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Programming, Controls & Sensors·Lesson 7 of 51

Installing the Toolchain: WPILib, Game Tools, and Driver Station

Install WPILib (VS Code + extension) and the NI FRC Game Tools (Driver Station + roboRIO Imaging Tool), then image a roboRIO.

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Two separate installers

Getting fully set up requires two downloads:

  1. WPILib installer — installs a dedicated copy of Visual Studio Code, the WPILib extension, the JDK, the C++ toolchain, and the WPILib tools. This is required for Java and C++ teams (RobotPy has its own pip-based install via robotpy).
  2. FRC Game Tools from NI — installs the FRC Driver Station and the roboRIO Imaging Tool. Windows only.

Installing WPILib

Download the WPILib release for the current season from the WPILib GitHub releases (linked from the install guide) and run it. Two important choices:

  • Everything vs. Tools Only — pick Everything for a dev machine (this installs VS Code, the extension, the JDK, the C++ compiler, and the tools). "Tools Only" is for machines that just run dashboards.
  • This User vs. All Users — "This User" needs no admin rights.

The installer creates an isolated VS Code so your FRC setup never conflicts with another VS Code. The bundled WPILib tools include Elastic, Shuffleboard, Glass, SysId, OutlineViewer, the Data Log Tool, AdvantageScope, WPIcal, and PathWeaver. (Heads-up: PathWeaver and Shuffleboard are slated for removal in 2027 — Elastic and AdvantageScope are the modern recommendations for dashboards and data review, and Choreo/PathPlanner for paths.)

Installing the FRC Game Tools

Go to the NI FRC Game Tools download page, sign in with a free NI account, download, and run the installer. Note:

  • It is recommended to remove old versions first; the new version is tested only against the current season.
  • The Game Tools install the Driver Station and the roboRIO Imaging Tool (no LabVIEW required for the text languages).
  • A reboot is usually required.

Imaging the roboRIO

A new roboRIO must be imaged (have the correct firmware/OS for the season) before it can run your code:

  • roboRIO 1.0 — connect over a USB Type-B cable and use the roboRIO Imaging Tool. Firmware must be at least v5.0 to accept a 2019-or-later image; only brand-new units typically need a firmware update. Set your team number and pick the latest image, then Reformat.
  • roboRIO 2.0 — you flash the season image onto a microSD card using a separate SD-burner application (balenaEtcher or Raspberry Pi Imager); the roboRIO Imaging Tool just helps you locate the image file and set the team number. Then boot the roboRIO from the card.

Set your team number on the roboRIO during imaging — this configures its network identity so your laptop and Driver Station can find it.

Sanity check

After installing, open VS Code and click the red WPILib "W" icon (top-right) to open the command palette. If you see commands like "Create a new project" and "Build Robot Code," the extension is working. Open the Driver Station; if it launches and shows your team number, you're ready to deploy.

Key takeaways

  • You need two installs: the WPILib installer and the NI FRC Game Tools.
  • Choose 'Everything' when setting up a development laptop.
  • The Driver Station and roboRIO Imaging Tool are Windows-only and come from NI.
  • roboRIO 1.0 needs firmware v5.0+; roboRIO 2.0 boots from a flashed microSD card.
  • Set your team number during imaging before deploying code.

Go deeper

Lesson quiz

Required

Answer all 3 questions correctly to complete this lesson.

1.The roboRIO Imaging Tool and the FRC Driver Station are distributed as part of which package?

2.What does the WPILib installation primarily set up for Java and C++ teams?

3.Which is a correct minimum operating-system requirement for installing the current WPILib development environment?

Answer every question to submit.