Extending Experiments with Script
E-Basic is E-Prime's standard object-oriented programming language with over 800 commands, which has been customized to better fit the needs of real-time research. PST developed E-Basic to be user-friendly to meet the needs of the research community (SCRIPTING: Why Use E-Basic ).
Two types of written script can be added to an experiment: script in InLine Objects or script placed in the User Script Window (SCRIPTING: Getting Started with Writing Script , SCRIPTING: Steps for Writing E-Prime Script , and SCRIPTING: Communicating with E-Prime Objects ). When variables are declared on an InLine object, they are only accessible throughout the scope of the Procedure in which they are declared. Thus, InLine script is valuable when examining a single procedure. Conversely, the User Script is accessible in the Experiment Explorer Window. The User Script allows entering the user’s own high-level script. The User Script may be used to declare global variables.
Script can also be implimented in an application called PackageFile Editor (SCRIPTING: PackageFile Editor ). PackageFile Editor allows the creation of reusable blocks of E-Basic script that are added to E-Prime experiments via the PackageCall object.
When adding script to an experiment, debugging is one of the most useful tools (SCRIPTING: Debugging ). Debugging helps you check script for any errors.
The following articles discuss programming E-Basic script in a basic, intemediate, and advanced level: