Enhancement: Add precise frame control to py5_tool.animated_gif

[hx2A]

The py5_tool.animated_gif feature is great, but I miss from the gifAnimation library that I used with Processing Java/Python mode the "fine control" of choosing to add frames in some circumstances...

from py5_tools import animated_gif

n = 10

def setup():
    size(500, 500)
    no_stroke()
    frame_rate(16)
    # filename, number of frames, sample interval, frame duration in gif
    animated_gif('test.gif', n, 0.05, 1)
        
def draw():
    background(100)
    fill(255)
    text_size(40)
    text(frame_count, 200, 200)
    
    
    if frame_count > n + 5:
        exit_sketch()

When making small loops the "time control" afforded by animated_gif doesn't seem helpful. I then usually export all frames (or every odd frame) and generate the animation elsewhere. Am I missing somethig?

A lazy idea... could we have animated_gif_from_frames(filename, list_of_frames, duration)?

Originally posted by @villares in #349

[hx2A]

I started working on this and basically have it working.

I also should add this feature to py5_tools.capture_frames(). It shares code with the animated gif feature so I might as well include it.

https://py5coding.org/reference/py5tools_capture_frames.html

The function signatures of both will change a bit as a result.

[hx2A]

@villares , here's what the new functions look like:

http://dev.py5coding.org/reference/py5tools_capture_frames.html
http://dev.py5coding.org/reference/py5tools_animated_gif.html

This is a breaking change because some of the parameters are now keyword only.

[villares]

Great!

Check out this example, please: https://github.com/py5coding/py5examples/blob/main/notebooks/Simple%20py5%20Examples.ipynb

I'm going to hunt my sketch-a-day sketches that use animated_gif.

[hx2A]

Great!

Check out this example, please: https://github.com/py5coding/py5examples/blob/main/notebooks/Simple%20py5%20Examples.ipynb

After this release, that example won't work. The first parameter is fine but the last three will need to be keyword arguments:

py5_tools.animated_gif('images/test.gif', count=10, period=1, duration=1)

You should be able to use the keywords now and then you don't have to worry about stuff breaking when the release happens.

[villares]

Yeah, this is what I was thinking, "retrofitting" my previous sketches with keyword arguments.

[villares]

I hate regex, but I think this worked fine. I used regexxer, a helper to find and replace stuff on multiple files, for those less well versed with the traditional CLI regex workflow.

[hx2A]

I hate regex, but I think this worked fine. I used regexxer, a helper to find and replace stuff on multiple files, for those less well versed with the traditional CLI regex workflow.

Good choice!

Nobody likes regex at first. The only way to learn to like regex is to use it frequently enough that you get good at it. I try to seek out opportunities to use regex so I can continue build my ability to use regex.