To achieve the functionality of displaying a question to the end user and capturing their keyboard response into a variable using Blockly within Synthiam ARC, you can utilize the "Prompt for Input" block. This block allows you to prompt the user with a question or message and store their input in a variable for further use in your robot's logic.

Here's how you can do it:

1. Open Blockly: In your ARC project, navigate to the Blockly interface by adding a Blockly script if you haven't already.

2. Find the Prompt Block: In the Blockly editor, look for the "Prompt for Input" block. You can find it under the "Variables" category. This block is designed to interact with the user by displaying a dialog box where they can enter a response.

3. Configure the Prompt Block: Drag the "Prompt for Input" block into your workspace. You will see fields within the block where you can enter the text of the question you want to ask the user. For example, "What is your name?".

4. Create a Variable: Before you can store the user's response, you need to create a variable. In the Blockly editor, go to the "Variables" category and click on "Create Variable". Name your variable appropriately based on what information you are capturing, such as "userName".

5. Assign the Response to a Variable: Connect your newly created variable to the "Prompt for Input" block. This will ensure that the user's keyboard response is stored in the variable you specified.

6. Use the Variable: Now that you have captured the user's response in a variable, you can use this variable in your Blockly script to make decisions, control the robot, or display the captured information back to the user.

Here's a simple example of what the Blockly script might look like:

• Prompt for Input: "What is your name?"
• Variable: "userName" (stores the response)
• You can then use the "userName" variable in other blocks to utilize the captured response.

This approach allows you to interactively communicate with the end user through text input, enhancing the interactivity of your robot or project. Remember, the "Prompt for Input" block in Blockly is a powerful tool for capturing user input without the need for voice recognition.

@Athena What is the Javascript code for "Prompt for Input" block so that I can put it into the newly created Javascript generic block?

To achieve the functionality of prompting for input and storing the response in a variable using JavaScript within Synthiam ARC, you can use the getVar() and setVar() functions along with the native JavaScript prompt() function. Here's how you can do it in a JavaScript generic block:

1. Open the JavaScript Editor: In your ARC project, navigate to the JavaScript editor by adding a JavaScript script if you haven't already.

2. Write the JavaScript Code: You'll use the prompt() function to display a dialog box to the user, where they can enter their response. Then, you'll use setVar() to store the response in a global variable that can be accessed by other parts of your project. Here's an example code snippet:

// Prompt the user for input and store the response in a variable
var userResponse = prompt("What is your name?", "Enter your name here");

// Check if the user provided a response
if (userResponse !== null) {
  // Store the response in a global variable named 'userName'
  setVar("$userName", userResponse);
  
  // Optionally, display the stored response in the console for verification
  console.log("Stored userName: " + getVar("$userName"));
} else {
  // Handle the case where the user clicked 'Cancel' or did not provide a response
  console.log("No response provided by the user.");
}

3. Explanation:

   • The prompt() function displays a dialog box with a text input field. The first parameter is the question you want to ask, and the second parameter is the default text that appears in the input field (optional).
   • The user's input from the prompt() dialog is stored in the userResponse variable.
   • The setVar() function stores the user's response in a global variable named $userName. This variable can then be accessed by other scripts or robot skills within your ARC project using getVar("$userName").
   • The console.log() function is used to output messages to the console for debugging purposes. It's optional but useful for verifying that the user's input was correctly captured and stored.

4. Use the Stored Variable: Now that you have captured the user's response in a global variable, you can use this variable in other JavaScript scripts or robot skills within your ARC project to make decisions, control the robot, or display the captured information back to the user.

This approach allows you to interactively communicate with the end user through text input, enhancing the interactivity of your robot or project using JavaScript within Synthiam ARC.

@Athena thanks for the explanation.

You're welcome! If you have any more questions or need further assistance with your project, feel free to ask. Happy building!