bbcmicrobit / PythonEditor

A MicroPython editor for the BBC micro:bit that works with browsers.
https://python.microbit.org/
MIT License
197 stars 130 forks source link

Clarify help.html #363

Closed microbit-mark closed 3 years ago

microbit-mark commented 3 years ago

micro:bit support: 42424

Some feedback on https://github.com/bbcmicrobit/PythonEditor/blob/master/help.html that we should clarify

I'm not sure what gets saved, where it gets saved, and why it gets saved. I work with middle-school kids who want to save their work so they can complete it at home or in the next class. But I'm not sure how the Load/Save operation helps them, particularly when the micro:bit remains at school, but the PC goes home with the kid.

I suppose kids can download their dot-py files and put them on a USB drive, but the school might prevent that. Public schools are very sensitive to anything getting downloaded by kids. Less convenient, copy and paste their text editor and save it on a USB drive; if they can even do that.

Can they download directly to a USB drive, put files in DropBox, or Google Drive? Those options don't exist but would seem helpful.

Files and Modules When the micro:bit is flashed with MicroPython, it lets a simple file system store files on the micro:bit. You can use the file system to include external python modules (such as??? example might help) in your program, similar to how you use MicroPython's built-in-modules.

Selecting the Load/Save button in the menu will bring up the files Load and Save window: modal dialogue for the file system interface

You can drag and drop files (from where?) into the Load area or use the Add file button to open the file dialogue. (Why would I want to do this? What does it do with the files?)

A status bar shows you the file types you have uploaded and how much free space you still have available (where? in the micro:bit file system?). The color-coded status bar indicates file types; main.py is purple and the external emoji.py shown in the example is green. (Colors not shown in your figure.)The main.py file is your program, the Python script in your text editor. It (what does "it" refer back to, the script in the editor?) is pre-set in the status bar and cannot be removed. If you try to upload another main.py file, it will replace any(?) code now in the text editor. The emoji.py is a python module, that we can now reference in main.py.

OK, What makes the emoju.py module useable in the main.py script? Is it because it is in the Microbit Program Files list? Or is it useable for some other reason?

In the Load/Save window when you click the Add files control you will see a gray area under the Project Files heading. Click on the gray area to view files saved (saved from heres?) . As you add files (from where? where are these files I want to save?), they appear in a list in the Project Files areaunderneath the status bar. (What status bar? add arrow to figure?) The list indicates the filename, the file type, the size of the file and the options to download or to trash or delete a file if you no longer need it or have added it by accident. (I have one file listed under Project Files and the trash can is greyed out. Can I remove this file? How? Do I need it? Why..?)

microbit-mark commented 3 years ago

Github playing up. Duplicate of #364