 'procedure call' every time you want to perform the instructions in the definition (See next instruction). Tip: create a new procedure when when you you use a sequence of instructions more than once. Example:
# define how to draw a rectangle procedure rectangle(width, height) { paintWhite() repeat(2) { forward(height) right() forward(width) right() } stopPainting() }

name(arg1, arg2, . . . , argN) is the call to the procedure with the corresponding name and the same amount parameters as you have arguments. The argument, here called arg1, arg2, . . . , argN, are the particular values that will be used in the procedure definition.
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Example:
# these instructions will be performed forward(1) rectangle(3,2) # a call to the 'rectangle' procedure forward(3) rectangle(1,4) # another call with other arguments

# this is the definition of 'rectangle' procedure rectangle(width, height) { paintWhite() repeat(2) { forward(height) right() forward(width) right() } stopPainting() }

End

end will cause the entire program to stop when this instruction is performed. Example:
# stop after 5 steps, or earlier when you encouter a beacon on the right repeat(5) { forward(1) if(rightIsBeacon()) { end # stops execution of the program } } # normal end of the program

RoboMind.net - Copyright 2005 - 2008 - Arvid Halma

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