Android Live Wallpaper

Android Processing

antonylees

in Android Processing • 1 year ago

I've read the page on why live wallpaper hasn't been implemented but, I think it is such a good use for Processing, that I'm raising it again

Is anyone actively working on it?

If not, I am interested enough that I'm willing to give some time to get it going. Is there a process for this?

Any advice appreciated

Cheers

Antony

Replies(27)

oolong

Bother! This is not what I was hoping to find when I googled 'processing.org "live wallpaper"'. It does indeed seem like such an obvious thing to do with Processing on smartphones that it strikes me as odd that we can't.

I guess we should be able to use the advice in this guide to produce live wallpaper using Processing as a Java thing? Probably?

calsign

Re: Android Live Wallpaper

1 year ago

The real problem is that Processing's Android version of PApplet directly extends Activity, so one would have to rewrite everything Android's Live Wallpaper class...

antonylees

Re: Android Live Wallpaper

1 year ago

Yeah indeed, looks like what we have at the moment is an inherently monolithic structure when what we need is to use OO patterns and principles to share the Processing code for Android so it can implemented as either an app or a live wallpaper, or whatever else Google thinks up next

I really think Processing is missing out on an opportunity here

Jesse Sco..

Re: Re: Android Live Wallpaper

1 year ago

I don't see why that Live Wallpaper example wouldn't work with Processing - it's already an Activity, not an intent, etc.

antonylees

Re: Android Live Wallpaper

1 year ago

I wondered that too, but I'm not sure how to render an Activity as a wallpaper. Anyone any ideas?

Jesse Sco..

Re: Re: Android Live Wallpaper

1 year ago

Well, I was looking at the guide that oolong posted in the post above...

https://forum.processing.org/topic/android-live-wallpaper#25080000001670417

antonylees

Re: Android Live Wallpaper

1 year ago

Just downloading the source now ....

antonylees

Re: Android Live Wallpaper

1 year ago

So looking at the source, the java file extends WallpaperService, not Activity

The hierarchy is:

java.lang.Object
↳	android.content.Context
	↳	android.content.ContextWrapper
		↳	android.app.Service
			↳	android.service.wallpaper.WallpaperService

whereas the hierarchy of PApplet is

java.lang.Object
↳	android.content.Context
	↳	android.content.ContextWrapper
		↳	android.view.ContextThemeWrapper
			↳	android.app.Activity

So I can't see how the PApplet can be used as a wallpaper. They both have ContextWrapper in their hierarchy though. If anyone has any ideas ...

calsign

Re: Android Live Wallpaper

1 year ago

That's what I meant earlier...
I'm looking into it further. Perhaps going to write a library or something like that...

Jesse Sco..

Re: Android Live Wallpaper

1 year ago

Ok, my bad. I thought I had read in that post that the wallpaper was still in an activity intent, but it's a service... hmmm.

I'll do some more research on my end too..

~ J

calsign

Re: Android Live Wallpaper

1 year ago

An update: WallpaperService is just a wrapper class for WallpaperService.Engine, which is a bit different...

calsign

Re: Android Live Wallpaper

1 year ago

After more digging: the example at the above link uses a Canvas to display to the screen. The canvas is capable of displaying Bitmaps or, alternatively, an array of colors stored as ints. This is beginning to sound more like the Processing that I know...

Jesse Sco..

Re: Re: Android Live Wallpaper

1 year ago

Keep It Coming.... !!

antonylees

Re: Android Live Wallpaper

1 year ago

I was thinking something similar, like is there some way of transposing the processing screen (in pixels) onto the Android Canvas. But I haven't figured out a way of running the activity to obtain the pixels in the first place

calsign

Re: Re: Android Live Wallpaper

1 year ago

Exactly what I'm thinking... right now, I'm trying to create a PApplet (or maybe a PGraphics) within the LiveWallpaper, draw to it, then move the pixels over to the Canvas.

antonylees

Re: Android Live Wallpaper

1 year ago

Haha, that's exactly what I've been trying to do. Where I've failed though is the first bit, the 'within the LiveWallpaper' part :/

calsign

Re: Android Live Wallpaper

1 year ago

Still trying... the wallpaper is currently crashing upon being run.
The main problem is that I can't get error feedback...

calsign

Re: Android Live Wallpaper

1 year ago

Let's see:

Creating a class that extends PApplet causes an error.
Initializing a PApplet does not, but calling any of its functions causes an error.
Creating a PGraphics requires calling createGraphics(), which must be called from a PApplet, which causes an error.

antonylees

Re: Android Live Wallpaper

1 year ago

Hmmm, ok. On another tactic completely, is it possible to render an HTML page as a live wallpaper?

I don't think PhoneGap does it, but then we could potentially just display the applet. Or processing.js

calsign

Re: Re: Android Live Wallpaper

1 year ago

That's another way to think about it... you'd have to use js (applets aren't supported on Android) but, then, you'd have to put it on a server in order for it to work. A but more difficult than just compiling it with Processing...

Nonetheless, perhaps WebView could help. You should be able to use it with a wallpaper...

antonylees

Re: Android Live Wallpaper

1 year ago

Hmmm true, I was hoping more for a PhoneGap type solution. But I'll give that a go and see if I can find anything else

calsign

Re: Android Live Wallpaper

1 year ago

Oh... I didn't actually look at PhoneGap, but I see what you mean...
I'm don't think it's likely to have support for live wallpapers. It's worth checking out, though...

calsign

Re: Android Live Wallpaper

1 year ago

That's new: As far as I can tell, the Android version of PApplet doesn't have a constructor...

antonylees

Re: Android Live Wallpaper

1 year ago

Looks like PhoneGap currently don't do live wallaper. Shame, lots of people seem to be asking for it

Will investigate using WebView and other alternatives

calsign

Re: Android Live Wallpaper

1 year ago

I'm questioning the possibility of the first approach, now...
However, the Canvas looks like it has some functions familiar to Processing... it might be possible to rebuild PApplet from the ground up using these functions.

calsign

Re: Android Live Wallpaper

1 year ago

Funny, I just came across this post... it seems that the poster had live wallpapers working...

antonylees

Re: Android Live Wallpaper

10 months ago

I just spent a couple of days porting my processing app to processing.js only to find that there is no easy of displaying an html page as a live wallpaper, d'oh!

Also phonegap currently has no solution either. I refuse to give up on this though!

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