WestlakeLEARN
FRC · LabVIEW

First Robotics Competition

FRC · LabVIEW

  • Robot Project Structure

Robot Project Structure

Learn which LabVIEW VIs run during a match.

Module 1: LabVIEW Project BasicsStart here

In this lesson, you will:

  1. 01Identify Begin, Teleop, Autonomous, Disabled, and Finish.
  2. 02Explain what robot references are for.
  3. 03Find where a motor or sensor should be initialized.

LabVIEW robot code is split by match phase

FRC LabVIEW projects are organized around VIs. Begin initializes robot hardware, Teleop runs during driver control, Autonomous runs during auto, Disabled handles disabled packets, and Finish closes references during an orderly shutdown. Periodic Tasks is available for independent monitoring or background work.

Wires show data flow

Unlike Java, LabVIEW makes execution visible through wires. If a value is not wired into a node, that node does not have the value.

References tie the phases together

Begin opens hardware once and stores each reference under a name. Teleop and Autonomous fetch those references by name instead of opening hardware again, and Finish closes them during an orderly shutdown. If two VIs open the same motor separately, they can create a resource conflict — open it once and share the named reference.

LabVIEW habit

Use Context Help (Ctrl-H) while tracing a reference. It explains each terminal without making you leave the block diagram.

Easy mistake

Reference names must match when they are stored and retrieved. A near-match is still a different reference.

LabVIEW diagram viewer

Block diagram walkthrough

Hover a VI. Press Ctrl-H for help.

Press enter or space to select a node. You can then use the arrow keys to move the node around. Press delete to remove it and escape to cancel.
Press enter or space to select an edge. You can then press delete to remove it or escape to cancel.
Block diagram walkthrough

Practice

Open a real robot project. Find where one drivetrain reference is opened and named in Begin.vi, retrieved in Teleop.vi, and closed in Finish.vi. Use Context Help at each step.

Checks

  • You can point to the exact VI that opens the drivetrain reference.
  • You can show where Teleop.vi retrieves the same reference by name.
  • You can explain what data dependency makes each node execute.
  • You can show where the reference is closed during an orderly shutdown.

Lesson check

Check your understanding before moving on.

Which VI should open robot hardware references?

In a LabVIEW block diagram, what determines when a node runs?

0 of 2 answered

References

WPILib LabVIEW DocsCurrent official FRC LabVIEW programming documentation.FRC LabVIEW ResourcesCurrent WPILib tutorials, examples, and troubleshooting resources.

Finished reading?

Mark this lesson complete — “Teleop VI Basics” is up next.

Teleop VI Basics