Deprecating current DcMotor run mode naming

[Iris-TheRainbow]

Currently, the SDK has three run modes to expose the Lynx firmware functionality for motors, those being RUN_WITHOUT_ENCODER, RUN_USING_ENCODER, and RUN_TO_POSITION for the standard set power mode, the velocity PID, and the positional PID.

As someone who spends a lot of time helping inexperienced programmers learn, I can pretty confidentially say that few new programmers properly interpret what the run modes actually do from their names. Many, many people assume (in my opinion, quite reasonably) that you must set the motor mode to RUN_USING_ENCODER to use .getPosition(). In reality, RUN_USING_ENCODER is a velocity control mode, which can lead to very confusing behavior when used without understanding what that mode actually does.

I propose that in a future SDK release, RUN_USING_ENCODER and RUN_WITHOUT_ENCODER should be deprecated and replaced by RUN_TO_VELOCITY and SET_POWER (or similar, like RUN_SET_POWER for consistency) to clear up the actual function of the run mode.

[AlecHub]

A RUN_AT_CONSTANT_SPEED run mode was requested a long long time ago. Also, a new SDK method was requested to set the desired speed of the motor, such asDcMotor.setSpeed(int encoderTicksPerSecond).

With DcMotor.setPower() you don't know what speed the particular motor controller/firmware is going to run your motor at.

[Froze-N-Milk]

as far as I'm aware, DcMotorEx.setVelocity() exits, which does what you say

[Iris-TheRainbow]

Yea that naming is also more accurate imo. Speed is non directional, velocity is and .setvelocity() can be positive or negative

…

On Mon, Dec 2, 2024 at 5:02 PM Oscar Chevalier ***@***.***> wrote: as far as I'm aware, DcMotorEx.setVelocity() exits, which does what you say — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#1344 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AUYOI6D5FDQSNGBBZNAUGR32DTRJ7AVCNFSM6AAAAABS36UHU2VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZDKMJTGE2TQOJVGA> . You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.*** com>

[AlecHub]

Thank you @Froze-N-Milk !!!

[garrettsummerfi3ld]

I have personally ran into those issues in 2016 when I was actively competing. Seeing as this hasn't changed is quite surprising as this was unbelievably easy to get wrong and lose sanity over.