Hi,

I posted a couple weeks ago about integrating a processing PDF sketch with Java and didn't get the answers I was hoping for. Having played around some more, I'm getting closer to the problem but could still use some help (please).

Here's my sketch code:

Code:

public class PDFGraph extends PApplet {

  public void setup() {} 

  public void draw() {
    PGraphics pdf = createGraphics(300, 300, PDF, "output.pdf");
    PFont font = createFont("Arial", 32);
    pdf.beginDraw();
    pdf.textFont(font, 12); // This has to be after beginDraw
    pdf.background(128, 0, 0);
    pdf.line(50, 50, 250, 250);
    pdf.text("Test", 0, height/2);
    pdf.dispose();
    pdf.endDraw();
    exit();   // this line is the problem
  }
}
 

And the sketch is called by:

Code:

public static void main(String[] args) {

  Thread t = new Thread(){
		  public void run() {
		    PApplet.main(new String[] { "--present", "--hide-stop", 
				   PDFGraph.class.getName() });
		  }
		 };
  t.start();

  // Testing for thread
  for (int i=0; i<1000000; i++) {
    System.out.println(i);
  }
}
 

The problem is as follows:

Expected behaviour: Thread t starts up, draws the sketch, quits, and the main() method continues by writing a bunch of numbers.

Actual behaviour: Thread t starts up, draws the sketch, quits taking the whole application with it (i.e. first couple hundred numbers are written but then stops).

Having read the dev docs, it seems like I should be able to drop the exit() call from the sketch and still close the file properly via endDraw() and dispose(). But this doesn't happen: I just get a corrupt 0 KB pdf file. The exit() method apparently has to be called and I can't seem to catch it with a thread of its own. The documentation really isn't clear on what exit() does, especially when it comes to finishing the writing of a PDF file.

Can someone please explain how I can write a PDF file and have my code continue running? (Preferably without having to implement a SecurityManager or something).

Many thanks,
James

PS A point of interest. When using PGraphics, the call to textFont() must be made after beginDraw(). This isn't mentioned in the documentation.

Thanks for the tip but that doesn't work for me. It still won't close the PDF file without a call to exit() (as the documentation suggests, since size() is used instead of createGraphics). Any other ideas?

The new code is:

Code:

  public void setup() {
    size(400,400);
    beginRecord(PDF, "output.pdf");
  } 


  public void draw() {
    PFont font = createFont("Arial", 32);
    textFont(font, 12);

    background(128, 0, 0);
    line(50, 50, 250, 250);
    text("Test", 0, height/2);
    endRecord();
    exit();
}
 

Thanks John. That works great.

The other part of the problem though is that

a) I don't want to see the applet (hence the createGraphics stuff)

b) I don't want the applet to keep running after drawing the pdf. (But at the same time, I do want the calling program to keep going - the exit() problem)

Do you have any ideas on how I could get these two things working?