Remove -Dsun.java2d.uiScale.enabled=false on Windows

[processing-bot]

Created by: benfry

As I understand it, setting -Dsun.java2d.uiScale.enabled is a sort of hack/workaround to avoid making code HiDPI compliant. I tried shutting it off in alpha 5 and 6, but we ran into issues like #226, especially with fractional sizes. (Another report, not submitted here, was that the UI looked dreadful/blocky at 125% after this flag was removed.)

So the flag has been re-enabled for alpha 7 beta 1 with 383b4b8

This isn't a new problem, and requires some work to fix properly, even for a project like IntelliJ (who, unlike us, has a paid team of engineers working on these things) https://intellij-support.jetbrains.com/hc/en-us/articles/115001260010-Troubleshooting-IDE-scaling-DPI-issues-on-Windows

I haven't enough time to really dig into this on Windows, so as with so many things, PRs and fixes welcome.

[processing-bot]

Created by: soprano

There is currently no alpha 7 and this is not fixed in 4.0b1.

[processing-bot]

Created by: benfry

Edited my text to indicate strike out alpha 7 and replace with beta 1. The issue will remain open until it's fixed or otherwise resolved.

[processing-bot]

Created by: tristanbay

Is there a way to set the flag back to true in the meantime without having to rebuild the IDE so that I don't have to override the high DPI setting so the UI won't break? The override makes it huge. (I use a 1080p laptop, but since it's 15.6", I still have my Windows UI scaling set to 140%)

[processing-bot]

Created by: benfry

Offhand, you might try grabbing the processing.exe from the alpha where it worked; that may be the only change in its config.

[processing-bot]

Created by: tristanbay

Offhand, you might try grabbing the processing.exe from the alpha where it worked; that may be the only change in its config.

So you're saying I should downgrade to 4.0 alpha 4, where the UI scaling issues don't occur?

[processing-bot]

Created by: benfry

No, just replace the processing.exe file in the beta 2 folder with the one from the alpha 4 folder. (And let me know if that works.)

[processing-bot]

Created by: tristanbay

No, just replace the processing.exe file in the beta 2 folder with the one from the alpha 4 folder. (And let me know if that works.)

I replaced both processing.exe and processing-java.exe with the ones from 4.0a4 and it seems to have fixed/mostly fixed the issue (i.e. the stop, start, and debug buttons are still a bit blurry and pixel-y when changing the internal UI scaling beyond 100% but everything else is fine).

I also wanted to mention that I modified the theme.txt file in the lib folder of the program file directory to make the UI colors a bit easier on the eyes and to add a little bit of consistency between a couple of the elements. I still think it needs one or more minor changes from what I have so far but if you could point me to where I should submit it so that other contributors/devs can consider adding the changes I made to the theme into an official download for a later version of Processing, that would be great.

Thank you for your help!

[processing-bot]

Created by: benfry

Adding a “Disable HiDPI Scaling” option in Preferences for 4.0 beta 3. It's a temporary solution, but resolves the immediate issue for now.

Further development for a better long-term solution will be covered here: #342

[processing-bot]

Created by: github-actions[bot]

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