API

• Core
  • Overview
  • API
    • Settings
      • canvas
      • injectStyle
      • onPreTask
      • onEnd
      • title
      • preloadImages
      • skip
      • skin
      • logger
    • Tasks
      • Quest
      • Message
      • Post
    • Inheritance
    • Custom tasks
      • Plugging in
      • Activator function
      • Custom Task Example
    • Project Implicit Build
      • logger.url
      • mTurk
  • Playground
• Tasks
  • Messages
  • Post
  • Redirect
• Examples
  • Weight experiment
  • Displaying Video

The miManager is responsible for managing several piTasks sequentially. It uses the same API used throughout Minno tasks.

Settings

Settings allow you to control the generic way that the player works. Change the settings using the addSettings function. The first argument to the function is always the name of the setting, the second argument is the setting values. In case the setting is an object, subsequent objects will extend each other so that settings may be progressively added. All the functions within settings are invoked using angular. This means that you have access to any service you like, as well as some specific assets. In order to access the services simply use arguments with the appropriate name. For instance, this is how you would access $rootScope:

function onEnd($rootScope){
    $rootScope.$emit('end!!');
}

canvas

canvas takes an object that describes the style of the task environment. Each property of the object changes a different style element.

API.addSettings('canvas', {
    fontSize: '2em'
});

In case you need to fine tune the styles even further you can add css rules into the raw HTML. Support for dynamically adding CSS is planned but not yet supported.

injectStyle

Injects a string of css into the page.

API.addSettings('injectStyle', '[pi-quest] label {font-size:1.2em; font-weight:normal;}');

onPreTask

onPreTask is a function to be called before each task is called.

API.addSettings('onPreTask', function(currentTask){
    doSomethingWith(currentTask);
});

onEnd

onEnd is a function to be called as soon as the task sequence ends.

API.addSettings('onEnd', function(){
    // Do something: for instance, redirect to 'my/url.html'
    location.href = 'my/url.html';
});

title

title is a string to be used as the page title (the name displayed on the tag).

API.addSettings('title', 'My Manager Title');

preloadImages

Accepts an array of image urls to preload. The manager will not wait until all images are loaded, but it will make images displayed later in the manager sequence be displayed significantly faster.

API.addSettings('preloadImages', ['my/image/url/imageName.png', 'my/other/url/otherImage.jpg']);

skip

Whether to activate the skip and refresh option. If activated, clicking ctrl r reloads the current task (this feature may not be supported on older browsers), clicking escape and then the right or left arrows skips to the next or previous tasks.

API.addSettings('skip', true);

skin

Add a skin to your project. Skins change the way that your tasks look. Currently the only skins that we support are simple and demo.

API.addSettings('skin', 'demo');

Tasks

The basic unit in miManager is the task. The manager currently supports several types of tasks; quest, message and post. You should just cue them into the sequence (you can use mixers to your hearts content as well).

quest

message

Post

postCsv

This task posts all data gathered by your study as a csv to a given url.

Each log will be logged to a separate row. Each property will have a separate column. Each row has a unique column called taskName that holds the appropriate task name.

{type:'postCsv', url:'csv.php'}

When using this setting, make sure set logger.url to null in your individual tasks, or else they will attempt to post individually in addition to your csv post.

You may want to use this task in conjection with the csv simple server.

Inheritance

miManager uses the same inheritance system used by miQuest. It has one type of set: the task set. In order to create task sets use addTasksSet(set, list).

Custom tasks

The miManager allows the creation of custom tasks. The format is fairly simple though you probably need at least some experience with programing for it.

Plugging in

miManager manages the task sequence for you as well as loading the task script (if needed). There are several ways to plug a new task into miManager, the all involve passing the activator function to the manager in various ways.

1. You can pass the activator function as a script.
2. You can pass it as the play property of the script object ().
3. You can set it into the taskActivateProvider using taskActivateProvider.set(taskName, activatorFunction) during the configuration stage of the angular flow (This is worth the trouble mainly if you intend to use this task many times).

Activator function

The activator function is the function that is responsible for the activation of your task as well as for the communication with miManager.

It should:

• Run your task (just do whatever you like).
• Return a function that may be used to force the end of the task.
• Call the done function whenever it is done.

The activator function is invoked using angular dependency injection, so you can use any of the angular annotation methods to get dependencies.

The following dependencies are supported (as well as all standard angular services):

Custom Task Example

The following script will display a messages to the user and proceed to the next task after 5 seconds:

// the define wrapper
define(function(){
    // the script object being returned
    return {
        // custom script content
        content: 'Hi there, I\'m your custom message',

        // the activator function uses three dependencie
        play: function activator(done, script, $element){
            var timeoutId = setTimeout(done, 5000);
            $element.html(script.content);

            // will be called at the end of the task to clean things up
            // (whether the end is forced or triggered by 'done')
            return function clear(){
                clearTimeout(timeoutId);
                $element.empty();           
            };
        }
    };
});

In order to use it all you have to do is point the task to the correct url:

var taskElement = {scriptUrl:'path/to/script'};

Project Implicit Build

logger.url

The project implicit build logs the movement from each task to the next. By default advancement is logged to /implicit/PiManager, if you want to change the default behaviour you should change settings.logger.url.

API.addSettings('logger', {
    url: '/my/url'
});

mTurk

The project implicit build has a feature for integration with mTurk. All you have to do is add The following code to your project, replacing the <id#> tags with the appropriate data of course. The player will redirect the users back to mTurk immediately after the final task in the manager (as defined by the last property). Setting the isProduction property allows you to switch between the development and production urls for mTurk.

API.addGlobal({
    $mTurk: {
        assignmentId:'<id#>',
        hitId:'<id#>',
        workerId:'<id#>',
        isProduction: true
    }
});