Announcing the TestStand 2017 Beta Program!

[inniwhoni]

I am pleased to announce the TestStand 2017 Beta for LabVIEW NXG 2.0 Support is now open for registration! The TestStand 2017 Beta focuses on the new features added for early access support for LabVIEW NXG 2.0. Major support features in TestStand 2017 include:

• LabVIEW NXG Adapter – TestStand 2017 Beta adds a new early access adapter for integrating LabVIEW NXG 2.0 code modules into test programs. The adapter will be immediately familiar to anyone with experience using the existing LabVIEW adapter, offering a similar experience with LabVIEW NXG.

• TestStand LabVIEW NXG Conversion Utility – The new TestStand LabVIEW NXG Conversion Utility will help migrate existing test programs that refer to LabVIEW code modules to refer to converted LabVIEW NXG code modules. The Conversion Utility works with any TestStand Workspace, Sequence File, or Deployment Specification and generates a log to help with any code modules that require manual conversion.

• TestStand API Integration – The full TestStand API will be available for use in LabVIEW NXG 2.0 Beta. Upon installation of TestStand 2017 Beta, a TestStand palette will be added to LabVIEW NXG 2.0 Beta offering a native interface to the TestStand API.

• LabVIEW NXG Operator Interfaces – TestStand 2017 Beta includes support for operator interfaces developed in LabVIEW NXG 2.0 Beta. All the familiar TestStand UI elements and supporting API have been brought over to LabVIEW NXG and a new version of the Simple UI written with LabVIEW NXG is included.

A full list of all new features is available in the beta documentation. We encourage you to use this beta to try out simple test system development with LabVIEW NXG 2.0 and integration of new LabVIEW NXG 2.0 features to augment existing test systems.

Although the TestStand 2017 Beta software is not available yet, I encourage you to register for the beta now so you can access the software once the beta opens.

To sign up for the TestStand 2017 Beta for LabVIEW NXG 2.0 Support, complete the following steps:

1. Sign up for the LabVIEW NXG 2.0 Beta (ni.com/techpreview). TestStand 2017 Beta requires LabVIEW NXG 2.0 Beta installed on your system.
2. Navigate to the Beta Program Resource Center (ni.com/beta), select TestStand 2017 from the list of software, and click Submit.
3. Complete the beta application. This information helps us to understand what features of TestStand are most important to our customers. Please ensure that you read and accept the Terms and Conditions of the beta program so that you can be approved.
4. After you submit your request, please be patient with us as we process your application. Once you are approved, navigate to the Beta Program Resource Center (ni.com/beta) to access the beta software.

Registration does not necessarily guarantee you a position in the beta program. Determination of acceptance into the program is up to the sole discretion of National Instruments.

As with the previous TestStand Beta programs, the TestStand 2017 Beta program will use a private discussion forum specifically for the Beta. Once approved for the Beta, you will shortly after gain access to this forum from http://forums.ni.com/. Please direct any conversations/comments/questions regarding the TestStand 2017 Beta to this private forum only or email me directly. Please do not use this forum for any communication regarding this Beta.

I look forward to working with you during this Beta, and please let me know if you have any questions!

Kevin F.

Product Support Engineer | Automated Test Software

National Instruments

[inniwhoni]

I am pleased to announce the release of Beta 2 for TestStand 2017. In addition to bug fixes, TestStand 2017 Beta 2 includes the following new features:

• LabVIEW NXG 2.0 Support in TestStand Deployment Utility – TestStand Deployment Utility has added support for deploying TestStand files with LabVIEW NXG code modules in GLLs. Deploying your code as GLLs will help improve the performance of your test system and will ensure that the result of the deployment is almost identical to the code on your development machine.
• Package Support in TestStand Deployment Utility – TestStand Deployment Utility now supports building package-based distributions for use with the new NI Package Manager in addition to existing MSI-based installers.
• Crash Recovery for TestStand Applications – TestStand 2017 is introducing new features to help recover in the case of a crash. TestStand will now have the option to generate a log containing execution information and hook into the NI Error Reporting Service (NIER) to automatically generate a crash dump. Additionally, TestStand now offers a way to register custom sequences to execute in the case of a crash, which you can use to set your system to a known state.
• Data Streams – Data streams are a new set of step types and engine capabilities that will allow you to perform file I/O operations directly from within your sequence. Out of the box we offer support for CSV files and provide an API for building custom extensions to support additional file types.

To access TestStand 2017 Beta 2, you can sign into our beta portal at ni.com/beta. The software, installation instructions, and updated beta notes will be available on the software downloads page. To use TestStand 2017 Beta 2 you will also need to be running the latest LabVIEW NXG 2.0 Beta. If you are new to the beta program, we are still accepting participants.

Regards,

Kevin Flanagan

Product Support Engineer | Automated Test Software R&D

National Instruments