# Support for Top-Level Global Mode

**URL:** <https://discourse.processing.org/t/support-for-top-level-global-mode/47359>\
**Category:** p5.js\
**Created:** [October 14, 2025, 1:23pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/support-for-top-level-global-mode/47359 "2025-10-14T13:23:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![qashto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3da27b/32.png) [@qashto](https://discourse.processing.org/u/qashto)\
**Post date:** [October 14, 2025, 1:23pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/support-for-top-level-global-mode/47359/1 "2025-10-14T13:23:50Z")

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Hi everyone!

Kit has requested further discussion from the community on this issue.

Please let us know if this feature from Processing is something you’d like to see in p5.js!

> <https://github.com/processing/p5.js/issues/7737>
>
> \### Increasing access
> 
> Parity with an existing feature in Processing. Also impro…ves ease of use in ESM sketches especially.
> 
> \### Most appropriate sub-area of p5.js?
> 
> \- \[\] Accessibility
> \- \[\] Color
> \- \[x\] Core/Environment/Rendering
> \- \[\] Data
> \- \[\] DOM
> \- \[\] Events
> \- \[\] Image
> \- \[\] IO
> \- \[\] Math
> \- \[\] Typography
> \- \[\] Utilities
> \- \[\] WebGL
> \- \[\] Build process
> \- \[\] Unit testing
> \- \[\] Internationalization
> \- \[\] Friendly errors
> \- \[\] Other (specify if possible)
> 
> \### Feature request details
> 
> Ideally p5 could support top-level global mode. \`createCanvas\` would be available globally and could be used to start p5 in top level global mode and create a canvas.
> 
> \`\`\`js
> createCanvas(200, 200);
> rect(20, 20, 50, 50);
> \`\`\`
> 
> There's a precedent for this in Processing. The Processing editor supports running sketches like this without a \`setup\` or \`draw\` method.
> 
> \`\`\`java
> size(200, 200);
> rect(20, 20, 50, 50);
> \`\`\`
> 
> There's also a broader precedent in the many programming languages that used to require some kind of \`main\` method, that now can run top-level code.
> 
> This would be especially useful in the context of improving usability of p5 in an ESM (issue #7670), because it'd make it easy to define functions like \`draw\` but also not have to prefix everything with the instance variable.
> 
> \`\`\`js
> let p = new p5();
> 
> createCanvas(200, 200);
> 
> p.draw = () =\> {
> rect(mouseX, mouseY, 100, 100);
> };
> \`\`\`
> 
> It's also just nice in general to be able to declare and define variables on the file level.
> 
> https://github.com/q5js/q5.js/wiki/Top%E2%80%90Level-Global-Mode