Running a Program in the Background w/ Input

Programming Questions

pinseventy

Running a Program in the Background w/ Input

in Programming Questions • 4 months ago

The first project I've tackled with Processing was making a sketch that tracks your keyboard movements from key to key, and how many times you use a key. I was inspired by the IOGraph Mouse Tracker, and I want to make it act the same way. I want to allow the user to work on, say, an essay for school, but track all the input with this program to generate the image, which looks something like this:

It's pretty self-explanatory, but the darker the key, the more you hit the key, and the lines track the transition from one key to another (once again the darker to more often it's made).

Here's the code:

PVector current = new PVector(0,0);
PVector previous = new PVector(0,0);
float r = 14;
int keyTotal = 26;
PVector keyboardSize = new PVector(330,150);
int[][] keyLocation = {{40,60},{170,90},{110,90},{100,60},{90,30},{130,60},{160,60},{190,60},{240,30},{220,60},{250,60},{280,60},{230,90},{200,90},{270,30},{300,30},{30,30},{120,30},{70,60},{150,30},{210,30},{140,90},{60,30},{80,90},{180,30},{50,90}};
void setup() {
// size(660,300);
size(displayWidth,displayHeight);
background(255);
noStroke();
noFill();
rectMode(RADIUS);
// for (int i = 0; i < keyTotal; i++) {
// rect((keyLocation[i][0]/keyboardSize.x)*width,(keyLocation[i][1]/keyboardSize.y)*height,(r/keyboardSize.x)*width,(r/keyboardSize.y)*height);
//}
fill(0,0,0,3);
}
void draw() {
if (keyPressed) {
if (key == 49) {
saveFrame("keyboard-###.png");
}
if (key == 32) {
current.x = 170;
current.y = 120;
} else if (key >=97 && key <=122) {
previous.x = current.x;
previous.y = current.y;
current.x = keyLocation[key-97][0];
current.y = keyLocation[key-97][1];
} else {
previous.x = 0;
previous.y = 0;
}
if (previous.x != 0) {
stroke(0,0,0,5);
line((current.x/keyboardSize.x)*width,(current.y/keyboardSize.y)*height,(previous.x/keyboardSize.x)*width,(previous.y/keyboardSize.y)*height);
noStroke();
rect((current.x/keyboardSize.x)*width,(current.y/keyboardSize.y)*height,(r/keyboardSize.x)*width,(r/keyboardSize.y)*height);
}
}
}

So what do you say? Is what I'm hoping for a possibility with Processing? I really hope so

Replies(7)

benj.n.su..

Re: Running a Program in the Background w/ Input

4 months ago

I tried out (ran) your code. It works perfectly and looks *awesome*. So I think you've already proven that it is a possibility with Processing. I'm not sure of the question here. What am I missing?

pinseventy

Re: Running a Program in the Background w/ Input

4 months ago

Want I want to do is be able to run this while I'm using a text editor or playing a game, so it tracks the keyboard gestures while you're doing something else. At the moment, you have to have the focus on Sketch window if you want it to track.

Thank you by the way!

GoToLoop

Re: Running a Program in the Background w/ Input

4 months ago

Don't even know whether Java allows a program to check input while outta focus.

If there's some way, it's really a deep raw Java hack!

pinseventy

Re: Running a Program in the Background w/ Input

4 months ago

The only reason I ask is because I'm pretty sure that IOGraph, the program that inspired me to making this in the first place, uses Processing itself:

Thanks for the answers!

benj.n.su..

Re: Re: Running a Program in the Background w/ Input

4 months ago

ahhhhhh. i got you on what you saying now. to me the lingo for that is usually "inactive window" or "window out of focus". of course, background input is definitely the same thing, sorry.

onward!

doing a search for things like "active window" and "window focus" yielded two threads that could be helpful. unfortunately the solutions are different depending on OS. see the following:

https://forum.processing.org/topic/how-do-i-capture-global-text-input

https://forum.processing.org/topic/can-processing-send-serial-data-to-arduino-if-the-processing-sketch-is-not-the-focus-program

pinseventy

Re: Running a Program in the Background w/ Input

4 months ago

I was actually able to track down the original source code, which I believe should have the same base function as IOGraph. If anybody can "translate" this for me and find out what part of it is allowing it to receive input without 'focus' from Windows, I would be eternally grateful.

package core;
import java.awt.BorderLayout;
import java.awt.Frame;
import java.awt.GraphicsDevice;
import java.awt.GraphicsEnvironment;
import java.awt.MouseInfo;
import java.awt.Point;
import java.awt.event.WindowAdapter;
import java.awt.event.WindowEvent;
import processing.core.PApplet;
public class MousePath extends PApplet {
public static void main(String args[]) {
Frame f = new Frame("Mouse Path. [S] Save. [R] Restart. [D] Dots recording toggle. © Anatoly Zenkov (anatolyzenkov.com)");
GraphicsEnvironment e = GraphicsEnvironment.getLocalGraphicsEnvironment();
GraphicsDevice s = e.getDefaultScreenDevice();
float scale = Math.min((float) s.getDisplayMode().getWidth(), 1280) / (float) s.getDisplayMode().getWidth();
//scale = 1;
f.setSize((int) (s.getDisplayMode().getWidth() * scale), (int) (s.getDisplayMode().getHeight() * scale));
f.addWindowListener(new WindowAdapter() {
public void windowClosing(WindowEvent we) {
System.exit(0);
}
});
f.setResizable(false);
f.setLayout(new BorderLayout());
MousePath p = new MousePath();
f.add(p, BorderLayout.CENTER);
p.init();
f.setVisible(true);
}
private float _scale = -1f;
private float _radius;
private boolean _stops;
private Point _prevP;
private Point _newP;
private Point _stopP;
public MousePath() {
this.start();
}
public MousePath(float scale) {
_scale = scale;
this.start();
}
public void setup() {
GraphicsEnvironment e = GraphicsEnvironment.getLocalGraphicsEnvironment();
GraphicsDevice s = e.getDefaultScreenDevice();
if (_scale == -1f) _scale = Math.min((float) s.getDisplayMode().getWidth(), 1280f) / (float) s.getDisplayMode().getWidth();
_stops = true;
size((int) (s.getDisplayMode().getWidth() * _scale), (int) (s.getDisplayMode().getHeight() * _scale));
_newP = MouseInfo.getPointerInfo().getLocation();
_prevP = _newP;
_stopP = _newP;
strokeWeight(.2f*_scale);
frameRate(60);
smooth();
background(255);
}
public void draw() {
_newP = MouseInfo.getPointerInfo().getLocation();
line(_newP.x * _scale, _newP.y * _scale, _prevP.x * _scale, _prevP.y * _scale);
if (!_stops) {
_prevP = _newP;
return;
}
int dx = _newP.x - _stopP.x;
int dy = _newP.y - _stopP.y;
int d = dx * dx + dy * dy;
if (d < 400) {
_radius += .3;
_prevP = _newP;
return;
}
if (_radius > 20) {
fill(255, 200f * max(0f, 1f - sqrt(_radius) / 20));
ellipse(_stopP.x * _scale, _stopP.y * _scale, _radius * .5f* _scale, _radius * .5f* _scale);
fill(0);
ellipse(_stopP.x * _scale, _stopP.y * _scale, sqrt(_radius)* _scale, sqrt(_radius)* _scale);
noFill();
}
_prevP = _newP;
_stopP = _newP;
_radius = 0;
}
public void keyReleased() {
if (key == 's' || key == 'S') {
String n = nf(hour(), 2) + "_" + nf(minute(), 2) + "_" + nf(second(), 2);
save("mousePath-" + n + ".tif");
status("Saved to 'mousePath_" + n + ".tif'");
return;
}
if (key == 'r' || key == 'R') {
background(255);
}
if (key == 'd' || key == 'D') {
_stops = !_stops;
}
}
private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
}

PhiLho

Re: Running a Program in the Background w/ Input

4 months ago

This one tracks the mouse movements, not the keyboard...
Actually, you want to do something like a keylogger... The kind of software used in malwares to capture credit card numbers and passwords!

Perhaps the Java Robot class can help. Otherwise, you have to find a Java library doing this kind of thing. Or collaborate with a program like AutoHotkey or AutoIt, which have global keyboard hooks.

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