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Getting Started with the iTrace VS Plugin

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Corey Bryant edited this page Aug 2, 2019 · 9 revisions

Basic Usage

  1. Open Visual Studio as an administrator
  2. Open the project you will run eye tracking on
  3. Configure socket port if required
  4. Connect to Core
  5. Start Tracking using the iTrace Core
  6. Stop Tracking using the iTrace Core
  7. Disconnect from the Core
    • Always disconnect before closing Visual Studio to ensure all XML tags in the output data are properly closed

Before You Begin

To get eye tracking data, this plugin uses the iTrace-Core. You must have this program installed before you can use the extension. It is available here: https://github.com/iTrace-Dev/iTrace-Core

Ensure the iTrace VS Plugin has been installed as described here, Installing the iTrace VS Plugin

Opening Visual Studio as Administrator

This is to ensure the plugin has all the required permissions to connect and listen to sockets, and to create/write to files. Opening Visual Studio as an administrator is typically done by right clicking the desktop shortcut for Visual Studio and selecting Run as Administrator. Using a start menu shortcut you can right click and find Run as Administrator under the More section.

Viewing the iTraceVS Window

You should see an iTrace window pane with controls if you have used it before. If it is your first time using the tool or it has not been saved as part of your Visual Studio window layout you can bring up the window by going to View > Other Windows > iTrace VS

Changing the Socket Port

The socket port number setting can be found by going to Tools > Options and from that menu clicking on iTrace > iTrace Settings, then you can change the socket port number to your desired value and click OK. Valid socket port values are between 1025 and 65535.

This change goes into effect when you click the 'Connect to Core' button so do this before beginning a session. Ensure all socket port changes are also done to the iTrace Core Application. Mismatched socket ports will result in you being unable to connect the two tools.

Connecting to iTrace Core

The iTraceVS window contains a button labeled 'Connect to Core'. Clicking it will prompt the plugin to attempt to connect to the socket port specified in your iTrace Settings. Once successfully connected the button text will change to say 'Disconnect'.

Attempting to 'Connect to Core' will fail if the iTrace Core application is not running, the iTrace Core application is running but using a different socket port than specified for the iTraceVS plugin, or if Visual Studio is not being run as administrator.

Recording Data

Start and stop data collection using the iTrace Core application. You can record multiple sessions in succession by choosing to Start Tracking again after you Stop Tracking as long as you have not disconnected the plugin yet. Starting a new session this way completes the previous session and beings the new one.

Disconnect from iTrace Core

If you are completely finished with data collection from your subject, stop the tracker using the iTrace Core application and then click 'Disconnect' on the plugin. Closing Visual Studio without disconnecting will leave you with invalid XML document.

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