Specifying output data file location?

Thu Jan 21 21:08:23 UTC 2010

Indeed, this has been discussed several times, which you can see if 
you run a search using terms like "data folder".  Back in the days of 
EP1 we could use something like Paul Groot's E-Kick tool to provide 
this functionality, but since EP2 now very unhelpfully bin.base64 
encodes the .ebs2 files we can no longer do such things, and PST, 
once again unhelpfully, has not yet provided an alternative (yet 
again, see discussion thread at 
http://support.pstnet.com/forum/Topic696-12-2.aspx
  ).

As discussed below, the StartupInfo file facility promises the answer 
for EP2.  This was announced at least as far back as Oct 2007 (see 
http://support.pstnet.com/forum/Topic609-6-1.aspx ), but no details 
have been forthcoming since then.  I myself have a Web Support 
request about this very issue going back to Dec 2008, at which time 
Matt said that the StartupInfo file would "be available in an 
upcoming build" when a public editor became available (a "public 
editor"!?  why not just use a plain old text file that we can view 
and edit as we like??), and that he would notify me when this 
happened.  Over a year later, and I have not seen any such 
notice.  Perhaps it's time for me to update my support request.

Once again PST shows its prediliction for breaking things that 
already work, and promising new things that they cannot 
deliver.  IOW, PST has become the Microsoft of behavioral research.

-- David McFarlane, Professional Faultfinder

At 1/20/2010 09:53 AM Wednesday, liwenna wrote:
>Hey Liza (and hoi Rinus)!
>
>The matter doesn't quite let me go... Do ask PST about it. I will
>guess that they will answer that this will be possible trough a new
>graphical interface that is yet (still) to be implemented and will
>allow users to modify external startup info properties (aka the
>startup info manager). I found mentions of this nifty device as way
>back as 2007.
>
>Some of the 'infrastructure' for this manager is allready in place
>though. In the end of any 2.0 script you should be able to find these
>lines:
>
>************
>         ' Set the Filenames for the data files
>         Dim strFilenameRecovery As String
>         Dim strFilenameEDAT As String
>
>         'If the attribute DataFile.Filename.Override exists
>         '  then use it for the .txt and .edat filenames
>         If c.AttribExists("DataFile.Filename.Override") Then
>
>                 ' Set the default Data Filename
>                 strFilenameRecovery = CStr(c.GetAttrib
>("DataFile.Filename.Override")) & ".txt"
>                 strFilenameEDAT = 
> CStr(c.GetAttrib("DataFile.Filename.Override")) &
>".edat"
>
>         Else
>
>                 ' Set the default Data Filename
>                 strFilenameRecovery = 
> CStr(c.GetAttrib("Experiment")) & "-" & CStr
>(c.GetAttrib("Subject")) & "-" & CStr(c.GetAttrib("Session")) & ".txt"
>                 strFilenameEDAT = CStr(c.GetAttrib("Experiment")) & 
> "-" & CStr
>(c.GetAttrib("Subject")) & "-" & CStr(c.GetAttrib("Session")) &
>".edat"
>
>         End If
>
>*************
>
>Now the solution seems simple: create an attribute attribute
>DataFile.Filename.Override et presto, the script will use that value
>for your edat filenames. Setting it DataFile.Filename.Override  to
>foldername/restofthename  should do the rest... but... the tricky
>thing is.... I can absolutely not find a way to create or declare
>DataFile.Filename.Override. I tried it in the startup-info, in inlines
>on the main proc and on subprocs, set it as an attribute in a list and
>tried to user-declare it... nothing. E-prime sees datafile as a
>function, doesn't like the dots in it etc etc .
>
>Maybe one of the more code knowledgeable people around here can come
>up with an idea??
>
>That all said....
>
>Why do you need to change the foldername of the edat file? What I
>usually do is place my estudio in the folder where I want to collect
>my edat files, create the e-run file and then create a shortcut to the
>erun-file and move this to a separate 'startmyexperiment'-folder.
>Wouldn't that work just as well for you Liza?
>
>Best,
>
>Anne-Wil
>
>
>On Jan 20, 1:29 pm, Liza Mccarron <Liza.Mccar... at uwe.ac.uk> wrote:
> > Thank you for the replies liwenna and Rinus...
> >
> > Rinus - The package solution is a good one - however I'm using 
> EPrime standard and therefore don't have the Package File editor... 
> :(.. Any other way I can create this file?  I'm guessing not...
> >
> > Liwenna - I've looked at the various options under Experiment 
> Object Properties (I assume this is what you meant?) but can't find 
> anything obvious - just the log levels seems to relate to data file...
> >
> > I think I may ask PST support....
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> > Liza
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: e-prime at googlegroups.com [mailto:e-prime at googlegroups.com] 
> On Behalf Of Rinus
> > Sent: 20 January 2010 11:25
> > To: E-Prime
> > Subject: Re: Specifying output data file location?
> >
> > Hi Liza, well.. I think you can change the filename into 
> something you want.. you might create and add a packagefile to do this..
> > first create your packagefile.. (with the packagefile editor)..
> > for instance, if you want time+date as part of your edat2 
> filename, you might add the following to the "initpackages" tree 
> (in your package, in the packagefile editor)
> >
> > c.DataFile.Filename = CStr(c.GetAttrib("Experiment")) & "-" & CStr
> > (c.GetAttrib("Subject")) &_
> > "-" & CStr(c.GetAttrib("Session")) & "_" & Format(Date,"ddmmyy") & "_"
> > & Format(c.GetAttrib("SessionTime"),"hhnn") & ".txt"
> >
> > then once you've created the package you have to add it to your 
> experiment..
> >
> > 1. go in eprime 2.0 --> tools, options, tab: packages (this 
> contains the path to the folder your package should be in, you can also add a
> > folder)
> > 2. start your exp, go in the structure view to Experiment 
> <blabla> (int the top) 3. click on "packages" and add your package 
> 4. now your files are written with date + time
> >
> > This explanation will self destruct in 5 seconds...
> >
> > 4 seconds...
> >
> > ...
> >
> > 3 seconds... (why are you still reading this.. get to a safe distance)
> >
> > 2. seconds...
> >
> > 1.... secoooooond..
> > [you have too much time if you're actually still reading this, 
> you should be creating your package..]
> >
> > Bye, Rinus
> >
> > On 19 jan, 13:06, liwenna <liwe... at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > Hi Liza,
> >
> > > I am not around e-prime right now. But... according to PST-site
> > > changing the name and location of the .edat file should be a feature
> > > of 2.0. Can't find how to do it though. My guess would be that you
> > > need to change something in the menu under the purple e-prime logo at
> > > the top of your 'experiment tree'.
> >
> > > Did you check things there?
> >
> > > Best,
> >
> > > liw
> >
> > > On Jan 19, 12:34 pm, LizaM <liza.mccar... at uwe.ac.uk> wrote:
> >
> > > > Hello,
> >
> > > > Is there any way I can specify the output location for my data file
> > > > from EPrime 2.0 to be somewhere other than the folder where the
> > > > experiment file is loacted?  From searching this list I realize that
> > > > I can't change the file name that is output but can't find any
> > > > reference to location.
> >
> > > > Thanks
> >
> > > > Liza

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