Custom Blocks

When you are creating programs with NXT-G, you may find that you need more then just the NXT-G blocks that come with the programing software. With the LabVIEW software (that is the software that NXT-G is based on) you can create your own custom NXT-G programming blocks. An almost complete library of custom NXT-G blocks created by people in the MINDSTORMS community is available below. If you want to have a go at creating NXT-G blocks yourself, you can find out how here.

Importing Blocks

Firstly, you will need to download a custom NXT-G block. In this tutorial I used the Text To Number block. (You can find heaps more blocks here.) Download the ZIP file onto your computer, right click on it and select extract. Open up a blank NXT-G project, navigate to the Tools menu and click on the 'Block Import and Export Wizard'.  If you are using NXT-G 1.1, you will need to download it from here. Click on browse and choose the folder which you unzipped the block into. 

Select it, press OK and the block's name should show up in the window. click on the block, chose the palette and press OK. When you exit out of the Block Inport and Export Wizard, you can find the block in your palette. 

 

Exporting Blocks 


When you have uploaded a block to your palette, you can recover the folder you download. Simply open up the Block Inport And Export Wizard. Up the top there should be two tabs: Import and Manage. Click on the Manage tab. You should be able to see a complete list of blocks you have downloaded. Select the block you want and you can either export it (save it to your computer) or delete it. When you have saved it, you will need to ZIP the file before you can upload it on the internet.

Troubleshooting 

  1. I have downloded and saved the block, but it does not show up in the window!

  • Check you have unzipped the block. (Zipped folders will not be reconised.)

  • Check the path name is the same as the folder you unzipped it it. (Sometimes it is unzipped inside another folder

  • Open up the block folder. Are the files inside the same name as the folder? If not, change the folder name.

 

This free website was made using Yola.

No HTML skills required. Build your website in minutes.

Go to www.yola.com and sign up today!

Make a free website with Yola