Joystick

Purpose Of This Page

This page explains how to read the CodyJoy Pro joystick using Python.

The CodyJoy Pro includes several built-in features, including:

• RGB LED Matrix.
• Joystick.
• Sound Maker.

This page focuses only on the joystick.

By the end of this page, students will be able to:

• Detect joystick direction.
• Detect joystick button clicks.
• Read all joystick states at once.
• Use joystick input inside a Python loop.

Start Code

Every CodyNick Python script should import the CodyNick library and connect to the CodyNick device.

import CodyNick

cn = CodyNick.CN()

The variable cn represents the connected CodyNick device.

Joystick Directions

The joystick can be moved in four main directions:

• Up
• Down
• Left
• Right

The joystick can also be pressed like a button. This is called a click.

Check One Direction

Use Joystick.position() to check one direction.

Function format:

CodyNick.Joystick.position(cn, direction)

The direction should be one of:

"up"
"down"
"left"
"right"

Example:

import CodyNick

cn = CodyNick.CN()

if CodyNick.Joystick.position(cn, "up"):
    print("Joystick is up")

This prints a message if the joystick is moved up.

Check For A Click

Use Joystick.click() to check whether the joystick button is pressed.

Function format:

CodyNick.Joystick.click(cn)

Example:

import CodyNick

cn = CodyNick.CN()

if CodyNick.Joystick.click(cn):
    print("Joystick clicked")

Read All Joystick States

Use Joystick.states() to read the current joystick state once.

Function format:

CodyNick.Joystick.states(cn)

This returns a list.

Examples of possible results:

Example:

import CodyNick

cn = CodyNick.CN()

states = CodyNick.Joystick.states(cn)
print(states)

Example: Print Joystick Movement

This example continuously checks the joystick and prints the direction.

import CodyNick
import time

cn = CodyNick.CN()

while True:
    if CodyNick.Joystick.position(cn, "up"):
        print("up")

    if CodyNick.Joystick.position(cn, "down"):
        print("down")

    if CodyNick.Joystick.position(cn, "left"):
        print("left")

    if CodyNick.Joystick.position(cn, "right"):
        print("right")

    if CodyNick.Joystick.click(cn):
        print("click")

    time.sleep(0.1)

The time.sleep(0.1) line slows the loop down slightly. Without it, Python may print too many messages very quickly.

Example: Read Once Per Loop

For larger programs, it is often better to read the joystick once per loop using states().

import CodyNick
import time

cn = CodyNick.CN()

while True:
    states = CodyNick.Joystick.states(cn)

    if "UP" in states:
        print("up")
    elif "DOWN" in states:
        print("down")
    elif "LEFT" in states:
        print("left")
    elif "RIGHT" in states:
        print("right")
    elif "CLICK" in states:
        print("click")

    time.sleep(0.1)

This style is useful when one program needs to react to different joystick actions.

Example: Count Button Clicks

This example counts how many times the joystick button is clicked.

import CodyNick
import time

cn = CodyNick.CN()

click_count = 0
was_clicked = False

while True:
    is_clicked = CodyNick.Joystick.click(cn)

    if is_clicked and not was_clicked:
        click_count = click_count + 1
        print("Clicks:", click_count)

    was_clicked = is_clicked
    time.sleep(0.05)

The variable was_clicked helps count one click at a time instead of counting the same press many times.

Function Summary

Practice Tasks

Try these exercises:

1. Print up when the joystick is moved up.
2. Print all four directions when they happen.
3. Print clicked when the joystick button is pressed.
4. Count how many times the joystick is clicked.
5. Print the full list returned by Joystick.states(cn).
6. Write a program that prints only when the direction changes.

Common Mistakes

Direction names must be lowercase when using Joystick.position().

Correct:

CodyNick.Joystick.position(cn, "up")

Not correct:

CodyNick.Joystick.position(cn, "UP")

The result from Joystick.states() uses uppercase state names:

states = CodyNick.Joystick.states(cn)

if "UP" in states:
    print("up")

If the terminal prints too fast, add a short delay inside the loop:

time.sleep(0.1)