msw tasks¶

Inspect and manage bundled task configurations.

Subcommands¶

list¶

msw tasks list [--filter <fragment>] [--config-dir <path>]

Lists all available task names grouped as Tasks, Calibration, and Tests. Shows [overlay] if a task.yaml override exists in the config-dir overlay tree for that task.

defaults¶

msw tasks defaults <task_name>

Prints the bundled task.yaml defaults for the named task. Accepts partial names (same matching as msw run -t). Use this to see all parameters and their defaults before writing an overlay.

modes¶

msw tasks modes <task_name>

Lists the named task modes defined in the task's task.yaml (e.g. habituation, expert, probe). Activate a mode with msw run -t <task> --task-mode <mode>.

init-configs¶

msw tasks init-configs [task_name ...] [--config-dir <path>] [--force]

Copies bundled task.yaml files to <config_dir>/tasks/<task_name>/task.yaml for local customisation. If no task names are given, all tasks are copied. Does not overwrite existing overlays unless --force is given.

# Copy all tasks
msw tasks init-configs

# Copy specific tasks
msw tasks init-configs optotagging sequence --force

Available tasks¶

Use msw run -t <partial_name>: names are matched by partial string. Run msw tasks list to see the current list with overlay markers.

Behavioural tasks¶

Task name	Description
`sequence`	Auditory sequence discrimination with level progression
`probabilistic_switching`	Two-armed bandit, free-choice ports
`probabilistic_switching_fixedsubjects`	Two-armed bandit, fixed lick-port assignment per subject
`airpuff`	Airpuff conditioning
`optotagging`	Optogenetic tagging: multi-protocol loop (laser + TTL). PulsePal channels use 0-based indexing (`channels_stimulation: [0]` = output channel 1).
`exp_trn_spindle`	Spindle-induction training protocol
`sleep_homecage`	Homecage sleep recording with periodic sync barcodes
`openfield`	Open-field tracking
`periodic_trigger`	Periodic TTL trigger with sync barcodes at configurable intervals
`periodic_trigger_with_video`	Periodic TTL trigger + camera recording with sync barcodes

Calibration tasks¶

Task name	Description
`_calibration_liquid_static`	Valve calibration: static drop count per time point
`_calibration_liquid_dynamic`	Valve calibration: dynamic multi-drop measurement
`_calibration_sound_latency`	Sound latency calibration

Test / maintenance tasks¶

Task name	Description
`_test_flush_valves`	Flush water valves (maintenance)
`_test_stage_move`	Manual stage movement test
`_test_bpod_connect`	Minimal Bpod connection test
`_test_pulsepal_connect`	Minimal PulsePal connection test: prints firmware version, model, and channel counts
`_test_minimal_task`	Minimal task smoke test
`_test_video`	Camera/video recording test
`_test_barcode_iti`	TTL barcode + ITI test
`_test_barcode_iti_with_video`	TTL barcode + ITI + video test
`_test_trigger_with_video`	TTL trigger + video test
`_test_ttl_barcodes`	TTL barcode output test
`_test_ttl_outputs`	Generic TTL output test

Named task modes¶

Modes override specific default parameters. Activate with --task-mode <mode>. Run msw tasks modes <task> to see the current modes for any task.

Task	Modes
`probabilistic_switching`	`habituation`, `expert`, `probe`
`probabilistic_switching_fixedsubjects`	`habituation`, `expert`, `probe`, `stage00habituation`, `retraining`
`sequence`	`habituation`, `expert`, `probe`
`airpuff`	`habituation`
`optotagging`	per-protocol settings in `stimulation_protocols` list
`_test_flush_valves`	`fill`, `wash`, `test`

See Tutorial: Adding a Subject for how sticky task modes are saved per-subject and persist across sessions.

Optotagging waveform shaping¶

By default every protocol uses rectangular pulses. Set waveform params under stimulation_defaults or per-protocol to replace the rectangular pulse with a three-phase shaped waveform:

|<-- on_ramp -->|<--- center --->|<-- off_ramp -->|
0               target_voltage   target_voltage   0

The total pulse duration is computed from the three phases: do not set pulse_duration manually when waveform params are active.

Parameter	Default	Description
`waveform_on_ramp_type`	`null`	Ramp shape for onset: `linear`, `sine`, `raised_cosine`. `null` disables the on-ramp (hard step).
`waveform_on_ramp_duration_s`	`0.0`	Duration of the on-ramp in seconds.
`waveform_center_duration_s`	`0.0`	Duration of the flat plateau at target voltage. Set to `0.0` with both ramps active for a pure bump (no flat top).
`waveform_off_ramp_type`	`null`	Ramp shape for offset: `linear`, `sine`, `raised_cosine`. `null` = hard step off.
`waveform_off_ramp_duration_s`	`0.0`	Duration of the off-ramp in seconds.

Ramp shapes (all normalize 0 to 1 over the ramp duration):

Shape	Formula	Character
`linear`	`t`	Constant slope
`sine`	`sin(pi/2 * t)`	Slow start, fast finish
`raised_cosine`	`(1 - cos(pi*t)) / 2`	Slow start and finish, fastest at midpoint

Pure sine bump (no plateau): set center_duration_s: 0.0 with the same ramp type on both sides.

Validation: the sum of all three phases must not exceed 1 / pulse_frequency. A startup error is raised if the waveform is longer than the pulse cycle.

Ramp-sweep diagnostic mode: the built-in ramp_sweep mode runs five protocols with decreasing on-ramp durations (10 ms down to rectangular reference, 10 trials each) to compare artifact profiles before committing to a ramp for real sessions. Activate with --task-mode ramp_sweep.