How to setup a Jupyter-notebook with calysto-processing to run in Binder?

Question

I have jupyter-notebook running on my own Mac with the caylsto-processing library plugged in so I can run processing scripts in a notebook in a browser tab. But I am trying to be able to run this all in binder, so that I can share my processing scripts with students during class. I created a Github repository and have it linked to a binder, and the binder builds and launches, but the only kernel available is python 3.

I have read that I can include a bunch of configuration files, but I'm new to these and I don't see any examples that bring in the calysto-processing kernel, so I'm unsure on how to proceed.

Screenshot of my binder with the jupyter-notebook with a processing script - but when you click on kernels, the only kernel it shows is python:

Any help would be appreciated.

Answer 1

Very good question. Ayman suggestion is good.

I've just installed calysto_processing and noticed 3 things are necessary:

1. installing the calysto_processing package via pip,
2. running install on the calysto_processing package.
3. installing Processing.

First point should be easy with requirements.txt.

I'm unsure what the best option is for the second step (maybe a custom setup.py ?).

Step 3 feels the trickiest.

Installing Processing currently isn't supported with apt-get so Dockerfile might be way forward (even through mybinder recommend that only as a last resort).

Let's assume a Dockerfile would contain all the steps to manually download/install processing (and I'm not super experienced with Docker at the moment btw), it will need to be executed which will require a windowing system to render the Processing window. I don't know how well that plays with Docker, sounds like it's getting into virtual machine territory.

That being said, looking at the source code right here:

1. Processing is used only to validate the sketch, and pull syntax errors to display them otherwise.
2. ProcessingJS is used to actually render the processing code in a <canvas/> element within the Jupyter Notebook

I'm not sure what the easiest way to run the current calysto_processing in mybinder as is.

My pragmatic (even hacky if you will) suggestion is to:

1. fork the project and remove the processing-java dependency (which means might loose error checking)
2. install the cloned/tweaked version via pip/requirements.txt (pip can install a package from a github repo)

Update I have tried the above: you can run test kernel here

The source is here and the module is installed from this fork which simply comments out the processing-java part.

In terms of the mybinder configuration it boils down to:

• create a binder folder in the repo containing the notebook
• add requirements.txt which points to the tweaked version of calysto_processing stripped off the processing-java dependency: git+https://github.com/orgicus/calysto_processing.git@hotfix/PJS-only-test
• add postBuild file which runs install on the calysto_processing module: python -m calysto_processing install --user

Notes

• With this workaround java error checking is gone
• Although Processing syntax is used it's execute as javascript and rendered in <canvas/> using ProcessingJS: this means no processing-java libraries, no threads or other java specific features,(buggy or no 3D),etc. just basic Processing drawing sketches
• It might be worth looking at replacing ProcessingJS with p5.js and checking out other JS notebooks ? (e.g. Observable or IJavascript)