What you need to install

Before installing WPILib, mac users will need to install XCode Command Line Tools. These are tools developed by Apple for C++ development which WPILib requires to run. To do so, open the Terminal app on your mac and run the following command

xcode-select --install

You may need to run this command administrator privileges, in which case run the following command and enter your password when prompted. Note: When typing in your password in the terminal, it will look like nothing is happening, but this is just the terminal version of how websites show dots instead of letters in password fields.

sudo xcode-select --install

Next, you need to install the appropriate installer for the processor your mac uses, either an Intel or M series (arm64) chip. If you are unsure which your mac uses, do the following:

1. Click the apple logo menu in the top left of your screen
2. Click about this mac
3. If it says you have an Apple M1/M2/etc. chip or an Apple A18 chip, download the arm64 installer. otherwise download the Intel version

Selecting Everything will install all the development tools you need to code an FRC robot. The way you actually use those tools to write your code is up to you. All the other options will install a dedicated instance of VS Code, a very popular code editor that can be used to write just about any kind of program. If you already have VS Code installed, it will still install a new version. This is one reason I do not recommend this path, as it can be confusing what version of VS Code you are using.

The other reason is because here on Yeti, we use IntelliJ to write our robot code. This is because IntelliJ is specifically designed for developing Java programs, and so has many useful features that VS Code lacks out of the box. Additionally, I have found that Java development in VS Code is simply much buggier because it is not specifically designed for it while IntelliJ is.

If you share your computer with anyone else, for example a parent, you should install for this user. If your computer is just yours, you should install for all users. The reason being is that installing for all users requires administrator privileges, which you may not have if this is not your computer. The difference does not matter too much, but installing for all users may create less problems in the future in terms of other software dependencies or updates.

If you don't have a Gradle project open, you can use YETI's sim-sandbox. 

Go to the sim-sandbox repository on the YETI GitHub, or use this link: https://github.com/yeti-robotics/sim-sandbox. Then, click on the "Use this template" button in the top right hand corner. Click "Create new repository," and pick a name for it. Make sure to check the box that includes all branches! This will create your own repository with all of the template files to start.

Next, open up IntelliJ and head over to File > New > Project from Version Control. Select the Git option, and then paste in the URL of your repository, which you'd get from pressing the green "Code" button when you go to the repository in your browser, and copying the URL that you find in the little dropdown beneath it. It should look something like this:

https://github.com/YOUR_GITHUB_USERNAME/REPO_NAME.git

YOUR_GITHUB_USERNAME should be replaced with your GitHub username, and the REPO_NAME should be replaced with whatever you decided to name the repository when creating it. Once you hit the "Clone" button, this will download everything onto your device.