1.0.3 • MIT • package • repository

Turtletoy

Run Turtletoy turtle graphics code in the browser or Node.js. Turtletoy is an online platform where you can create generative art using a minimalistic JavaScript Turtle graphics API.

Demo

This is a build from the repository's example/ directory.

Example output

Installation

npm install turtletoy

Basic Usage

import { turtleDraw } from 'turtletoy';

const { canvas } = turtleDraw(() => {
  Canvas.setpenopacity(1);

  const turtle = new Turtle();
  turtle.penup();
  turtle.goto(-50, -20);
  turtle.pendown();

  // Return the walk function
  return (i) => {
    turtle.forward(100);
    turtle.right(144);
    return i < 4;
  };
});

// Add canvas to your page
document.body.appendChild(canvas);

⚠️ Important: Syntax Difference from Turtletoy.net

This package uses slightly different syntax than the code on turtletoy.net to ensure compatibility with modern build tools and minification.

If you use a walk function (for animated/iterative drawing), the syntax differs:

On turtletoy.net

function walk(i) {
  turtle.forward(100);
  return i < 4;
}

With this package

return (i) => {
  turtle.forward(100);
  return i < 4;
};

Key difference: Instead of defining a walk function, you must return the walk function at the end of your code. This is necessary for the code to work correctly when bundled and minified.

Note: The walk function is optional. If you don't need iterative drawing, simply don't return anything.

API

turtleDraw(code, options)

Executes Turtletoy code and returns a canvas with the drawing.

Parameters:

  • code: String or function containing Turtletoy code
  • options: Optional configuration object

Options:

  • htmlcanvas?: HTMLCanvasElement | OffscreenCanvas - Use a custom canvas
  • raf?: boolean - Use requestAnimationFrame for smooth rendering (default: false)
  • maxSteps?: number - Maximum walk iterations (default: 100,000)
  • onStepError?: (error: unknown, step: number) => void - Error handler for walk function
  • onDrawLine?: (x1: number, y1: number, x2: number, y2: number) => void - Custom line drawing callback. When provided, no canvas is created and coordinates are in turtle world space (-100 to 100)

Returns:

{
  canvas: HTMLCanvasElement | OffscreenCanvas | null,  // null when using onDrawLine
  stop: () => void  // Stop rendering
}

Examples

Animated rendering

const { canvas, stop } = turtleDraw(myCode, { 
  raf: true  // Smooth frame-by-frame rendering
});

Custom canvas

const myCanvas = document.createElement('canvas');
turtleDraw(myCode, { htmlcanvas: myCanvas });

Error handling

turtleDraw(myCode, {
  onStepError: (error, step) => {
    console.error(`Error at step ${step}:`, error);
  }
});

Custom line drawing

Use onDrawLine to intercept line drawing without using a canvas:

const lines = [];
turtleDraw(myCode, {
  onDrawLine: (x1, y1, x2, y2) => {
    // Coordinates are in turtle world space (-100 to 100)
    lines.push({ x1, y1, x2, y2 });
  }
});
// Process lines array for SVG, WebGL, etc.

Turtletoy API

The full Turtletoy API documentation is available at turtletoy.net/syntax.

Key features:

  • Turtle methods: forward(), backward(), left(), right(), goto(), circle()
  • Pen control: penup(), pendown(), setpenopacity()
  • Coordinate system: -100 to 100 in both x and y
  • Output: 2048×2048 canvas

License

MIT License. See LICENSE for details.