Workarounds for blocks Snap doesn't have (Part 1)

Tutorials (Here's how to...)
1

This was originally a topic for blocks from Scratch that Snap doesn't have, but I decided to just allow all workarounds in this list topic.
I didn't make these so if you have one that isn't here, please reply with it so this list can grow.
Each one has a link to where I got the workaround from on the word "Workaround".

  1. Set draggable mode.
    workaround by legoman3.14
    Workaround:
    snap picture

  2. Go forward layers
    workaround by djdolphin
    Workaround:

  3. Layer number block
    workaround by jguille2
    Workaround:
    image
    Reply with any workarounds you know!

  4. "Item # of () in list (or index of () in list)"
    workaround by legoman3.14
    Workaround:
    image

  5. Clone number
    workaround by codeman1044
    Workaround:
    image

  6. varBlocks
    is a project by snapenilk
    the blocks are all work in progress as of 10/19/2019, but I wanted to add them in this list.

  7. "Item Number Of"
    workaround by bh on the topic "Item Number Of"
    Workaround:
    image

  8. "atan2" (possibly incorrectly made, see here)

  1. Some sound blocks
2

Item # of () in list (or index of () in list)
item%20%23
Clone # (I couldn't decide between sensing and control)
clone%20%23
That's what I have that's useful for now.

3

varBlocks

4

Just so you know, this block

can actually be done by just using the set variable command.
snap%20picture
Click the dropdown arrow, then hover over the "my>" symbol to open the sub-menu and select "draggable".

5

atan2
atan2
credits to Scratch user Jro712

Here's a little demo I made to demonstrate its use:

6

The whole point of the ATAN2 function is that computing x/y won't work if y=0 (i.e., if you're looking for a point directly above you). So this has to start with an IF to handle that case separately.

7

Well it seems to work as is, maybe thanks to the less than operator? I honestly don't fully understand why it works since I just replicated the block made by the scratch user lol

8

Huh. I learn something every day. Atan(infinity) reports 90. Cool.

... So you don't really need the atan2 function at all! It's mainly just getting the angle in the range you want.

9

I'm not sure I understand. So what would be the other way to point to an xy coordinate that isn't represented by a sprite?

10

Use a two-item list to represent points (item one is x and item two is y).

11

point%20towards

12

Not all of them; just the ones indicated in the project.

13

You can just use untitled%20script%20pic

14

I didn't know that the point towards supported list input in snap. Cool.

15

Yeah we're trying to promote the idea of a point as a semi-primitive semi-abstract data type, so you can have lists of points and so on.

https://snap.berkeley.edu/snapsource/snap.html#present:Username=bh&ProjectName=diagonals

position

diagonals
diagonals431×522 63 KB

9diagonals

(PS Looks even cooler if you keep the pen up while collecting the vertices.)

16

Ooooh! That's a really neat project, Brian!!

17

Thanks!

18

The catch block in the Iteration, composition library does not resume from the throw block when returned to. I have programmed that feature.

19

It does for me. Can you send an example that fails using the library version? Thanks.

20

Number of sprites:
untitled script pic (4)