thonny-py5mode 0.2.4a0

py5 mode plugin for Thonny

thonny-py5mode

A py5 plug-in for Thonny

Use the Thonny Python IDE as a Processing PDE alternative for creative coding. Thonny-py5mode is a plug-in that installs and configures Thonny for use with py5, a Python (3.8+) framework that leverages Processing's core libraries.

Instructions

If you already have some version of Thonny that includes Python 3.8+ on your computer, you can skip straight to step 4.

1. Download and install the -alt version of the Thonny IDE (for Python 3.9 support) from: https://github.com/thonny/thonny/releases/tag/v3.3.7

   

2. Start Thonny. If you're running it for the first time, just accept the Standard settings.

   

3. Once Thonny is open, select Tools > Manage plugins...

   

   Then search for and install thonny-py5mode plug-in --

   

   You must restart Thonny after this step.

4. When you've restarted Thonny, select py5 > Imported mode for py5 -- this will download, extract, and set up JDK-11 for you (if you need to know: the plug-in installs JDK in the Thonny user-config directory). Thonny only needs to download JDK the first time you switch to imported mode.

   

   NOTE: Thonny will appear to freeze for a while when it's downloading JDK (I have plans to develop a proper progress indicator later).

   

   You'll be notified once the download is done --

   

5. This step is optional. There are several Thonny settings that I recommend you apply for working with py5 (including a Processing 4 inspired theme, Kyanite). You can apply those settings in one simple step using py5 > Apply recommended py5 settings

   

6. When the py5 Imported mode for py5 option is checked, Thonny will run your code using py5 --

   

   Try out an imported mode sketch using the green play button (or the F5 or Ctrl+R keyboard shortcuts).

   def setup():
       size(300, 200)
       rect_mode(CENTER)
   
   def draw():
       rect(mouse_x, mouse_y, 10, 10)
   

   

   NOTE: This mode also runs static mode sketches (when you don't need a draw() function for animation).

Module Mode Sketches

To run a py5 module mode sketch, deactivate/uncheck py5 > Imported mode for py5 first so that Thonny returns to its normal run behaviour (for running any Python script). As an example, you can try this code:

import py5

def setup():
    py5.size(200, 200)
    py5.rect_mode(py5.CENTER)

def draw():
    py5.square(py5.mouse_x, py5.mouse_y, 10)

py5.run_sketch()

Note that module mode requires an import py5 and run_sketch() line, and py5.prefixes for everything.

Credits

Thanks villares for inspiring me to develop this plug-in, hx2A for the awesome py5 project, and the Thonny folks for their fantastic IDE.

Todo List

This plug-in is still very much a work in progress ... please report issues here.

• Integrate alpha version py5 (and JDK) installer
• Display download/installation progress in Thonny (not the terminal) -- so Thonny doesn't appear frozen while when it's downloading JDK
• Restorable Thonny settings -- restore applied py5 config (themes, etc.) on deactivate
• Support for non-portable/installed Thonny
• Support for portable Thonny?
• Imported mode auto-completion
• Processing inspired theme for UI
• Processing inspired theme for syntax
• Imported mode Syntax highlighting
• Pop up built-in save dialog for new unsaved files
• Update instructions/readme
• Conceal full run_sketch.py run command in Thonny shell?
• Add Processing.py mode (using py5_tools > translators)?
• ...