Knowledge Base

Logging

You can start and stop uLog manually on the test PC. Alternatively, you can start and stop uLog with commands from The Observer XT. If uLog runs on another computer than The Observer XT, you need the program PsExec to send commands from the computer with The Observer XT to the computer with uLog.

Start and Stop uLog Manually

1. Double-click the file uLog.exe in the folder uLog that was created during installation.
2. Optionally, change the folder where uLog saves its log files in the File location field.
3. Optionally, select the check box Minimize to system tray when logging starts. This removes the uLog window from the screen of the test computer when the test starts.
4. Click Start.
5. When the test ends, click the arrow in the bottom right corner of the screen to open the system tray.
6. Double-click the uLog icon.
7. Click Stop.

Import the Log Files into The Observer XT

1. Copy the .odx file from the folder you set in the File location field to the computer with The Observer XT.
2. On the computer with The Observer XT, open the project and then the observation into which you want to import the log file. If you do not have an observation yet, choose File > Import > Observational Data and continue with step 4. The log file is imported as a new observation.
3. Click the Import data button on the tool bar and select Import Observational data.
4. Locate the .odx file and click Import.
5. In the window that appears, select Yes import new coding scheme elements. The log file is now imported as a new event log in the observation.

Synchronization

If you did not start logging at exactly the same time as you started the observation, you need to synchronize the log file with the observation. Do so in the following way:

1. Click the Offset button on the Component tool bar, then choose Numerical Offset. The File Synchronization window appears. This window lists the event log currently open, the video files, and the imported uLog data.
2. Locate the data set (event, video, uLog data) of which you want to change the synchronization point relative to others, and click the Offset cell.
3. Enter the offset value.
   Example: If you started logging two seconds before the Event Log started, enter an offset of -2 for the uLog Event Log.
4. Click Apply.

For more information on synchronizing, see Synchronize data sets in Carry out an Observation in The Observer XT Help.

Start and Stop uLog with The Observer XT

You can send commands from The Observer XT to start uLog when you create a new observation and to start and stop logging automatically when you start and stop an observation. To do so, select uLog.exe as an external program and specify which command you want to use. This program is present in the folder uLog that was created during installation.

The following commands are available:

• No parameter or /E — Starts uLog.
• /R — Starts logging.
/S — Stops logging.
• /X — Closes uLog.

Settings in The Observer XT

1. In The Observer XT, choose Setup > Project Setup.
2. Under Observation Source, select Live Observation. The Devices window opens. If not, click the Devices button.
3. Click the Add External Program button. In the Add External Program window that opens, under Name, type a name for the commands (for viewing purposes only). For example, Control uLog.
4. Select the check box next to New Observation.
5. In the same row, click the ellipsis button and browse to the file uLog.exe.
6. In the same row, leave the space under Command line options empty, or type the command /E in this field. This results in The Observer XT starting uLog when creating a new observation.
7. Select the check box next to Start observation.
8. In the same row, click the ellipsis button and browse to the file uLog.exe.
9. In the same row, under Command line options, type the command /R. This way recording starts when you start an observation in The Observer XT.
10. Select the check box next to Stop observation.
11. In the same row, click the ellipsis button and browse to the file uLog.exe.
12. In the same row, under Command line options, type the command /S. This way recording stops when you stop an observation in The Observer XT.
13. Click OK. A new row Control uLog appears in the Devices window. You can now start observing in The Observer XT. uLog opens when you create a new observation, and logging starts and stops when you start and stop an observation.
14. Import the log file in the observation. See Import the Log Files into The Observer XT for the procedure. If you set the delay correctly in the ms. before fields of the Add External Program window, the uLog events are synchronized with the manually scored events of The Observer XT.

Delay

To assess the delay between the start of the observation and the moment uLog starts logging, define a behavior with a key code. Press this key during the observation in The Observer XT while simultaneously logging with uLog. When you press this key, this event is recorded in The Observer XT and also in the log file. Import the log file into The Observer XT and calculate the offset from the difference between time stamps in milliseconds for this event. Enter this value in the ms. before fields in the Add External Program window.

If you make a video recording of the observation with MediaRecorder as well, make a recording where the camera points at your keyboard. When you press a key for an event, the event is recorded in The Observer XT event log, the video, and in the log file. You can then visualize video and event data to estimate the time difference between the event recorded, the key logged, and the corresponding video footage when the key was pressed. Synchronize the video with the logged events as described in the Synchronization section.

Start and Stop uLog with The Observer XT on Another Computer

If uLog runs on a different computer than The Observer XT, use the program PsExec to send commands from the computer running The Observer XT to the computer running uLog.

Source: EthoVision XT 18 - THC - Trial and Hardware Control, Noldus Information Technology