Editing timeline variables based on info from JATOS

[Kedersha]

Hi! This is a parallel thread to a question I posed on the JATOS forum over here. My immediate issue is that I have a timeline_variable array of 1085 objects, and I want to be able to shorten this array based on information from JATOS.

Specifically, a few RA's are annotating a dataset, and I'm using JATOS's batch information to find what the index was of the last timeline_variable object that individual had annotated, then using .slice to update the length of the timeline_variable array so that it the already-annotated objects get dropped. However, the loop with the annotation task isn't getting this updated, shorter timeline_variable array; it's just getting the full one that was defined when the task started running. I tried using dynamic parameters to sort this out, but ended up replicating basically the same issue! :( Does anyone have advice about how to edit timeline variables based on info from JATOS?

Here are the relevant bits of code, plus the complete jatos.onload chunk, which almost definitely has irrelevant information as well. :)

var timeline_variables = [{record: '1', other-data: "lots of it"},
 {record: '23', other-data: "lots-of-it"},
 {record: '132', other-data: "lots-of-it"}] //etc. for 1085 lines

//VERY SIMPLIFIED version of the task
var node = {
	timeline_variables: timeline_variables,
	timeline: [
		type: 'survey-multi-choice',
		preamble: function(){
			return '<p>Record ID: '+jsPsych.timelineVariable('record', true)+'</p><p>Other data: '+jsPsych.timelineVariable('other-data', true)
		},
		questions: [{prompt: 'describe the other-data', name: 'description'}]
	],
	randomize_order: false,
	repetitions: 1
}

jatos.onload(function() {
	ra_num = jatos.studySessionData.ra_num;
	//truncating the timeline_variables array to only the ones remaining for this RA
	rec_ind = 0; //record index set to 0 by default
	//if there is a value associated with this RA from previous runs, change rec_ind
	ra_rec = jatos.batchSession.get("RA"+ra_num+"_record");
	if(ra_rec){
		rec_obj = timeline_variables.find(elem => elem.record === ra_rec);
		rec_ind = timeline_variables.indexOf(rec_obj) + 1;
	};
	timeline_variables = timeline_variables.slice(rec_ind, timeline_variables.length);

	jsPsych.init({
		timeline: [RA_ID, node],
		on_data_update: function(data){
			//identifier for where in the task they've gotten to
			var record_id = jsPsych.data.getLastTrialData().values()[0].record;
			//associating that with the relevant RA (stupid way)
			if(ra_num == 1){
				jatos.batchSession.set("RA1_record", record_id)
					.then(() => console.log("Batch Session successfully updated"))
					.catch(() => console.log("Batch Session synch failed"));
			}else if(ra_num == 2){
				jatos.batchSession.set("RA2_record", record_id)
					.then(() => console.log("Batch Session successfully updated"))
					.catch(() => console.log("Batch Session synch failed"));
			}else if(ra_num==3){
				jatos.batchSession.set("RA3_record", record_id)
					.then(() => console.log("Batch Session successfully updated"))
					.catch(() => console.log("Batch Session synch failed"));
			}else {
				jatos.batchSession.set("RA4_record", record_id)
					.then(() => console.log("Batch Session successfully updated"))
					.catch(() => console.log("Batch Session synch failed"));
			}
			//associating that with the relevant RA (SMARTER WAY 1, NOT WORKING)
			/*
			jatos.batchSession.add("/RAs/", ra_num, record_id)
				.then(() => console.log("Batch Session successfully updated"))
				.catch(() => console.log("Batch Session synch failed"));
			*/
			//associating that with the relevant RA (SMARTER WAY 2, NOT WORKING)
			/*var deferred = jatos.batchSession.add("/RAs/" + ra_num, record_id);
			deferred.done(() => {
				console.log("Batch Session successfully updated");
			});*/
			
			//save data after each trial, send to JATOS 
			var studyID = jatos.studyResultId;
			jsPsych.data.addProperties({study_ID : studyID});
			var relevantData = jsPsych.data.get().filter({trial_type: 'survey-text'}).ignore('internal_node_id').ignore('question_order').ignore('response').ignore('trial_type').ignore('time_elapsed');
			jatos.submitResultData(relevantData.csv());
		},
		on_finish: function(){
			var relevantData = jsPsych.data.get().filter({trial_type: 'survey-text'}).ignore('internal_node_id').ignore('question_order').ignore('response').ignore('trial_type').ignore('time_elapsed');
			jatos.submitResultData(relevantData.csv(), jatos.endStudy);
		}
	});
});

[becky-gilbert]

Hi @Kedersha, I wonder if the problem is that the node variable is created before timeline_variables has been modified, so it's using the unmodified version. Would it work to just reorder things so that the modification to timeline_variables comes before you set up the node trial procedure? Something like this:

jatos.onload(function() {
  ra_num = jatos.studySessionData.ra_num;
  //truncating the timeline_variables array to only the ones remaining for this RA
  rec_ind = 0; //record index set to 0 by default
  //if there is a value associated with this RA from previous runs, change rec_ind
  ra_rec = jatos.batchSession.get("RA"+ra_num+"_record");
  if(ra_rec){
    rec_obj = timeline_variables.find(elem => elem.record === ra_rec);
    rec_ind = timeline_variables.indexOf(rec_obj) + 1;
  };
  timeline_variables = timeline_variables.slice(rec_ind, timeline_variables.length);  // modify the timeline variables array here

  //VERY SIMPLIFIED version of the task
  var node = {
    timeline_variables: timeline_variables, // use the modified array here
    timeline: [
      type: 'survey-multi-choice',
      preamble: function(){
        return '<p>Record ID: '+jsPsych.timelineVariable('record', true)+'</p><p>Other data: '+jsPsych.timelineVariable('other-data', true)
      },
      questions: [{prompt: 'describe the other-data', name: 'description'}]
    ],
    randomize_order: false,
    repetitions: 1
  }
  
  jsPsych.init({
    timeline: [RA_ID, node],
 // etc.

[Kedersha]

Hi @becky-gilbert -- thanks for the rapid answer! I don't know why I assumed the jatos.onLoad chunk should follow the variables that make up my jsPsych study, but I definitely had been assuming that, and I definitely shouldn't have. :) It's working perfectly now, thanks again.

[becky-gilbert]

No problem, glad it was an easy fix! 😃