Adding and Configuring Elements
In this article:
Once your experimental scenario structure is in place, the next step is to add functional elements to your events. These elements perform the core operations of your experiment—such as presenting stimuli, registering input, collecting data, or communicating with external hardware.
What Are Elements in EventIDE?
In EventIDE, elements are modular objects that each carry out a specific task. Examples include:
A Renderer element for displaying images
A Video Player element for playing video clips
Eye Tracker elements for recording gaze data
Each element is added to a specific event, which becomes its parent. Most elements operate locally, meaning they are only active while their parent event is active. For instance, a Button element will only detect button presses during the duration of its event.
Some elements operate in a global scope across the experiment—such as hardware interfaces or signal processors.
Note: One of the strengths of EventIDE is that elements are independent. You can add, remove, or replace them without affecting the rest of the experiment logic.
Adding New Elements
To add a new element:
Select the event you want to add the element to.
Click Add Element in the Events Ribbon Tab.
The Add Element dialog will appear, showing:
Left Panel: Categories of available elements
Center Panel: List of elements within the selected category
Right Panel: Description of the selected element
Element Categories
Element categories include:
Visual stimuli | Cambridge Research | Object tracking |
Audio stimuli | Emotion recognition | Oculus Rift |
Input registration | Eye trackers | Signal acquisition |
Randomization | Eye-tracking analysis | Signal processing |
Data collection | Facial analysis | Unity |
User interface | Leap Motion | Usability research |
Communication | Motion capture | Widgets |
Stimulus generators | Motion tracker | Deprecated (legacy elements) |
3D graphics | Mouse, touch, joystick |
Note: Not all categories will be visible unless the relevant AddIns are enabled. When you activate an AddIn, its elements become available in this dialogue automatically.
Using Stimuli from the Material Library
For elements that display or play stimuli—such as the Renderer, Video Player, Audio Player, etc.—you must first import those stimuli into the Material Library.
Then, to assign a stimulus to an element:
Locate the material in the Material Library.
Drag and drop the material onto the target element in the Element Panel.
This links the stimulus to the element and makes it ready for presentation during the experiment.
Element's Properties
When you add an element to an event, it becomes automatically operational—you don’t need to call any functions or trigger it manually in code. However, elements can be customized and controlled via the Properties Panel.
Each element has a set of properties that define its behavior. For example:
A Renderer element includes properties like Position, Size, and Opacity, which determine its on-screen appearance.
An Audio Player has properties such as Volume, Balance and Playback Mode.
These properties can be:
Set at design-time to configure default values before the experiment runs.
Linked to proxy variables for runtime control via code snippets.
Tip: Use proxy variables to dynamically change element behavior in response to user input, experiment conditions, or external data streams.
Extending Element Functionality Across Events
If you want an element to remain active across multiple events, you can take advantage of hierarchical event layers:
Create a parent event and add a shared element to it (e.g. a Button element).
Place a sequence of sub-events under the parent event.
The element in the parent event will remain active throughout all sub-events.
Example: A Button element in the parent event will register key presses even while different images are shown in each sub-event—ideal for continuous input scenarios.
Managing Elements
Elements added to a selected event are shown in the Element Panel on the left side of the interface. This panel allows you to manage the structure and behavior of your experiment’s functional components.
You can:
Click an element to view and edit its properties in the Properties Panel
Reorder elements within the list to manage drawing order (especially important for visual stimuli)
Copy and paste elements between events for reuse
Delete elements that are no longer needed
Tip: The order of elements in the panel may affect rendering priority—elements at the top are drawn first and may be visually covered by those below.
Right-Click Menu Options
Right-clicking on an element in the Element Panel opens a contextual menu with the following options:
Add New Element – Insert another element into the same event
Enable/Disable Element – Temporarily activate or deactivate the element without deleting it
Cut / Copy / Paste – Move or duplicate elements across events
Replace Element – Swap the selected element with another of the same type, preserving configuration where possible
Delete Element – Remove the element from the experiment
These tools allow you to manage elements quickly and efficiently, especially when iterating on experimental design or adjusting stimulus presentation.