Exploring the system with WhiskerTestClient

In the User Guide, we glanced at the WhiskerTestClient program. This might be a good time to run it, connect to the server, and try sending some messages. As a very simple example, try sending the following command:

TimerSetEvent 5000 0 Your_Time_Is_Up

This is one of the commands detailed in the rest of this section. It requests the server to set up a timer event that elapses in 5000 ms (5 s), never reloads, and sends the event 'Your_Time_Is_Up' when the timer elapses. You should see that the server responds immediately with

Info: EventSet: Timer 5000ms -reloads 0 = "Your_Time_Is_Up"

and five seconds later, the server should send

Event: Your_Time_Is_Up

This is a message that has the 'Event:' prefix, and WhiskerTestClient is alert to these; in addition to displaying the message from the server in its Received window, it also displays

Your_Time_Is_Up

in its Events window. Events are the class of message that clients are most interested in responding to; were this a real client, it might be programmed to terminate a schedule at this point. Events are not restricted to timers; by using the LineSetEvent or DisplaySetEvent command, you can ask the server to send you a message of your choosing when your subject breaks an infrared detector beam, presses a lever, or touches a picture of an apple.