[SOLVED] Is there a reserved word in Processing for accessing the Sketch's root class?

Core Library Questions

riceje7

[SOLVED] Is there a reserved word in Processing for accessing the Sketch's root class?

in Core Library Questions • 1 year ago

I am saving versions of my sketch as I go along, changing the sketch name when I have a new version i want to save. i.e. sketch_v1_0, sketch_v1_1, sketch_v1_2, etc... I declare static fields and objects in the root class of the sketch (where the setup and draw functions are) and need to access them in other classes and methods, but I would like to not have to traverse my code each time i save to change each occurrence of 'sketch_v1_0' with 'sketch_v1_1' So i was wondering if there was a key/reserved word in processing that would allow me to access the root class without using the actual name. i.e. 'SKETCH' or 'SKETCHNAME' or something else instead of 'sketch_v1_0'. I have tried passing the parent PApplet from the root class to the places i need it but i get an error saying that the variable cannot be resolved or is not a field. Thanks in advance

Replies(9)

Kobby

Re: Is there a reserved word in Processing for accessing the Sketch's root class?

1 year ago

You can create a final String at the top of each program where you define the sketch name

final String SKETCHNAME = "sketch_v1_0";

void setup(){
}

void draw(){
}

now you can access SKETCHNAME anywhere in the application

riceje7

Re: Is there a reserved word in Processing for accessing the Sketch's root class?

1 year ago

I should have mentioned that I tried this as well, and I still get the same error as when passing in the parent PApplet, cannot be resolved or is not a field. I also tried sketchPath(SKETCHNAME).variableName but you can't reference sketchPath() statically.

Kobby

Re: Is there a reserved word in Processing for accessing the Sketch's root class?

1 year ago

Are you trying to access the info from the same project? I mean do you have your main pde file and a couple classes in that processing project that need access to a variable in the main pde file or are you trying to access data from other projects?

If you are trying to do the first option and are all confined in 1 project you can just set the variables at the top of the main pde file and it should be accessible to the classes you make. no need to make them static.

String SKETCHNAME = "sketch_v1_0";
void setup(){
}
void draw(){
}

should still be available if you have a class in a separate tab

class MyClass{
MyClass(){
println(SKETCHNAME);
}
void update(){
}
void draw()
}
}

or am I misunderstanding what you are saying?

If you are in Eclipse then you would need to pass the PApplet in to get those variables and objects but the Processing IDE simplifies that for you.

hellochar

Re: Is there a reserved word in Processing for accessing the Sketch's root class?

1 year ago

Your sketch is implemented in Java as a Class, so you can call getClass().getSimpleName(). This won't work if you're writing code for a custom Class inside Processing.

Kobby

Re: Is there a reserved word in Processing for accessing the Sketch's root class?

1 year ago

It may not work if you are using processing in Eclipse.

Run this. Break Test into a new custom class tab. It works for me just fine:

String SKETCHNAME = "sketch_v0_1";
void setup(){
Test t = new Test();
}
void draw(){
}
class Test{
Test(){
println(SKETCHNAME);
}
}

rbrauer

Re: Is there a reserved word in Processing for accessing the Sketch's root class?

1 year ago

Maybe you need an instance (PApplet object) and not a Class definition. The easiest way to do that would be to declare a global PApplet variable:

PApplet papplet = this;

That should work in any PDE code, but not Java. Instead of sketch_01.thing it would be papplet.thing.

quarks

Re: Is there a reserved word in Processing for accessing the Sketch's root class?

1 year ago

Why not create a separate class in your sketch to hold your static variables e.g.

MyVars.java

public class MyVars {
static public int ivar1 = 123;
static public float fvar1 = 5.897f;
// etc.
}

Then these are available to all your sketch tabs e.g.

MyVars.ivar1 = 456;
println(MyVars.fvar1);
// etc

This will remove the dependancy on the sketch name.

If you insist that they must be in the main sketch class, there is no easy solution, you would almost certainly have to use Java reflection.

Kobby

Re: Is there a reserved word in Processing for accessing the Sketch's root class?

1 year ago

rbauer's solution is probably the way to go if you want a reference to the whole class. But if you just need variables in the class, all public pde variables and functions in the main pde file are available to classes made off that main pde file in the Processing IDE

riceje7

Re: Is there a reserved word in Processing for accessing the Sketch's root class?

1 year ago

thanks for all the replies! To make my life easier I just moved the static methods out into the root sketch class's visibility so now i'm just calling method() (instead of sketchNameHere.method()) to return the static variable var that is defined in the root of the sketch.

I decided that as far as scope and class responsibility goes it makes more sense if the static methods are in the root sketch class. Though I think that if i needed to keep those methods in the classes they were in, kobby is right rbrauer is on the right track. Quarks your answer i think would have worked equally as well.

Thanks again everyone.

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