Toolkits on LabBench, Version 6.0

Keyboard

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The Keyboard Toolkit provides a simple, deterministic way to handle keyboard input in LabBench experiments by exposing a latched key state rather than transient key-down events. It continuously monitors the system keyboard, records which keys have been pressed, and allows experiment logic to query those presses using clear, string-based key identifiers. Key presses remain available until explicitly cleared.

Keyboard Toolkit

The Keyboard Toolkit provides a simple, robust way to handle keyboard input in LabBench experiments, especially when controlling trial flow from Python via IronPython. Instead of reacting to instantaneous key-down events, the toolkit exposes a latched key state model. Once a key press is detected, it remains available to your code until you explicitly clear it.

Psychophysics

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Provides builders for configuring psychophysical estimation methods (Psi, Up-Down, Discrete Up-Down) and access to predefined psychometric functions.

Availability:

context.Psychophysics

Properties

Name	Type	Description
`Functions`	`FunctionsToolkit`	Factory for creating psychometric functions (e.g., Logistic, Weibull).

Methods

Name	Signature	Description
`PsiMethod`	`PsiMethod() -> PsiMethodCreator`	Creates a builder for configuring a Psi method.
`UpDownMethod`	`UpDownMethod() -> UpDownMethodCreator`	Creates a builder for configuring an up-down method.
`DiscreteUpDownMethod`	`DiscreteUpDownMethod() -> DiscreteUpDownMethodCreator`	Creates a builder for configuring a discrete up-down method.

Typical usage example

# Create a Psi method
psi = context.Psychophysics.PsiMethod() \
    .NumberOfTrials(40) \
    .Alpha(0.1, 1.0, 10) \
    .Beta(0.5, 5.0, 10) \
    .Intensity(0.1, 1.0, 20) \
    .Function(context.Psychophysics.Functions.Logistic()) \
    .Create()

# Create an up-down method
ud = context.Psychophysics.UpDownMethod() \
    .Up(1) \
    .Down(2) \
    .StepSize(0.1) \
    .StartIntensity(0.5) \
    .Function(context.Psychophysics.Functions.Weibull()) \
    .Create()

Psi Method Creator (`PsiMethodCreator`)

Description

Builder for configuring a Psi adaptive psychophysical method.

Scheduler

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The scheduling toolkit allows you to run tasks in the background while your protocol is running. Running tasks in the background makes it possible, for example, to update visual stimuli on a LabBench DISPLAY asynchronously with precise timing during tests such as <sequential> or <sequence> tests.

Scheduler

Function: `Create()`

Returns a new created Schedule which can be used to create a schedule of tasks that can later be run with the Run function.

Stimuli

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Provides programmatic construction of stimuli (pulse, ramp, sine, arbitrary, combined, repeated, multi-channel, and segmented waveforms).

Availability:

context.Stimuli

Properties

No public readable properties are defined.

Methods

Name	Signature	Description
`Pulse`	`Pulse(Is: float, Ts: float) -> PulseValueStimulus`	Creates a rectangular pulse with intensity `Is` and duration `Ts`.
`Pulse`	`Pulse(Is: float, Ts: float, Tdelay: float) -> PulseValueStimulus`	Same as above with delay `Tdelay`.
`Ramp`	`Ramp(intensity: float, duration: float) -> RampValueStimulus`	Creates a linear ramp stimulus.
`Ramp`	`Ramp(intensity: float, duration: float, delay: float) -> RampValueStimulus`	Ramp with delay.
`Ramp`	`Ramp(intensity: float, duration: float, delay: float, offset: float) -> RampValueStimulus`	Ramp with delay and offset.
`Sine`	`Sine(intensity: float, duration: float, frequency: float) -> SineValueStimulus`	Creates a sinusoidal stimulus.
`Sine`	`Sine(intensity: float, duration: float, frequency: float, delay: float) -> SineValueStimulus`	Sine with delay.
`Arbitrary`	`Arbitrary(expression: Callable[[float], float], duration: float) -> ArbitraryValueStimulus`	Creates a stimulus from a time-dependent function.
`Arbitrary`	`Arbitrary(expression: Callable[[float], float], duration: float, delay: float) -> ArbitraryValueStimulus`	Same with delay.
`Combined`	`Combined() -> CombinedValueStimulus`	Creates a stimulus that sums multiple stimuli.
`Repeated`	`Repeated(stimulus: IStimulus, repetitions: int, period: float, delay: float) -> RepeatedValueStimulus`	Repeats a stimulus with period and delay.
`Repeated`	`Repeated(stimulus: IStimulus, repetitions: int, period: float) -> RepeatedValueStimulus`	Repeats a stimulus with period.
`Multiple`	`Multiple() -> MultipleOutputValueStimulus`	Creates a multi-channel stimulus.
`LinearStimulus`	`LinearStimulus() -> LinearSegmentValueStimulus`	Creates a piecewise linear stimulus.

Typical usage example

stim = context.Stimuli

# Simple pulse
pulse = stim.Pulse(1.0, 5.0)

# Combined stimulus
combined = stim.Combined() \
    .Add(stim.Pulse(1.0, 5.0)) \
    .Add(stim.Sine(0.5, 10.0, 100))

# Repeated stimulus
rep = stim.Repeated(pulse, 5, 20.0)

# Arbitrary waveform
arb = stim.Arbitrary(lambda t: t * 0.1, 50.0)

Combined Stimulus (`CombinedValueStimulus`)

Description

Represents a stimulus formed by summing multiple stimuli.

Triggers

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Provides programmatic construction of trigger signals and trigger sequences for synchronization and event marking.

Availability:

context.Triggers

Properties

No public readable properties are defined.

Methods

Name	Signature	Description
`Sequence`	`Sequence() -> TriggerSequence`	Creates a container for building a trigger sequence.
`CreateTrigger`	`CreateTrigger(duration: float) -> ValueTrigger`	Creates a trigger with a specified duration.

Typical usage example

trg = context.Triggers

trigger = trg.CreateTrigger(1.0) \
    .TriggerOut() \
    .Interface(16)

sequence = trg.Sequence() \
    .Add(trigger)

# sequence can be passed where ITrigger[] is expected

Trigger Sequence (`TriggerSequence`)

Description

Represents an ordered collection of triggers that can be passed as a trigger array.

Waveforms

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Provides utilities for creating and generating waveform objects for use in stimulus generation and playback.

Availability:

context.Waveforms

Properties

No public readable properties are defined.

Methods

Name	Signature	Description
`Arbitrary`	`Arbitrary(values: Iterable[float]) -> Waveform`	Creates a waveform from a sequence of sample values.
`Zero`	`Zero(length: int) -> Waveform`	Creates a waveform with all samples set to 0.
`Ones`	`Ones(length: int) -> Waveform`	Creates a waveform with all samples set to 1.
`Sin`	`Sin(amplitude: float, frequency: float, phase: float, length: float, rate: float) -> Waveform`	Creates a sinusoidal waveform and sets its sample rate.
`WhiteNoise`	`WhiteNoise(amplitude: float, length: int) -> Waveform`	Creates white noise in range `[-amplitude, amplitude]`.

Typical usage example

wf = context.Waveforms

w1 = wf.Arbitrary([0.0, 0.5, 1.0])
w2 = wf.Sin(1.0, 5.0, 0.0, 1000, 1000)
w3 = wf.WhiteNoise(0.2, 1000)

w = (w2 + w3).Normalize().SetSampleRate(2000)

Notes / gotchas

Arithmetic operations require equal waveform length.
Default sample rate is 1000 Hz unless changed.
Many operations return new waveform instances.
White noise is non-deterministic.

Waveform (`Waveform`)

Description

Represents a sampled signal with associated timing, metadata, and signal processing operations.

Toolkits on LabBench, Version 6.0

Keyboard

Keyboard Toolkit

Psychophysics

Properties

Methods

Typical usage example

Psi Method Creator (PsiMethodCreator)

Description

Scheduler

Scheduler

Function: Create()

Stimuli

Properties

Methods

Typical usage example

Combined Stimulus (CombinedValueStimulus)

Description

Triggers

Properties

Methods

Typical usage example

Trigger Sequence (TriggerSequence)

Description

Waveforms

Properties

Methods

Typical usage example

Notes / gotchas

Waveform (Waveform)

Description

Psi Method Creator (`PsiMethodCreator`)

Function: `Create()`

Combined Stimulus (`CombinedValueStimulus`)

Trigger Sequence (`TriggerSequence`)

Waveform (`Waveform`)