Gradle Template for Processing 4.x with Java 17 (IntelliJ/VS Code ready)

Processing Development
1

Hi! I’ve been developing a cross-platform template for Processing 4.x using Gradle 9 and Java 17. This project enables the development of Processing sketches as standard Java projects within IDEs like IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse, or VS Code. I believe many developers are looking for a more robust development environment, so I’d like to share this with the community.

Introduction

While the Processing IDE (PDE) is an excellent “sketchbook,” developers often encounter bottlenecks as projects grow. Limitations in autocompletion, refactoring, and modern version control often lead developers to seek more powerful environments.

However, running Processing 4.x outside the PDE isn’t as simple as just adding a core JAR file. You need to handle the complexities of the Java 17 module system and, when using hardware-accelerated renderers (P2D/P3D), manage OS-specific native libraries (JOGL).

Technical Solutions

To address these “engineering hurdles,” this template:

  • Automatically manages JOGL/GlueGen native libraries for Windows, macOS (including Apple Silicon), and Linux.
  • Pre-configures JVM arguments (–add-opens, etc.) required for Java 17 to prevent runtime errors.

Quick Start

You can try it out immediately with just a few commands:

git clone https://github.com/noah-devtech/processing4-gradle-template.git
cd processing4-gradle-template

# Windows
gradlew.bat run

# macOS / Linux
chmod +x gradlew
./gradlew run

Feedback: Welcome!

I am committed to continuously improving this project. If you encounter any issues or have suggestions for better Gradle practices, constructive feedback is always welcome.

P.S. English is not my first language, so feedback on the text is also welcome.

Links

You can find the project on GitHub:
noah-devtech/processing4-gradle-template

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