Platform-specific instructions: Linux

There are multiple ways to install Expyriment. The recommended methods require an active internet connection. If you need to install Expyriment on a computer that has no internet connection (like lab computer), please use the offline method.

Recommended

Using pipx

The most convenient way to install Expyriment is via pipx. This installs Expyriment as an application in an isolated virtual environment. After installation you can use Expyriment through the Command line interface.

1. Use your distribution’s package manager to install:

   • python3 (if not already installed)

   • pipx

   For example, in Debian, run in a terminal:

   sudo apt install python3 pipx
   

2. To install Expyriment, run in a terminal:

   pipx install expyriment
   pipx ensurepath
   

Using pip

1. Use your distribution’s package manager to install:

   • python3 (if not already installed)

   • python3-venv

   For example, in Debian, run in a terminal:

   sudo apt install python3 python3-venv
   

2. To create (and activate) a virtual environment, run in a terminal:

   python3 -m venv xpy-env
   source xpy-env/bin/activate
   

3. To install Expyriment, run in a terminal:

   pip install -U pip
   pip install expyriment
   

Offline

If you don’t have an internet connection on the computer you want to install Expyriment on, you can download the necessary packages on a different computer that has, and then transfer them to the target computer and install them there. After installation your can use Expyriment like any other Python package.

On an computer with internet connection (same OS, architecture and Python version!)

1. Use your distribution’s package manager to install:

   • python3

   • python3-pip

   For example, in Debian, run in a terminal:

   sudo apt install python3 pipx
   

2. To download Expyriment and dependencies into a directory Expyriment_Installation, run in a terminal:

   mkdir Expyriment_Installation
   python3 -m pip download -d Expyriment_Installation expyriment
   

3. Copy the directory Expyriment_Installation to a portable storage device

On the target computer

1. Refer to your distribution’s documentation on how to install the following packages offline:

   • python3

   • python3-venv

2. Copy the directory Expyriment_Installation from the portable storage device to the target computer

3. To create (and activate) a virtual environment, run in a terminal:

   python3 -m venv xpy-env
   source xpy-env/bin/activate
   

4. To install Expyriment, run in a terminal:

   pip install --no-index --find-links Expyriment_Installation expyriment
   

Notes

Switch off desktop effects, when running an experiment

Several window managers nowadays come with a compositing engine to produce 3D desktop effects. To get accurate timing of the visual stimulus presentation it is important to switch off desktop effects in your window manager!

Switch off Triple-Buffering, when running an experiment

On some machines (e.g. with Intel video cards), triple-buffering is switched on by default. For proper timing, this needs to be set off in the Xorg config:

Option      "TearFree"        "false"
Option      "TripleBuffer"    "false"

For Nvidia, this can often be set in the Nvidia setting tool, rather than in the Xorg configuration file.

Expyriment might return a scaled screen under Wayland

When using Wayland instead of X11, Expyriment might return a scaled screen. This depends on the Wayland implementation, and how it handles XWayland applications. Often this can also be changed explicitely by the user. For instance, under KDE Plasma, there is a global setting in the display settings which will make Expyriment return an unscaled screen (“Legacy Applications (X11)” –> “Apply Scaling Themselves”).