Knowledge Base

Problem

After running a behavioral experiment, the user is unable to reopen the experiment file in EthoVision. An error message appears when attempting to open the file, but clicking OK still allows access to the data.

Details

The root cause is the presence of spaces or special characters in the experiment file name or folder path. EthoVision may fail to parse the path correctly, producing an error on open. Clicking through the error typically allows the experiment to load, but the issue will recur. Applies to multiple EthoVision XT versions.

Solution

1. When the error appears on opening the experiment file, click 'OK' to dismiss it. The experiment data should still be accessible and usable.
2. To permanently resolve the issue, rename the experiment file and all parent folder names to remove spaces and special characters. Use underscores or hyphens instead (e.g., 'GridWalk_Experiment_1' instead of 'Grid Walk Experiment 1').
3. If the experiment is already open after clicking OK, use File → Save As to save a copy with a corrected file name.
4. As a best practice, always name EthoVision experiment files and folders using only alphanumeric characters, underscores, and hyphens to avoid future open errors.