| Ratings/Long-term Prospects Comments: | Computer Specifications:
MacBook Pro (2 GHz Intel Core Duo, 2GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM)
Mac OS X version 10.5.4
Original Software Specifications:
Python 2.5.1
Qt 4.3
GCC 4.0.1
I did not have PyQt or SIP installed. I downloaded the latest versions of each (PyQT 4.6 and SIP 4.9) and configured/compiled them without issue.
I attempted to test subjectlibrary, but encountered an error related to a function called 'qHash'. I then installed the Qt 4.5 Framework and was able to launch subjectlibrary.
SIP: http://www.riverbankcomputing.com/software/sip/download/
PyQt: http://www.riverbankcomputing.co.uk/software/pyqt/download
Qt: http://qt.nokia.com/downloads
Installation from Bash Shell:
'sudo python setup.py install' installed idealab in /System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/etc/
I was not happy with the installation location and reinstalled it with a specific directory:
'sudo python setup.py install --prefix /usr/local' installed idealab in /usr/local/etc
Configuration:
I configured the tags contained within studies.xml and default_pipeline.xml. While doing so, I noticed that the README erroneously specifies that $m is a variable for the date, but it appears that $d is used for the date and $m is used for the modality.
I attempted to launch subjectlibrary, but encountered the error:
'No such file or directory: '/Library/etc/idealab/studies.xml'
Apparently the installation to the specified directory '/usr/local/etc' failed as the binary was searching /Library/etc for the parameter files. Therefore, I moved the idealab directory from the install directory to /Library/etc/ upon which subjectlibrary launched without error.
GUI:
The GUI is intuitive and easy to use. However, the text and entry fields contained within the date box are 'squished' and illegible.
Documentation:
The documentation is in the form of a README file. The instructions contained within the README file were very laid out and easy to follow. The README does not contain directions for software use, but it is straightforward enough to figure out quickly. I was unclear on how to generate the PAR report from the documentation, and thus did not test this functionality. The syntax and format for the subject_regex tag is not clear.
Requested Features:
- Flexibility in specifying the format of the date.
- Instructions on adding/removing filetypes (modifying filetypes.xml)
- Using wildcards for scan_session_workflow, e.g., *MPRAGE* to grab the scan labeled 'MPRAGE_256x240.8'. At our site, a session name may be variable depending on the order the scans were acquired. The wildcard would alleviate manually renaming the scan sessions.
- Documentation on the PAR report.
- Documentation for subject_regex tag
Conclusion:
Overall, this software provides great benefit towards the difficult task of data management. The software is capable of managing raw and processed data within a study. Additionally, the flexibility of assigning a specific pipeline to different studies allows one to manage data across studies as well. The GUI is easy to learn and navigate. The use of XML files permits one without a background in Python to easily customize the software for their use. I have begun to adopt this software for use with an active study, plan to use it for future studies, and will likely use it for completed studies.
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