If you have any questions, requests or comments, you can email us at support@pcibex.net.

Also make sure to check out the documentation and the forums on PCIbex.net.

Frequently Asked Questions

This farm vs other farms

• What is different with this farm?

  Previously, PCIbex's official farm was at expt.pcibex.net, while the original Ibex's official farm is at are at ibex.spellout.net/ (formerly at spellout.net/ibexfarm).
  This new farm introduces many new features, the major ones being the possibility to duplicate (or "clone") projects in one click, the possibility to import files and folders via simple drag-and-drops, or the possibilty to publish your experiment when it is ready for data collection.
  See this page for a more exhaustive list of changes.

• Can I import existing projects on this farm?

  Yes, all the farms listed in the answer to the previous question have a link to download your project as a zip archive at the bottom of your project's page. Simply download that file, create a new empty project on this farm, then drag and drop the zip file you download anywhere on the left panel (Folders and Files).
  You might be prompted for file replacement: accept all replacements and you will have an exact replica of your existing project. Note that empty projects contain the most recent version of PennController.js, so if you want to update it in the process, simply do not replace that file. Also note that empty projects contain a file named PennController.css in the Aesthetics folder: if you find that your project's visuals are off, delete that CSS file.

• Do I need to learn a new language to use this farm?

  No, the only thing that changed with this new farm is the interface. All the script part remains the same as before: you can still use PennController code and/or native-Ibex code just like you used to.

Files and uploads

• What is this quota system?

  A quota means that if your projects use too much storage space, you will not be able to make further edits until you free up some space.
  The PCIbex Farm is provided to you as a completely free service. We pay for the servers where your files are hosted, which is why we cannot afford to offer you unlimited storage space. Quotas are also a way to protect ourselves from potentially malicious attempts to use the PCIbex Farm as a hosting platform for sharing media files.

• Why do some files have a null weight?

  In order to save storage space, the PCIbex Farm was designed to optimize file sharing: when you clone an experiment, the copy uses the same files used by the original experiment. When you create a new experiment from scratch, it actually duplicates a master experiment, which is why new experiments are weightless.
  As you modify or overwrite files, you create new files that are local to your experiment, so they start counting as part of your quota.

• Can I upload multiple files at once?

  Yes: you can select multiple files from you local device and drag-and-drop them into one of the folders of your open project, or you can first click the Upload icon to the right of a folder's name to open a window containing two buttons (Browse files and Browse folders) and a file-drop area.
  You can also select and drop folders from your device: if you drop a local folder in one of your project's folders, the files from your local folder will be uploaded to your project's folder. If your local folder contains subfolders with names matching your project's (if you previously downloaded another project, for example) the files from the respective local subfolders will be uploaded to the corresponding folders of your project. Uploading a ZIP file will be treated the same as uploading a folder.

Managing projects

• What happened to the old URL format for the experiments?

  Experiments created with the original Ibex Farm or the previous version of the PCIbex Farm came with a URL link ending with /ibexexps/username/experimentname/experiment.html. The new URL format is 100% anonymous: it no longer exposes your account and experiment's names to participants, or to anyone consulting your experiment, such as reviewers following a link you included in your manuscript.

• How do I clone an experiment?

  You can easily duplicate your own projects by clicking the Clone option in the menu bar that appears when you move your mouse cursor over your experiment's name in your project list.
  You can only clone other users' projects as long as they share them and allow cloning for their project.

• How do I prevent other users from cloning my experiment?

  Your projects are all private by default, which automatically blocks the cloning operation for other users. Note that this does not ultimately prevent people from accessing your code or your resources, as your participants' browsers need to access them to run the experiment. Allowing other users to clone your project is highly recommended because it encourages transparency and replicability of studies.
  Your results files will never be shared, whatever your project's settings are.

Account

• I forgot my account's password

  Click the Log in from the menu (the icon at the top-left corner of the page). The window that pops up contains a link Forgot your password? at which you will be able to send a password-reset email to your account's email address.
  You need a verified email address to reset your password.

• What will you do with my email address?

  We will use it to send you password-reset emails in case your forget your password, and notices in case something unusual happens with your account.
  We will never share your email address with anyone and we will never use it to advertise a product or a service.

• Where are my files stored, and who has access to them?

  Your results files are stored on our servers, and only you and the system administrators (us) can access them. Once you delete a results file from your project, it is deleted from our servers forever, so make sure you save a copy of the file somewhere safe if you will need to access it later.
  Consider all the other files (resources, scripts, aesthetic files and modules) publicly accessible, even if your experiment cannot be cloned, as those files effectively need to be downloaded onto your participants' device by their browser when they take your experiment.