Programming Behavioral Experiments in Flash Session 1 of 3 Intro to Web Programming, PhP, and Flash January 29 th – Jeff Galak (NYU)

Session /29/ Agenda for the Week Session 1: Thursday, January 29 th (2-4pm): Intro to Web Programming, PhP, and Flash Session 2: Friday, January 30 th (10-12pm): Building Your First Flash Experiment Session 3: Friday, January 30 th (3-5pm): Advanced Topics if Flash (Sounds, Videos, and Real Time Ratings)

Session /29/ Agenda for Today Why Flash? Software requirements. How to run experiments and collect data. Components of a Flash experiment. A brief discussion on PhP. Your first look at Flash

Session /29/ Three Programming Options (maybe 4)

Session /29/ Why is Flash best? Almost entirely cut + paste Web based –Ubiquitous “Flash Player” Massive support infrastructure online –Tech-support = Google –For really tough problems: I’m pre-writing 99% of all your future programs.

Session /29/ What software will you need? Flash…duh. –Anything after version 7 is fine. –CS4 is ideal (it’s the latest and what I use). Text editing software for PhP –Notepad works just fine. –I use EditPad Pro because it makes life easier. FTP Program –Use whatever your school IT dept recommends. –I use FileZilla because it works with almost every FTP standard (including SFTP/SSH)

Session /29/ What you need to run a Flash Experiment Access to a web server with: –PhP 4 or 5 support –Your school should have this –USC:?? If you want to get fancy, you can store the data in a database (MySQL). –Ask me about this off-line

Session /29/ The Flash Experiment Infrastructure URL PhP Parser Calls Flash (SWF) File Flash Sends Data Converts Raw Data into CSV Ss goes to website

Session /29/ Files For Every Program Don’t get scared…it’s not that complicated 1. Flash.fla file - This is the file you program in. 2. Flash.swf file - This is the file that you upload to the web server. - It is automatically created by Flash

Session /29/ Files For Every Program 3. Condition file:.txt - This is just a place holder file that helps with assigning conditions 4. PhP:.php execution file - This file acts like an.html file and runs your flash program (.swf). - It assigns conditions (more later)

Session /29/ Files For Every Program 5. PhP:.php debriefing file - This is where you include the debreifing for your experiments (it can be blank…but has to exist). 6. PhP:.php parser - This is a program I wrote that converts Flash data into a.csv data file - You never have to touch this file…just make sure it’s there.

Session /29/ Setting up Your Program Use a simple naming convention. Here’s mine: –Pick a simple name (workshopfiles) –Use that to name the folder –Every file (except the parser) shares the same name workshopfiles.fla workshopfiles.swf workshopfiles.txt workshopfiles.php workshopfilesdebrief.php

Session /29/ Let’s Start with PhP You do not need to know how to understand everything! I have put comments throughout the entire file. There are only a few lines of code that really matter.

Session /29/ First a Note about Conditions PhP and Flash don’t understand what a 2x2 is. But they understand numbers. So if you have, say, a: 2 (Name: Jeff, Not-Jeff) x 3 (Awesomeness: Low, Medium, High) you rewrite the conditions as: 1 = Jeff + Low 4 = Not-Jeff+ Low 2 = Jeff + Medium 5 = Not-Jeff + Medium 3 = Jeff + High 6 = Not-Jeff + High

Session /29/ workshopfiles.php You only care about two lines: $experimentname = "workshopfiles"; - defines the name of the experiment $numofconditions = 6; - defines the number of conditions Ignore the rest Voilà! You learned php.

Session /29/ First Look at Flash

Session /29/ Tools Timeline Layers Stage Parameters Library Zoom

Session /29/ A Note on Layers Always have 4 layers (at least) in this order 1. Actionscript (keep ALL scripts in here) 2. Text (all text related stuff here) 3. Button (all interactive stuff here) 4. Outline (all background stuff here)

Session /29/ How to Insert a Frame/Screen This is the most annoying part of flash: 1. Highlight entire column of frames BEFORE the place you want to insert a new one. -Do this by clicking on the top one, then holding down SHIFT and clicking on the bottom one. 2. Hit F5 to insert new frame to the right of the original frame

Session /29/ How to Insert a Frame/Screen Cont… If you want to copy and paste an existing frame (you almost always do), again select the ENTIRE column of frames and right click on them…then select “Copy Frames”

Session /29/ How to Insert a Frame/Screen Cont… Then again highlight the ENTIRE new column and right click on the new column and select “Paste Frames”

Session /29/ A Note on Parameters for Text Boxes Static Text: never changes Dynamic Text: can be modified via actionscript Input Text: used to get collect user responses (and can be modified via actionscript) Instance Name: This is what you name your object. You refer to this name when you want to do things like make it invisible. Var: is the name of a variable that is associated with the content of the text box. This is one of the easier ways to manipulate what is in the box via actionscript. Multiline vs. Single Line: Self explanatory If selected makes the text html formatted. VERY useful for manipulating font/style/color. If selected puts a shadow box behind text. Great for “Input Text”

Session /29/ Different Types of Inputs 7/9 point single item scale 7/9 point multi-item scale (on same page) Slider scale Choices Text (short and long) Sum to 100% 7/9 point multi-item scale on different pages (randomizing order)

Session /29/ How to Test Your Program CTRL + ENTER: Run entire program CTRL + ALT + ENTER: Run current scene SHIFT + ENTER: Compile program trace!! –Sends text to the “output” window –Only used for debugging –VERY useful

Session /29/ Your Three Best Friends 1. Copy + Paste –Demo 2. Google –Aka. Flash Community 3. Experts-Exchange.com –Saved me many many times

Session /29/ ActionScript Basics - Variables Variables can be declared, but don’t have to be. Examples: var myVariable = 10; myArray = new Array(); Avoid reserved names –If a variable “turns blue,” change it. –E.g. “new”, “array”, “data”, “time”, etc…

Session /29/ ActionScript Basics – Variables Tricks How to convert a number stored as a string to a number that you can work with: –Easy: multiply by 1 –If you have: myVariable = “1”; and you want to have a new variable which is equal to myVariable + 5 : newVariable = myVariable * 1 + 5;

Session /29/ ActionScript Basics – Data Flow Some data comes in from the initial php file (workshopfiles.php): –ip, condition, date_start, time_start All data (including the initial data) must then be stored in a single variable in Flash (datastring) –This is done using the storedata fuction –This function ONLY works when the entire program is run (not just a single scene).

Session /29/ ActionScript Basics – Storing Data Data is stored using the function “storedata” –How to store the value in the variable “name”: –storedata(“name”, name) –Both can be “hard coded” or variables. –MAKE SURE THAT “COLUMN NAMES” ARE UNIQUE!! Name of column in data file Value to store

Session /29/ ActionScript Basics – Conditionals if(person==“jeff”) {text = “The person is Jeff”;} else {text = “The person is not Jeff”;} 2 equal signs for checking “sameness” Parentheses around the conditional Brackets around action Does this if the conditional fails

Session /29/ Homework 1. Install software 2. Try and upload the existing files to your webserver and see if everything works –Make sure to check permissions (CHMOD 755 (or 777) works well)…ask me for help 3. Take any simple questionnaire you have and try to turn it into a program (at least 2 conditions) –If you can’t get the web version to work just yet, try and get it to work locally (e.g. with CTRL+ENTER) –If you don’t have a questionnaire, I will give you one

Session /29/ Next Session Friday, January 30 th (10-12pm): Building Your First Flash Experiment Create a complete experiment –Create php file –Create flash program –Test –Upload everything