Processing setup

Processing Libraries
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I just downloaded Processing and intend to use it to design GUI’s for Arduino projects. My question is in regards to how to set up a Processing file structure on my home network. I have a number of computers that I use when making projects. The first problem is that my main computer is a 64 bit Windows 7 machine and the computer in the Lab is an 32 bit XP machine. I also use a FreeNAS computer to share files through out the house.
As I said I downloaded Processing and the controlP5 library onto the Windows 7 machine and wrote a short program. The program worked, but was saved to the C drive. I moved the program to a directory on the FreeNAS, but then it did not work, because the controlP5 library was not there. After downloading this library to the FreeNAS, it worked. I have not tried the 32 bit XP machine yet. So, what do I need to do to keep all that is needed on the FreeNAS and make these files available for use on both of my computers? Thanks Mike.

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Hi mike – I can’t speak to attempting to share the same projects folders across different 32bit and 64bit operating systems. This can be dicey for many things – Processing 3 compiles to Java 8, so if you can get PDE running on Windows XP 32 bit at all then I would think that it should be (mostly) fine – the main gotchas you might encounter that occur to me would be things like that interface with the operating system like OpenGL drivers and video and sound libraries.

As for the NAS, a key thing is to have the same dependencies installed. In Processing that is often stored like this:

/Processing
  /libraries
  /modes
  /templates
  /tools

If you install a library, it is centrally installed in /libraries – not in your sketch folder – and then all sketches can use it. So you either need to:

  1. parallel install on your two computers
  2. map / mount / sync folders like your library folder so that you install once for both computers
  3. install dependencies locally, in each mySketch/code/ folder, like mySketch/code/controlP5 – although with big libraries this could quickly become a huge mess.
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Thanks for the reply. I have not attempted to use processing on the XP machine. I am very new to Processing, but have made many sketches for the Arduino on both the 7 and XP machines. I want to be a little slow in progressing, because I want to make the best file structure between my machines to avoid confusion and a multitude of changes later. Maybe I need to get another 64 bit Windows 7 machine to correct this possible problem. I want to avoid a parallel install between the two machines. That is why I want to place the libraries on the freeNAS, so both machines will have the same references. Right now I have the /libraries etal you mentioned on the C drive of the Windows 7 machine. Should I upgrade the XP machine to Windows 7, I still want to have a common reference to these files. In the file menu, preferences let’s me change the sketchbook location. I placed it on the freeNAS. I don’t understand your #2 point of map/mount/sync and what are dependencies in #3? Thanks for the help

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I tried loading all of Processing onto my freeNAS and running it from there. Thinking that either machine (if both were Win7) could access it and see the same files, but it did not work. Thanks Mike

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