Knowledge Base

Operators

Aim

To combine actions, conditions, and sub-rules in various ways.

Examples

• When at least one of two conditions A and B is met, then do something. This is an example of conditions combined by an operator of the Any type (OR logic).
• When two conditions are met at the same time, then do something. This is an example of conditions combined by an operator of the All type (AND logic).
• When at least/at most/exactly 4 of 8 conditions are met, then do something. This is an example of conditions combined by an operator of the N of All type.

Procedure

1. Define the conditions, actions, or rules that you want to combine. Place them in your Trial Control sequence as parallel branches. The connecting arrows must originate from the condition or action that precedes the combination of elements you want to define.
2. In the Components pane under Structures, double-click Operator or click the button next to it.
3. Under Name, enter the operator name or accept the default name Operator (n), where n is a progressive number.
4. Under Operator Triggers When, select the option that applies:
   • Any (at least one) of the inputs is true.
   • All inputs are simultaneously true.
   • N of All inputs are simultaneously true. Specify how many inputs N must be true: = (exactly equal to), ≠ (not equal to), >= (at least), <= (a maximum of), etc.
   An input being true means a condition being met, an action carried out, or a sub-rule finished.
5. Enter a comment (optional) to describe this operator, and click OK.
6. A new Operator box appears in the Trial Control. Place the box to the right of the elements defined in step 1, and connect each element (or ending element, in the case of a sequence) to the operator.
7. Connect the operator to the next element that should be activated.

Notes

• Instead of using multiple condition boxes, you can also combine conditions with Multi Condition. For details, see the EthoVision XT 19 Trial and Hardware Control Reference Manual.
• If the Add an Operator window appears, it means that there is at least one operator of the same type in your experiment. For more information, see Re-Use Trial Control Elements.
• Names of operators must be unique in your experiment. You cannot define two operators with the same operator name.
• An operator can also have just one input box. In that case the operator is of no use, because control passes immediately to the next box as soon as the input condition becomes true or the input action is carried out. EthoVision informs you about this.

Re-Use Trial Control Elements

Aim

To create a Trial Control element without starting from scratch. All elements of Trial Control (conditions, actions, operators, sub-rules, and sub-rule references) defined in other Trial Control Settings can be duplicated and re-used in your current Trial Control Settings.

Procedures

Re-Use a Trial Control Element (General)

Use this procedure to create a Trial Control element from an existing one, even when it is stored in another Trial Control Settings profile.

1. Click the button next to the element you want to create.
2. The Add window appears. Select Reuse an Existing Condition/Action and select the name of the existing element from the list next to the option. From the second list, choose the Trial Control Settings profile that contains the element you want to re-use.
3. Click OK.
4. A window appears for the type of element chosen. The name and settings specified here are the same as in the element chosen in step 2.
   • To create an identical copy of the element, click OK and go to step 5.
   • In all other cases, edit the settings and click OK, then go to the next step.
5. Insert the resulting box in the Trial Control sequence.

Copy and Paste a Trial Control Element

Use this procedure to quickly copy one or more Trial Control elements visible on the screen. This applies to actions, conditions, operators, and references to sub-rules. See Copy and Paste a Box.

Notes

• To duplicate an entire Trial Control procedure, in the Experiment Explorer under Trial Control Settings, right-click the profile and select Duplicate.
• When you duplicate a Trial Control element and change any settings of the new element, including name and comment, a window appears showing two options:
  • Apply the new settings only in the current trial control profile. Choose this option to apply the settings only to the new copy.
  • Apply the new settings in all writable Trial Control profiles. Choose this option to extend those changes to the original elements in all Trial Control Settings that are writable, meaning not locked after acquisition.

Working with Trial Control Boxes

Create a New Box

Click the button that applies in the Components pane.

Copy and Paste a Box

You can create duplicates of one or more Trial Control boxes. This makes it easier to create procedures with similar actions and conditions.

1. Click the box you want to copy. To select multiple boxes, click and drag the mouse around them.
2. Choose Edit > Copy, or right-click anywhere and choose Copy, or press Ctrl+C.
3. When necessary, open the Trial Control Settings where you want to insert the new boxes.
4. Choose Edit > Paste, or right-click anywhere and select Paste, or press Ctrl+V.

Notes

• The name of the new Trial Control box is the same as that of the original one, followed by (2), (3), etc.
• You cannot copy and paste a sub-rule, only the actions and conditions within it.

Move a Box

1. Hover the mouse over the margin or the colored area of the box. The mouse cursor changes to a four-headed arrow.
2. Drag the box to the position you require.

To move a group of boxes:

1. Draw a rectangle around the boxes you want to move, or click the boxes you want to select while holding the Ctrl key. The selected boxes get a gray, dark border.
2. Hover the mouse over the margin or the colored area of one of the selected boxes. The mouse cursor changes to a four-headed arrow.
3. Drag the group of boxes to the position you require.

Insert a Box in a Trial Control Sequence

1. Drag the Trial Control box between two boxes until the connecting arrow turns white.