End User Desktop

Apart from the standard otree commands we created a set of commands for the end user to improve usability. The commands are available via command line and via desktop launcher providing an easy to use GUI that guides the user through the several processes. The user has the following commands available:

  • otree_startproject creates an otree project in the folder Projects in the user’s home directory. The created folder is a basic otree project folder WITHOUT the example apps. It further creates either a symbolic link venv to the default virtual python environment of the user in the project folder or creates a specific virtual environment within the project folder called venv. The latter allows for specialized oTree versions for each project. Lastly it copies the _rooms directory from the folder Templates into the project folder. _rooms contains a preconfigured econ101.txt for 24 clients.
  • otree_link_experiment is used to create a symbolic link to the nginx root location. The nginx webserver looks in a predefined location for a webserver root. The command handles the linking for you and creates a symlink to $HOME/.oTree which is where nginx looks for your project.
  • otree_restart helps you with your starting requirements. It offer to run otree collectstatic for you as well as an otree resetdb. Before the database reset is executed pg_dump makes a backup of the current state of the database and stores a 7zipped version of it in $HOME/DB_BackUps. Finally it runs otree runprodserver --port=YOUR_DAPHNE_PORT or otree runserver YOUR_DAPHNE_PORT for you to ensure that you use the correct port. otree_restart also comes with a number of arguments that help you get started more quickly.
-c:run otree collectstatic
-h:help
-l:run local (programming) server (runserver)
-m:Send emails when otree stops running. (Your email is configured in otree_environ_config.)
-p:skip queries and run otree runprodserver --port=YOUR_PORT directly
-r:run otree resetdb
-s:start otree in a detached screen (virtual console)

The commands are stored in $HOME/.local/bin for each user separately so that users can make adjustments for themselves if needed.

All three commands offer a console and a GUI based on GTK zenity dialogs. For calling the GUI three *.desktop are created in $HOME/Desktop.

When you call up a command the command will guide you through the process.

The below graphic provides an overview of the file structure created in the oTree user’s home directory and the command relations.

_images/otree_img_sys.svg

The user should not run otree runserver (which is just for local testing) or otree runprodserver (because of the proxy settings).

Starting a new Project as End User

You need to complete 2 steps in order start a new project and connect it to the server root directory.

Step 1)

  1. Execute otree_startproject
  2. Provide a project name.
  3. Choose whether to create a specialized virtual environment for this project.

Step 2)

  1. Execute otree_link_experiment
  2. Select the path to the project you want to run.

Running Experiments as End User

As End User you have to follow the following steps in order to run experiments.

  1. Execute otree_restart
  2. Choose whether to do a collect static or not.
  3. Choose whether to do a database reset.
  4. Watch the output if everything starts fine. ;-)

If you have trouble starting the experiment or you want to activate demo mode change the necessary parameters in the otree_environ_config. otree_restart sources otree_environ_config each time it is called. You don’t need to manually source it to activate the new settings.