Writing Blank Data Files on MacOS

PeterAllen

Hello.

I've built a couple of experiments that seem to work fine on Windows version 3.2.8. However, when I open and run them on a Mac (again, in version 3.2.8), the CSV data files that they produce are completely blank. Does anyone know why this may be, or what I can do to fix it?

MacOS version 10.14.6; Windows 10 version 1903.

Thanks in advance. Peter Allen

sebastiaan

Hi Peter,

The most obvious reason for completely blank log-files is that there is no logger in the experiment (or that it is never executed). But if that's not it, could you attach the experiment to this discussion so that I can take a look?

Cheers!

Sebastiaan

PeterAllen

Hi Sebastiaan. Thanks for your reply. It is happening with all experiments. I've attached a very abbreviated Stroop. It works fine on a Windows 10 PC. However, when I run it on my Mac all it produces is a

Stroop task short.osexp

blank CSV file. Regards, Peter Allen

PeterAllen

HI Sebastiaan. Quick update.These experiments seem to be working fine on my MacBook, which is also running 3.2.8 on MacOS 10.14.6, so the issue seems localised to my iMac at work. Is there anything else that I might have installed that could be interfering with the production of the CSV files? I'll start uninstalling (unneeded) possible candidates tomorrow, but if you have any pointers they'd be appreciated. Regards, Peter Allen.

sebastiaan

Hi Peter,

Before considering the option that OpenSesame really doesn't write to the log file (which strikes me as unlikely, although nothing is impossible), let's exclude some more trivial options.

You say that there's an empty log file. To make sure that this is actually created by OpenSesame, what happens if you remove this log file (or choose a non-existing name for the log file)? Does OpenSesame (re)create the file, but leave it empty?

And what happens if you add a simple inline_script that writes directly to the log? Like so:

log.write('test string')

Is the log file then still empty?

• https://osdoc.cogsci.nl/3.2/manual/python/log/

Cheers!

Sebastiaan

PeterAllen

HI Sebastiaan.

When I add the inline script to an experiment, I get data!

When I remove it, I get a blank CSV file again.

Regards, Peter Allen

sebastiaan

Hi Peter,

This is very strange behavior indeed, and I don't know where it comes from. Thanks for putting this on the radar though. If we manage to replicate it, or hear more of these reports, we'll get on top of it. For now, at least you have a work-around.

Cheers!

Sebastiaan

intanwardhani

Hi @sebastiaan ,

I also have this problem when I use my mac to try out a simple experiment. I use macOS Mojave version 10.14.5 and OpenSesame 3.2.8. I already put a logger item (and checked "log all variables") and the experiment runs normally. However, after the experiment has finished, it seems to be creating an empty file on top of the original csv file (pic attached). The workaround described above does not work for me.

Looking forward to finding the solution!

Cheers,

intan

sebastiaan

Hi Intan,

The extra data file has to be explicitly registered, either in an inline_script by appending it to the data_files list, or by a plug-in that does the same thing under the hood. Do you know where the extra data file comes from in your case? And what's in the files? I.e. do they contain data, and if so, what kind?

Cheers,

Sebastiaan

intanwardhani

Hi @sebastiaan ,

The thing is I did not create any extra data files, so I don't know either where it came from. I just had a simple auditory experiment with a mouse response in this case and I logged all variables using the logger plugin. At the end of the experiment, it created an extra file that I never asked and seemed to replace the original csv file (so there was only 1 output in the end). When I opened that output file, it was completely empty. This happened only on Mac, but not on Windows...

Cheers,

intan