Eng:Tips



The tips window is a new form of getting help in Scratch. It is built directly into the editor, a bit like the help dialog of 1.x. It is always visible, even when zoomed in with the browser or when viewing a project in full screen.

It is a full guide through a user's first few experiences with Scratch. It contains a getting started guide, some "how to"s, and a reference on how to use blocks.

Getting Started
The Getting Started section contains a getting started guide, helping the user get acquainted with the Scratch User Interface and make their first project.

Step-by-Step Intro
It contains a 13-step introduction to creating a simple project, called the Step-by-Step Intro. The steps shown are:
 * 1) Drag a Move Steps block into the Scripts Area.
 * 2) Add a Play Drum for  Beats block.
 * 3) Negate the move, and play another drumbeat.
 * 4) Add a Repeat block around the stack.
 * 5) Add a Say for  Secs block.
 * 6) Use the Green Flag.
 * 7) Create a new script, starting with the Change Effect by  block.
 * 8) Activate it via key press.
 * 9) Add a backdrop to the Stage.
 * 10) Create a new sprite.
 * 11) Explore on your own.
 * 12) Share the project.
 * 13) There are lots more possibilities with Scratch!

Map of Project Editor
This section has 5 images, each focusing on a different part of the project editor (studio).

The first shows the whole studio, with large parts explained. The second focuses on the Stage area. The third is the cursor tools in the toolbar. The fourth shows the Paint Editor. The fifth focuses on the tools in the Paint Editor.

Paint Editor Tips
This section contains a 28-second long silent video explaining a bit about the new vector paint editor. Specifically, it shows how to group and ungroup shapes, and changes the Scratch Cat to look like it is sitting.

How To
This section contains short tutorials about simple scripts.

Effects
This section contains three tutorials, focused on the graphic effects.

The first one, titled "Play with effects", is a basic introduction to effects. The second, "Create interactive effects", uses Reporters to change effects. The third, "Interact with a microphone", is not quite about effects, but fits slightly.

Animation
This section also contains three tutorials, which teach how to do simple animation.

The first one, "Switch from happy to sad", explains about switching costumes. The second, "Make a sprite talk", introduces speech bubbles, and also recording. The third, "Make a sprite walk", again talks about switching costumes, and also teaches about rotation style.

Games
This section contains four tutorials about basic game-making.

The first, "Use arrow keys to move", teaches how to create a simple user-controlled moving script. The second, "Bounce around", introduces the If on Edge, Bounce block. The third, "Collide", gives a script for creating a simple ball and paddle. The final tutorial, "Keep score", introduces variables, and shows how to create a simple score.

Stories
This section contains three tutorials that tell how to make a story.

The first tutorial, "Talk to each other", tells how a knock-knock joke can be made. The second one, "Glide off the stage", teaches how to make a sprite look as if it is exiting the stage. The final tutorial, "Switch backdrops", shows how the backdrop can be switched to another one.

Music
This section contains a total of five tutorials on how to use music in a project.

The first tutorial, "Play an Instrument", introduces the instrument blocks in Scratch. The second one, "Play background music", explains how one can put background music into a project. The third, "Import your music", teaches how to import music into Scratch. The fourth tutorial, "Record sounds", shows how one can record sounds using a microphone. The final one, "Edit Sounds", introduces Scratch's sound editor.

CartoonNetwork
CartoonNetwork has sponsored a We Bear Bears Project tip that is in the Tips Menu.

Step By Step Projects
There are currently nine (9) projects seperate from the "Getting Started With Scratch" tutorial that are listed under Step By Step. These 9 tutorials have step-by-step instructions showing each script needed to create the project. The tutorials available currently under the Tips Window are Getting Started With Scratch, Animate Your Name, Make Music, Race to the Finish, Dance,Dance Dance, Create a Pong Game, Catch Game, Hide-and-Seek Game, Create a Virtual Pet, and Favorite Things.

Blocks
This last section contains help on how to use each block.