Although Scratch is designed for people who are new to programmingit can still be hard to master. The Getting Started with Scratch tutorial helps individuals who are completely new to programming and looking to understand the concepts of Scratch.
Projects
- Main article: Project
Projects are animationsstoriesartpenand games — and just about everything else made in Scratch. The Scratch project editor is used to make Scratch projectswhich can be shared to the world using the Scratch Community. In other termsa project is the created coding in Scratch.
Offline Editor vs. Online Editor
Scratch offers two editors: an online oneand an offline one. Both are very similarbut have minor differences. It is easier to connect with the Scratch Community using the online editorbut it can only be used with an internet connection. The online editor can be accessed by clicking the Create tab on the website or by clicking here. The offline editor can be downloaded here. The current version of Scratch is Scratch 3.0.
The Interface
- Main article: User Interface
The Scratch interface is divided into two sections: the running environment and the development section. At the top-right of the interface is the stage. The stage is where a Scratch project is physically runso when one plays a gamethe Stage is the window in which it is run. By defaultthe Scratch Cat is on the stage. The Scratch Cat is simply one of many spritesor charactersbuttonsetc. in a project. Characters are programmed to perform what a Scratcher desires them to do. The flexibility of Scratch allows the creator to be imaginative and actually make the desired project. That is when programming comes into placeas it "makes things do what they should".
Programming
Before getting more into the interfacethe quickest way to understand how sprites are programmed in Scratch is by testing what specific blocks can do to sprites. Follow the steps below when a newunedited project has been created.
1. Access this area of the Scratch program:
2. Select the blue "block" called "move () steps"and drag it to the right.
3. Release the mouse to place the block; make sure it is placed in the darker grey area closer to the middle of the screenwhich is technically called the scripts area.
4. When doneclick anywhere on the block except the white number input in the middle of the block. When it is clickeda thick yellow outline will appear on the "move () steps" block for a few frames before disappearing. This signals that the block has been run. The Scratch cat should move 10 steps to the right.
5. Explore the other categories located to the left of the scripts area. Try out the different blocks located in these categories in the same way that the "move () steps" block was tested on the Scratch cat.
Blocks
- Main article: Blocks
As shown aboveblocks are the building "blocks" of a Scratch project. They have specific commands which function uniquely from one another. Through various combinations of blockssprites can be programmed in certain ways.
1. Assemble the following "script"or connection of blocksby accessing the various blocks by color and category.
2. Assemble the blocks into this formation:
3. Grab the blue key sensing block that is still in the void and place it into the hexagonal input area of the orange "if" block:
4. Click the Green Flag to run the projectand see what it does.
5. Unless you were holding down the space keynothing should have happened. Take a look at the script again; remembera script is a fully connected chain/stack of blocks.
when gf clicked if <key (space v) pressed?> then move (10) steps end
The script begins with "when green flag clicked"which was done. When the green flag is clickedit triggers the script beginning with the "when green flag clicked" block to run. When the script ranit first detects if the space key is downand if it isthen the sprite will move 10 steps. Run the project again while holding the space key downand the sprite will move 10 steps.
Paint/Sound Editors
- Main article: Paint Editor
- Main article: Sound Editor
Scratch even includes its very own paint editor and sound editor. A paint editor is a program used for designing and editing images. The Scratch paint editor can be used to draw the images for sprites (the charactersbuttonsetc.). The sound editor is used for importingrecordingand modifying sounds used in a project. To access these two editorsclick on the tabs above the blocks palette:
Sprites
- Main article: Sprite
Sprites are like the characters of a projectthough Each sprite has its own blocksand they can communicate with each other using Broadcasts. Each sprite can do its own job. For examplein a game where a dinosaur chases the Scratch Catthe dinosaur is programmed to chase the catwhile the cat is controlled by the player. These two sprites do different things. A project can have hundreds of spriteseach doing its own job.
Sprites Pane
Accessing different sprites can be done in the sprites panelocated below the stage. The currently selected sprite always has a purple box around it; by simply clicking on a different spriteits data can be accessed. The sprites pane is shown in the image to the right.
Creating New Sprites
Most projects on Scratch have more than one sprite. At the bottom-right of the sprites pane is a button for creating a new sprite. Hovering over it opens up four options:
With these buttonsa new sprite can be imported as either a plain image or one that already has scripts. The buttonsgoing from bottom to topdo the following:
- Selecting a sprite from the sprite library,
- Opening the Paint Editor to draw a sprite,
- Getting a surprise sprite,
- and uploading an image from the computer using Scratch.
Backdrops
- Main article: Backdrop
The background of a project can also do a job as well. Backdrops cannot movebut they can play musicsend broadcastsand much more. Like spritesthey also have a picture that can be edited using the Paint Editor. Below the backdropthere is a button to create a new backdrop.
Project Sharing
To learn more about sharing projectssee this article on sharing projects.
Online Editor
 Note: | You must confirm your email address (or ask your parent to confirm their email address) in order to share projects. |
Users can share a project from either the unshared project's page or directly in the editor.
From an unshared project pagea user can click the "share" button in an orange bar above the projectas shown: 
In the project editorin the top-middle next to the project namethere is a "Share" button which appears for an unshared project. Clicking this will share the projectopening the project page as well.
Offline Editor
In the offline editorto share a projectopen an empty project online and select File > Load from your computer. Your project should appear in the editor. Thenshare it using the steps above.
Remixing
- Main article: Remix
The Scratch Website is filled with many projectsand Scratchers are able to remix any project they consider interesting or well-made. This can be accomplished by clicking the "Remix" button located at the top right corner of any project's project page next to the "See Inside" buttonand then changing the project in the editor to personalize it. The edited project is now owned by said Scratcherwho can then share it to the Scratch Website.
 Caution: | Noticeable changes should be made when remixing a project. If no changes are present within a remixthis is considered plagiarism and the project can be reported by another Scratcher. |
What Now?
One possible way to advance a beginner's knowledge with Scratch is by playing around with it. Trying out different blockstesting tools in the paint editorand seeing all the nifty sound editor features can help one learn more about the program. Resources such as the Scratch Forums and other articles on Scratch Wiki can be utilized as help when necessary. Creating many qualityhard-worked projects is arguably the best way to learn about Scratch.
Tutorials
- Main article: Project Tutorials
Tutorials can be checked out in Scratch. In the project editorclick the Tutorials button on the top purple bar. Choose a tutorialand start creating using it.
