For beginners like me

Just in case you are wondering...

All you need to install is the Microsoft Express Studio (or professional edition) of your choice (C#, VB .NET, Iron Python, etc.) and the Robotics Studio. Don't get bogged down downloading DirectX, XNA or Ageia Physx until you need it. You should get all you need from two (rather large) downloads.

[Tutorial]

Also I would seriously recommend getting up to date with C#. There are many important little things that really need to be considered. The smallest thing is attributes. These bad boys are used throughout the code, but are thankfully not too necessary to understand when working through the tutorials. I still haven't figured them out, but I think it's more a time issue than a lack of resource issue.

Here are some sites I am reading on attributes:
[CODEPROJECT: Attributes in C#]
[C# HELP: Usage of Attributes in C#]
[C# CORNER: Attributes in C#]
[PROGRAMMING C#: Chapter 18]
[MSDN C# DEVELOPER CENTER: Attributes(C#)]

The next issue is services. I would recommend writing a service and testing it out. Especially if you use VISTA (which adds complications). Here is a tutorial that works perfectly (I wrote an SMS service in VISTA - and the tutorial is meant for XP, so it is good) [ARCANE CODE: Windows Services in C#: Getting started].

The tutorials. Yes. Go through them. They are useful, the service and simulation are the ones I went through. They are installed on your computer when you install the robotics studio but can be found equally easily online. One tip - be careful of names and locations. When I did the first tutorial it generated my files in a different location to what the tutorial said. So don't give up, a butterfly mist force it's way out of the cocoon, otherwise it dies.

I completed all the tutorials successfully, so there is no problem there. The problem with MRDS at the moment is that there is very little documentation, but that is being rectified. Also the tutorials do not cover the much needed "Start from square one" case. That is one thing I will cover on this blog. But so far I have not come across such a tutorial.

Then do some reading. That is where I am. I need to figure out attributes in C# while I do that. Currently I am reading Sara Morgan's book "Programming Microsoft® Robotics Studio". I am on chapter 1 and it is choc-full of good and useful information. But get caught up with DSS and CCR, as well as DDSP. She covers them but also recommends extra study.

I have had a good discussion with Trevor Talor (Author of the brand-spanking-new "Professional Microsoft® Robotics Developer Studio") over at [MSDN Forums]. I would recommend reading the discussion, it has a few useful links and information (for example C# Express and "Start External Program").