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noLoop and loop

noLoop() is a p5.js function that enables us to stop executing the code written inside the draw() function. 

While noLoop() is called events inside the draw such as mousePressed() will not function.

After noLoop() we can use loop() in order for the code inside the draw to start executing again.

Example 

Here is an example code which uses both noLoop() and loop(). We will use as base the motion example of the submodule 8.2: 

// create a variable to control the direction of the ellipse
let control = false;
// make ellipse starting from the left end of the canvas
let i=30;
function setup() {
  // create canvas
  createCanvas(800,500);
  // set background color
  background('#31bc33');
}
function draw () {
  // when ellipse is in the left edge, control would be/become false
  if (i==30) {
    control = false;
  }
  // if ellipse is inside the canvas width (we substract 30 which is the radius
  // of our ellipse) and control is false
  if (i<(width-30) && control==false){
    i++
    // increase its x position (ellipse moves in the right direction)
    ellipse(i,height/2,60);
  }
  else {
    // else control will change to true
    control = true;
    // decrease its x position (ellipse moves in the left direction)
    i--;
    ellipse(i,height/2,60);
  }
}
// make the ellipse stop when the user clicks the mouse
function mousePressed() {
  noLoop();
}
// make the ellipse continue moving when user releases the mouse
function mouseReleased() {
  loop();
}

You can see the result of the above code here

Exercise

  1. Open your Visual Studio editor and the p5yourName folder.
  2. Open the file ex812.js in your editor and save it as ex921.js
  3. Open the file ex812.html in your editor and save it as ex921.html
  4. In the ex921.html file, update the link to ex921.js  from exersice812.js
  5. Go to the index.html file and create, under Module 9, a link to the ex921.html  file with the title "noLoop and loop".

Modify the ex921.jsfile to create an ellipse that moves on a circle and stops when the user clicks the mouse. You can see here an example.

Answer:

// initial x and y positions of the circular movement
let x0= 100;
let y0= 100;
// this variable is used to make the ellipse moving
let t = 0;
function setup() {
  // make a canvas that's 800x600 pixels
  createCanvas(800, 500);
}
function draw() {
  // set background color
  background('#D66761');
  // write the appropiate equations for x and y to make the ellipse moving circular
  let xMove = (width/2) + x0*sin(2*PI*t);
  let yMove = (height / 2) + y0*cos(2*PI*t);
  // create the ellipse
  ellipse(xMove, yMove, 20, 20);
  // increase the value of t and thus make the ellipse moving
  t += 0.01;
}
// make the ellipse stop moving when the user presses the mouse
function mousePressed() {
  noLoop();
}
// make the ellipse continue moving when user releases the mouse
function mouseReleased() {
  loop();
}

Do a Git commit with the message "noLoop and loop".

  • See more about the noLoop() function
  • See more about the loop() function
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