DropDown element

Action commands

• dropdown.add
• dropdown.callback
• dropdown.log
• dropdown.once
• dropdown.remove
• dropdown.select
• dropdown.shuffle
• dropdown.wait

Test commands

• dropdown.test.selected

description

Represents a drop-down list.

syntax

newDropDown(ELEMENT_NAME: string, DEFAULT_TEXT: string)

• ELEMENT_NAME: The name of the newly-created element.
• DEFAULT_TEXT : represents default text displayed

note(s)

since

PennController 1.2

---

example(s)

+ By default, a **DropDown** element does not have any options. To add options, use the command `dropdown.add`. + The "DEFAULT_TEXT" string parameter does not create a drop-down list option.

newTrial("option-1",
    newText("like", "I like ")
    ,
    newDropDown("fruits", "(select a fruit)")
        .add("apples", "bananas", "oranges")
        .before(getText("like"))
        .print()
)

newTrial("option-2",
    newDropDown("fruits", "(select a fruit)")
        .add("apples", "bananas", "oranges")
    ,
    newText("like", "I like ")
        .after(getDropDown("fruits"))
        .print()
)

---

Action commands

dropdown.add

syntax

.add()

description

Adds an option, or several options to the drop-down list.

example

click to expand

@newDropDown("language" , "First language")
$    .add( "English" , "French" , "Tagalog" )
@    .print()

• Creates a drop-down list with default text First language and adds three options to it: English, French and Tagalog, then prints the list onto the page.

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dropdown.callback

syntax

.callback()

description

Will execute the command(s) whenever an option is selected from the drop-down list.

example

click to expand

@newText("The weather is")
@    .after( newDropDown("temp","...").add("cold","warm","hot") )
@    .after( newText("implicature", "implies that the weather is ...") )
@    .print()
@,
@getDropDown("temp")
@$   .callback(
$        getDropDown("temp")
$            .test.selected("warm").success( 
$                getText("implicature").text("implicates that the weather is not hot") 
$            )
$            .test.selected("hot").success( 
$                getText("implicature").text("implies that the weather is not cold") 
$            )
$            .test.selected("cold").success( 
$                getText("implicature").text("implies that the weather is not even warm") 
$            )
@    )

• Prints The weather is … implies that the weather is … onto the page, where the first occurrence of … is a drop-down list containing the options cold, warm and hot. Upon selection of the option, the continuation will be modified accordingly to the selected option.

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dropdown.log

syntax

.log()

description

Will add a line to the results file for the current trial reporting what option was selected.

example

click to expand

@newDropDown("language" , "First language")
@    .add( "English" , "French" , "Tagalog" )
@    .print()
@    .log()

• Adds a line for the value selected from the dropdown at the end of the trial.

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dropdown.once

syntax

.once()

description

Will disable the DropDown element after selection occurs.

example

click to expand

@newText("I saw Erika talk to Nate.")
$    .after( newDropDown("").add("He","She").once() )
@    .after( newText("seemed anxious.") )
@    .print()

• Prints I saw Erika talk to Nate. _ seemed nervous* onto the page, where *_ is a drop-down list containing the options He and She. The command .once makes the selection of He or She definitive.

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dropdown.remove

syntax

.remove()

description

Removes a single option from the list. Nothing happens if the option passed as an argument is in fact not in the list.

example

click to expand

@newDropDown("value" , "Truth value")
@    .add( "True" , "False" )
@    .print()
@,
@newScale("logic",  "Binary","Three-valued")
@    .default("Binary")
@    .before( newText("Logic: ") )
@    .labelsPosition("right")
@    .callback(
@        getScale("logic")
@            .test.selected("Three-valued")
@            .success( 
@                getDropDown("value")
@                    .add("Other") 
@            )
@            .failure( 
@                getDropDown("value")
$                    .remove("Other") 
@            )
@    )
@    .print()

• Creates a drop-down list with two options, True and False, and prints it onto the page. Then creates a Scale element with two options, Binary and Three-value, the former being selected by default, preceded with the text Logic:. Whenever a value gets selected on the Scale, a test checks whether the selected value corresponds to Three-valued and, if so, it adds the option Other to the drop-down list, or removes it from the list otherwise.

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dropdown.select

syntax

.select()

description

Selects an option in the drop-down list. Nothing happens if the option passed as an argument does not exist.

example

click to expand

@newDropDown("warmth", "")
@    .add("hot", "lukewarm", "cold")
$    .select( "lukewarm" )
@,
@newText("Spring in Colorado is ")
@    .after( getDropDown("warmth") )
@    .print()

• Creates a drop-down list containing the options hot, lukewarm and cold, selects the option lukewarm and adds the list to the right of the text Spring in Colorado is, then prints everything onto the page.

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dropdown.shuffle

syntax

.shuffle()

description

Shuffles the options that have been added to the DropDown so far. If you call shuffle before settings.add then it will have no effect.

example

click to expand

@newDropDown("warmth", "")
@    .add("hot", "lukewarm", "cold")
$    .shuffle()
@,
@newText("Spring in Colorado is ")
@    .after( getDropDown("warmth") )
@    .print()
@,
@getDropDown("warmth")
@    .wait()

• Creates a drop-down list containing the options hot, lukewarm and cold, shuffles them, adds the drop-down list to the right of the text Spring in Colorado is and prints everything onto the page, then waits until an option is selected from the drop-down list before proceeding.

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dropdown.wait

syntax

.wait()

description

Waits until an option is selected from the drop-down list before proceeding.

example

click to expand

@newText("I want ")
@    .after( newDropDown("what", "").add("candy","to break free") )
@    .print()
@,
@newTimer("read", 2000)
@    .start()
@    .wait()
@,
@getDropDown("what")
@    .wait("first")

• Prints the text I want and, to its right, a drop-down list containing candy and to break free onto the page, then waits 2s and waits until an option is selected before proceeding. Since wait was called with the argument "first", execution will immediately proceed at the end of the 2s timer if an option was selected in the meantime, or it will wait for a selection to happen is no option has been selected at the end of the 2s timer.

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---

---

Test commands

dropdown.test.selected

syntax

.test.selected()

description

Tests whether an option is selected. If you pass no option as an argument, then the test will succeed as long as any option is selected.

example

click to expand

@newDropDown("adjective", "")
@    .add( "hot"  , "lukewarm" , "cold" )
@    .shuffle()
@    .print()
@    .wait()
@,
@getDropDown("adjective")
$    .test.selected( 1 )
$    .success(
$        newText("You selected the middle option (index-based).")
$            .print()
$    )
$    .failure(
$        getDropDown("adjective")
$            .test.selected( "lukewarm" )
$            .success(
$                newText("You selected the middle option (scale-based)")
$                    .print()
$            )
$    )

• Creates a drop-down list with three options, hot, lukewarm and cold, shuffles the options, prints the list and waits until an option is selected before proceeding. After an option is selected, tests whether the option at index 1 was selected and, if so, will print You selected the middle option (index-based), otherwise will test whether the option lukewarm was selected and, if so, will print You selected the middle option (scale-based).

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