Skinner Box

This repository contains the code for running and managing a Skinner Box experimental setup.

Table of Contents

• First Time Setup
• Installation with setup.py
• Running the Application
• Development and Versioning
• Network Configuration
• Automating with Crontab
• Running in WSL
• Troubleshooting

First Time Setup

On Raspberry Pi:

1. Download and unzip the repository on your Raspberry Pi

2. Navigate to the project directory and run the installer script:

   $ chmod +x installer.sh
   $ ./installer.sh
   

   This will install all necessary packages and dependencies.

3. After installation, verify that all components are working properly:

   $ python test.py
   

Installation with setup.py

For development installations or if the installer script doesn't meet your needs, you can use setup.py:

1. Install in development mode (changes to code take effect immediately):

   $ pip install -e .
   

2. Install as a regular package:

   $ pip install .
   

3. Build a distribution package:

   $ python setup.py sdist bdist_wheel
   

   This creates distributable packages in the dist/ directory.

4. Install specific dependencies:

   $ pip install -r requirements.txt
   

Note: The setup.py file automatically reads the version from "version.txt" and requirements from "requirements.txt".

Running the Application

You can run the application using either the shell script or directly with Python:

$ ./run.sh

Or:

$ python run.py

Development and Versioning

Version Control:

When merging changes with the main branch, use bump2version to increment version numbers:

$ bump2version [major|minor|patch]

Examples:

• For major version changes: bump2version major
• For minor feature additions: bump2version minor
• For bug fixes: bump2version patch

Contributing:

1. Create a feature branch from main
2. Make your changes
3. Run tests to ensure functionality
4. Submit a pull request

Network Configuration

To set up the network on Raspberry Pi:

1. Click on the network icon in the top right corner of the screen
2. Select "Advanced Connections" → "Edit Connections" → "Wired Connection 1" → "Settings" → "IPv4 Settings"
3. Change "Method" to "Manual"
4. Click "Add" under "Additional Static Addresses"
5. Open a terminal and type ifconfig to get your network information
6. In the Network Connection dialog:
   • Address: Enter the inet address shown in the terminal (or your preferred custom value)
   • Netmask: Enter the netmask value from terminal
   • Gateway: Enter the broadcast address from terminal
7. Click "Save" to apply changes
8. Restart the network service:

   $ sudo service networking restart
   

Automating with Crontab

To set up automatic execution:

1. Open a terminal and enter:

   $ crontab -e
   

2. Select your preferred editor if prompted

3. Add one of the following lines at the end of the file:

   • To run the script daily at 8 AM:

     0 8 * * * cd /path/to/skinner_box && ./run.sh > /path/to/skinner_box/logs/daily_run.log 2>&1
     

   • To run on system startup:

     @reboot cd /path/to/skinner_box && ./run.sh > /path/to/skinner_box/logs/startup.log 2>&1
     

4. Save and exit the editor

Running in WSL

To run this application in a Debian WSL virtual environment:

1. Navigate to the project directory:

   $ cd /mnt/c/Users/jacob/Documents/GitHub/skinner_box
   

2. Create a virtual environment if you haven't already:

   $ python -m venv venv
   

3. Activate the virtual environment:

   $ source venv/bin/activate
   

4. Install required dependencies:

   $ pip install -r requirements.txt
   

   (If requirements.txt doesn't exist, create it or install dependencies manually)

5. Run the application:

   $ python main.py
   

Additional Dependencies for WSL

You might need to install additional packages depending on your setup:

• For GPIO functionality (if running on a Raspberry Pi): pip install RPi.GPIO gpiozero
• For the Flask web app: pip install flask

Troubleshooting

Common Issues:

1. GPIO Permission Errors: If you encounter permission issues when accessing GPIO pins, try:

   $ sudo chmod -R 777 /dev/gpiomem
   

2. Network Connection Issues: Verify your network settings with:

   $ ping 8.8.8.8
   

3. Application Not Starting: Check the logs in the logs/ directory

For additional help, please create an issue on the GitHub repository.