Skip to content

Extension development

Requirements for an extension

As of version 7.0, extensions are JavaScript Classes. An extension must implement:

Templates

Plugins can be written in either plain JavaScript or in TypeScript. Template files for both JavaScript and TypeScript are available in the jspsych-contrib repository.

Extension components

constructor()

The extension's constructor() will be passed a reference to the instance of the JsPsych class that is running the experiment. The constructor should store this reference so that the plugin can access functionality from the core library and its modules.

class MyAwesomeExtension {
  constructor(jsPsych){
    this.jsPsych = jsPsych;
  }
}

initialize()

The initialize() function is called when an instance of jsPsych is first initialized, either through initJsPsych() or new JsPsych(). This is where setup code for the extension should be run. This event will happen once per experiment, unlike the other events which occur with each trial. The params object can include whatever parameters are necessary to configure the extension. The params object is passed from the call to initJsPsych() to initialize() method. initialize() must return a Promise that resolves when the extension is finished initializing. 

//... experiment code ...//
let jsPsych = initJsPsych({
  extensions: [
    {type: myAwesomeExtension, params: {demo: 'value'}}
  ]
});

//... extension code ...//
class MyAwesomeExtension {

  initialize(params){
    return new Promise((resolve, reject)=>{
      console.log(params.demo); // will output 'value'

      resolve(); // finish initialzing
    })
  }
}

on_start()

on_start() is called at the start of the plugin execution, prior to calling plugin.trial. This is where trial-specific initialization can happen, such as creating empty containers to hold data or resetting internal state. The params object is passed from the declaration of the extension in the trial object. You can use params to customize the behavior of the extension for each trial.

//... experiment code ...//
let trial = {
  type: htmlKeyboardResponse,
  stimulus: "You're awesome!",
  extensions: [
    {type: myAwesomeExtension, params: {demo: 'value'}}
  ]
});

//... extension code ...//
class MyAwesomeExtension {

  initialize(params){ ... }

  on_start(params){
    console.log(params.demo); // outputs 'value' before the trial begins.
  }
}

on_load()

on_load() is called after the on_load event for the plugin has completed, which is typically when the plugin has finished executing initial DOM-modifying code and has set up various event listeners. This is where the extension can begin actively interacting with the DOM and recording data. The params object is passed from the declaration of the extension in the trial object. You can use params to customize the behavior of the extension for each trial.

//... experiment code ...//
let trial = {
  type: htmlKeyboardResponse,
  stimulus: "You're awesome!",
  extensions: [
    {type: myAwesomeExtension, params: {demo: 'value'}}
  ]
});

//... extension code ...//
class MyAwesomeExtension {

  initialize(params){ ... }

  on_start(params){ ... }

  on_load(params){
    // replaces the contents of the display with 'value';
    this.jsPsych.getDisplayElement().innerHTML = params.demo;
  }
}

on_finish()

on_finish() is called after the plugin invokes jsPsych.finishTrial(). This can be used for any teardown at the end of the trial. This method should return an object of data to append to the plugin's data. Note that this event fires before the on_finish event for the plugin, so data added by the extension is accessible in any trial on_finish event handlers. The params object is passed from the declaration of the extension in the trial object. You can use params to customize the behavior of the extension for each trial.

//... experiment code ...//
let trial = {
  type: htmlKeyboardResponse,
  stimulus: "You're awesome!",
  extensions: [
    {type: myAwesomeExtension, params: {demo: 'value'}}
  ],
  on_finish: (data) => {
    console.log(data.awesome); // will output 'value'.
  }
});

//... extension code ...//
class MyAwesomeExtension {

  initialize(params){ ... }

  on_start(params){ ... }

  on_load(params){ ... }

  on_finish(params){
    return {
      awesome: params.value
    }
  }
}

static .info

The info property for the class must contain an object with a name property that has a unique name for the extension.

class MyAwesomeExtension {

}

MyAwesomeExtension.info = {
  name: 'awesome'
}

Optional methods

The extension can also include any additional methods that are necessary for interacting with it. See the webgazer extension for an example.

Advice for writing extensions

If you are developing an extension with the aim of including it in the main jsPsych repository we encourage you to follow the contribution guidelines.

In general, extensions should be able to work with any plugin. They should make very few assumptions about what the DOM will contain beyond the container elements generated by jsPsych. If you are making an extension targeted at one or a small number of specific plugins, consider modifying the plugin code instead.