Hello Pavlovia/PsychoPy Support Team,
I am reaching out regarding a potentially serious data retrieval issue affecting four Pavlovia experiments that are being run simultaneously as separate conditions of an ongoing dissertation research study.
Description of the problem
We have been actively collecting participant data across four experiments hosted on Pavlovia. All experiments have remained in RUNNING mode throughout data collection, and CSV is selected as the results format.
Previously, I was able to download the experiment results successfully, including participant CSV files. I used an earlier download to develop and test our data-cleaning and analysis pipeline.
However, when attempting to retrieve the updated results on October 19, 2026, the downloaded ZIP archive contained audio recordings (.webm files) but no participant CSV files or log files.
We are extremely concerned because data collection has continued for several months, and the missing results are essential for a doctoral dissertation.
Affected experiments
All experiments belong to Pavlovia user Terry1141.
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Merged tasks 1–4 Shen No Pinyin — Project ID: 523611
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Merged tasks 1–4 Shen — Project ID: 523610
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Merged tasks 1–4 no pinyin — Project ID: 523563
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Merged tasks 1–4 — Project ID: 519096
These experiments represent different experimental conditions within the same research study.
Troubleshooting performed
For project #523611, we have confirmed the following:
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The experiment remains in RUNNING mode and has not been switched to INACTIVE.
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CSV is selected as the results format.
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Save incomplete results is enabled.
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Pavlovia reports 33 submitted and 4 aborted sessions in RUNNING mode, with the most recent session recorded on October 16, 2026.
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The main experiment JavaScript file was last modified in May 2026.
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The
.gitignorefile has also remained unchanged for approximately five months. -
The
.gitignorefile includes adata/entry. -
No
data/folder is visible in the GitLab repository. -
An earlier results archive contained participant CSV files, whereas the October 19 download did not.
We are investigating the same missing-results issue across the four conditions.
Possible relevance of recent server migration
We became aware of reports concerning a recent Pavlovia server migration around October 18, 2026, and subsequent problems accessing experimental results.
Because we discovered the missing CSV files immediately afterward, we are wondering whether this could be related to server migration, file synchronization, or results storage.
We recognize that the timing alone does not establish the cause.
Request for assistance and data recovery
Could the Pavlovia technical team please help us determine:
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Whether the missing CSV files still exist on the Pavlovia run server, previous server, or available backups?
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Whether the results for all four projects were successfully saved but are not currently being included in the downloaded ZIP archives?
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Whether the recent server migration could have affected access to these files?
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Whether the
data/entry in.gitignoremay be interfering with synchronization or storage? -
Whether there is any method to restore or retrieve previously submitted participant data?
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How we can verify that newly collected participant data is being saved correctly without putting existing data at risk?
This data is critical for an active doctoral dissertation, and we would greatly appreciate any assistance investigating the missing results or determining whether they can be recovered.
We have preserved our previous downloads and are avoiding changes to experiment settings or repository configuration until we understand the cause.
We can provide screenshots, repository links, and additional technical information as needed.
Thank you very much for your time and assistance.