# Adding Processing's core.jar to VS Code

**URL:** <https://discourse.processing.org/t/adding-processings-core-jar-to-vs-code/48500>\
**Category:** Beginners\
**Created:** [May 5, 2026, 3:34am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/adding-processings-core-jar-to-vs-code/48500 "2026-05-05T03:34:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![techsupport2544](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@techsupport2544](https://discourse.processing.org/u/techsupport2544)\
**Post date:** [May 5, 2026, 3:34am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/adding-processings-core-jar-to-vs-code/48500/1 "2026-05-05T03:34:13Z")

</div>

Hello!  
I’m somewhat new to processing and have only used it in IntelliJ / Eclipse, yet I’m trying to configure it inside VSCode. Adding core.jar into referenced libraries allows the program to be run, yet VSCode complains about every variable instance (pMouseX, pMouseY) of processing being used, even the import line.  
for example, the import statement will tell me that “`package processing.core does not exist`”

another example is with an extends call, where it says “`cannot find Symbol: class PApplet`”

Does anyone know how to solve this? Thank you!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sableraph](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/sableraph/32/251_2.png) [@sableraph](https://discourse.processing.org/u/sableraph)\
**Post date:** [May 5, 2026, 7:18am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/adding-processings-core-jar-to-vs-code/48500/2 "2026-05-05T07:18:34Z")

</div>

Hi @techsupport2544 and welcome to the forum!

Though it doesn’t exactly answer your question, I wanted to mention there is an official Processing extension for VS Code:

> **[Processing - Visual Studio Marketplace](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=processing-foundation.processing-vscode-extension)**
>
> Extension for Visual Studio Code - The easiest way to create and run Processing sketches in VSCode. With syntax highlighting, code completion, error checking, and more.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![techsupport2544](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@techsupport2544](https://discourse.processing.org/u/techsupport2544)\
**Post date:** [May 5, 2026, 7:46am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/adding-processings-core-jar-to-vs-code/48500/3 "2026-05-05T07:46:09Z")

</div>

I would but it is for a requirement that I must use .java files and not rather .pde, hence why I’m trying to import it. Thanks for the idea though, I’ll consider using it on other projects

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sableraph](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/sableraph/32/251_2.png) [@sableraph](https://discourse.processing.org/u/sableraph)\
**Post date:** [May 5, 2026, 8:47am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/adding-processings-core-jar-to-vs-code/48500/4 "2026-05-05T08:47:36Z")

</div>

In that case, Gradle is probably the most convenient option. You can look at the template found here:

[https://github.com/processing/processing4/tree/main/java/gradle/example](https://github.com/processing/processing4/tree/main/java/gradle/example) (This is for .pde files but it shouldn’t be too hard to make it work for .java files)

More instructions here: [https://github.com/processing/processing4/tree/main/java/gradle](https://github.com/processing/processing4/tree/main/java/gradle)

Note that Processing core libraries are published on Maven central:

[https://central.sonatype.com/artifact/org.processing/core](https://central.sonatype.com/artifact/org.processing/core)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sableraph](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/sableraph/32/251_2.png) [@sableraph](https://discourse.processing.org/u/sableraph)\
**Post date:** [May 5, 2026, 9:39am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/adding-processings-core-jar-to-vs-code/48500/5 "2026-05-05T09:39:54Z")

</div>

Ok I did a bit more digging (with suggestions from Claude Opus 4.7) and the following worked for me:

**Project layout**

```auto
my-sketch/
├── build.gradle.kts
└── src/
    └── main/
        └── java/
            └── MySketch.java

```

**`build.gradle.kts`**

```kotlin
plugins {
    java
    application
}

repositories {
    mavenCentral()
}

dependencies {
    implementation("org.processing:core:4.5.3")
}

application {
    mainClass.set("MySketch")
}

java {
    toolchain {
        languageVersion.set(JavaLanguageVersion.of(17))
    }
}

```

**`src/main/java/MySketch.java`**

```java
import processing.core.PApplet;

public class MySketch extends PApplet {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        PApplet.main("MySketch", args);
    }

    @Override
    public void settings() {
        size(800, 600);
    }

    @Override
    public void setup() {
        background(0);
    }

    @Override
    public void draw() {
        fill(255);
        noStroke();
        ellipse(mouseX, mouseY, 40, 40);
    }
}

```

Run with `gradle run`.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![stefterv](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/stefterv/32/21678_2.png) [@stefterv](https://discourse.processing.org/u/stefterv)\
**Post date:** [May 5, 2026, 4:59pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/adding-processings-core-jar-to-vs-code/48500/6 "2026-05-05T16:59:52Z")

</div>

Thanks Raph! The Gradle Plugin also works with .java files out of the box!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![glv](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/glv/32/18785_2.png) [@glv](https://discourse.processing.org/u/glv)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2026, 1:49am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/adding-processings-core-jar-to-vs-code/48500/7 "2026-05-06T01:49:46Z")

</div>

Hello,

P2D and P3D did not work for me with the configuration provided.

I had to copy the these into a new `lib folder` in root of sketch folder:

 ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/processingfoundation1/original/3X/e/1/e1d8c23ba582777ab2b7ffd5595c5181af33a284.png)

And modify `build.gradle.kts`:

```json
plugins {
    java
    application
}

repositories {
    mavenCentral()
}

dependencies {
    implementation(fileTree("lib") {
        include("*.jar")
    })
}

application {
    mainClass.set("MySketch")
}

java {
    toolchain {
        languageVersion.set(JavaLanguageVersion.of(17))
    }
}

```

`:)`

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sableraph](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/sableraph/32/251_2.png) [@sableraph](https://discourse.processing.org/u/sableraph)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2026, 10:16am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/adding-processings-core-jar-to-vs-code/48500/9 "2026-05-06T10:16:23Z")

</div>

Hmm, that’s strange. I don’t have this issue on my end (see the screenshot below)

> [@glv](#):
>
> I had to copy the these into a new `lib folder` in root of sketch folder:

Great that you found a workaround. At the same time, it kind of defeats the purpose of using Maven Central if you still have to manually add `.jar` files to the project 😅

I wonder what is different about your setup. What does the rest of your project look like and what error message did you get when running the Gradle setup suggested above?

 ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/processingfoundation1/original/3X/5/1/5110dbc8dfec5e5410260c4e028376ee4e8cd86c.jpeg)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![glv](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/glv/32/18785_2.png) [@glv](https://discourse.processing.org/u/glv)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2026, 3:58pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/adding-processings-core-jar-to-vs-code/48500/11 "2026-05-06T15:58:19Z")

</div>

Hello @sableraph,

Please share your:  
`build.gradle.kts`

I did try variations of this (many) that did not work:

```auto
dependencies {
    // 1. Processing Core
    implementation("org.processing:core:4.5.3")

    // 2. JOGL & GlueGen (Core + Natives)
    // Version 2.3.2 is reliable on Maven Central for Windows
    val joglVersion = "2.6.0"
    implementation("org.jogamp.jogl:jogl-all-main:$joglVersion")
    implementation("org.jogamp.gluegen:gluegen-rt-main:$joglVersion")
}

```

Can you expand your _external libraries_?  
Want to see what you have there so we are on the same page.

I am still exploring this.

Thanks!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sableraph](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/sableraph/32/251_2.png) [@sableraph](https://discourse.processing.org/u/sableraph)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2026, 5:41pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/adding-processings-core-jar-to-vs-code/48500/12 "2026-05-06T17:41:02Z")

</div>

> [@glv](#):
>
> Please share your:  
> `build.gradle.kts`

It’s the same one I shared in my previous message:

```java
plugins {
    java
    application
}

repositories {
    mavenCentral()
}

dependencies {
    implementation("org.processing:core:4.5.3")
}

application {
    mainClass.set("MySketch")
}

java {
    toolchain {
        languageVersion.set(JavaLanguageVersion.of(17))
    }
}

```

> [@glv](#):
>
> Can you expand your _external libraries_?  
> Want to see what you have there so we are on the same page.

That might be why… I have gluegen and jogl in there. Good catch

 ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/processingfoundation1/original/3X/7/1/71528d6d1c52dd1de0cdb4ed9e37aec05eccbbf8.png)  
 ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/processingfoundation1/original/3X/8/7/87e3af327f3892fe3ac6c9c9ead1c05477daaaa3.jpeg)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sableraph](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/sableraph/32/251_2.png) [@sableraph](https://discourse.processing.org/u/sableraph)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2026, 5:47pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/adding-processings-core-jar-to-vs-code/48500/13 "2026-05-06T17:47:12Z")

</div>

> [@stefterv](#):
>
> The Gradle Plugin also works with .java files out of the box!

@stefterv: Is it meant to work with P2D and P3D? Looks like gluegen and jogl don’t get included by default when importing `org.processing:core:4.5.3` from Maven Central.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![glv](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/glv/32/18785_2.png) [@glv](https://discourse.processing.org/u/glv)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2026, 6:05pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/adding-processings-core-jar-to-vs-code/48500/14 "2026-05-06T18:05:36Z")

</div>

> [@sableraph](#):
>
> Looks like gluegen and jogl don’t get included by default when importing `org.processing:core:4.5.3` from Maven Central.

This reference suggests that they need to be added:

> <https://github.com/processing/processing4/issues/537#issuecomment-2295831345>
>
> \*Created by: clankill3r\*
> 
> I kind of find a solution for what I'm going to post, …but since it took me over 3 hours I will post something about it anyway so it might help someone in the future.
> 
> If you want to use processing outside the PDE (like eclipse, intellij or vscode) you need to point to the core.jar.
> If you want to use P2D or P3D you used to add the following jars that could be found inside the processing application:
> 
> \<img width="300" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/55a8e5ea-3489-4e3e-a448-55411aa8bb62" /\>
> 
> This was at least true till Processing 3.5.4 inclusive.
> 
> If you look at how this folder (\`Contents/Java/core/library\`) now, then you see the following:
> 
> \<img width="150" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/eafd40ee-5676-46ca-85ce-99ec83ab5c75" /\>
> 
> If you use those files in another editor then you get the following stacktrace (you have to use P2D / P3D).
> 
> \`\`\`
> java.lang.UnsatisfiedLinkError: Can't load library: /Users/dw/Desktop/processing\_does\_not\_run\_anymore/natives/macosx-universal/gluegen\_rt
> at java.base/java.lang.ClassLoader.loadLibrary(ClassLoader.java:2393)
> at java.base/java.lang.Runtime.load0(Runtime.java:755)
> at java.base/java.lang.System.load(System.java:1953)
> at com.jogamp.common.jvm.JNILibLoaderBase.loadLibraryInternal(JNILibLoaderBase.java:625)
> at com.jogamp.common.jvm.JNILibLoaderBase.access$000(JNILibLoaderBase.java:64)
> at com.jogamp.common.jvm.JNILibLoaderBase$DefaultAction.loadLibrary(JNILibLoaderBase.java:107)
> at com.jogamp.common.jvm.JNILibLoaderBase.loadLibrary(JNILibLoaderBase.java:488)
> at com.jogamp.common.os.DynamicLibraryBundle$GlueJNILibLoader.loadLibrary(DynamicLibraryBundle.java:427)
> at com.jogamp.common.os.Platform$1.run(Platform.java:321)
> at java.base/java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(AccessController.java:318)
> at com.jogamp.common.os.Platform.\<clinit\>(Platform.java:290)
> at com.jogamp.nativewindow.NativeWindowFactory$1.run(NativeWindowFactory.java:239)
> at java.base/java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(AccessController.java:318)
> at com.jogamp.nativewindow.NativeWindowFactory.\<clinit\>(NativeWindowFactory.java:236)
> at com.jogamp.newt.NewtFactory$1.run(NewtFactory.java:69)
> at java.base/java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(AccessController.java:318)
> at com.jogamp.newt.NewtFactory.\<clinit\>(NewtFactory.java:66)
> at processing.opengl.PSurfaceJOGL.initIcons(PSurfaceJOGL.java:475)
> at processing.opengl.PSurfaceJOGL.initFrame(PSurfaceJOGL.java:147)
> at processing.core.PApplet.initSurface(PApplet.java:10315)
> at processing.core.PApplet.runSketch(PApplet.java:10221)
> at processing.core.PApplet.main(PApplet.java:9997)
> at processing.core.PApplet.main(PApplet.java:9969)
> at test.Test.main(Test.java:8)
> \`\`\`
> 
> I keep it short from here on, I found this topic:
> 
> https://forum.jogamp.org/Gluegen-rt-Can-t-find-Natives-on-Eclipse-td4038593.html
> 
> Which had the following answer:
> 
> \> Hey
> \> 
> \> Try to use \[jogamp-fat.jar\](http://jogamp.org/deployment/archive/rc/v2.3.2/fat/jogamp-fat.jar) instead. If it doesn't work, it probably means that your version of OS X is too old. Mac OS X Lion is terribly outdated and supporting OS X in general is sometimes a nightmare, we do our best.
> 
> So I downloaded \`jogamp-fat.jar\` from:
> https://jogamp.org/deployment/archive/rc/v2.4.0-rc-20210111/fat/
> 
> and removed everything till I only have those 2 files:
> 
> \<img width="150" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/3cc737c9-d0fc-4cdc-b943-b0114ed56d2d" /\>
> 
> Also looking at build.xml, I wonder if it wouldn't be easier if processing would use this jar instead as well. It could almost half the amount of lines in build.xml.

On a positive note I have improved my workflow with VS Code.  
Always save files when making changes before running! This caught me off guard a few times and I though it was working.

This worked as well (gets the core and I added requried libs for P2D/P3D) at my end:

 ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/processingfoundation1/original/3X/7/1/7178d769752930d6a289a0e98b592e14e42d8655.png)

`:)`

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sableraph](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/sableraph/32/251_2.png) [@sableraph](https://discourse.processing.org/u/sableraph)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2026, 6:39pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/adding-processings-core-jar-to-vs-code/48500/15 "2026-05-06T18:39:10Z")

</div>

> [@glv](#):
>
> This reference suggests that they need to be added

That comment pre-dates the Gradle template though, and there’s been a lot of effort going into improving the experience of using Processing outside the PDE, especially thanks to Stef’s work with Gradle, so I should hope there is a way for this setup to work without manually adding `.jar` files to your project 😌

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![glv](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/glv/32/18785_2.png) [@glv](https://discourse.processing.org/u/glv)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2026, 10:52pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/adding-processings-core-jar-to-vs-code/48500/17 "2026-05-06T22:52:29Z")

</div>

Hello @sableraph,

I managed to get it working with this on Windows 10:

> [@Gradle Template for Processing 4.x with Java 17 (IntelliJ/VS Code ready)](https://discourse.processing.org/t/gradle-template-for-processing-4-x-with-java-17-intellij-vs-code-ready/48013/5):
>
> Thanks @noah-devtech! It worked as is! I scaled it down for my use case with VS Code and JAVA2D, P2D and P3D on Windows 10 and it worked. I only used this file: build.gradle.kts plugins { id("java") id("application") } repositories { mavenCentral() } java { toolchain { languageVersion.set(JavaLanguageVersion.of(17)) } } val processingVersion = "4.5.3" val joglVersion = "2.6.0" dependencies { implementation("org.processing:core:$processingVersion") /…

`:)`

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![techsupport2544](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@techsupport2544](https://discourse.processing.org/u/techsupport2544)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2026, 12:25am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/adding-processings-core-jar-to-vs-code/48500/18 "2026-05-07T00:25:23Z")

</div>

is it possible to do without gradle? Or is it designed around it?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![glv](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/glv/32/18785_2.png) [@glv](https://discourse.processing.org/u/glv)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2026, 12:41am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/adding-processings-core-jar-to-vs-code/48500/19 "2026-05-07T00:41:33Z")

</div>

> [@techsupport2544](#):
>
> is it possible to do without gradle?

Yes.

This was what I did initially:

 ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/processingfoundation1/original/3X/f/5/f56b7c2fd8a04040fee22a885d23aa8b84e2bb87.png)

I had a couple Java versions so had to tell it which one to use.

A couple ways:

- Copy the required JAR files to a `lib` folder. I did that in my example.
- Link to them directly:  
[Managing Java Projects in VS Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/java/java-project) Not tested!

You can search for the JAR files to find the correct path.

I may not be using the recommended directory structure since I was just testing.

`:)`

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![techsupport2544](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@techsupport2544](https://discourse.processing.org/u/techsupport2544)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2026, 1:35am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/adding-processings-core-jar-to-vs-code/48500/20 "2026-05-07T01:35:51Z")

</div>

you didn’t get intellisense errors?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![stefterv](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/stefterv/32/21678_2.png) [@stefterv](https://discourse.processing.org/u/stefterv)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2026, 11:55am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/adding-processings-core-jar-to-vs-code/48500/21 "2026-05-07T11:55:17Z")

</div>

[Maven Central: org.processing:core](https://central.sonatype.com/artifact/org.processing/core/dependencies) Strange, it does list the dependencies here

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sableraph](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/sableraph/32/251_2.png) [@sableraph](https://discourse.processing.org/u/sableraph)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2026, 12:54pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/adding-processings-core-jar-to-vs-code/48500/22 "2026-05-07T12:54:05Z")

</div>

@glv I tried with a clean project outside of IntelliJ and it does run for me:

 ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/processingfoundation1/original/3X/f/d/fd062318036d6e8f9700da2c060e735b09692684.jpeg)

I even did a more isolated build from a temporary Gradle home directory by running:

```auto
TMP=$(mktemp -d)
GRADLE_USER_HOME=$TMP gradle run

```

It redownloaded the dependencies and ran without errors:

 ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/processingfoundation1/original/3X/4/d/4df27c828b2d5741d7bab59c082c2208c8cb8e7a.jpeg)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![glv](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/glv/32/18785_2.png) [@glv](https://discourse.processing.org/u/glv)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 11:51am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/adding-processings-core-jar-to-vs-code/48500/24 "2026-05-08T11:51:27Z")

</div>

Hello @techsupport2544,

> [@techsupport2544](#):
>
> you didn’t get intellisense errors?

In the method here (copy JARs to lib folder) I did not get _IntelliSense_ errors:

> [@Adding Processing's core.jar to VS Code](https://discourse.processing.org/t/adding-processings-core-jar-to-vs-code/48500/19):
>
> Yes. This was what I did initially: I had a couple Java versions so had to tell it which one to use. A couple ways: Copy the required JAR files to a lib folder. I did that in my example. Link to them directly: [Managing Java Projects in VS Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/java/java-project) Not tested! You can search for the JAR files to find the correct path. I may not be using the recommended directory structure since I was just testing. slight_smile

These are extensions enable so there are no surprises:

 ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/processingfoundation1/original/3X/0/a/0a1273e2603b92e1dbc4b463da26f50ca9be01b6.png)

This topic is marked as _solved_ so I will be ending my participation in this.  
The solution did not work for me on Windows 10 with P2D/P3D and I have shared my solutions for that environment.

I am still exploring this…

`:)`