Error message-- can't automatically detect

[sten_knutsen]

I've been slowly building my study today, and after adding each bit of code, I've been testing and everything's been fine.
Then I added quite a bit of new code, and tried running the study. I got the error message: Your study contains coding errors that we cannot automatically detect yet. Please refer to the Study Grammar Reference for help.
So, I took out all of the new code I had added and tried to run again, thinking it should work since this is the same code I started with. Instead, I got the error: Your study contains coding errors that we cannot automatically detect yet. Please refer to the Study Grammar Reference for help.
So I looked at the FAQ #4 -- Syntax Error post. I highlighted all of my text in both trial templates and Procedure and hit tab -- looks good, but still get the error.
So I also C&P'd both trial templates and procedure into an online JSON validator -- it is valid JSON.
I am at my wits end! Two hours ago, this code worked fine -- now I can't run it and get the same syntax error: Your study contains coding errors that we cannot automatically detect yet. Please refer to the Study Grammar Reference for help 
even though this is the same code I ran earlier. 
What else can I try?

[Rachel - Participant Affairs]

Hi! Sorry to hear that you're having this issue. Could you add me as a collaborator to your study ([email protected]), so that I can take a look? 

Best,
Rachel

[sten_knutsen]

HI Rachel,

Thanks for responding so quickly!

Since my post I’ve been troubleshooting and I think I’ve isolated the problem. But first, a few more details about what happened yesterday:

So I was building my study bit by bit, adding stimuli by hand or a very short csv upload, and then coding my trial templates and procedure. This was fine for my “study welcome”, “audio test” and “practice trials” sections. All worked fine.

Then I wanted to add the main experimental portion of my study. There are 92 trials with 184 stimuli. I uploaded the stimuli via csv 92 at-a-time.

I also coded my trial templates and procedure for the 92 trials. It was at this point that I started getting the syntax error above.

So I first removed all of the trial templates and procedure I had just added. However, now even the previously working sections of my program (the welcome, audio check and practice trials) would not work! I would get the same syntax error (above).

After that, I posted here.

Then I thought, getting rid of the new trial templates and procedure I had written didn’t get rid of the syntax error.. . . .maybe this has something to do with the 184 stimuli I bulk uploaded?

So I deleted the 184 stimuli and re-ran the study (the welcome, audio check and practice trials) and it worked fine! So it had something to do with the stimuli files.

Next, I went back and just started adding stimuli 20 at-a-time (instead of 184 all at once). Each time I added stimuli, I would run just the trials relevant to those stimuli, and the program ran without a syntax error.

Then I added 40 stimuli at-a -time (via csv) and ran the trials for just those stimuli. Still worked.

Lastly I added 64 at-a-time. Still no error message, but I noticed that the first time I tried to run the study, I only made it to the 6th or 7th trial and the experiment hung up.

I re-ran the study again and got a little further (15 or so trials?) and the experiment hung up.

I ran the study again, and finally it ran through.

My take on this: I think something is up with the whatever finding five is using to validate stimuli (e.g., make sure that there is a corresponding file for stimuli content, etc.). I think when I added all those stims at once, the validator got hung up, and when I tried to run the study, it threw the ambiguous syntax error because it wasn’t sure what to do: my trial templates and procedure code was fine, but the stimuli validator had not yet validated all of the stimuli, and so the error message was thrown.

Anyway, now everything works, so I’m not sure what benefit there would be to you looking at my code, since my code seems to be fine. Let me know what you think — if you still want to take a look, I’ll add you on as collaborator.

Thanks again,

sten

[Rachel - Participant Affairs]

Hi sten,
Thanks for the detailed information and for notifying us of this potential problem. We are looking into this, and we'll get back to you shortly! 
Best,
Rachel