Must relaunch Processing 4.0 to connect to controller

[stigmollerhansen]

The library is working as intended on the first launch of a sketch. The controller is identified and all knobs and pads are responsive. However, on subsequent launches of the same sketch, it just hangs and shows the spinning pinwheel. The only way to reconnect to the controller is to quit and relaunch Processing and run the sketch again (but as described it only works on the first launch).

I'm no Java whizz but it seems like Processing isn't properly disposing of the controller connection upon sketch close-down. Maybe the issue isn't related to the pLaunchController library but rather OSX or the Java VM?

BTW thanks for putting this library together and sharing it. It's immensely useful to me.

• Processing 4.0.1
• Mac 12.4 (Monterey)
• MacBook Pro (2019, 2,6 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i7, 16 GB 2400 MHz DDR4, Intel UHD Graphics 630 1536 MB)

[haschdl]

Thanks for reporting @stigmollerhansen , I will take a look!

[haschdl]

hi @stigmollerhansen I need some more info as I wasn't able to reproduce the bug. Does it happen to you also when you running one of the examples? For example "LaunchControlDemo" example. If not, would you be able to share an example sketch?

[stigmollerhansen]

"LaunchControlDemo" ran several times in a row. Then the unresponsiveness error suddenly happened. I noted that when I tried different USB ports on my MacBook that the error appeared seemingly at random. Upon further investigation, I suspect either my Mac or my multi-hub is causing the problem. I'll run a few more tests to see if I can detect a pattern and report back. Thanks for your swift response :)

[haschdl]

@stigmollerhansen I did some tests and there is at least one improvement I can implement, which is to properly close the MIDI connections and dispose of the resources used in the sketch. While this might not solve the problem entirely, it is still necessary.
I did some tests locally and my change works if you terminate the sketch by pressing ESC or the close button x on the window Of the running sketch. It does not work however if you press the Stop button inside the Processing tool AKA PDE.

There is an open bug that describes the error, I'm just mentioning here for future reference: processing/processing4#631

Until that bug is fixed, and as soon I release my update, it will be necessary to close the sketch by pressing ESC or hitting the close button. Pressing STOP will not trigger the code that terminates the MIDI connection.

I will drop another comment once the release is ready.

[stigmollerhansen]

Thank you @haschdl! Much appreciated.

[haschdl]

Hello @stigmollerhansen ! A new version of the library is available that should at least reduce the frequency of the error.
You should be able to update it from the Processing environment, as you normally do with libraries.

The new version is 2.1.0

The important part about avoiding the error is to always close the running sketch by pressing ESC or close the window on the X sign. Unfortunately pressing STOP in Processing will not properly close the library and should be avoided.

I will wait for an update from your end before I close this issue.

[stigmollerhansen]

Thank you, @haschdl! I have just installed it. I'll test it for a couple of days and report back.

[stigmollerhansen]

I've tested the new version of the library for a couple of days now. Most sketches seem to run fine, but on some, the problem persists. I think I have tracked it down to the renderer. Sketches using JAVA2D/P2D run fine, but switching to P3D causes the sketch to halt and never launch. The code below consistently leads to a stalled sketch:

import pLaunchControl.*;

LaunchControl controller;

void setup() {
  size(200, 200, P3D); // try switching renderer to JAVA2D and P2D
  try {
    controller = new LaunchControl(this, true);
  }
  catch(Exception e) {
    // Handle errors here
  }
}

void draw() {
  println(controller.getKnob(0).value());
}

[haschdl]

@stigmollerhansen good detective work! I must admit I haven't tested enough with P3D, I will take a look. Thanks again for getting back to me