New features of the CreatiCode playground

CreatiCode

The questions below are about new features added in the CreatiCode playground, which is a modified version of MIT Scratch.

Table of Content

1. How to keep the flyout toolbar open? (top)

In the CreatiCode playground, to provide more space for coding, the flyout toolbar on the left will close automatically. However, you can use the pin button to switch between “auto-close” and “keep-open” modes:

2. How to search for a block? (top)

You can search for a block using any text on that block. Here are some examples:

3. How to add a block without dragging? (top)

You can click the green plus button next to any block to add it below the last block you added:

4. How to search for blocks in your program? (top)

You can click the magnifier button to open the search box on top, then type in the text you are looking for.

5. How to find the help page for any block? (top)

In the code editor, you can right-click on any block, then select “help”. The Wiki page for that block will open up in a new tab:

6. How to change the code editor color? (top)

You can change the background color of the code editor using the color selector on the top:

7. How to change the color of custom blocks? (top)

You can change the color of the new blocks you make “set my block’s color” button:

8. How to run a project step-by-step? (top)

To run a program step-by-step, or “block-by-block”, you can click the orange triangle on top of the stage. Each time you click, the next block will be highlighted, and the program will pause after that block completes its work.

9. How to pause the program at a breakpoint? (top)

You can add a breakpoint block anywhere in your program, then click the blue arrow button to run to the next breakpoint. Note that the breakpoint blocks are ignored when you run the program using the green flag button.

10. How to print debug messages in the console panel? (top)

When you try to figure out what’s wrong with your program, it is often helpful to print out some messages as the program runs. You can easily do that using the “print to console” block:

11. How to add another user as a friend? (top)

You can add other users as friends. You will get notifications on what your friends are doing, and you can also share/publish your projects only with your friends.

To add another user as a friend, you need to find that user’s profile page, and send a friend request:

To view all friend requests from other users, you can go to the “My Stuff” page, and select “My Friends” on the bottom left. You can then accept or reject these requests.

12. How to share my project with fewer users? (top)

Sometimes you only want to share your project with some users, not every user on the CreatiCode platform. There are 2 ways to do so:

Share with friends: only users that you have added as your friends can see this project.
Share with password: other users need to know the password you set to open your project.

13. How to share my project but hide the code blocks in it? (top)

Sometimes you need to allow other users to play with your project, but you do not want to expose the code blocks inside. This is called “closed-source” software. For example, if you are a teacher, you might want your students to recreate an example project you have created, so you want to hide the code in it.

In such situations, you can “publish” your project instead of sharing it. When you publish your project, you can still control whether everyone can see it, or only your friends can see it, or anyone who knows the password can see it. However, no one will be able to look inside the project or remix it.

14. How to search for your own projects? (top)

In the “My Stuff” page, you can use the input box at the top to search for your own projects by the project title, and you can limit the search scope based on how they are shared or published:

15. How to make or break repeat loops automatically? (top)

You can right-click on a stack of blocks, then select “make loop” to convert them into a repeat loop. The playground will try to find the repeating pattern in the blocks automatically. You can also right-click on a repeat loop and select “break loop”, and that repeat loop will be replaced with a sequential stack of blocks.

16. How to add a diagram? (top)

With a premium subscription, you can use the Diagram tab to create all kinds of diagrams, such as a flowchart of your program, or sticky notes for new ideas.

17. How to edit a project online with another user at the same time? (Premium Only) (top)

Two users with premium subscriptions can edit the same project at the same time, similar to how 2 users can edit the same Google Doc at the same time. To turn on this feature, take the following steps:

Suppose user A is the owner of project X, and user B is user A’s friend user. The co-edit feature only works between users that are friends. This helps prevent a stranger to send you any wanted requests.
User A needs to share the project using one of the sharing methods, so that user B can open this project.
Both user A and user B need to open this project on their own computers. In the demo screen below, user A’s view is shown on the left, and user B’s view is shown on the right:

User B needs to click on the “Edit” menu, and select “Request to edit”. User A will receive a request that he/she can accept or deny. If he/she accepts, then the project will be reloaded on user B’s computer to make sure it is the same as the project on user A’s computer. After that, both users can edit the project at the same time, and they will see each other’s actions in real-time. Note that only user A can save any of these changes to the project, since user A is the project owner. Both user can choose to “End” the co-editing session using the button at the bottom.

18. How to get access to premium features? (top)

Some blocks in the 3D/AR/AI categories require a premium subscription. That’s because CreatiCode is paying a cost to provide those blocks for you. For example, the “say ( )” block under the AI category is using Microsoft Azure’s text-to-speech service.

For teachers, please email info@creaticode.com to apply for a free pilot program, which will not only allow your students to try the premium features, but also provide curriculum and PD for you.

For students at home, you can visit the subscriptions page at https://app.creaticode.com/subscription to subscribe to the premium plan.

CreatiCode

@ir493634-gmail

Hi, can you please clarify what you are trying to do? You can definitely share your projects for free, just like how you would do it on MIT Scratch.

CreatiCode

@ir493634-gmail

We’ll take your suggestion into consideration. Thanks

CreatiCode

@ir493634-gmail

Hi, we do not offer “admin” accounts. Only free accounts or premium subscriptions. What are you trying to do?