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Installation

BLine consists of two components: the GUI for visual path planning, and the Library for path following on your robot. Install whichever components fit your workflow.

BLine-GUI Installation

Download the latest release for your platform from the Releases page.

Installer (Recommended)

  1. Download BLine-{version}-Setup.exe
  2. Run the installer and follow the wizard
  3. Launch BLine from the Start Menu

Portable (No Installation)

  1. Download BLine-{version}-Windows-Portable.zip
  2. Extract anywhere
  3. Run BLine.exe

No Python installation required—everything is bundled!

AppImage (All Distributions)

  1. Download BLine-x86_64.AppImage
  2. Make it executable: 
    chmod +x BLine-x86_64.AppImage
  3. Run it: 
    ./BLine-x86_64.AppImage

No installation or dependencies required!

macOS builds are not currently available as prebuilt binaries. See Install from Source below.

Install from Source

If you prefer to install via Python package or need the latest development version:

Quick Install (all platforms):

pipx install git+https://github.com/edanliahovetsky/BLine-GUI.git

Then run bline from anywhere.

Don't have pipx? Platform-specific instructions 
# Install pipx (one-time setup)
pip install pipx
pipx ensurepath

# Restart your terminal, then install BLine
pipx install git+https://github.com/edanliahovetsky/BLine-GUI.git

Troubleshooting: If you get a PySide6 build error, install Python 3.11 or 3.12 from python.org and specify it:

py -3.12 -m pip install --upgrade pip pipx
py -3.12 -m pipx ensurepath
py -3.12 -m pipx install git+https://github.com/edanliahovetsky/BLine-GUI.git

# Install Homebrew if needed
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

# Install pipx and BLine
brew install pipx
pipx ensurepath
pipx install git+https://github.com/edanliahovetsky/BLine-GUI.git

# Install pipx
# Debian/Ubuntu:
sudo apt install pipx

# Fedora:
sudo dnf install pipx

# Arch:
sudo pacman -S python-pipx

# Install BLine
pipx ensurepath
pipx install git+https://github.com/edanliahovetsky/BLine-GUI.git

Troubleshooting: If you get a PySide6 build error, specify Python 3.11 or 3.12:

pipx install --python python3.12 git+https://github.com/edanliahovetsky/BLine-GUI.git

Updating the GUI

# If you used pipx:
pipx upgrade bline

# If you used pip (with venv activated):
pip install --upgrade git+https://github.com/edanliahovetsky/BLine-GUI.git
If pipx upgrade bline fails on Windows

This can happen if pipx is pointing at a moved/updated Python install. Try:

# Recreate the pipx venv for bline
pipx reinstall bline

# Or remove + install fresh
pipx uninstall bline
pipx install git+https://github.com/edanliahovetsky/BLine-GUI.git

Uninstalling the GUI

# If you used pipx:
pipx uninstall bline

# If you used pip:
# Just delete the BLine folder you created

BLine-Lib Installation

  1. Open VS Code with your FRC project
  2. Press Ctrl+Shift+P (or Cmd+Shift+P on Mac)
  3. Type "WPILib: Manage Vendor Libraries"
  4. Select "Install new libraries (online)"
  5. Paste this URL:
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/edanliahovetsky/BLine-Lib/main/BLine-Lib.json

Using Gradle (Alternative)

Add JitPack repository to your build.gradle:

repositories {
    maven { url 'https://jitpack.io' }
}

Add the dependency:

dependencies {
    implementation 'com.github.edanliahovetsky:BLine-Lib:0.4.0'
}

There are three recommended ways to use BLine, depending on your team's workflow:

Mode Description Components Needed
Full Stack Visual path planning with JSON export GUI + Lib
JSON Primary Define paths directly in JSON files Lib only
Code Only Define all paths programmatically in Java Lib only

Choose the approach that best fits your team's preferences and workflow!