Learning FeatureScripts

Axel_Kollmenter

Hello everyone,

I wanna deep dive into Feature Scripts and learn how to create my own. Where do I start? What should I know before? Are any coding skills required?

@Evan_Reese @MichaelPascoe @MBartlett21

EvanReese

I intend to make some tutorials about it eventually which should help. In the meantime here's how I learned:

• read the documentation, and especially make a point in understanding the different types of containers for data (array, map etc)
• go through the tutorials they have there too
• watch everything about it in the Learning Center
• pay for the tutorials on cadjunkie.com https://www.cadjunkie.com/courses/featurescript101. They're a few years old, and I wish there were more, but Adam is a great instructor.
• I made a video about setting variables with FS, which is probably helpful too.
• if you have zero code experience, then watching javascript tutorials or something similar can help with concepts. https://www.freecodecamp.org/ could help
• search your questions on the forum. There are years worth of people asking stuff and there are lots of great answers written up for common questions.
• find features you like and look at their code. I recommend not trying to go straight to the Onshape source code for this, since they have so much more to think about than you do to just make a one-off feature that works okay so it can be overwhelmingly confusing to decipher, but it's a good reference one you find your footing a bit. Find simple features made by simple people (such as myself) to reference  . This is especially useful if you see someone doing something you want to emulate, like an arrow manipulator, or a certain kind of UI etc.
• get used to the Featurescript notices panel and how to read the error messages. They'll tell you a lot; usually that you didn't give a function the kind of information it was expecting.
• Ask the forums as a last resort when you finally get into it and get stuck, ask very specific questions, and share your document publicly so people can help. If you make an effort to be helped, people will make an effort to help you.
• enjoy it! For me there was no chance I'd have learned what I have if I didn't really enjoy doing it. 

EvanReese

I intend to make some tutorials about it eventually which should help. In the meantime here's how I learned:

• read the documentation, and especially make a point in understanding the different types of containers for data (array, map etc)
• go through the tutorials they have there too
• watch everything about it in the Learning Center
• pay for the tutorials on cadjunkie.com https://www.cadjunkie.com/courses/featurescript101. They're a few years old, and I wish there were more, but Adam is a great instructor.
• I made a video about setting variables with FS, which is probably helpful too.
• if you have zero code experience, then watching javascript tutorials or something similar can help with concepts. https://www.freecodecamp.org/ could help
• search your questions on the forum. There are years worth of people asking stuff and there are lots of great answers written up for common questions.
• find features you like and look at their code. I recommend not trying to go straight to the Onshape source code for this, since they have so much more to think about than you do to just make a one-off feature that works okay so it can be overwhelmingly confusing to decipher, but it's a good reference one you find your footing a bit. Find simple features made by simple people (such as myself) to reference  . This is especially useful if you see someone doing something you want to emulate, like an arrow manipulator, or a certain kind of UI etc.
• get used to the Featurescript notices panel and how to read the error messages. They'll tell you a lot; usually that you didn't give a function the kind of information it was expecting.
• Ask the forums as a last resort when you finally get into it and get stuck, ask very specific questions, and share your document publicly so people can help. If you make an effort to be helped, people will make an effort to help you.
• enjoy it! For me there was no chance I'd have learned what I have if I didn't really enjoy doing it. 

Axel_Kollmenter

@Evan_Reese Awesome! Thank you very much!