The TestStand API doesn't provide a simple, robust mechanism allowing developers to programatically run sequences outside of the ActiveX UIs.
On many an occasion I've wanted to wrap the following basic functionality:
- Run a specific sequence file (with or without a [typically custom] process model)
- Wait for it to complete.
- Retrieve the result.
It's something I've needed to do in all of the following situations:
- Integrating into a customer's existing framework
- Integrating into my own automated test framework
- Providing a simple API to a customer
- Creating customized UIs that rely on UI messages and events rather than the ActiveX Controls
The solution I've ended up defaulting to in the past has been some variation on:
- Start with the full-featured C# UI.
- Scrape out all visible ActiveX Controls, and hide the window so that it's running in the background.
- Integrate a TCP/IP (or equivalent) client into the application that has the ability to listen for requests and then implement them through the AxApplicationMgr.
- Build a TCP/IP server assembly that launches the client application and exposes the necessary API for simple interactions.
The approach above is time-consuming, error-prone, and feels like a hack -- but given that TestStand does not expose any easy mechanism for simply running a sequence, this is what I've ended up having to resort to.
