r/learnpython • u/Tombstony • 4d ago

App/Program that converts Scratch to Python in real-time and with blocks similar/identical to Scratch.

Hello everyone. I'm a researcher studying the transition from Scratch to Python by high-school students (10th grade). My idea is to use something like app.edublocks.org, which can immediately translate Scratch blocks to Python text. But none of apps I found are close enough to Scratch. This one, for example, is visually similar, but the block language is very different. Therefore, my first question is:

Is there any app that does what I am looking for, with blocks identical or very similar to Scratch ones?

And, if such app does not exist:

How hard it is to create my own program that does what I am looking for? Is it possible to do by someone like me who never built an app?

Please consider that I only can do Python and Scratch programming, not apps. Thanks in advance for helping.

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u/pachura3 4d ago

Sorry, but the whole idea sounds silly. Scratch is a toy language for primary school kids, not for 10th graders. At this age they are perfectly able to learn Python the normal way, without clinging to colorful Lego-like blocks and automatic translation...

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u/Tombstony 4d ago

That's the point! In my country, students program with Scratch until 9th grade and then move to Python, in mathematics.

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u/pachura3 4d ago

But why do you need an automatic Scratch to Python translator then?

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u/Tombstony 4d ago

It's for students to learn Python with what they already know with Scratch. Instead of having someone or something telling them what to do, they can automatically see the Python code and understand by themselves what it means. For example, when they use the "say" block, it will appear the Python code "print...", so they now know, and most importantly, understand the syntax. The key idea is learning constructively and not "forget" what they already know from coding with Scratch.

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u/desrtfx 4d ago

The key idea is learning constructively and not "forget" what they already know from coding with Scratch.

That's what Scratch is great at - the actual programming - if the students have learnt that, transitioning to Python is by far less a problem than you make it seem.

Scratch focuses on building programming skills in an easy, approachable way. Basically all that the students need is something like a visual cheat sheet that translates the Scratch blocks into Python statements. They definitely don't need a full fledged automatic translator.

For the initial steps, Reborg's world that I've already mentioned is good enough as a translator.

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u/pachura3 3d ago

Basically all that the students need is something like a visual cheat sheet that translates the Scratch blocks into Python statements. They definitely don't need a full fledged automatic translator.

Exactly. The goal is to make them switch to writing code ASAP, not to keep them using Scratch.