Installing on Windows

Installation

PROS for Atom is the new best way to program for VEX Robotics. Getting started with PROS is easy on Windows.

To begin, download and run the installer. Please note that an Internet connection is required throughout the installation process.

Most users will wish to complete the typical installation process, which will install the PROS Core components (the PROS CLI and GCC toolchain) and PROS Editor. If you already have Atom installed, you may opt to not install PROS Editor and install the PROS plugin on your installation of Atom.

If VEX drivers haven’t previously been installed, you will be prompted to install the official drivers released by VEX.

Once the installation is completed, Atom can be started via the Start Menu or Desktop shortcut.

Issues and Notes about Installation

Error reading from file when installing

Since 2.6.0 When installing PROS on Windows, you may receive a warning box along the lines of: > There was an error reading from file “…”. Verify that the file exists and you can access it. In most cases, this is because the file length is too long due to a limitation of Windows. Move the installer to a folder closer to the root directory of the drive, such as C::\pros-temp.

APM Failure

During some installations, Atom may not install correctly. This is best diagnosed by there not being shortcuts to Atom after installation, or if apm isn’t on PATH. If this is the case, you may need to manually install Atom by visiting https://atom.io/download/windows. Once installed and Atom appears, you will be able to install the PROS plugin by pressing Win + R and entering apm install file-icons linter tool-bar tool-bar-main busy build platformio-ide-terminal pros. If you are still having trouble after installing Atom manually, it may be necessary to add Atom to PATH manually as well. To do so, follow these instructions: 1. Find the location of atom.exe. One good way of doing this is by right clicking on the Atom shortcut on your dekstop, clicking ‘Open File Location,’ and copying the path from the Explorer address bar. 2. Windows 7/8/8.1: 1. Open the Start menu 2. Right click on ‘Computer’ 3. Select ‘Properties’ 4. Click ‘Advanced System Settings’ 5. Click ‘Environment Variables’ 6. Select ‘PATH’ under ‘User Variables,’ then click ‘Edit’ 7. Add a semicolon (;) to the end of the value, then paste in the path to atom.exe 8. Click ‘OK’ 3. Windows 10: 1. Type ‘Environment Variables’ into the search bar 2. Select ‘Edit environment variables for your account 3. Select ‘Path’ in the upper box 4. Click ‘Edit,’ then click ‘New’ 5. Paste in the path to atom.exe 6. Click ‘OK’

Installing alongside PROS for Eclipse

It is possible to install Atom alongside Eclipse, if you have previously installed Eclipse. However, the uninstall utility for PROS for Eclipse will remove all the contents in C:\Program Files\PROS, so the new version of PROS will also be affected. If you decide to remove Eclipse but want to keep the PROS Core components, either run the PROS for Eclipse uninstall utility and reinstall/repair the new version of PROS or manually delete all files/folders in C:\Program Files\PROS except: C:\Program Files\PROS\cli-64 (or just cli if x86), C:\Program Files\PROS\toolchain, C:\Program Files\PROS\updater.exe, and C:\Program Files\PROS\updater.ini