Open Ephys: find root folder to correctly look for timestamps (#4500)

Author: alejoe91

src/spikeinterface/extractors/neoextractors/openephys.py

@@ -224,6 +224,8 @@ def __init__(
         experiment_names: str | list | None = None,
         all_annotations: bool = False,
     ):
+        folder_path = Path(folder_path)
+
         # Handle experiment_names deprecation
         if experiment_names is not None:
             warnings.warn(
@@ -336,8 +338,15 @@ def __init__(
                     if sample_shifts is not None:
                         self.set_property("inter_sample_shift", sample_shifts)
 
-            # load synchronized timestamps and set_times to recording
-            recording_folder = Path(folder_path) / record_node
+            # folder_path can point to different levels of the OE folder structure
+            # (root, record node, experiment, or recording). We need to find the root folder
+            # in order to load the sync timestamps and set them as times to the recording.
+            if record_node in folder_path.parts:
+                root_index = len(folder_path.parts) - folder_path.parts.index(record_node) - 1
+                root_folder = folder_path.parents[root_index]
+            else:
+                root_folder = folder_path
+            recording_folder = root_folder / record_node
             stream_folders = []
             for segment_index, rec_id in enumerate(rec_ids):
                 stream_folder = (

src/spikeinterface/extractors/tests/test_neoextractors.py

@@ -156,6 +156,38 @@ def test_non_trivial_wiring(self):
         probe = recording.get_probe()
         np.testing.assert_array_equal(recording.channel_ids, probe.contact_annotations["settings_channel_key"])
 
+    def test_timestamp_loading_multi_level(self):
+        """
+        Test that we can load the sync timestamps from different levels of the folder structure and
+        that they are the same.
+        """
+        recording_folder = (
+            local_folder / "openephysbinary/v0.6.x_neuropixels_with_sync/Record Node 104/experiment1/recording1"
+        )
+        stream_name = "Record Node 104#Neuropix-PXI-100.ProbeA-AP"
+        block_index = 0
+
+        recording_from_recording_folder = self.ExtractorClass(
+            recording_folder,
+            stream_name=stream_name,
+            block_index=block_index,
+            load_sync_timestamps=True,
+        )
+        assert recording_from_recording_folder.has_time_vector()
+        timestamps_recording = recording_from_recording_folder.get_times()
+        parent_folder = recording_folder
+        for _ in range(3):
+            parent_folder = parent_folder.parent
+            recording_from_parent = self.ExtractorClass(
+                parent_folder,
+                stream_name=stream_name,
+                block_index=block_index,
+                load_sync_timestamps=True,
+            )
+            assert recording_from_parent.has_time_vector()
+            timestamps_parent = recording_from_parent.get_times()
+            np.testing.assert_array_equal(timestamps_recording, timestamps_parent)
+
 
 class OpenEphysBinaryEventTest(EventCommonTestSuite, unittest.TestCase):
     ExtractorClass = OpenEphysBinaryEventExtractor