#make pdf

A library is a collection of code in a specified format that makes it easy to use within Processing. Libraries have been important to the growth of the project, because they let developers make new features accessible to users without needing to make them part of the core Processing API.

Several core libraries come with Processing. These can be seen in the Libraries section of the online reference (also available from the Help menu from within the PDE.) These libraries can be seen athttp://processing.org/reference/libraries/ One example is the PDF Export library. This library makes it possible to write PDF files directly from Processing. These vector graphics files can be scaled to any size and output at very high resolutions. To use the PDF library in a project, choose Sketch → Import Library → pdf. This will add the following line to the top of the sketch:

import processing.pdf.*;

Java programmers will recognize the import command. In Processing, this line is also used to determine what code is packaged with a sketch when it is exported as an applet or application. Now that the PDF library is imported, you may use it to create a file. For instance, the following line of code creates a new PDF file named lines.pdf that you can draw to.

beginRecord(PDF, "lines.pdf");

Each drawing function such as line() and ellipse() will now draw to the screen as well as to the PDF.

size(400, 400, PDF, "output.pdf");