NI TestStand Idea Exchange

Hi there,

This post is just in order to know why there is a user interface available in LabVIEW language (simple or full-featured) suitable for sequential model and NOT for Batch and Parallel models, while these are available in CVI language ?

The customer, who is an allaince member and a famous TestStand user (MESULOG) submitted this idea because he had to translate code from CVI to LabVIEW, and thnik this would be a great thing to add to the next release.

Cheers,

Mathieu,

The MOST annoying part of working with TestStand is the fact that the developer has to re-enter e-v-e-r-y bloody value for a given parameter when the prototype changes in a LabVIEW VI. I seem to recall that older versions of TestStand would allow the user to do that, but the more recent version don't. Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me and this was never possible..

In any case... When dealing with two parameters which have over 300 (yes!! THREE HUNDRED) entries, this is a bloody nightmare!! Doing it once is nightmareish.. Doing it multiple times is a death sentence!!! Sidenote: I inherited the code and cannot change its structure...

In this particular case, the valeus are all Locals.

The first idea on this subject is to allow editing the original parameters when making changes to a prototype (LabVIEW or any other source). Or as the sister idea to this one, allow to Copy & Pate the contents of a container! See this thread!

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I have a bunch of times that I need to round a numeric variable in TestStand

example: Locals.A = round(Locals.B)

However, it's actually more complicated than that because I need to round it at the Nth position after the decimal point (for example). This means my expression becomes something like Locals.A = pow(10,-Locals.Digits) * round (Locals.A * pow(10,Locals.Digits) ) (for Locals.Digits == 3, this means that Locals=A becomes 0.123 when Locals.B is 0.1234)

This is a lot more code than I really want to write. If I am doing the same thing in MS Excel, I just say $B5 = round($B4,$A$1) or something like that. Notice how the digits of precision to round to is built into the round function. I'd love if TestStand round function could be expanded the same way

Round(Number, [option], [Digits])

currently the behavior of the date function is (1) get a short ("MM/DD/YYYY") or long form date string ("Weekday, Month D, YYYY")with nice easy boolean input, (2) pass it N local variables to get all the discrete parts and assemble it myself with a bit of STR() and concatenation.

could we create a permutation on this date() function, (does one already exist) so that I can just pass it a %<> syntax string and have it format the current date to my desired format?

specifically, I'm looking for a non painful way of building a "YYYY-MM-DD" style string for a report (or even just DD/MM/YYY) without having to lug around 8 locals and a lengthly expression, or call into a LV VI.

We have basic string format symbols available for the STR and VAL functions, why not for date? if anything passing this 1 parameter might save alot of folks creating a bunch of locals because they can just ask for the time item they want directly, and then VAL() the output text to get the numeric data if they need it?

it'd be awesome if the function supported standard DB format tags such as (http://www.w3schools.com/sql/func_date_format.asp) or failing that, was consistent with what LabVIEW's time format strings were.

Just a thought. Has anyone worked around this in a reasonable way?

--Elaine R.

The output messages are a good way of sending status messages from the test solution to the end user. However the control is not available as one of the controls that can be added to user interfaces.

Can this control be made available to be quickly added to a UI and linked to the execution view manager.

Also adding some kind of API interface to be able to capture these messages to a log file would remove the need to implement any custom logging mechanisms. If possible ability to open multiple file logs within the engine at the same time with each file given some kind of filter rules (for example Severity=”error” or ExecutionId=5). If logs had to be attributed to an execution ID then they could automatically be closed when the execution ended, otherwise the user would have to manually close each file which could get forgotten and TestStand end up with lots of open file references.

There are some macros to specify report file name by expression in report options.

Specifying Report File Paths by Expression - NI TestStand 2014 Help - National Instruments
http://zone.ni.com/reference/en-XX/help/370052N-01/tsref/infotopics/specifyreportfilepath_byexpression/

$(FileDate) contains speces in the string, e.g., "2015 12 15". If you want to delete space, you need to use $(FileYear), $(FileMonth), and $(FileDate) instead.

But there is no similar expression for time, i. e., there is only $(FileTime) and we do not have any macro such as $(FileHour).

SearchAndReplace function doesn't work for the macros. It is very helpful if we have $(FileHour), $(FileMin), and $(FileSec) as standard macros.

Before:

After:

Because of the way .NET applications and assemblies are invoked in TestStand they are a child process of TestStand. This means that they share TestStand's resources. For most applications this is not an issue but if the application or library being instrumented by TestStand is resource intensive this creates a significant problem. In the scenario that served as the impetus for this suggestion we saw performance 1/10 that when running the target application outside of TestStand.

To correct this I recommend the .NET adapter architecture be changed or be able to be configured such that instead of directly instantiating target applications a call to create an object with a .NET adapter would create a separate process that consisted of a TestStand WCF client wrapper process that would host the target .NET process and communicate with the parent TestStand instance via WCF.

Here is a simple block diagram of the intended architecture:

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Hi,
I would like to show the following problem with the Update Custom Data Type from Cluster tool when updating TestStand container type definition based on LabVIEW cluster.

TestStand creates new container type definition according to the LabVIEW cluster items order. The problem apears after you create the TestStand type definition and then reaorder LabVIEW cluster. After this change in LabVIEW, TestStand will not properlly reorder items in its definition. So for example:

We have LabVIEW cluster { 1My String, 2My Numeric, 3My Boolean },
Then we create TestStand type from it and we have { 1My_String, 2My_Numeric, 3My_Boolean},
Now, we change order in LabVIEW { 3My Boolean, 1My String, 2My Numeric },
TestStand do not see change,
Then we add new item in LabVIEW { 3My Boolean, This is new, 1My String, 2My Numeric },
Update in TestStand will be { This_is_new, 1My_String, 2My_Numeric, 3My_Boolean}.

So at the end we have:

in LabVIEW : { 3My Boolean, This is new, 1My String, 2My Numeric },
in TestStand : { This_is_new, 1My_String, 2My_Numeric, 3My_Boolean}.

IMO items order can be sometimes (if not always) important part of good style. That's why I would like to suggest to update also items order if you select Force Exact Match.

TestStand is in dire need of a way to quickly and effectively find broken steps in long sequences.

I'm working on large sequence files which often call and utilize other long sequences. Needless to say, I often need to address steps which have become broken due to code rework. As of now (TS 2017), there are only two ways for me to know if a step will not run.

Text is red within the Step Settings window.
Sequence Analyzer reports an Error.

I would like to suggest a third option, one that would be more readily available than either of the other two options. If the step itself was highlighted, text reddened, or somehow otherwise flagged as an error, then the operator won't have to hunt through each of the step settings windows or the sequence analyzer results. All the operator would have to do is open the sequence file and notice that a step appears out of place.

It would be nice if sequences could also show if they have broken steps.

Included is an example of how this might look.

Download All

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When TestStand launches, it determines the active LabVIEW version and copies the TestStand API VIs into <LabVIEW>\vi.lib\AddOns if not already present. (SOURCE)

I suggest there should be an additional step here and TestStand should call that LabVIEW version to mass compile these VIs.

Currently, the VI version remains unchanged which means when you open a LabVIEW code module which uses these, you'll sometimes find you have a 'dirty dot' due to unsaved changes because of the recompilation. It also means that you wouldn't be able to run a sequence using the LabVIEW Run-Time Engine until you've switched to Development and converted the VIs.

This is a minor annoyance but it would be nice if TestStand could cut out the additional version conversion step.

I do wonder whether the transfer of the TestStand API VIs into the vi.lib could actually occur when LabVIEW is installed if a TestStand installation is detected. Perhaps this might be relevant for other addons which existing LabVIEW installations have.

right now with TestStand Sequence Analyzer utility, it is limited to analyzing a whole sequence file at once (or as much of it as you analyze before you hit the stop button).

However, if I have a long sequence file this can take quite a while, and I don't really want to wait.

Add a feature where I can select areas to analyze and have sequence analyzer just analyze those areas (for example -- select a few (sub)sequences in my sequence file, or a few steps within a sequence). This way I can limit the area of my analysis to where I know I made changes (or where I know my biggest problems are) and focus on those and not waste time analyzing everything else.

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NI TestStand Idea Exchange

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Allow Users to Change Font Colors for Steps in the Sequence Editor

Add support to call modules built with .NET Core

User Interfaces available in LabVIEW : Why Sequential model and not Batch or Parallel ?

Allow to edit parameter when prototype changes

LV Primitives in TS

The ability to have line numbers for all steps in the left hand gutter.

Drag and drop from LabVIEW function palette

Allow subsequences to pass parameters to callers by value (instead of only by reference)

Improved Round Function

Add ability to search for instances of custom data types

Date() / time() functions could allow for different desired formats as a parameter rather than returning N local variables

Make Output panel available as UI ActiveX Control

Using time string in report file path without space character

Host .NET processes outside of TestStand's application space

Find / Replace Dialog popup the Variable Dialog to auto complete names

Update Custom Data Type from Cluster Force Exact Match - update items order

Highlight Broken Steps and Sequences with Errors

TestStand API LabVIEW VIs should be automatically mass compiled when copied into \vi.lib\AddOns

TestStand Sequence Analyzer able to anlyze subset of a sequence file