Snap does not have the commandline `processing-java` available

[berkes]

Most appropriate sub-area of Processing 4?

Other (specify if possible)

Processing version

4.4.1

Operating system

Linux Ubuntu 24.04.2 LTS x86_64

Steps to reproduce this

1. Install from source. See a binary called /path/to/source/processing-java. Run this binary with --help. It will show help, starting with

Command line edition for Processing 1295 (Java Mode)

(version will differ)

2. Now remove it and instead use the new snap to install. Run snap info processing

name:      processing
summary:   A friendly software sketchbook
....
commands:
  - processing

Notice there is no processing-java.

running snap run processing --help launches the GUI an shows an error on the terminal, that --help is not recognized.

Expected behaviour:

snap run processing-java

To run the CLI mode. E.g.

snap run processing-java --sketch /path/to/SomeSketch --run

To compile and run a sketch.

Offering the CLI in a separate snap would be fine as well.

snippet

Not applicable

Additional context

No response

Would you like to work on the issue?

No - I am unfamiliar with the build process of Processing, Gradle, Java

[Stefterv]

Hey @berkes Thank you for raising this issue!

As we migrated to the Gradle build system in #888 we didn't catch the use of processing-java in the betas. I just took a look and our snap configuration does not allow us to replicate the processing-java command directly (only processing.processing-java).

So we have two options, either we publish a secondary package on snap called processing-java which would require you to install processing-java separately. Or we roll this functionality directly into the PDE (which I am more in favour of) so we could replace $ processing-java with $ processing -cli for example

[berkes]

If it helps: As a snap user, I won't really mind installing a second snap, but since that means a rather big lot of duplication of overhead. i.e. some 430M of storage extra, I'd slightly prefer it to be in the one snap package.

[Stefterv]

Hey @berkes 4.4.3 adds processing cli as a replacement for processing-java on Linux