BLine Web 2027 Beta 1¶
Early beta
This guide covers v1.0.0-beta.1, verified against source revision 00ff5c15a139c0f15f6c77a4f16058b216582fd9. Test existing projects on copies. The current website and ordinary editor tutorials remain on v0.1.0-alpha.12.
This page is retained for Beta 1. For subsequent changes, see the Beta 2 guide. The beta website is a moving preview address, so it may serve a different version from this historical guide; the desktop release link below is pinned to Beta 1.
Use this guide when trying the 2027 editor preview. It covers the controls and file changes that differ from the current editor. BLine-Lib installation and robot integration remain covered by the existing installation guide.
Choose the right editor¶
| Editor | Website | Desktop |
|---|---|---|
| Current alpha.12 | Current editor | Pinned alpha.12 downloads |
| 2027 Beta 1 | Beta editor | BLine Web Beta; Beta 1 desktop downloads |
Use the release named BLine Web 2027 Beta 1 with tag v1.0.0-beta.1 on GitHub Releases. A newer prerelease in the release list may belong to a different editor version.
The beta desktop app uses the separate application identity org.bline.web.beta, with its own settings, recent folders, and webview storage. Its installation does not transfer the current app's workspace. Both apps still write to whichever physical project folder you select. Test old projects on copies.
The two browser addresses also have separate storage. To move a browser project into beta, export a project archive from alpha.12, then import that file in beta. Use the same beta address, browser profile, and device on later visits to return to its saved projects.
Bring an existing project into beta¶
- In the current editor, save and export a project archive. For a desktop project, also copy the entire project folder, including hidden files.
- Open the beta app. In desktop, use File → Folder → Open Project Folder… and select the copy of your robot repository or
autosdirectory. In the browser, use File → Import / Export → Import Project Archive… or Import Autos Folder…. These import choices are also available from Home. - Check path names, Path Groups, linked elements, robot dimensions, and path defaults. Select the intended field background.
- Wait for Saved, close and reopen the copied project, and inspect the resulting files before deploying them.
Beta reads legacy BLine-GUI autos data and alpha.12 editor metadata. Its normal saved file set is:
autos/
├── config.json
├── project.json
└── paths/
└── collect-center.json
| File or data | Beta behavior |
|---|---|
config.json |
The seven runtime defaults used by BLine-Lib |
paths/*.json |
Runtime path elements and constraints; generated values retain source markers for the editor |
project.json |
Visible editor metadata: path identities/names, Path Groups, linked elements, robot/protrusion settings, and generator settings |
Legacy .bline-web files |
Migration input; new projects use project.json instead |
| Field Backgrounds and editor preferences | Stored locally for the app/browser, outside the project file set |
Beta project archives carry paths, Path Groups, linked metadata, and project settings. New beta archives omit Field Backgrounds, including custom images, and do not transfer editor layout, recent projects, or the selected field. Keep your original field image and its dimensions so you can add it through File → Settings → Field on another device. Legacy field assets are read during migration.
New beta archives preserve the project's name and identity. Legacy archives without an identity receive a fresh project ID on import. When an imported autos folder or archive matches a project already saved in this browser, Project already saved offers three choices: Replace saved project updates that saved project, Import as copy keeps both versions, and Cancel leaves the saved project unchanged. If another tab saves a change while you are choosing, replacement stops and asks you to import again so that newer work is preserved.
Use the original folder/archive when returning to alpha.12. A beta folder is not a backup of the old editor's metadata format.
Save versus export¶
Browser Save updates local browser storage. Use File → Import / Export → Export Autos Folder… to download the robot-ready directory tree, then copy it to src/main/deploy/autos/. Desktop Save/autosave writes directly into the selected folder; it does not need an autos-folder export action.
Use Export Project Archive… for an editable project transfer, Export Path… for one path, and File → Config → Export Config… for runtime defaults. A single path does not contain project organization or linked-element identities. Continue loading it in BLine-Lib by its filename without .json, for example new Path("collect-center").
Import Path… accepts a supported BLine path with a path_elements array or a legacy element list. Unsupported path JSON shows Could not import and leaves the current project and its save status intact.
Save status and Path health sit beside Save in the inspector footer, or along the canvas when the inspector is hidden. Review a save error or conflict before switching projects. If a migration reports damaged or unsupported metadata, retain the original files and include the error in a bug report before choosing an action that replaces them.
Find the controls¶
| Task | Beta location |
|---|---|
| Return to the project chooser | File → Home; the active project can be resumed |
| Create a path | File → New Path or the plus beside All Paths in the Navigator |
| Rename, copy, or delete paths | Edit, or a path's actions menu in the Navigator |
| Organize paths | Open project navigator, the icon immediately before File |
| Manage linked poses | Edit → Linked Elements…; link an anchor from its properties |
| Edit an element or ranged constraint | Elements and Constraints inspector tabs |
| Configure field, robot, limits, and generator | File → Settings |
| Find a command or learn a shortcut | Help and tutorials, or Ctrl/Cmd + K for command search |
The canvas tool rail places waypoints, translation targets, rotation targets, events, and drawn curves. The Elements list supports multiple selections and shows shared editable properties. New event keys start blank: enter the registered robot command name in Lib Key.
Element outlines show position and heading. Waypoints remain orange, translation targets blue, rotation targets green, and events purple; use the element's type label and properties to identify it. Handoff rings are purple: generated/default rings are dashed and manual rings are solid. Edit a handoff radius in Constraints, using its numbered radius chip.
Collections are now Path Groups¶
A Path Group organizes related paths without combining their runtime files. One path can belong to several groups. For example, put leave-start, collect-center, and return-score in a Center Auto group.
Choose Open project navigator, the icon immediately before File. It docks beside the live canvas and temporarily hides the inspector; closing it restores the inspector. Create a group with the plus beside Path Groups. Select its row, then click the connection point beside each desired path, or drag a connection from the selected row to a path. Click an existing connection point to remove that membership.
Select a group to preview its paths together, or select a path to edit it on the canvas. Double-click a name to rename it. Removing membership keeps the path in All Paths. Read the deletion dialog before deleting a group or paths.
Keyboard changes from alpha.12¶
These shortcuts apply while editing the canvas, outside text inputs and dialogs. The Navigator handles its own focused keyboard actions.
| Shortcut | Beta action |
|---|---|
| Arrow keys | Nudge the selected movable anchor by 0.05 m; hold Shift for 0.25 m |
Alt + Up/Down |
Reorder the selected element |
[ / ] |
Select the previous/next element |
Ctrl/Cmd + D |
Duplicate the selected element |
Ctrl/Cmd + B |
Show/hide the inspector |
V, 1, 2, 3, 4, C |
Select, waypoint, translation, rotation, event, and curve tools |
J / Home, K / Space, L / End |
Restart, play/pause, and jump to the end of simulation |
? |
Keyboard shortcut reference |
F1 or Ctrl/Cmd + K |
Command palette |
Generate radii and velocity caps together¶
The beta generator jointly chooses automatic handoff radii and maximum-velocity ranged constraints. It considers translation acceleration limits and the time available to reach rotation targets within their angular limits. Manual radii and manual ranged constraints remain under your control.
- Set the robot's tested limits in File → Settings → Path Defaults.
- Open Constraints, then choose Generate.
- Inspect the radius chips, velocity caps, and their highlighted field sections. Select Manual or edit a value when a pickup, clearance, or scoring approach needs a fixed setting.
- Simulate and review Path health, then test incrementally on the robot.
The eraser button, Clear generated constraints, removes generated radii and velocity caps while retaining manual values. Switching a value to Auto returns it to the generator. Keep in sync, enabled by default under File → Settings → Generator, refreshes automatic values after relevant path or setting changes. Turn it off when you want to control when generation runs, then choose Generate after edits.
| Generator setting | Beta default |
|---|---|
| Velocity safety factor | 1.0 |
| Acceleration safety factor | 1.0 |
| Merge difference | 0.3 m/s |
These are new-project editor defaults, not measured robot limits; check imported settings separately. The automatic radius minimum remains 0.05 m, including on short legs. The final anchor's radius has no handoff effect: the path finishes using end tolerances.
Path health can identify missing anchors, blank event keys, off-field elements, missing links, and rotations that lack enough time under the configured limits. Some entries offer an edit action; others select the element for inspection. A clear health report and a completed simulation do not establish robot performance. The preview remains idealized kinematics and does not execute WPILib event commands. Event flashes show marker timing in the preview.
Lessons and offline editing¶
Open Learn → Lessons from Home or Help and tutorials → Lessons in the editor. Lessons use temporary practice projects and restore your project when you leave. They cover editor basics, path tuning, events, generation, transfers, Path Groups, and linked paths. A lesson can require a wider window; widen it if the entry is unavailable.
How to use BLine offline explains the browser workflow. While online, beta prepares a complete offline copy quietly. Open or refresh the same address in the same browser profile to try the current website; if the site is unavailable or too slow, the browser can use its last complete copy. The Wi-Fi-off icon beside Save identifies a page loaded from that copy.
An interrupted update keeps the previous complete offline version available. Once an update is ready, each tab reloads after saving and when editing has finished. Before relying on offline access, reopen the beta address without a connection and confirm that the field, simulation, and local saves work. Offline access depends on retained browser storage; keep project exports separately.
Report a beta issue¶
Choose the bug icon immediately to the right of the path selector. It opens a GitHub issue draft with the release, version, app type, and browser/system details. Describe what happened and the steps to reproduce it; add a screenshot or sample project if useful. Project contents and local folder paths are not attached automatically.
Desktop opens the draft in the system browser. If that fails, copy the link shown by the app. Submitting the report requires internet access and GitHub sign-in.