# It looks like you're mixing "active" and "static" modes

**URL:** <https://discourse.processing.org/t/it-looks-like-youre-mixing-active-and-static-modes/24159>\
**Category:** Beginners\
**Tags:** homework\
**Created:** [September 27, 2020, 5:24pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/it-looks-like-youre-mixing-active-and-static-modes/24159 "2020-09-27T17:24:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![COZ](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/coz/32/10701_2.png) [@COZ](https://discourse.processing.org/u/COZ)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 5:24pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/it-looks-like-youre-mixing-active-and-static-modes/24159/1 "2020-09-27T17:24:10Z")

</div>

Hello, complete begginer here.

Just making my way through some tutorials and i’ve been hit with the error (the subject title). I know it’s defining static and active states, which can’t be both at the same time. But i can’t see what is going wrong?

Thank you in advance!

```auto
void setup() {
  size(500, 500);
  frameRate(2);
}

void draw() {
  background(255);
  fill(0);
  
  ellipse(width/2, height/2, 200, 200);
}

```

---

<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:** [September 27, 2020, 5:27pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/it-looks-like-youre-mixing-active-and-static-modes/24159/2 "2020-09-27T17:27:50Z")

</div>

Hello,

I did not get any errors with the code you posted.

Try a new sketch and use the code you posted here.

Maybe you had some extra characters or code somewhere in original.

`:)`

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![COZ](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/coz/32/10701_2.png) [@COZ](https://discourse.processing.org/u/COZ)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2020, 5:49pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/it-looks-like-youre-mixing-active-and-static-modes/24159/3 "2020-09-27T17:49:34Z")

</div>

Thank you glv!

I started a new sketch and it all seems to work. Not sure why it was resulting in an error, but I guess that’s what I should continue to expect on this new path of learning haha.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Hyperion65](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/hyperion65/32/10569_2.png) [@Hyperion65](https://discourse.processing.org/u/Hyperion65)\
**Post date:** [September 28, 2020, 2:00am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/it-looks-like-youre-mixing-active-and-static-modes/24159/4 "2020-09-28T02:00:55Z")

</div>

one reason is when you - like me very often - write a method but forget to say what it returns…

```auto
 someMethod () {}

```

gives you that error.

```auto
void someMethod() {
  }

```

would define a method (void tells us it does not return a value)

` someMethod ();`

would call that method.

so the first thingy is mixing those two in a way that processing things is tasteless 🙂