Best practices for logging results from Looped steps

[NIExpert]

Hi all

I would like to start a discussion  to document best practices for logging results (to reports and databases) from Looped Steps 

As an application example - let's say you are developing a test for one of NI's analog input or output cards and need to measure a voltage across multiple inputs or outputs.

One way to do that would be to create a sequence that switches the appropriate signals and performs a "Voltage Measurement" test in a loop.    

What are your techniques for keeping track of the individual measurements so that they can be traced to the individual signal paths that are being measured?

I have used a variety of techniques such as

i )creating a custom step type that generates unique identifiers for each iteration of the loop.    This required some customization to the results processing . Also the sequence developer had to include code to ensure that a unique identifier was generated for each iteration

ii) Adding an input parameter to the test function/vi, passing loop iteration to it and adding this to Additional results parameters to log.   

[Anjelica-W]

Hi,

What version of TestStand are you using? The reporting scheme is very different in 2012 comapred to older versions.

Can you go into more details on how you are switching across the different signals? Instead of logging the loop iteration, how about passing the physical channel out of the VI in storing it in a LabVIEW I/O Control?

[NIExpert]

I have attached a simple example (LV 2012 and TS 2012) that includes steps inside a loop structure as well as a looped test.

If you enable both database and report generation, you will see the following:

1)  The numeric limit test in the for loop always generates the same name in the report and database which makes it difficult to determine the result of a particular iteration

2) The Max voltage test report includes the paramater as an additional result but the database does not include any differentiating information

3) The Looped Limit test generates both uniques reports and database entries - you can easily see what the result for each iteration is.   

As mentioned, I am seeking to start a discussion for how others handle results for steps inside loops.    The only way I have been able to accomplish a result similar to that of the Looped step (unique results and database entry for each iteration of the loop) is to modify the process model results processing.