Programming for Poets 2010-05-06

We began with the"getting started" tutorial

http://processing.org/learning/gettingstarted/

We covered a little about

• coordinate system
• variables
• program flow
• functions

And finished by editing a simple "pong paddle" program:

void setup() {
      // size of our drawing window
      size(400, 400);
      // set the background color to gray
      background(128);
} 

void draw() {
      // draw with a gray border
      stroke(128,128,128);
       // draw over the box we drew last time (at old mouse pos)
      fill(128); // gray
      drawbox(pmouseX,pmouseY);

      fill(255); //white
      // draw the new box at the new mouse position
      drawbox(mouseX,mouseY);
}

// draw a paddle-shaped box at the given coordinates
void drawbox(int x, int y) {
     rect(30,y,10,40);
}

Suggested homework: The position of your pong paddle is controlled by the y variable. Make the color of your paddle change with the x position.

[If you want to learn more about color, this is a *great* explanation: http://processing.org/learning/color/ What happens when you use colorMode(HSB,255)?

Extra credit: make a happy face follow the mouse using the ellipse() and arc() functions. It will help to look up arc() in the reference.