Download options
- Release version
- Windows stand-alone application FrACT3.10.2.exe.zip.
On recent Windows versions you will see a dialog “… unknown publisher…”:
this message is normal, allow it, explanation).
With the latest Windows, you need to: right click, open, and allow.- MacOS stand-alone application FrACT3.10.2.app.zip.
Since MacOS 10.9: Must right click, open and confirm, explanation. I know of two cases where download stopped in mid-stream, consequently “decompression failed”. Reasons unknown. If retry does not help, contact me and we'll find a work-around.- Most earlier versions still available below.
- The Manual: All options and default settings are described in this file: FrACT3_Manual.pdf.
I am happy to help in any way, but please be so kind to read the checklist and to peruse the manual before sending me questions. [The manual can occasionally be out of step with the very latest FrACT release…]
- Face Files
“Face files” as used in McCulloch DL, Loffler G, Bruce N, Dutton G, Bach M (2011) The effects of visual degradation on face discrimination. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt 31:240–248.
Usage: Download “FaceFiles2011.zip”, decompress, store folder at any convenient location. Tick “allow experimental Face acuity” in Settings. Press “Faces” on the main screen. Navigate to the faces folder, select ALL and load all of them at once. Then the Faces test proceeds; the task is to select the odd-one-out from the four faces, actually quite difficult.
Sufficient distance from the screen is necessary to avoid distortion, just as for normal acuity assessment. Thus if you are testing subjects with normal vision, ≥2 m (for typical screen resolutions) is fine. If you are testing subjects with low vision, reduce the screen distance proportionally to avoid limitations by total screen size.
Needs FrACT version 3.7+.Security issues
This could be a “trojan”, like any program, yes, but it isn't.
As to viruses: Macintosh users need not be concerned, there are still (nearly) none for that platform. For Windows, I can state that I personally compiled this progam (using Flash CS4 on a Mac) with no malicious code and placed it on this site myself.To store the settings, FrACT uses Flash's “Local Shared Objects”, putting a file containing settings and temporary run results on your computer. Visit the Adobe Flash online settings manager to restrict how Flash stores these files; you can completely disallow such files to be saved, but then your settings won't stick.
If you are using FrACT, please cite it when publishing
FrACT Versions (→full history)
→FrACT homepage
FrACT is free, so I’m not paying developer fees (99$ per year on the Mac platform). Consequently, I can't “sign” the FrACT application, and it will be considered as an “application from an unidentified developer” by the “Gatekeeper” on a Mac or as “publisher unknown” on Windows. More in Apple's →Open an app from an unidentified developer help article.
Solution (only needed once):
If anyone has ideas how to make this easier on any platform, I would warmly welcome all advice.