APPLAB and GAMELAB - For the CreatePT Task

CS Principles AP Prep
1

I have a student that would like to use both APPLab and GameLab API’s in one deliverable for the CREATE PT Task. I have tried but there seem to be two seperate environments where the API from one are not available to the other. (we tried to copy the code of one to the other, and their are some unknown functions.)
Being a first year teacher in CSP, I am not sure what to suggest to the student. I know that other coding environemnts can be used but I have no idea where nor what to suggest. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance

2

I like both App Lab and Game Lab for completing the Create Task. As you have learned you can use one or the other but not both.

You need to ask your student what features are most important to the project.

App Lab has:

  • Widgets or GUI elements that can be arranged and designed in Design mode. Animated GIFs can be included and will animate. You have elements that you can interact with in many different ways.
  • GUI elements can have callbacks making the app event driven, but you can also add a timedLoop or set a timeout.
  • There are two types of databases you can use to save data persistently.
  • Create a chart from your database.
  • Two types of graphics. Turtle and the more traditional draw on multiple canvases.

Game Lab has:

  • Sprites. Sprites can be animated. Sprites can be drawn in the Animation tab or loaded from a library. Sprites can be grouped.
  • A re-draw loop that is fairly optimal.
  • Mouse coordinates. You can find out where the mouse is.
  • built in collision detection.
  • Traditional graphics on a single background.

They both have objects and sound.

So if you are building a more traditional app that needs lots of user input and doesn’t do lots of high speed drawing App Lab is good. If you want to create a video game or something that needs sprite graphics you will want Game Lab. If you want to store data from multiple users or have the app remember data from the last time it was run you need App Lab.

There are some applications that could use either one. There are graphics in App Lab and you can use images like they are sprites. And you can accept text input in Game Lab and use sprites like buttons.

Us computer programmers look at these things like tools. If you need to screw a screw in you probably want a screwdriver. Yes, you can occasionally drive a screw in with a hammer, but it is not recommended. On the other hand driving in a nail with a screwdriver never ends well.

1 Like
3

Hi @liz.griffith,

I think @jdonwells does a great job distinguishing between the two environments. I also agree that it comes down to what the student is most comfortable with.

Either can be used to meet the requirements of the Create PT, so I’d have the student decide based on what they’re more confident using in order to meet those requirements.

Frank