RoboRef

RoboRef (roboref.app) is an offline-first match anomaly log and referee assistant built specifically for Head Referees and field referees at VEX Robotics competitions (V5RC, VIQRC, VEX U, and VEX AI).

RoboRef enables field referees to quickly log rule infractions, inspect a team's prior incident history before match queuing, and synchronize notes seamlessly across peer devices in real-time—even in tournament venues with severe RF interference and zero internet connectivity.

---

📑 Table of Contents

• Key Features
• Architecture & Tech Stack
• Repository Structure
• Prerequisites
• Getting Started & Running Locally
  • 1. Flutter Client (app/)
  • 2. Universal Sync Server (server/)
• Building for Production
  • Using Automated Build Scripts
  • Manual Flutter Builds
  • Deploying the Sync Server
• Configuration & Environment Variables
• Testing & Code Quality
• Versioning & Changelog
• Contributing & AI Agent Guidelines

---

✨ Key Features

• ⚡ Offline-First Resilience: Full local persistence using Drift (SQLite). Referees can log notes, search matches, and inspect team histories without any network connection.
• 📝 Fast Incident Logging: Rapidly record rule infractions with rule codes (e.g. G1, G12, S1, SG6, R4), severity classifications (Minor, Major, Warning, DQ), match linkage, and referee notes.
• 🔍 Prior Infraction History: View cumulative incident histories for every team on the field prior to match start to spot repeat warnings or escalating patterns.
• 🏆 Tournament & Division Schedules: Ingest complete tournament schedules, division assignments, alliance pairings, and match field allocations.
• 🌐 VEX Events API & CSV Ingestion:
  • Direct live search and schedule ingestion via the official VEX Events API v2 (events.vex.com).
  • Offline Tournament Manager (TM) team and match schedule CSV import for venues without internet access.
• 🔄 Dual Sync Protocol:
  • Venue LAN Sync: Connect to a local venue Raspberry Pi or laptop (http://roboref.local:8080) over local Wi-Fi / Ethernet without WAN access.
  • Cloud Sync: Global replication powered by Cloudflare Workers and D1 database.
• 📱 Mobile-First Material Design 3: High-contrast, touch-friendly UI designed for rapid handheld operation on the competition field with full dark/light theme support.

---

🏗 Architecture & Tech Stack

Component	Technology	Purpose
Frontend Client	Flutter (Dart ^3.5.0)	Cross-platform mobile (Android, iOS) & Web/PWA client
State Management	Riverpod 2.x	Reactive state and dependency injection
Client Storage	Drift (SQLite)	Embedded, high-performance offline database
Sync Server	Hono + TypeScript	Universal backend running on Node.js (LAN) and Cloudflare Workers (Cloud)
Server Storage	better-sqlite3 / Cloudflare D1	High-speed server persistence and delta sync logging

---

📂 Repository Structure

RoboRef/
├── app/                  # Flutter client application
│   ├── android/          # Android platform files & gradle configuration
│   ├── ios/              # iOS platform files & Xcode workspace
│   ├── web/              # Web platform assets, manifest, and service worker
│   ├── assets/           # Application icons, fonts, and changeLog.md
│   └── lib/
│       ├── core/         # Network clients, themes, constants, and utilities
│       ├── database/     # Drift SQLite schemas, DAOs, and connection logic
│       └── features/     # Feature-first modules (incidents, matches, teams, settings, home)
├── server/               # Universal sync backend (TypeScript & Hono)
│   └── src/
│       ├── adapters/     # Storage implementations (better-sqlite3 for Node, D1 for Cloudflare)
│       ├── core/         # REST API routes, VEX Events proxy, and sync logic
│       ├── index.node.ts # Local Node.js / Raspberry Pi server entry point
│       └── index.cf.ts   # Cloudflare Workers server entry point
├── scripts/              # Build and utility scripts
│   ├── build.ps1         # Automated Windows / PowerShell build script (CalVer + commit count)
│   ├── build.sh          # Automated Bash / Linux build script
│   ├── deploy.ps1        # Automated build + deploy script for Cloudflare (test/live)
│   ├── deploy.sh         # Automated Linux / Bash deploy script for Cloudflare
│   └── generate-icons.mjs# Icon generation pipeline for Android, iOS, and Web assets
└── wrangler.toml         # Root Cloudflare configuration (Workers + Static Web Assets, test/live)

---

📋 Prerequisites

Before getting started, make sure you have installed:

• Flutter SDK (^3.5.0 or higher) with Dart ^3.5.0
• Node.js (v18.x or v20.x LTS) and npm
• Platform Toolchains (depending on your target build):
  • Android: Android Studio & Android SDK (API 34+)
  • iOS/macOS: Xcode (macOS only)
  • Web: Google Chrome / Chromium

---

🚀 Getting Started & Running Locally

1. Flutter Client (app/)

Navigate to the app/ directory and install Flutter dependencies:

cd app
flutter pub get

Run on Web (Chrome)

flutter run -d chrome

Run on Android Device or Emulator

flutter run -d android

Run on iOS Simulator (macOS)

flutter run -d ios

Code Generation (Drift Database / Models)

If you update database tables, DAOs, or queries, re-generate the Drift code:

cd app
dart run build_runner build --delete-conflicting-outputs

---

2. Universal Sync Server (server/)

The sync server can run locally as a Node.js process (ideal for Raspberry Pi venue servers or local debugging) or inside the Cloudflare Workers local environment.

Navigate to the server/ directory and install dependencies:

cd server
npm install

Run Local Venue / LAN Server (Node.js)

Starts the local server on http://0.0.0.0:8080 backed by a local SQLite database file (roboref.sqlite):

npm run dev:node

Run Cloudflare Worker Locally (Wrangler)

npm run dev:cf

Server Typecheck

npm run typecheck

---

📦 Building for Production

Using Automated Build Scripts

RoboRef uses Calendar Versioning (CalVer, formatted as YYYY.M.D) paired with the Git commit count as the build number. Helper scripts in scripts/ automatically format these flags:

Windows (PowerShell)

# Build Android APK (default target: apk)
.\scripts\build.ps1 apk

# Build Android App Bundle (.aab)
.\scripts\build.ps1 appbundle

# Build Web PWA bundle
.\scripts\build.ps1 web

# Build Windows Desktop executable
.\scripts\build.ps1 windows

Linux / macOS (Bash)

# Build Android APK
./scripts/build.sh apk

# Build Web PWA bundle
./scripts/build.sh web

---

Manual Flutter Builds

You can also run Flutter build commands directly from the app/ folder:

cd app

# Android APK
flutter build apk --release

# Android App Bundle
flutter build appbundle --release

# Web PWA (outputs to app/build/web)
flutter build web --release

# iOS (requires macOS and Xcode)
flutter build ipa --release

---

Deploying to Cloudflare (Web App + Sync Server)

RoboRef uses a unified Cloudflare Workers configuration with Static Assets (wrangler.toml at the repository root). This hosts the Flutter Web PWA on Cloudflare's global edge network while routing backend API requests (/api/*) directly to the Hono sync worker.

Ensure you are logged into Wrangler (npx wrangler login) before deploying.

1. Automated Build & Deploy Scripts

Windows (PowerShell)

# Build Web and deploy to Test environment (test D1 database)
.\scripts\deploy.ps1 test

# Build Web and deploy to Live environment (roboref.app + live D1 database)
.\scripts\deploy.ps1 live

# Deploy existing build without rebuilding Flutter
.\scripts\deploy.ps1 test -SkipBuild

Linux / macOS (Bash)

# Build Web and deploy to Test
./scripts/deploy.sh test

# Build Web and deploy to Live
./scripts/deploy.sh live

2. Direct Wrangler CLI Commands

# Test environment
npx wrangler deploy --env test

# Live / Production environment
npx wrangler deploy --env live

---

Deploying the Venue Server (Raspberry Pi / LAN)

Raspberry Pi / Linux Venue Server (Native Node.js)

cd server
npm run build:node
npm run start:node

(Optionally configure systemd or PM2 to keep the Node.js server active on boot at http://roboref.local:8080.)

Raspberry Pi / Linux Venue Server (Docker)

Build and run the lightweight Alpine-based container with persistent SQLite storage:

cd server
docker build -f Dockerfile.rpi -t roboref-sync-server .
docker run -d -p 8080:8080 -v roboref-data:/data --restart unless-stopped --name roboref-sync roboref-sync-server

---

⚙️ Configuration & Environment Variables

Server Environment Variables

Create a .env file inside the server/ folder or set environment variables on your deployment host:

Variable	Default	Description
PORT	8080	Port for the local Node.js sync server
DB_PATH	roboref.sqlite	Filepath for the local SQLite database
VEX_EVENTS_TOKEN	(Optional)	VEX Events API v2 Bearer token for server-side proxy caching
VEX_API_KEY	(Optional)	Alternative environment variable name for VEX Events API key

In-App Client Settings

Inside the RoboRef app under Settings:

• Referee Display Name: Configure referee display name. Active tournaments are selected from the Event List on the Home screen.
• Sync Server Address: Configure the sync server host (defaults to http://roboref.local:8080 for venue LAN). All VEX Events queries proxy securely through the sync server.

---

🧪 Testing & Code Quality

Flutter Client Tests

cd app
flutter test
flutter analyze

Server Typecheck

cd server
npm run typecheck

---

📅 Versioning & Changelog

• CalVer Scheme: Releases follow YYYY.M.D+<commit_count> (e.g. 2026.8.27+1).
• In-App Changelog: RoboRef dynamically renders release notes directly from app/assets/changeLog.md inside the application.

---

🤝 Contributing & AI Agent Guidelines

When modifying or extending RoboRef:

1. Clean-Slate Architecture: All code is built fresh with Flutter/Dart and TypeScript/Hono. Do not use legacy referee.fyi code.
2. Offline-First Constraint: All user interactions must function completely offline and sync gracefully when connectivity is re-established.
3. Changelog Requirement: Any user-facing change (UI adjustments, features, bug fixes) must be documented in app/assets/changeLog.md under the current release/date.
4. AI Guidelines: Review AGENTS.md for full context and instructions when using AI coding assistants.

---