Piggybacking MediaLab study with a non-MediaLab study

[dchugh]

Hi,

I am running three studies in a single session. Studies 1 and 2 take place in MediaLab. Study 3 begins at a url which toggles between MouseLab Web and SurveyMonkey. I don't need the subjects back in MediaLab after Study 2. Is there a way to take them automatically to the url from within MediaLab? And, are there any issues to how data is saved within MediaLab for Studies 1 and 2, etc, by doing this?

Thanks!

Dolly

[newell]

Hi Dolly - The best solution may be to use the EXE command at the end of the second study. Within your experiment file, input the location of iexplorer.exe after the second study. For example, on my machine iexplorer.exe is located in the following location: C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe .

Within the parameters field, add the following command-line arguments: (chttp://www.empirisoft.com/support/ max) - Include the parenthesis. This syntax denotes that we want Internet Explorer to open up Empirisoft's Support page and then maximize the window. If this is the last command on the experiment, MediaLab will finish its tasks up and study 3 will begin.

There shouldn't be any data issues using this method. Nothing from the third study will be saved, as it isn't being run from within MediaLab. Aside from that, test and make sure that the entire ML experiment ends after iexplorer is launched. In order for MediaLab to save all of the data recorded during a session, it needs to reach its last screen and end.

For more information on how to execute ending processes and piggyback external experiments through the .exe feature and command-line arguments, see the following help page:
http://www.empirisoft.com/medialab/help/expfile.htm - and - http://www.empirisoft.com/medialab/h...parameters.htm

Let me know if this helps!

[dchugh]

Thank you so much ... I have implemented your advice. One question: After I am taken to the website (e.g. Study 3) and complete that study, a MediaLab screen appears underneath that says "Click the continue button to proceed". I'm not sure if it was sitting underneath all along or popped up after the Internet study. It doesn't appear that MediaLab is ending, as you described.

I am attaching a zip of the Study3 que file (not the whole exp file ... let me know if that's needed?). Many thanks!

[newell]

Ah - I believe that you would need to add the executable into the Experiment file. From there, specify in the parameters for that object, the same parameters you've given the questionnaire item you've made.

Basically, you're just moving the contents of the item over to the end of your experiment file, rather than the questionnaire.