# Inline_script items

You can do a lot with the graphical interface of OpenSesame, but for certain complex tasks you will have to use scripting/ programming. This is where the inline_script item comes in. You can use regular Python code in your inline script. Python is a modern, powerful and high-level programming language. There are numerous libraries available for Python, so there is really no limit to what you can do using inline_script items.

The inline_script item contains two scripts. The Prepare phase script is called first, before the sequence that contains the inline_script is executed. This allows you to do perform some time consuming tasks in advance, so that the Run phase goes smoothly. The Run phase script is called during the actual running of the sequence that the inline_script is part of. So if you want to present a stimulus display in your inline_script, it is good practice to construct the display in the Prepare phase and show it in the Run phase. Note that this is purely a convention, from which you can deviate as circumstances dictate.

For more information about using Python scripting, see http://osdoc.cogsci.nl/python-inline-code/about-python-inline-code