# 011 how-to: get started on Windows :::{figure} ../_static/figures/fig-l011-built.png :name: fig-l011-built ::: Put the robot's code on a Windows laptop and build it. After this, every lesson starts in Android Studio with the project open. ::::{only} mentor **Before you start.** - A Windows laptop, signed in to an account that may install programs. - The internet. - No robot and no gamepad are needed. Nothing else has to be installed first. Android Studio fetches Java 17 for the project by itself, and git is installed in L011S040 when Android Studio asks for it. :::: ## the steps ### H011S010: install Android Studio The robot's code is written in Android Studio. The team uses one version of it, **Quail 4**, so everyone sees the same screens. It is not the newest, so it comes from the page of older versions. **Download.** {.steps} - Open and click **I agree** under the terms. - Click **Android Studio Quail 4 | 2026.1.4 Patch 1** to open it. - Click `android-studio-quail4-patch1-windows.exe`. It is about 1.5 GB. :::{figure} ../_static/figures/fig-l011-archive.png :name: fig-l011-archive ::: **Install.** {.steps} - Open the downloaded file. Click **Yes** when Windows asks to let it change your device. - In Android Studio Setup, click **Next** on each page, then **Install**. - When it is done, click **Next**, then **Finish**. :::{figure} ../_static/figures/fig-l011-setup.png :name: fig-l011-setup ::: **Check.** - Android Studio starts and asks to *Help improve Android Studio*. Click **Don't send**. ### H011S020: let Android Studio fetch what it needs The first time it starts, Android Studio's setup wizard downloads the Android tools the code is built with. **Setup.** {.steps} - Click **Next** on *Welcome*. - Pick **Standard** and click **Next**. - Click **Next** on *Verify Settings*. - Click each license on the left, pick **Accept**, and click **Next**. - Wait while it downloads, then click **Finish**. :::{figure} ../_static/figures/fig-l011-wizard-standard.png :name: fig-l011-wizard-standard ::: **Check.** - The last page of the wizard reads *Android SDK is up to date*. A red line may be under it: *SDK emulator directory is missing*. That is fine. - *Welcome to Android Studio* opens, with **New Project**, **Open** and **Clone Repository**. If a note says *Rabbit 1 available*, leave it. The team stays on Quail 4. ### H011S030: install AdvantageScope AdvantageScope draws what the robot is doing: where it is on the field, and graphs of its numbers. **Download.** Open . Under **Assets**, click `advantagescope-win-x64-v26.0.2.exe`. **Install.** {.steps} - Edge may say the file *isn't commonly downloaded*. Click the three dots by it, then **Keep**, then **Keep anyway**. - Open the file from your Downloads folder. - If you see *Windows protected your PC*, click **More info**, then **Run anyway**. It sets itself up and starts. :::{figure} ../_static/figures/fig-l011-smartscreen.png :name: fig-l011-smartscreen ::: **Check.** - AdvantageScope opens on its **Line Graph** tab, with *No data available* on the left. :::{figure} ../_static/figures/fig-l011-advantagescope.png :name: fig-l011-advantagescope ::: ### H011S040: get the project The robot's code lives on GitHub. Android Studio copies it to the laptop with a tool called **git**. **Clone.** {.steps} - On *Welcome to Android Studio*, click **Clone Repository**. - Into **URL**, type `https://github.com/msb-stitt/ftc31459-26-27-biobuzz`. Leave **Directory** as it is. - The first time, it says *Git is not installed*. Click **Download and Install** beside it. Click **Yes** when Windows asks. - When it says *Git has been installed*, click **Clone**. :::{figure} ../_static/figures/fig-l011-git.png :name: fig-l011-git ::: **Trust.** Android Studio asks if you trust the project. A box about Microsoft Defender is ticked. Leave it ticked, and click **Trust Project**. :::{figure} ../_static/figures/fig-l011-trust.png :name: fig-l011-trust ::: **Check.** - The project opens, and the Project window lists `FtcRobotController` and `TeamCode`. ### H011S050: answer what Android Studio offers While the project loads, Android Studio reads it with **Gradle**, the tool that builds the code. This is called a *sync*. The first sync downloads Java 17 and more, and takes a few minutes. **Answer.** Notes pop up in the bottom right while it works. Answer each one like this: - **Agent Mode now available**: click **Do not show again**. The lessons do not use an AI helper. - **Project update recommended**, *Android Gradle plugin version 8.13.2 has an upgrade available*: click **More**, then **Don't ask for this project**. The project needs version 8.13.2, so do not upgrade it. - **Microsoft Defender may affect IDE**: click **Exclude folders**. - If Windows asks whether `adb` can use the network, click **Allow**. :::{figure} ../_static/figures/fig-l011-offers.png :name: fig-l011-offers ::: :::{figure} ../_static/figures/fig-l011-agp-more.png :name: fig-l011-agp-more ::: **Check.** - The Build window's **Sync** tab has a green tick beside the project. - Open **File → Settings**. Type `Gradle` in its search box and click **Gradle** under **Build Tools**. Under *Gradle JVM criteria*, **Version** reads `17`. :::{figure} ../_static/figures/fig-l011-gradle-jvm.png :name: fig-l011-gradle-jvm ::: ::::{only} mentor **If it didn't**, on a Windows laptop with an ARM chip, and the sync fails with `AccessDeniedException` while moving the downloaded JDK into `.gradle\jdks`, stop the Windows service `XtaCache` as an administrator and sync again with **File → Sync Project with Gradle Files**. :::: ### H011S060: build the code **Build.** Click **Build → Assemble Project**. The first build takes a few minutes. :::{figure} ../_static/figures/fig-l011-build-menu.png :name: fig-l011-build-menu ::: **Check.** - The Build window's **Build Output** tab ends with *BUILD SUCCESSFUL* and *63 actionable tasks: 63 executed*. ::::{only} mentor **What you just did.** Android Studio is where the code is written, and Gradle turns the code into an app for the robot. Clone copied the team's repository from GitHub onto the laptop. The sync read the project's Gradle files and downloaded what they ask for: Gradle 8.14.3, the Android Gradle plugin 8.13.2 and Java 17 among them. Assemble Project built `FtcRobotController` and `TeamCode` into `TeamCode-debug.apk`, the app that is sent to the robot. **Where next.** [L020](l020.md) copies the first starter into `mytry` and reads the gamepad's sticks. ::::