Merge pull request #3426 from jspsych/feat-dynamic-timeline-descriptions

Respect dynamically added trial/timeline descriptions

.changeset/large-plums-guess.md

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"jspsych": minor
+---
+
+We added a feature that allows users to dynamically add or remove trials or nested timelines to a timeline array during runtime.

docs/overview/timeline.md

@@ -467,6 +467,128 @@ const after_if_trial = {
 jsPsych.run([pre_if_trial, if_node, after_if_trial]);
 ```
 
+## Modifying timelines at runtime
+
+Although this functionality can also be achieved through a combination of the `conditional_function` and the use of dynamic variables in the `stimulus` parameter, our timeline implementation allows you to dynamically add or remove trials and nested timelines during runtime.
+
+### Adding timeline nodes at runtime
+For example, you may have a branching point in your experiment where the participant is given 3 choices, each leading to a different timeline: 
+
+```javascript
+const jspsych = initJsPsych();
+let main_timeline = [];
+
+const part1_trial = {
+	type: jsPsychHtmlKeyboardResponse,
+	stimulus: 'Part 1'
+}
+
+const choice_trial = {
+	type: jsPsychHtmlKeyboardResponse,
+	stimulus: 'Press 1 if you are a new participant. Press 2 for inquiries about an existing experiment run. Press 3 for Spanish.',
+	choices: ['1','2','3']
+}
+```
+This would be trickier to implement with the `conditional_function` since it can only handle 2 branches -- case when `True` or case when `False`. Instead, you can modify the timeline by modifying `choice_trial` to dynamically adding a timeline at the end of the choice trial according to the chosen condition:
+
+```javascript
+const english_trial1 = {...};
+const english_trial2 = {...};
+const english_trial3 = {...};
+// So on and so forth
+const spanish_trial3 = {...};
+
+const english_branch = [b1_t1, b1_t2, b1_t3];
+const mandarin_branch = [b2_t1, b2_t2, b2_t3];
+const spanish_branch = [b3_t1, b3_t2, b3_t3];
+
+const choice_trial = {
+	type: jsPsychHtmlKeyboardResponse,
+	stimulus: 'Press 1 for English. Press 2 for Mandarin. Press 3 for Spanish.',
+	choices: ['1','2','3'],
+	on_finish: (data) => {
+		switch(data.response) {
+			case '1':
+				main_timeline.push(english_branch);
+				break;
+			case '2':
+				main_timeline.push(mandarin_branch);
+				break;
+			case '3':
+				main_timeline.push(spanish_branch);
+				break;
+		}
+	}
+}
+main_timeline.push(part1_trial, choice_trial);
+```
+During runtime, choices 1, 2 and 3 will dynamically add a different (nested) timeline, `english_branch`, `mandarin_branch` and `spanish_branch` respectively, to the end of the `main_timeline`.
+
+### Removing timeline nodes at runtime
+
+You can also remove upcoming timeline nodes from a timeline at runtime. To demonstrate this, we can modify the above example by adding a 4th choice to `choice_trial` and another (nested) timeline to the tail of `main_timeline`:
+
+```javascript
+const choice_trial = {
+	type: jsPsychHtmlKeyboardResponse,
+	stimulus: 'Press 1 for English. Press 2 for Mandarin. Press 3 for Spanish. Press 4 to exit.',
+	choices: ['1','2','3', '4'],
+	on_finish: (data) => {
+		switch(data.response) {
+			case '1':
+				main_timeline.push(english_branch);
+				break;
+			case '2':
+				main_timeline.push(mandarin_branch);
+				break;
+			case '3':
+				main_timeline.push(spanish_branch);
+				break;
+			case '4':
+				main_timeline.pop();
+				break;
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+const part2_timeline = [
+	{
+		type: JsPsychHtmlKeyboardResponse,
+		stimulus: 'Part 2'
+	}
+	// ...the rest of the part 2 trials
+]
+
+main_timeline.push(part1_trial, choice_trial, part2_timeline)
+```
+Now, if 1, 2 or 3 were chosen during runtime, `part2_timeline` will run after the dynamically added timeline corresponding to the choice (`english_branch` | `mandarin_branch` | `spanish_branch`) has been run; but if 4 was chosen, `part2_timeline` will be removed at runtime, and `main_timeline` will terminate.
+
+### Exception cases for adding/removing timeline nodes dynamically
+Adding or removing timeline nodes work as expected when the addition/removal occurs at a future point in the timeline relative to the current executing node, but not if it occurs before the current node. The example above works as expected becaues all the node(s) added (`english_branch` | `mandarin_branch` | `spanish_branch`) or removed (`part2_timeline`) occur at the end of the timeline via `push()` and `pop()`. If a node was added at a point in the timeline that has already been executed, it will not be executed:
+
+```javascript
+const choice_trial = {
+	type: jsPsychHtmlKeyboardResponse,
+	stimulus: 'Press 1 for English. Press 2 for Mandarin. Press 3 for Spanish. Press 4 to exit.',
+	choices: ['1','2','3', '4'],
+	on_finish: (data) => {
+		switch(data.response) {
+			case '1':
+				main_timeline.splice(0,0,english_branch); // Adds english_branch to the start of main_timeline
+				break;
+			case '2':
+				main_timeline.push(mandarin_branch);
+				break;
+			
+			...
+
+main_timeline.push(part1_trial, choice_trial);
+```
+In the above implementation of `choice_trial`, choice 1 adds `english_branch` at the start of `main_timeline`, such that `main_timeline = [english_branch, part1_trial, choice_trial]`, but because the execution of `main_timeline` is past the first node at this point in runtime, the newly added `english_branch` will not be executed. Similarly, modifying `case '1'` in `choice_trial` to remove `part1_trial` will not change any behavior in the timeline.
+
+!!! danger
+In the case of a looping timeline, adding a timeline node at a point before the current node will cause the current node to be executed again; and removing a timeline node at a point before the current node will cause the next node to be skipped.
+
 ## Timeline start and finish functions
 
 You can run a custom function at the start and end of a timeline node using the `on_timeline_start` and `on_timeline_finish` callback function parameters. These are functions that will run when the timeline starts and ends, respectively. 

packages/jspsych/src/timeline/Timeline.spec.ts

@@ -58,6 +58,109 @@ describe("Timeline", () => {
       expect((children[1] as Timeline).children.map((child) => child.index)).toEqual([1, 2]);
     });
 
+    it("respects dynamically added child node descriptions", async () => {
+      TestPlugin.setManualFinishTrialMode();
+
+      const timelineDescription: TimelineArray = [{ type: TestPlugin }];
+      const timeline = createTimeline(timelineDescription);
+
+      const runPromise = timeline.run();
+      expect(timeline.children.length).toEqual(1);
+
+      timelineDescription.push({ timeline: [{ type: TestPlugin }] });
+      await TestPlugin.finishTrial();
+      await TestPlugin.finishTrial();
+      await runPromise;
+
+      expect(timeline.children.length).toEqual(2);
+    });
+
+    it("dynamically added child node descriptions before a node after it has been run", async () => {
+      TestPlugin.setManualFinishTrialMode();
+
+      const timelineDescription: TimelineArray = [{ type: TestPlugin }];
+      const timeline = createTimeline(timelineDescription);
+
+      const runPromise = timeline.run();
+      expect(timeline.children.length).toEqual(1);
+
+      await TestPlugin.finishTrial();
+      timelineDescription.splice(0, 0, { timeline: [{ type: TestPlugin }] });
+      await TestPlugin.finishTrial();
+      await runPromise;
+
+      expect(timeline.children.length).toEqual(1);
+    });
+
+    it("respects dynamically removed end child node descriptions", async () => {
+      TestPlugin.setManualFinishTrialMode();
+
+      const timelineDescription: TimelineArray = [
+        { type: TestPlugin },
+        { timeline: [{ type: TestPlugin }] },
+        { type: TestPlugin },
+      ];
+      const timeline = createTimeline(timelineDescription);
+
+      const runPromise = timeline.run();
+      expect(timeline.children.length).toEqual(1); // Only the first child is instantiated because they are incrementally instantiated now
+
+      timelineDescription.pop();
+      await TestPlugin.finishTrial();
+      await TestPlugin.finishTrial();
+      await runPromise;
+
+      expect(timeline.children.length).toEqual(2);
+      expect(timeline.children).toEqual([expect.any(Trial), expect.any(Timeline)]);
+    });
+
+    it("respects dynamically removed middle child node descriptions", async () => {
+      TestPlugin.setManualFinishTrialMode();
+
+      const timelineDescription: TimelineArray = [
+        { type: TestPlugin },
+        { timeline: [{ type: TestPlugin }] },
+        { type: TestPlugin },
+      ];
+      const timeline = createTimeline(timelineDescription);
+
+      const runPromise = timeline.run();
+      expect(timeline.children.length).toEqual(1);
+
+      timelineDescription.splice(1, 1);
+      await TestPlugin.finishTrial();
+      await TestPlugin.finishTrial();
+      await runPromise;
+
+      expect(timeline.children.length).toEqual(2);
+      expect(timeline.children).toEqual([expect.any(Trial), expect.any(Trial)]);
+    });
+
+    it("dynamically remove first node after running it", async () => {
+      TestPlugin.setManualFinishTrialMode();
+
+      const timelineDescription: TimelineArray = [
+        { type: TestPlugin, data: { I: 0 } },
+        { timeline: [{ type: TestPlugin, data: { I: 1 } }] },
+        { type: TestPlugin, data: { I: 2 } },
+        { type: TestPlugin, data: { I: 3 } },
+      ];
+      const timeline = createTimeline(timelineDescription);
+
+      const runPromise = timeline.run();
+      await TestPlugin.finishTrial();
+      timelineDescription.shift();
+      await TestPlugin.finishTrial();
+      await TestPlugin.finishTrial();
+      await runPromise;
+
+      expect(timeline.children.length).toEqual(3);
+      expect(timeline.children[0].getDataParameter().I).toEqual(0);
+      const secondChildDescription = timeline.children[1].description as TimelineDescription;
+      expect(secondChildDescription["timeline"][0]).toHaveProperty("data.I", 1);
+      expect(timeline.children[2].getDataParameter().I).toEqual(3);
+    });
+
     describe("with `pause()` and `resume()` calls`", () => {
       beforeEach(() => {
         TestPlugin.setManualFinishTrialMode();
@@ -84,12 +187,9 @@ describe("Timeline", () => {
 
         await TestPlugin.finishTrial();
         expect(timeline.children[1].getStatus()).toBe(TimelineNodeStatus.COMPLETED);
-        expect(timeline.children[2].getStatus()).toBe(TimelineNodeStatus.PENDING);
 
-        // Resolving the next trial promise shouldn't continue the experiment since no trial should be running.
+        // The timeline is paused, so it shouldn't have instantiated the next child node yet.
-        await TestPlugin.finishTrial();
+        expect(timeline.children.length).toEqual(2);
-
-        expect(timeline.children[2].getStatus()).toBe(TimelineNodeStatus.PENDING);
 
         timeline.resume();
         await flushPromises();

packages/jspsych/src/timeline/Timeline.ts

@@ -75,7 +75,9 @@ export class Timeline extends TimelineNode {
           for (const timelineVariableIndex of timelineVariableOrder) {
             this.setCurrentTimelineVariablesByIndex(timelineVariableIndex);
 
-            for (const childNode of this.instantiateChildNodes()) {
+            for (const childNodeDescription of this.description.timeline) {
+              const childNode = this.instantiateChildNode(childNodeDescription);
+
               const previousChild = this.currentChild;
               this.currentChild = childNode;
               childNode.index = previousChild
@@ -151,14 +153,15 @@ export class Timeline extends TimelineNode {
     }
   }
 
-  private instantiateChildNodes() {
+  private instantiateChildNode(
-    const newChildNodes = this.description.timeline.map((childDescription) => {
+    childDescription: TimelineDescription | TimelineArray | TrialDescription
-      return isTimelineDescription(childDescription)
+  ) {
-        ? new Timeline(this.dependencies, childDescription, this)
+    const newChildNode = isTimelineDescription(childDescription)
-        : new Trial(this.dependencies, childDescription, this);
+      ? new Timeline(this.dependencies, childDescription, this)
-    });
+      : new Trial(this.dependencies, childDescription, this);
-    this.children.push(...newChildNodes);
+
-    return newChildNodes;
+    this.children.push(newChildNode);
+    return newChildNode;
   }
 
   private currentTimelineVariables: Record<string, any>;