Blockly
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Blockly is a client-side JavaScript toolkit for creating visual block programming editors. It was written by Neil Fraser for Google and is open-source under the Apache 2.0 License. [1] It runs in a web browser, and resembles Scratch.
Blockly uses blocks that link together to make code generation easier, and can generate Javascript, Python or Dart code as standard, but can be customised to generate any computer language. [2]
History
Blockly development started in 2011 and was originally designed to replace OpenBlocks in App Inventor. OpenBlocks was built for StarLogo TNG.[3]
User Interface
The user interface of a Blockly program consists of a toolbar, which holds all the available blocks and a workspace, where you place the blocks. There is a trashcan on the workspace which deletes any blocks dragged onto it. [4]
Customising Blockly
Blockly comes with a basic set of blocks for common instructions, but can be customized by adding more blocks. New blocks require a block definition and a generator. The definition tells Blockly how the block should look and the generator tells it how to make it's output code. There is an example program called Block Factory which makes writing the block definition easier by using Blockly blocks to construct a new block.
Blockly Games
Blockly has been used to build Blockly Games, a set of educational games that teach programming concepts such as loops and conditionals.[5][6]
Features
- Web based using SVG, no Flash
- Completely client side Javascript
- Support of major web browsers including: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, IE.
- Mobile support on Android and iOS
- Support for many programmatic constructs including variables, functions, arrays
- Minimal type checking supported, designed for weakly typed languages
- Easy to extend with custom blocks. Use the block factory to make Blockly blocks with Blockly
- Clean code generation[7]
- Step-by-step code execution for tracing and debugging code[8]
- Translated into 40+ languages[9]
- Support for left-to-right and right-to-left languages[10]
References
- ^ "Google Blockly Lets You Hack With No Keyboard". WIRED.
- ^ "Google's Blockly Teaches You to Create Apps". NBC Bay Area.
- ^ "Google Groups".
- ^ "Google Blockly - A Graphical Language with a Difference". i-programmer.
- ^ "Google Introduces Kids to Coding Through Blockly Games Project".
- ^ "Blockly: Maze Archives - BrainPOP Educators".
- ^ "Blockly Demo:".
- ^ "Blockly Demo: JS Interpreter".
- ^ "Blockly Demo:".
- ^ "Blockly Demo: RTL".