The ‘new events’ blocks allow a user to make a sub-program begin from a specific event while the main program is running. Perhaps the most advanced set of blocks in EdWare, these blocks emulate the coding idea of ‘interrupts.’ New events allow users to vertically layer programs with secondary programs interrupting the main program when the new event is triggered.

To use a new event, drag the ‘Event’ block out from the bottom of the ‘Flow’ group and drop it on top of the ‘New Event’ block in the workspace. When the ‘Event’ block is dropped correctly it will change its name to ‘Start Event’ and automatically generate an ‘End Event’ block on the same row. A new ‘New Event’ block will be automatically generated on the line below.

Clicking on the ‘Start Event’ block will show the options for the new event after it has been set. You can also drag and drop program blocks after it in the same way you would with the normal start block.

The main start block cannot be removed, because that is the beginning of the main program. When you download your program to Edison, both the main program and any sub-programs beginning with the new ‘start event’ block will download. When the play (triangle) button on Edison is pushed, Edison will run the main program. If the condition of the start event occurs, Edison will run the start event sub-program to completion, then return to the main program and continue the main program. This will happen whenever the conditions of the start event are met. If no blocks are attached to the main program, Edison will end the program immediately after starting it. When using new events it is a good idea to have at least one loop in the main program.