MakeCode Missing Items/Blocks

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Kaleb Support

• May 08, 2025 18:44
• Edited

Hey everyone,

Kaleb here from the Education Support team! We're eager to hear your thoughts on the MakeCode interface. Are there any specific blocks, or items, you wish you could use directly, that don't currently show up in the coding interface?

Let us know which blocks you think are missing and would make your coding experience even better.
(Please note this does NOT include any unreleased bedrock features). 

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  Steve McLOVIN

  • July 25, 2025 21:22
  • Report a Concern

  Oh my goodness, I hope I'm not replying to this too late! I posted this to the feature wishlist about four years ago and have been waiting ever since! I really hope this request is taken seriously because the four key features are really what would make the difference between only being able to use Education Edition as a fun little side-activity for a virtual fieldtrip versus being able to use it for real programming and coding classes for kids.

  The main information we're looking at how to gather in our programs relates to locations, specifically these four examples:

  These are the four key features copied from my original post in 2021.

  - Access and store properties of block/mob that player is aimed/pointed at
  - Access and store properties of block/mob that player has hit
  - Access and store properties of block/mob that player has destroyed
  - Access and store properties of block/mob that player has placed

  The most important information we are looking for in-terms of properties specifically being location, health, and durability.

  Our teachers were extremely excited by the potential of Education Edition but unfortunately, we came away extremely disappointed by the lack of sensing capabilities it offered and in the end, came to the decision that we would not use it in our classes and wait until the situation improved. To keep things as succinct as possible, I'll describe the problem with a line from my original comment:

  "Without a strong set of tools to get information from and about the environment, we're in a position where we can't really take what we've been given and "build" to anything more in-depth."

   

  Programming is best learned by having a genuine interest in doing something that requires programming and it's hard to name a better tool for sparking that genuine interest for children than Minecraft. Since release, Education Edition feels as though it has only catered to school-teachers looking to pass an hour-or-so of class time with their students with fun, if very limited activities such as virtual fieldtrips, chemical combining (which is definitely very cool!) etc. but it has been sorely lacking in the tools needed to really focus on the programming beyond extremely basic tasks. The frustrating part is that Minecraft EE is so close, just these few basic commands/sensing abilities away from truly living up to its potential as a tool for children to learn coding through, but it has been so long with no word or change that we've been concerned that its potential in this area is simply not something Microsoft sees value in compared to the short, surface-level virtual fieldtrips and the like (which I don't mean to speak negatively of at all, as the fieldtrips certainly look very cool!).

  I would love to know if there are any plans regarding the inclusion of these tools/sensing abilities because our teachers have been so excited by the potential of EE that not six months go by without someone mentioning "I wonder if they've added those features yet!" We'd love to hear from you all and hope you'll see the value these additions would provide!

  Also, of course we've got to thank you for creating that little agent, he's just so cute! 

   

  Apologies for the wall-o'-text!

   

   

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• 

  Kyle Aki

  • July 28, 2025 11:57
  • Edited
  • Report a Concern

  That's a great question!

   

  Many people are eagerly awaiting improvements to MakeCode.

   

  Steve McLOVIN's opinion is excellent.

  It further illustrates what I am looking for.

   

  ・Check the block ID of a specific location

  ・Detect the number of blocks (when there are 5 grass blocks between coordinates A and B)

  ・Delete all of the player's items (/clear)

  • Detect mob presence (when there is a zombie in front of the agent)

  • Count the number of mobs (when there are 3 zombies between coordinates A and B)

  • Camera command-related

  • Scoreboard-related

  • Multiplayer support (set Player B's variable to 0)

   

  I look forward to further developments.

   

  Thank you.

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