PDE doesn't report invalid size() arguments as a logic error

Open
#1,573 0 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

Nobody has claimed this yet.

Assessment

Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Newbie friendliness
55/100
Issue type
Bug
Clarity
Clearly specified
Activity status
Active
Tech stack
java
Domain
compilers

Research direction

Start with the Java Mode preprocessing and the existing sizeParamValid() handling described in the issue. Run the Java test suite and inspect the added regression-test cases for invalid method and variable arguments. Done means invalid size(width, height) in setup() is reported as a PDE logic error, while settings() and arithmetic expressions remain valid.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Description

bug
Most appropriate sub-area of Processing 4?

PDE

Processing version

4.5.6

Operating system

Windows

Bug description

When size() is called from setup() using variables for its width and height, Processing reports the error only when the sketch is run/compiled:

size() cannot be used here, see https://processing.org/reference/size_.html

However, the PDE does not report this as a logic error while editing the sketch.

This is inconsistent with other invalid size() usage and makes the problem harder to identify before running the sketch.

For comparison, using the same variables from settings() works correctly, and arithmetic expressions such as size(400 + 400, 900 - 300) are accepted.

Expected behavior

The PDE should identify the invalid size() usage as a logic error while editing, before the sketch is run.

Actual behavior

The invalid usage is not reported as a PDE logic error while editing. The error is encountered when the sketch is processed/run.

Steps to reproduce this
  1. Open Processing 4.
  2. Create a new Java Mode sketch.
  3. Add the following code:
  4. Wait for the PDE to process the sketch.
  5. Observe that the invalid size() usage is not reported as a logic error in the editor.
  6. Run the sketch.
  7. Processing reports:

size() cannot be used here, see https://processing.org/reference/size_.html

For comparison, moving the size(width, height) call into settings() allows the sketch to run successfully.

snippet
int width = 800;
int height = 600;

void setup() {
  size(width, height);
}
Additional context

The issue appears to originate in the Java Mode preprocessing of size() arguments.

I investigated the existing sizeParamValid() handling and implemented a change that reports invalid size() arguments as a logic error during preprocessing. I also added regression tests for invalid method and variable arguments.

I manually verified the following cases:

  • size(width, height) in setup() → logic error
  • size(width, height) in settings() → works
  • size(400 + 400, 900 - 300) → works

The Java test suite passes with 194 tests and 0 failures on my local setup.

I would be interested in working on this issue and submitting the corresponding fix.

Would you like to work on the issue?

Yes, I’d like to help with this

Dominant language
Java
Stars
497
Forks
183
Avg merge
4h 39m
Merged PRs (30d)
3

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

More from processing/processing4

All issues in processing/processing4

Similar issues

More Java issues

Get new issues in your inbox

A short digest of beginner-friendly GitHub issues.