List of Obsolete Blocks

This page lists obsolete blocks in Scratch.

Removed in Scratch 3.0

The following blocks were in earlier versions of Scratch but were removed in the official release of Scratch 3.0.

Play Note () for () Seconds

Play Note () for () Seconds
play note ( v) for () seconds:: extension
Category	LEGO WeDo 2.0
Type	Stack
Introduced in	2.0
Removed in	3.0

Main article: Play Note () for () Seconds (block)

The play note () for () seconds block was a stack block and a LEGO WeDo 2.0 block. The block was available in Scratch 2.0, although it was removed in Scratch 3.0 because the sound it made was very quiet. The block beeped the specified MIDI note on the LEGO WeDo 2.0 for the specified number of seconds. When imported into Scratch 3.0, the block appears and functions as expected.

Removed in Scratch 2.0

The following blocks were in earlier versions of Scratch but were removed in the official release of Scratch 2.0.

Color FX Test ()

Color FX Test ()
color fx test (10):: looks
Category	Looks
Type	Stack
Introduced in	v349
Removed in	v350

Main article: Color FX Test () (block)

Color FX Test () was a stack block in the Looks category. It was accidentally left in the editor during the July 18 update. The block did nothing, and was removed in an update three days later.

Scratch 2.0 Development

See also: Development of Scratch 2.0

The blocks were never available in a full release, only during Scratch 2.0 betas and alphas.

User ID

Main article: User ID (block)

User ID
user id:: sensing
Category	Sensing
Type	Reporter
Introduced in	v132[citation needed] (2.0 alpha)
Removed in	v252 (2.0 beta)

The User ID block was a Sensing block and a reporter block. It reported an ID unique to each user for each project.

Each user had a different ID according to when they viewed the project (the first viewer was 1, the second was 2, and so forth). Users who were not logged in to an account were assigned the user ID 0. User IDs remained constant for the same project.

Hide All Sprites

Hide All Sprites
hide all sprites:: looks
Category	Looks
Type	Stack
Introduced in	v121[citation needed] (2.0 alpha)
Removed in	v230 (2.0 beta)

Main article: Hide All Sprites (block)

The Hide All Sprites block was a 2.0 alpha Looks block and a Stack block. It was only available on the stage, and would hide all sprites upon usage. The benefits of it are reduced scripting since "hide" would otherwise have to be inserted into every sprite.

Forever If ()

Main article: Forever If () (block)

Forever If ()
forever if <>:: control
Category	Control
Type	C
Introduced in	11Dec06 (1.0 beta)
Removed in	v230 (2.0 beta)

The Forever If () block was a Control block and a C block. The block would continuously check its Boolean condition. If the condition was true, the code held inside the block would run, and then the script continued, but if the condition was false, nothing would happen until it became true again. The block continuously ran in a loop; in fact, this block worked just like the If () Then block placed into the Forever block. After being removed, this block was replaced with its workaround.

Scratch Days

Scratch Days
(Scratch days:: sensing)
Category	Sensing
Type	Reporter
Introduced in	v172 (2.0 alpha)
Removed in	v230 (2.0 beta)

Main article: Scratch Days (block)

The Scratch days block was a Sensing block and a reporter block. It reported the number of days since the start of Scratch (May 15, 2007). It was replaced with the Days Since 2000 block.

This block was notable for being the only one with a capital letter in the block palette.

Monitor Blocks

These blocks could be used to hide and show variables and lists.

Show Monitor ()

Main article: Show Monitor () (block)

Show Monitor ()
show monitor [variable v]:: variables
Category	Data
Type	Stack
Introduced in	v148 (2.0 alpha)
Removed in	v195 (2.0 alpha)

The Show Monitor () block was a Data block and a Stack block. The block showed the specified Variable's or list's Stage Monitor. Both variables and lists showed in this block, but the variables were always shown first, and each group was sorted by creation time.

This block was planned to replace Show Variable () with the release of Scratch 2.0, as it could show lists as well.^{[citation needed]} It was later separated into a block for variables and a block for lists.

Hide Monitor ()

Main article: Hide Monitor () (block)

Hide Monitor ()
hide monitor [variable v]:: variables
Category	Data
Type	Stack
Introduced in	v148 (2.0 alpha)
Removed in	v195 (2.0 alpha)

This block was the same as the Show Monitor () block except it hid variables and lists instead of showing them.

This block was planned to replace Hide Variable () with the release of Scratch 2.0, as it could hide lists as well.^{[citation needed]} It was later separated into a block for variables, and a block for lists.

Loud?

Loud?
<loud?:: sensing>
Category	Sensing
Type	Boolean
Introduced in	27Jul06
Removed in	v177 (2.0 alpha)

Main article: Loud? (block)

The loud? block was a boolean block and a Sensing block. The block returned whether or not the loudness value from the connected microphone was above 30 in Scratch 1.4 and earlier. This value was later changed twice during Scratch 2.0's development, before the block was entirely removed in v177 of 2.0 alpha. The reason for the block's removal is uknown.

Backdrop ()

Backdrop ()
(backdrop [name v]:: looks)
Category	Looks
Type	Reporter
Introduced in	v172 (2.0 alpha)
Removed in	v175 (2.0 alpha)

The Backdrop () block was a Looks block and a reporter block. It reported the backdrop number or name, depending on which option was selected. In Scratch 2.0 v175, the block was replaced by Backdrop Name and Backdrop Number. It was available for both sprites and the stage, but one of its replacements, Backdrop Number, was only available for the stage. A block with the same functionality was added in Scratch 3.0.

Scrolling (stage)

Main article: Scrolling (stage)

Scrolling the stage was a planned new feature of Scratch 2.0. It allowed for the stage to be panned around, repeating the current scene, without creating a sprite for it. However, it was removed in the alpha version for unknown reasons.

There were 5 blocks related to this feature. None of them work in the current version, even when restored from a project containing them.

• scroll right (10):: motion
• scroll up (10):: motion
• align scene [middle v]:: motion
• (x scroll:: sensing)
• (y scroll:: sensing)

All at Once

Main article: All at Once (block)

All at Once
all at once{ }:: control
Category	Control
Type	C
Introduced in	v137 (2.0 alpha)
Removed in	v152 (2.0 alpha)

The all at once block was a Control block and a C Block. It ran the blocks inside it atomically. It was based on the warp block in Snap!, and was originally called warp speed in Scratch as well. This block was planned to serve as a temporary Turbo-Speed for designated scripts, as Turbo-Speed with the whole project can cause timing issues, and it is often only needed for a couple scripts.

This block was removed from the alpha of Scratch 2.0; custom blocks instead have a checkbox to run in an instant, called run without screen refresh, much the same as Snap! does. This block is still usable as a hidden block in Scratch 3.0.

Stop All

Main article: Stop All (block)

Stop All
stop all @stopSign:: cap control
Category	Control
Type	Cap
Introduced in	1.0
Removed in	v121[citation needed] (2.0 alpha)

The Stop All block was a Control block and a Cap block. The block would deactivate all scripts in the project, stopping it completely. This block worked similar to the Stop Script block, except that it deactivated all scripts in the project instead of being confined to its script, just like the stop sign. It did not prevent hat blocks from being activated when their given event was activated (e.g. the script below a When () Clicked (block) block would still be activated when the sprite was clicked).

This block became obsolete with the release of Scratch 2.0 and the introduction of the stop () block, which has an attribute that stops all. The new block does not have a stop sign icon because there are more options than stopping just the entire project.

Stop Script

Main article: Stop Script (block)

Stop Script
stop script:: cap control
Category	Control
Type	Cap
Introduced in	1.0
Removed in	v121[citation needed] (2.0 alpha)

The Stop Script block was a Control block and a Cap block. The block would deactivate its script, stopping it completely. This block worked similar to the Stop All block, except that it was confined to its script and did not deactivate all scripts in the project.

This block became obsolete with the release of Scratch 2.0 and the introduction of the stop () block.

Stamp Transparent ()

Main article: Stamp Transparent () (block)

Stamp Transparent ()
stamp transparent (50):: pen
Category	Pen
Type	Stack
Introduced in	2.0 prealpha
Removed in	2.0 alpha

The Stamp Transparent () block was a Pen block and a Stack block. When used in a script, the sprite would produce a partially transparent image of itself, which was stamped onto the stage. The amount of transparency in the stamp depended on the value. As the value increased, so did the amount of transparency.

This block was only available in the 2.0 prealpha from Scratch Day 2011. It was removed to minimize the amount of blocks and its functionality is included in the Stamp block using the amount of the ghost graphic effect for the sprite.

() ()

Main article: () () (Looks block)

() ()
[say v] [Hello!]:: looks
Category	Looks
Type	Stack
Introduced in	2.0 prealpha
Removed in	2.0 alpha

The () () block was a Looks block and a Stack block. The block gave its sprite a speech bubble with the specified text — the speech bubble would stay until another speech or thought block was activated, or the stop sign was pressed. This block had the choices "say" and "think" as well as "whisper" and "shout".

This block was available in later versions of 2.0 prealpha to early versions of 2.0 alpha. It was most likely designed to replace the Say () and Think () blocks but was then cancelled.

() () for () Secs

() () for () Secs
[say v] [Hello!] for (2) secs:: looks
Category	Looks
Type	Stack
Introduced in	2.0 prealpha
Removed in	2.0 alpha

The () () for () Secs block was a Looks block and a Stack block. The block gave its sprite a speech bubble with the specified text for the specified amount of time — the speech bubble would stay until the time ran out, another speech or thought block was activated, or the stop sign was pressed. This block had the choices "say" and "think" as well as the new "whisper" and "shout".

This block was available in later versions of 2.0 prealpha to early versions of 2.0 alpha. It was most likely designed to replace the Say () and Think () blocks, but was then cancelled for unknown reasons.

Set Text ()

Set Text ()
set text [abc]:: looks
Category	Looks
Type	Stack
Introduced in	2.0 prealpha, reintroduced in Scratch Lab
Removed in	2.0 alpha

The Set Text () block was a Looks block and a Stack block. This block made a sprite display as the specified text instead of its current costume.

This block was available in later versions of 2.0 prealpha. It was removed for unknown reasons, but was most likely because the text could just be added as a costume, which would make code more organized, or because it could be confusing for New Scratchers. However, it is available in the form of the Show Text () block, in Scratch Lab. It is in the Animated Text extension.

Set Font () Color ()

Set Font () Color ()
set font [plain v] color (#000):: looks
Category	Looks
Type	Stack
Introduced in	2.0 prealpha
Removed in	2.0 alpha

The Set Font () Color () block was a Looks block and a Stack block. If the sprite was displaying as text instead of a costume, it would change the text to the specified font and color. Its font choices were "plain", "bold", "fancy", "comic", and "typewriter".

This block was available in later versions of 2.0 prealpha. It was most likely removed because it had no use once the Set Text () block was removed.

Color Sensing Blocks

Sense Color 1-6 ()

sense color 1 (#000000):: looks
sense color 2 (#000000):: looks
sense color 3 (#000000):: looks
sense color 4 (#000000):: looks
sense color 5 (#000000):: looks
sense color 6 (#000000):: looks

The six Sense Color blocks.

Sense Color 1 (), Sense Color 2 (), Sense Color 3 (), Sense Color 4 (), Sense Color 5 (), and Sense Color 6 () were Looks blocks and Stack blocks that were only available for the stage. They would make the background display in grayscale except for the specified colors.

These blocks were available in 2.0 prealpha to early versions of 2.0 alpha. They were removed for unknown reasons, but presumably because of their extremely specific use case.

Set Thresholds Hue () Sat () Bri ()

Set Thresholds Hue () Sat () Bri ()
set thresholds hue (15) sat (0.2) bri (0.2):: looks
Category	Looks
Type	Stack
Introduced in	2.0 prealpha
Removed in	2.0 alpha

The Set Thresholds Hue () Sat () Bri () block was a Looks block and a Stack block that was only available for the stage. It adjusted the sensitivity of the Sense Color Blocks, letting users change how much the color of a pixel on the background could differ from the colors specified and still be sensed.

This block was available in 2.0 prealpha to early versions of 2.0 alpha. It was probably removed because it had no use once the Sense Color () blocks were removed. It could have also have been because it could only control all of the 6 color sense blocks and not individually.

Create Clone

Main article: Create Clone of () (block)#History

Create Clone
create clone:: control
Category	Control
Type	Stack
Introduced in	2.0 prealpha
Removed in	2.0 alpha

The Create Clone block was a Control block and a Stack block. It created a clone of the current sprite.

This block was available in 2.0 prealpha to early versions of 2.0 alpha. It was replaced by Create Clone of (), which allows for creating clones of different sprites and for the block to be used by the stage.

MIDI Blocks

note on (60) vel (80) chan (0):: sound
note off (60) chan (0):: sound
pitch bend (8192.0) chan (0):: sound
set controller (10) to (127) chan (0):: sound
set instrument to (0) chan (0):: sound
turn all notes off:: sound
use java synthesizer <>:: sound

The seven MIDI blocks.

Note On () Vel () Chan (), Note Off () Chan (), Pitch Bend () Chan (), Set Controller () to () Chan (), Set Instrument to () Chan (), Turn All Notes Off, and Use Java Synthesizer () were Sound blocks and Stack blocks. They allowed users to make complex MIDI projects via an extension written in Java.

These blocks were available in later versions of 2.0 prealpha. They were removed for unknown reasons, but presumably it was because they were too complex and required external programs.

Removed in Scratch 1.3

The following blocks were removed in Scratch 1.3.

Experimental

start movie:: sound
stop movie:: sound

change seconds by (1):: sound
set seconds to (0):: sound

change zoom by (10):: sound
set zoom to (100)%:: sound

change horiz. pan by (10):: sound
set horiz. pan to (0):: sound
change vert. pan by (10):: sound
set vert. pan to (0):: sound

change fade by (-10):: sound
set fade to (100)%:: sound
set fade color to (#0F0):: sound

The 13 experimental sound blocks.

(camera motion:: sensing)
(camera direction:: sensing)
(camera relative x:: sensing)
(camera relative y:: sensing)
(camera absolute x:: sensing)
(camera absolute y:: sensing)
track motion:: sensing
track color:: sensing
auto calibrate red:: sensing

The 9 experimental sensing blocks.

Main article: Experimental Blocks

Experimental blocks were blocks which were not present in the Block Palette by default, and did nothing. They were available from 1.0 through 1.2. In 1.0, they were accessed by shift-clicking the Extras menu and choosing "show experimental blocks"; in 1.1 and 1.2, through Shift-Click-R. This was similar to the Motor Blocks, which had to be manually shown, but the Motor blocks worked well. There were 22 experimental blocks, 13 in Sound Blocks, and nine in Sensing Blocks. The experimental sound blocks were removed in Scratch 05May08, while the experimental sensing blocks were removed in Scratch 15May08.

Removed in Scratch 1.2

The following blocks were removed in Scratch 1.2.

Comment

Comment
Category	Control
Type	Stack/Comment
Introduced in	05Oct07 (1.2 alpha)
Removed in	20Nov07 (1.2 beta)

Main article: Comment (programming feature)#History

Scratch 05Oct07 introduced a comment block as a Control block that could be placed inside a script as one of its blocks. It made no change to the script, as it only held text — however, newer users grew confused about it,^{[citation needed]} causing it to be removed shortly before the release of Scratch 1.2 in Scratch 20Nov07.

Abs ()

Main article: Abs () (block)

abs ()
(abs ():: operators)
Category	Numbers
Type	Reporter
Removed in	20Oct07 (1.2 alpha)

The Abs () block was a Numbers block and a Reporter block. The block reported the absolute value of the argument.

The block was later merged with the () of () block in Scratch 20Oct07, which at the time only contained 11 mathematical functions.

Removed Near Scratch 1.0

The following blocks were removed near Scratch 1.0's release.

When () Is True

When () Is True
when <> is true:: control hat
Category	Control
Type	Hat
Removed in	11Dec06 (1.0 beta)

The When () Is True block was a Control block and a Hat block. This was triggered when the condition specified was true. It was removed near the final release of Scratch 1.0 in Scratch 11Dec06 because there was no way to stop it, and it was made an obsolete block. It was replaced by the workaround:

when green flag clicked:: control
forever if <> {
}:: control cap

Change Costume by ()

Main article: Change Costume by () (block)

Change Costume by ()
change costume by ():: looks
Category	Looks
Type	Stack
Removed in	02Dec06 (1.0 beta)

The Change Costume by () block was a Looks block and a Stack block. This used to advance the current costume to the next ones. It was removed near the final release of Scratch 1.0 in Scratch 02Dec06 due to a workaround, and it was made an obsolete block.

Change Background by ()

Change Background by ()
change background by ():: looks
Category	Looks
Type	Stack
Removed in	02Dec06 (1.0 beta)

The Change Background by () block was a Looks block and a Stack block. This used to advance the current costume to the next ones. It was removed near the final release of Scratch 1.0 in Scratch 02Dec06, and it was made an obsolete block.

Removed in Earlier Versions of Scratch

The following blocks were removed in earlier versions of Scratch.

Beep

Main article: Beep (block)

Beep
beep:: sound
Category	Sound
Type	Stack
Introduced in	12Jul04 (0.x)
Removed in	03Oct06 (0.x)

The Beep block was a Sound block and a Stack block. The block produced the sound of when a key is pressed when it has no use. It was removed in Scratch 03Oct06 for unknown reasons and made an Obsolete Block.

Say Nothing

Say Nothing
say nothing:: looks
Category	Looks
Type	Stack
Introduced in	01Mar04 (0.x)
Removed in	22Aug06 (0.x)

Main article: Say Nothing (block)

The Say Nothing block was a Looks block and a Stack block. This used to remove the sprite's say/think bubble. It was removed in Scratch 22Aug06 due to a workaround being added, and it was made an obsolete block.

Point Away From Edge

Point Away From Edge
point away from edge:: motion
Category	Motion
Type	Stack
Introduced in	02Dec05 (0.x)
Removed in	27Jul06 (0.x)

Main article: Point Away From Edge (block)

The Point Away From Edge block was a Motion block and a Stack block. This used to point the sprite away from the edge, like bouncing without even touching the edge. In the Java Player, the block worked as a normal If on Edge, Bounce block instead. It was removed in Scratch 27Jul06 for an unknown reason, and it was made an obsolete block.

Sqrt ()

Main article: Sqrt () (block)

sqrt ()
(sqrt ():: operators)
Category	Numbers
Type	Reporter
Introduced in	04Apr05i (0.x)
Removed in	04Oct05 (0.x)

The Sqrt () block was a Numbers block and a Reporter block. The block reported the square root of the argument. It was removed in Scratch 04Oct05 for unknown reasons, and it was made an obsolete block.

Set Stretch to ()%

Main article: Set Stretch to ()% (block)

Set Stretch to ()%
set stretch to ()%:: looks
Category	Looks
Type	Stack
Removed in	23May05 (0.x)

The Set Stretch to ()% block was a Looks block and a Stack block. It made the sprite set the stretch horizontally, independent of its size. It was removed in Scratch 23May05 for unknown reasons, and it was made an obsolete block.

Change Stretch by ()

Main article: Change Stretch by () (block)

Change Stretch by ()
change stretch by ():: looks
Category	Looks
Type	Stack
Removed in	23May05 (0.x)

The Change Stretch by () block was a Looks block and a Stack block. It made the sprite stretch horizontally, independent of its size. It was removed in an early version of Scratch for unknown reasons, and it was made an obsolete block.

Change Blur by ()

Main article: Change Blur by () (Block)

Change Blur by ()
Category	Looks
Type	Stack
Introduced in	14Feb04 (0.x)
Removed in	22Dec04 (0.x)

The Change Blur by () block was a Looks block and a Stack block. The block changed the blur effect of a sprite by the given value. The reason for its removal is currently unknown, but the cause may have been the block not working correctly with transparent images. There is currently no workaround for this block, but a similar effect can be attained by the following:

change [fisheye v] effect by (10):: looks

See Also

• Obsolete Block