I'm a little late announcing it to this email list. I'm on sabbatical
from my university job and have made a lot of massive updates and
improvements to PEBL over the last few months, especially including the
ability to run the same studies in the lab or online. Here is the latest
desktop release, which the online version is now using (at
peblhub.online).
Best,
Shane
Released January 2026
PEBL 2.3 brings a comprehensive Layout & Response System for
cross-platform input handling, a native C++ launcher with study
management, a standalone script validator, and a major expansion of the
online platform test library.
ONLINE PLATFORM & UPLOAD-BATTERY EXPANSION
* Expanded upload-battery directory with 10 new platform-ready tests
(total 58 tests)
* New tests migrated to upload-battery:
* Chimp Test (chimptest) -- Iconic/eidetic and spatial memory
assessment
* Dual-Task Interference Test (dualtask) -- Executive function and
multitasking
* Global-Local Processing Task (globallocal) -- Attentional processing
and visual perception
* Line Judgment Task (linejudgment) -- Visual perception and
estimation
* Matrix Rotation Task (matrixrotation) -- Visuospatial reasoning
* Dual N-Back Task (nback) -- Working memory training and assessment
* Span Variants Test (spanvariants) -- Comprehensive memory span
assessment
* Time-Tapping Task (timetap) -- Temporal perception and motor timing
* Visual Search Task (vsearch) -- Attention and visual processing
* Even/Odd Task (evenodd) -- Number processing and decision making
* All newly migrated tests feature Layout & Response System
integration
* Enhanced frozen snapshot system for study version control on online
platform
* Improved bundle management for platform test deployment
LAYOUT & RESPONSE SYSTEM
* Comprehensive platform-aware input handling system for
cross-platform compatibility
* Semantic response mapping (LEFT/RIGHT, YES/NO, etc.) independent of
physical input device
* Multiple response mode support: keyboard-safe, mousebutton,
touchtarget, touchdrag, mousedrag
* Automatic adaptation to platform capabilities (touch vs mouse vs
keyboard)
* Sticky Keys prevention for web browsers (avoids Windows
accessibility dialog)
* CreateLayout() function for UI setup with responsemode parameter
* Unified response handling across native, WebAssembly, and mobile
platforms
* 18+ battery tests migrated to new response system
* Detailed migration guide in doc/LAYOUT_MIGRATION_GUIDE.md
NATIVE C++ LAUNCHER & DEVELOPMENT TOOLS
* PEBL Launcher (pebl-launcher): Native C++ study management
application using Dear ImGui
* Visual study builder with drag-and-drop test organization
* Chain creation for multi-task experiment sequences
* Snapshot export/import system for study version control and sharing
* ZIP-based snapshot format with metadata and bundled files
* Subject ID management and data directory organization
* Token-based upload configuration for PEBL Online Platform
* Cross-platform support (Linux, planned Windows/macOS support)
* libzip integration for snapshot packaging
* PEBL Validator (pebl-validator):
* Standalone syntax validation tool for PEBL scripts
* Batch validation support for entire directories
* Detailed error reporting with line numbers and context
* Integration with development workflows
* Available as separate binary for CI/CD pipelines
NETWORK & DATA UPLOAD IMPROVEMENTS
* Token-based authentication system in Transfer.pbl
* New auth_token field replaces username/password for platform uploads
* Backward compatibility maintained for legacy authentication
* Unified authentication across native and WebAssembly builds
* HTTPS upload fixes in PEBLHTTP.cpp
* Automatic protocol detection based on port (443 = HTTPS, others =
HTTP)
* Full URL construction with protocol prefix for libcurl
* Proper SSL/TLS handling for secure data transmission
* Fixed port-based routing for encrypted uploads
* Enhanced upload reliability and error handling
* Improved network connection management
BUILD SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS
* Fixed Emscripten JPEG support with correct SDL2_IMAGE_FORMATS
configuration
* Changed from "jpeg" to "jpg" format string with explicit
USE_LIBJPEG=1 flag
* Enhanced .gitignore patterns for build artifacts (test bundles,
launcher binaries)
* Improved bundle packaging workflow for online platform deployment
* Separate handling of frozen snapshot bundles vs. core battery
bundles
BATTERY TEST IMPROVEMENTS
* Fixed Iowa Gambling Task (iowa.pbl) syntax errors in language
detection
* Corrected indentation and brace placement in conditional blocks
* Fixed nested if/else structure for translation file selection
* Applied fixes to both battery/ and upload-battery/ versions
* Removed legacy backup files (iowa-old.pbl) from upload-battery
* Enhanced parameter schemas and translation support across migrated
tests
BUG FIXES AND REFINEMENTS
* Fixed brace alignment and conditional nesting in language detection
code
* Improved error handling in token-based upload system
* Corrected JPEG format specifier for SDL2_image in WebAssembly builds
* Enhanced bundle metadata handling for platform deployment
* Fixed snapshot bundle path resolution for active studies
ALSO INCLUDES CHANGES FROM 2.2.1
* Fixed GLR parser to allow 'else' statements on new line, improving
code readability
* Added Urdu language support with automatic font selection for
Perso-Arabic script
* Migrated TNT (Toulouse N-back Test) and Fitts' Law test to
upload-battery
* Added translations for multiple battery tests (German, Spanish,
Italian, Dutch, Portuguese)
* Audio format standardization: converted WAV files to OGG for better
web compatibility
* Improved manifest-based bundle packaging for Emscripten builds_______________________________________________
Pebl-list mailing list
[email protected]
https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/pebl-list
