game.splash("You found me!"){Using the workspace}
Your workspace is the area where you’ll connect code blocks to build your program.
- :mouse pointer: Click inside the
||game(noclick):splash " "||block that’s already in the workspace and change the sentence to something more exciting.
~hint What’s a workspace? 🕵🏽
The workspace is the area to the right of the toolbox where you build your program.
Only blocks connected in the workspace will be run by the computer.
hint~
game.splash("I like bananas!"){Meet the Blocks }
Blocks can be dragged out from the toolbox,
connected, duplicated, and deleted.
Keep going to learn more about blocks.
{Your Toolbox}
Blocks don’t always start in the workspace.
When you need to add a block, we will either suggest it using an image like this:
game.splash(" ")or with highlighted text, like this:
||game:splash " "||
~hint Wanna see something cool? 🕵🏽
When you need to find a block in the toolbox and we use the highlighted instruction, you can click the block and it will automatically open the toolbox category you need.
Try it now by clicking the block below!
||game:splash " "||
hint~
{Your Toolbox 2}
Let’s see how this works
:tree: Find the
||scene:set background color to [ ]||
block and snap it at the top of the
||loops(noclick):on start||
container already in the workspace.:paint brush: Click the empty square to set the background to your favorite color.
scene.setBackgroundColor(7)
game.splash("My monkey is better than yours"){The Exception}
If you can’t find the block you need, click the highlighted text and the correct category will open for you.
- :paper plane: Snap
||variables(sprites):set [my sprite] to sprite [ ] of kind [Player]||
into the end of the
||loops(noclick):on start||container.
- :paint brush: Click the empty box to draw a sprite or switch to the Gallery to pick one of ours.
~hint What’s a sprite? 🕵🏽
In Arcade, each character or image that does something is called a SPRITE.
Sprites have properties that you can use and change — things like scale, position, and lifespan are all properties of sprites.
hint~
scene.setBackgroundColor(5)
game.splash("My monkey is better than yours")
let mySprite = sprites.create(img`
. . . . . f f f f f . . . . . .
. . . . f e e e e e f . . . . .
. . . f d d d d d d e f . . . .
. . f d f f d d f f d f f . . .
. c d d d e e d d d d e d f . .
. c d c d d d d c d d e f f . .
. c d d c c c c d d d e f f f f
. . c d d d d d d d e f f b d f
. . . c d d d d e e f f f d d f
. . . . f f f e e f e e e f f f
. . . . f e e e e e e e f f f .
. . . f e e e e e e f f f e f .
. . f f e e e e f f f f f e f .
. f b d f e e f b b f f f e f .
. f d d f f f f d d b f f f f .
. f f f f f f f f f f f f f . .
`, SpriteKind.Player)
{Game Window}
Make sure to keep checking your game window as you go.
- :binoculars: Take a look at the game window.
Do you see the sprite you chose?
Container Blocks @showdialog
This is a container block.
Container blocks have a flat edge at the the top and bottom with an open space in the middle where other blocks connect. Container blocks control when the code inside runs.
Here is an example:
controller.A.onEvent(ControllerButtonEvent.Pressed, function () {})(This block runs code when the A button is pressed.)
{Use a container block}
- :game: Find the
||controller:on [A] button pressed ||
container and drag it into an empty area of the workspace.
controller.A.onEvent(ControllerButtonEvent.Pressed, function () {
let mySprite: Sprite = null
})Standard Blocks @showdialog
Next, there are standard blocks.
Standard blocks are single-line blocks with notches at the top and bottom that allow them to attatch to other pieces. These blocks run in order from top to bottom in the container where they’re placed.
Here is an example of a standard block:
let mySprite: Sprite = null;
mySprite.startEffect(effects.spray)(This block sends water spraying from the center of your sprite.)
{Standard Blocks 2}
:paper plane: Find a
||sprites:[mySprite] start [spray] effect ⊕||
block and snap it into the
||controller(noclick):on [A] button pressed||
container…then choose your own effect!:mouse pointer: Click the + to the right of the new block to pop open an extra option.
let mySprite: Sprite = null;
controller.A.onEvent(ControllerButtonEvent.Pressed, function () {
mySprite.startEffect(effects.confetti, 500)
})Value Blocks @showdialog
Finally, we have value blocks. Value blocks are special pieces that add information to other blocks. Sometimes they’re pointy, sometimes they’re rounded, but they always need another block to snap into. Value blocks look something like this:
💡 Value blocks have different shapes depending on what kind of information they add. Each value will only fit in certain types of spaces.
{Value Blocks 2}
:calculator: From the
||math:Math||category, grab a
||math: pick random [0] to [10]||
value block and snap it in to replace 500.:mouse pointer: Change the random range to pick between 100 and 600.