FAQs
What does (PennController.) mean?
By default, all PennController commands begin with the prefix PennController. in order to avoid naming conflicts with other JavaScript modules. For example, PennController.newTrial is a global command that creates a trial. In addition, the newX() and getX() functions have the prefix PennController.Elements.
The global command PennController.ResetPrefix(null) removes the PennController.(Elements.) prefix for all subsequent calls of a global command and instances of a newX() or getX() function. You can also pass a string instead of null, which resets the prefix to the given string.
What does getX() mean?
getX() is a function that refers back to an element that has been created with the corresponding newX() command. For example, getButton("Next") will refer back to a previously-created element named “Next” (eg. newButton("Next")) so you can call commands that will apply to that element.
In the documentation, we sometimes use getX() before a command to mean that that command applies to a specific element type, as in getButton(NAME).click(), which means that the click command is meant to be called on a Button element. Each command can be used directly on newX() or on getX() for the same X.
Is X.wait a standard element command?
There is no standard .wait command in the sense that some element types (like Text elements for example) do not have a .wait command defined, and trying to call getText(NAME).wait() might cause your experiment to crash. However, the .wait command is defined for all interactive element types, as listed below. Note that the specific effect of the .wait command will depend on the element type (on a Button element, it will hold the script until a click on the button; on an Audio element, it will hold the script until the audio stops playing).