# How to access 'system variable' directly in Python code?
**URL:** https://discourse.processing.org/t/how-to-access-system-variable-directly-in-python-code/35550
**Category:** Processing.py
**Created:** [March 4, 2022, 11:01am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/how-to-access-system-variable-directly-in-python-code/35550 "2022-03-04T11:01:38Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@sweetart](https://discourse.processing.org/u/sweetart)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2022, 11:01am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/how-to-access-system-variable-directly-in-python-code/35550/1 "2022-03-04T11:01:38Z")
Dear All,
I’m using the processing-py 0.3.7 library directly in visual studio code. The because I want to combine the results with other code/libraries. The thing i’m stuck with is how do I access a ‘system variable’ such as frameCount?
For example when defined the app as:
`app = App(800,800)`
you can access it by:
`app.background(255)`
But how do you access frameCount? For example in the following case:
```auto
def draw(app):
if (frameCount() % 10 == 0):
```
Thanks in advance for any help.
---
### Author:  [@villares](https://discourse.processing.org/u/villares)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2022, 2:45pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/how-to-access-system-variable-directly-in-python-code/35550/2 "2022-03-04T14:45:32Z")
The command line feature that allows one to use Processing Python mode outside the Processing IDE is not currently maintained, unfortunately. I always had a hard time making it work. There was some discussion on using it with Atom: [How to run Processing Python Mode in Atom? - #3 by BeastCoder](https://discourse.processing.org/t/how-to-run-processing-python-mode-in-atom/16225/3) and maybe VS Code but I couldn’t find them right now.
I’m unfamiliar with the kind of instantiation you are doing. For simple sketches
one should be able to just use the global name `frameCount`, I believe. 😕
Another idea, if you want to integrate with modern Python libraries, would be to use a completely external Python 3 environment using [py5](http://py5.ixora.io) (Python 3 + Java with JPype) or [p5py](https://github.com/p5py/p5) (Python 3, no Java) instead. 🙂
---
### Author:  [@GoToLoop](https://discourse.processing.org/u/GoToLoop)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2022, 2:50pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/how-to-access-system-variable-directly-in-python-code/35550/3 "2022-03-04T14:50:39Z")
> [@sweetart](#):
>
> But how do you access _frameCount_?
Python Mode in the PDE creates a global variable named _this_ which holds the PApplet reference for the whole sketch.
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### Author:  [@tabreturn](https://discourse.processing.org/u/tabreturn)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2022, 12:11am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/how-to-access-system-variable-directly-in-python-code/35550/4 "2022-03-05T00:11:09Z")
@villares’ py5 link is broken. @sweetart, you can use this link: [https://py5.ixora.io/](https://py5.ixora.io/)
If by “other code/libraries” you mean _other Python libraries and/or Processing libraries_, then you’ll want to opt for py5 over pyp5.
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### Author:  [@villares](https://discourse.processing.org/u/villares)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2022, 12:12am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/how-to-access-system-variable-directly-in-python-code/35550/5 "2022-03-05T00:12:42Z")
thanks! I fixed the link now I think!
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### Author:  [@sweetart](https://discourse.processing.org/u/sweetart)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2022, 7:38pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/how-to-access-system-variable-directly-in-python-code/35550/6 "2022-03-07T19:38:51Z")
Dear All,
Thank you for your answers. I downloaded the py5 libary and I’m going to try to create the code with this.
Kind regards.