Overview of Styles
The purpose of styles is to save you time and effort by storing font, colour and option information in a separate file in which you label every combination you desire with a single code number. You can make as many combinations of fonts and colours and options as you like and then store them each with their own code in a single file. You can use the same "style file" for all your experiments, or you can copy and modify as many different style files as you like-one for every experiment if you want. If you place a custom style file in the same folder as an input file, then that is the one DirectRT will use. If not, then DirectRT will simply use the default style file located in the main program folder.
Every Trial Has a Style
In every input file, you'll notice that there is a column called "Style". Every trial has its own Style value that is set in this column. Before the session begins, DirectRT opens the Style file and reads every style in it. It organizes them by the code numbers you give to them. Then as DirectRT prepares each trial it reads what style you want applied to it. DirectRT says "Style 12? No problem!" and proceeds to set the colours, the font, the alignment of stimuli and other settings accordingly.
You'll also see that you're not limited to a single style on any given trial. You can switch styles at any time by placing a style codes in later columns of the input file. See XXX for details. You can also place multiple style codes within a single text file in order to present some nicely formatted text. See Formatting Text Files sample for how to do this.
Style Files
Every set of styles is located in a .DRT style file. Edit style files by double clicking on them, or open the style editor from the DirectRT main program window (select Edit->Style File)
This section will explain the purpose of the different style options and explain how to use the DirectRT Style Editor
See Also
Style - Setting Styles in Input Files