Creating VS Code Projects for V5 – VEX Library

This article provides an overview of the process for creating VEX V5 projects in the VEX Visual Studio Code (VS Code) Extension. Projects in the VEX VS Code Extension can be created in two ways - by creating a new project from an example template or importing an existing VEXcode project.

Note: If this is your first time creating or importing projects in VS Code, you may need to enable additional permissions on your device for VS Code to work as intended.

Create a New Project in VS Code

VEX Robotics Extension icon in the VS Code Activity Bar is highlighted.

Launch Visual Studio Code on the computer. Select the VEX icon on the VS Code Activity Bar.

If the VEX icon does not appear, ensure you have installed the VEX extension. For steps to install this extension, see the following article that matches your device.

VS Code interface showing the VEX extension sidebar with the “New Project” button under Project Actions selected.

Select the 'New Project' button under 'PROJECT ACTIONS' in the Primary Side Bar.

Create New VEX Project dialog with the V5 platform icon selected as the project type.

The Create a New VEX Project window will prompt. Select the V5 icon to select the Project Platform for the VEX V5 project.

Project setup window displaying language options with Python and C/C++ icons for selection.

Choose either Python or C/C++ as the programming language and select the corresponding icon.

List of VEX V5 templates and example projects with a search bar for filtering available project options.

Next, select a Template or Example Project for creating the VEX V5 project.

Find the Template or Example Project by scrolling down or using the Search bar to filter the list of projects.
These Template and Example Projects contain sample code and/or robot configurations used to get the project started.

After selecting a Template or Example Project, select 'Create.'

The V5 Empty Template Project has been selected, and now the Project Name field is highlighted.

Next, set the Project Name, Description, and Location for the new project.

Type the name of the project in the text box under 'Project Name.'

Note: The project name will be used for the name of the top-level folder for the project. It also will be the name displayed on the V5 Brain's screen once the project has been downloaded to the robot.

The V5 Empty Template Project with the Description field highlighted below the Project Name field.

Type the description of the project in the text box under 'Description.' This step is optional.

The V5 Empty Template Project with the Browse button highlighted to the right of the Location field.

If you want to save the project in a different location than the default project folder, scroll down the window and select the 'Browse' button to choose the location for the project folder on the computer.

Note: The default project location is set to the default project folder found in the extension global settings.

The V5 Empty Template Project with the Create button highlighted in the bottom right corner.

Now that the Name, Description and Location have been entered, select the 'Create' button. The VS Code Window will begin refreshing.

The Explorer option on the Activity Bar has been selected and it shows the VEX project's files and folders. The folder titled src is highlighted.

The project for VEX V5 has now been created in the VEX VS Code Extension. To view and develop the project code, select 'src' under the project name in the Side Bar.

The Explorer option on the Activity Bar has been selected and it shows the VEX project's files and folders. The folder titled src has been opened, and inside a python file named main.py is highlighted.

Select 'main.py' (if the project is a Python project) or 'main.cpp' (if the project is a C/C++ project) under 'src' in the Side Bar.

The main.py file has been selected and now it is open in the Editor to the right.

The code of the selected Template or Example Project will be shown in the Editor area, where you can develop and edit the created project for VEX V5.

Import an Existing VEXcode V5 Project

VEX Robotics Extension icon in the VS Code Activity Bar is highlighted.

Launch Visual Studio Code on the computer. Select the VEX icon on the VS Code Activity Bar.

The VEX Robotics Extension has been selected and it shows two buttons in the Project Actions category, one button reads New Project and the other reads Import Project. The Import Project button is highlighted.

Select the 'Import Project' button under 'PROJECT ACTIONS' in the Primary Side Bar.

Saved VEX projects are shown in the user's files in File Explorer. In this example, a V5 Python project has been selected.

The Import Project window will open. Select the VEXcode V5 project file to import and click on the Open Button.

Note: The supported VEXcode project file types for VEX V5 are:

.v5cpp (VEXcode V5 C/C++ project)
.v5python ( VEXcode V5 Python project)

The previously saved VEX project has been selected to be imported, and the user has options to edit its name and description before it is imported. In this example, the Project Name has been set to V5VEXcode.

Next, set the Project Name, Description, and Location for the imported project.

By default, the name of the project will remain the same.

The V5 Project Import menu with the Description field highlighted below the Project Name field.

Type the description of the project in the text box under 'Description.' This step is optional.

The V5 Project Import menu with the Browse button highlighted to the right of the Location field.

Note: The default project location is set to the default project folder found in the extension global settings.

The V5 Project Import menu with the Create button highlighted in the bottom right corner.

Now that the Name, Description and Location have been entered, select the 'Create' button. The VS Code Window will begin refreshing.

The Explorer option on the Activity Bar has been selected and it shows the VEX project's files and folders. The folder titled src is highlighted.

Once the VS Code window refresh is complete, the VEXcode V5 project has been imported into the VEX VS Code Extension. To view and develop the project code, select 'src' under the project name in the Side Bar.

The Explorer option on the Activity Bar has been selected and it shows the VEX project's files and folders. The folder titled src has been opened, and inside a C++ file named main.cpp is highlighted.

Select 'main.py' (if the imported project is a Python project) or 'main.cpp' (if the imported project is a C/C++ project) under 'src' in the Side Bar.

The main.cpp file has been selected and now it is open in the Editor to the right.

The code of the imported project will be shown in the Editor area, where it can be modified.