Scratch 2.0 plug-in not working with new update

Jonnylaw 2014-04-16 15:43:48 UTC #1

Anyone else having issues with the Scratch plugin download from airspace?

I am new to the Leap Development Community, as I just purchased my controller. I want to develop some apps, but no clue where to start, that's when I came across the Scratch plug-in learn how to program app to get my feet wet. I am familiar with C+ and Visual Basic. Looking to crossover into more advanced stuff.

Initially i downloaded scratch 2.0 and ran into the issue with the java, waited out the update from scratch. Now when trying to run the Scratch plug-in VIA the airspace homepage, it says that scratch is not open.

Is there a better way to learn how to write coding and create apps/games using the the leap controller?

Thoughts? Suggestions? I am open to anything.

elizabethr 2014-04-18 20:11:05 UTC #2

Hi Johnny,

In order to get Scratch to connect to the plugin, it just requires you follow ALL of the steps in the App Details.

Please download the leapmotion.json file, install Adobe Air, install and open Scratch, then select 'Import experimental extension' from the File menu and then click the leapmotion.json. Note that the experimental extension import option only appears if you press and hold SHIFT prior to selecting the dropdown menu.

You may need to close and relaunch Scratch once to get the LM stuff to show up in the Scripts>More Blocks section.

Let us know!

Also PM'd you to see if we could help get you started with any other resources that might be useful for you.

iMusicalMommy 2015-08-12 18:19:07 UTC #3

I've done exactly as the instructions say. I can see the Leap Motion blocks under "More Blocks" too.

It says that my Leap Motion is connected and that Scratch is connected via the Leap Motion plugin that I got from the Leap Motion app store. Yet, when I open up the sample games from the developer of the plugin, hand gestures aren't doing anything. It's like the plugin no longer works. I'm using Scratch 2 offline (as instructed).

I got the games by looking in the Leap Motion Scratch studio: https://scratch.mit.edu/studios/236466/ I downloaded the games and then uploaded them to offline Scratch 2 because Leap Motion only works with the offline Scratch 2, I was instructed.

Is this plugin outdated and Leap Motion doesn't work with Scratch anymore? If so, please let us know, so we don't waste more time trying to make it work.

Thanks

Joe_Ward 2015-08-12 19:11:26 UTC #4

There weren't any changes in the last Leap Motion release that should have broken compatibility with Scratch. If you open the Leap Motion Visualizer program, do you see hands, etc? Are you using Mac or Windows?

iMusicalMommy 2015-08-13 00:27:44 UTC #5

Hi Joe

Thanks for the prompt reply. I went back to check all this.

I am on a Mac computer Yosemite 10.10.2.

I opened up the visualizer while the Scratch plugin for Leap Motion was running and it was showing "connected" to Scratch 2.0 and also "connected" to the Leap Motion and I also had the Leap Motion extra blocks in Scratch showing. Yes, I can see my hands moving with the visualizer.

We just got the Leap Motion yesterday and we didn't have any problems playing with it with the apps from your store. I'm an educator interested in all resources that can engage children to learn computer programming skills. That is what led me to the Scratch Leap Motion plugin.

I have tried opening different games made by the developer, and the behaviour is the same (no response to any hand gestures). This time, I looked at the visualizer and I can see my hands moving so it isn't due to my computer processor being too slow to be responsive. The visualizer is not laggy.

One thing I noticed in all my "tries" is that as soon as I open the game from the developer, the Leap Motion indicates that it has lost connection with Scratch. I've tried this a few times to make sure it wasn't a coincidence. If I close the game from the developer and open a new Scratch window/project, there is NO connection until I install the LeapMotion.json . As soon as I install the LeapMotion.json, I get "connected" to Scratch, again.

Should it be necessary to have the blocks in the menu before being able to play the developer's games? I thought the blocks were only for creating new Leap Motion games. Anyways, I have always been making sure that the blocks are there as that is the only way I can get the "connected" green light from the Scratch Leap Motion plugin. (I always have the green rectangle light for the Leap Motion. That never goes away.)

My programming skills are not strong enough to make my own game with the Leap Motion blocks, in order to test what is happening.

I noticed that once in awhile, even when I am not doing anything with Scratch that the Leap Motion plugin shows a buggy connection to Scratch 2.0. The connection will suddenly be lost and then come back on and it's not my usb port. I've tried two different usb ports on my Mac.

If you ask me, it looks broken and this is because it instantly and consistently loses connection to Scratch 2.0 as soon as I open one of the developer's games.

Thanks for letting me know that you don't think it's broken. I will try it in a few weeks on a different Mac and if it suddenly works, I'll report back here.

My main reason for getting Leap Motion was the Muse app, so it's not a huge deal if I can't get Scratch to work, but it would certainly be a great resource for my students if we could get it to work.

Thanks again

Vivian

iMusicalMommy 2015-08-13 00:31:42 UTC #6

It seems my original question has disappeared. The post has been withdrawn by the author, it says. Well, it wasn't withdrawn by me. Anyways, it is a legitimate question so please don't erase it. Here is it again:

I've done exactly as the instructions say. I can see the Leap Motion blocks under "More Blocks" too.

Is this plugin outdated and Leap Motion doesn't work with Scratch anymore? If so, please let us know, so we don't waste more time trying to make it work.

Thanks

Joe_Ward 2015-08-13 04:15:29 UTC #7

[I'm not sure how your question got deleted, but I "undeleted it".]

Anyhow, I asked whether you could see hands in the Visualizer to help isolate the problem. It does appear that your Leap Motion device and software is otherwise working correctly. I'll have to install Scratch and and try to see what is wrong.

Note that it is usually better to start a new thread about a problem then add onto a very, very old one. In this case, I mistakenly thought that Scratch broke for you after our latest update, which came out a few days ago. I only just realized that the title of this thread was originally written back in April of 2014. There have been significant changes in the Leap Motion software since then and it is much more likely that a compatibility issue has crept in if the plugin developer hasn't made any updates..

iMusicalMommy 2015-08-13 17:19:04 UTC #8

Hi Joe

Thanks for the reply. I wasn't too sure if I should start a new thread or not. Sometimes people post new threads and then people criticize them for not "searching the forums". I did realize that the thread was very old, before I began writing.

My original post was to find out if the plugin is no longer current. We never do hear from the original poster of this thread whether he was able to get it up and running. Maybe it's been broken for over a year, now?

Mac seems to change operating systems far too much for small developers to keep up with... (I tried to install the Kinect2Scratch (a way for students to program Scratch for the Kinect) a year ago, and I could never get that to work either. It works fine for the Xbox games though.

I noticed that the weblinks in the help menu of the Leap Motion Scratch plugin no longer work either (the links to the zip file of the developer's sample games and to the .json file). It took some doing for me to find them elsewhere and the fact I had to search all over the net for them was the first clue that the plugin maybe be old and no longer valid. The plugin developer's website for the Leap Motion seems to no longer exist, also.

Maybe it might still work for Windows? I don't have a Windows in which to give it a try. If you find out that it works for Windows etc. etc. , let me know.

Thanks for your help.

Vivian

Joe_Ward 2015-08-13 18:32:03 UTC #9

We are seeing the same errors trying to run the Scratch 2.0 plugin on Mac (haven't tried Windows yet). The developer is still active and we are contacting him to see if he is able/willing to look into the problem.

Thanks,
Joe

iMusicalMommy 2015-08-14 02:44:04 UTC #10

Thanks for letting me know. Keep me updated!

Joe_Ward 2016-01-19 21:17:53 UTC #11

@iMusicalMommy,

We never got a response from the Scratch 2.0 developer, so it seems unlikely the Scratch 2.0 plugin will be updated.

I did recently see a similar web application called Snap!, which is based on Scratch. It does have a Leap Motion plugin. I haven't tried it myself, yet, but it might be worth looking into if you are still interested.

Cheers,
Joe

iMusicalMommy 2016-01-22 07:02:03 UTC #12

Thanks for the update. I'll take a look at Snap. It's a shame that so many neat tools for children's learning don't get support for the long-term. I've had a similar experience with another product. Thanks for letting me know.

yalamov 2023-02-19 08:28:23 UTC #13

I am having trouble connecting LeapMotion with the Scratch 2.0 plug in. It simply does not connect, although in the control panel the light is green and LM works. I don't see much of action on Scratch integration...