Guinea Pig - Changes
This document describes changes and additions to the GuineaPig system
from one version to other.
New features
- RunTest:
Manual updated for graphical RunTest version.
- Multidevice support:
Multiple audio ports can be used at the same time. For example,
two ADAT cards show as a 16 channel port for GP.
- Virtual players
(VPs) are now better integrated to testing. The output channels
of GP can be divided into smaller sections. VPs can now be used
for implementing hardware tests.
- Generic ABC Test:
More information about the test and also information about how
to use special item parameters and virtual players for hardware
testing.
- Test session can be aborted by the subject.
Items that have been tested will be saved to session log. A
subject can abort the session with the 'close-window' button on
the UI panel. The results file shows the final status of the
item.
If multiple subjects take part in the session, aborting test by
a subject doesn't affect the other subjects in the session. The
whole session aborts only when the last subject aborts.
- Logging:
Logging information about the test
session is also written in a file. The verbosity of the logging
can be configured.
- New ResPrint fields:
New fields PLAINTIME and STATUS have been added.
- Lot of internal changes in test engine, session subject
handling, etc.
New in version 2.03
- Demo samples are removed from the package to
reduce the size of the package. Demo samples are available
separately as GuineaPig Patch #6 (or its newer
replacement patches).
- Graphical RunTest tool:
A graphical tool for running a test. Allows setting session
IDs, playlists and adding local and remote subjects.
- SSMS test: User controlled signals' levels
match better with the UI's controllers slider position. Allows
use of random initial value in GradeBar.
- 'Rank order' question component: A question
component that allows ranking samples (or whatever). Allows any
number of items to be ranked. Allow/disallow ties
configurable. A formatter class for ResPrint for formatting the
ranking order answer object in several ways.
- Generic ABC test: Can test unlimited number of
samples at the same time (extended version of A/B/C test where 3 was
the maximum). All other tests have been changed to use
GenericABC test as their base.
- Results processing:
A new version of the
ResPrint
tool. New
configurable options:
which fields to include in
results, order of fields and parameters, subfields (one
parameter or result can be split into several fields), fields'
formatting can be changed with plug-in modules, simple filtering
of results.
- Automatic sample play when item starts: In free
sequence tests the test can be made to
automatically start playing a sample
when the item starts.
- Aliases for test class names: The test class
names can now be given as a shorter alias of the class name
instead of a fully qualified java class name. See each class'
documentation for supported class aliases. It is recommended
that aliases are used instead of fully-qualified class
names.
- Player's class name: The sound player's
class name
in test config file should now normally be omitted unless a
special player is used. Default class will be used if classname
is omitted.
- Test items:
All test specific test item classes have been replaced by one
generic test item class. Also defining, extending and
configuring test items have been made easier and more powerful.
See items documents and test type documents for details for
specific tests.
- Document additions: Added documentation for
PlayPanel
sample play controller.
- Remote subject UIs: Testing using remote
terminals now works for the most part. Some features still need
some work.
- Test parameters: Added a new parameter
testDirectory
to test configuration. All test's files are loaded and saved
relative to the test directory (unless absolute paths to files
are used. If no test directory is specified, the directory
where the test config file is loaded is used.
- GradeBar components:
The default answer of the component can be set with a parameter.
Default answer is used as the value of the grade bar (and the
position of the knob in the grade bar) when the component is
reset. Also the default answer can be configured to use a
different random value every time the component is reset.
New in version 2.02
- SSMS test changes: Now variable gain control
affects only signal S3 only by default. Test can be configured
which signals are controlled by the variable gain (S3 only
(default), S2 only, both S2 and S3).
- GradeBar components: The adjectives can now be
shown without the grade's value.
- Added Remote subject UIs. Most features of subject
UIs work remotedly too.
- Added remote UI server test tool
gpUIServerTester
for testing remote UIs.
- Added remote subject UI client
gpRemoteUIClient
(application) to launch the subject UI from remote
terminal and connect to remote UI server.
- Added remote subject UI client
applet
for using a web-browser as the remote terminal.
- Added Test Progress Indicator: indicator shows
the number of current item and the total number of test items in
the form of 'Item: 3/20' (current item is the 3rd item
of total 20 items in the test).
- Results saving: the results to the items are
saved in the same order they were presented to the subject.
Before the order of the items in the results file were
random (playlists could have been used to reorder the item
results).
- Fixed size of subject UI: Subject's UI's size
can be set manually. The width or height or both can be set to
fixed sizes. Window can be set so that the subject cannot
resize the window.
- Soundplayer improvements: Improvements to sound player
and new virtual players.
Virtual players allowing dividing a set of output
channels into a set of smaller players, for example, divide an
8-channel ADAT device to 4 stereo players.
Timing measuring allows to get the time when a sample
started to play from the outputs, etc. Is also be used to
measure the delay from a command to when the audio comes out of
the machine.
- Documentation updates: Updates and additions in
API documentation and
system manual.
- MCLL parameters: MCLL parameter names have
changed slightly since version 2.01. See
MCLL docs
in the manual.
Last modified: Wed Jul 28 16:17:46 EEST 1999