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Configure directory automatically for StepType in the Insertion Palette

Hi,

 

I've created my own StepTypes in a ".ini" file. The problem is that those StepTypes are shown in the insertion palette after "Additional result".

I would like to store them in a directory (ex: "MyProjectOfStepTypes/MyStepType1"). I know to do it manually, but I would like to do it automatically, for each StepType, to "install" the palette on differents computers.

 

Do you have an idea ?

 

Thanks

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That information is stored in the TestExec.ini file in the Cfg folder in your <TestStand> directory.  All you need to do is set it up on your machine properly and then give the other users that file.  They would then replace their TestExec.ini with the one you gave them and they will have the same step type palette.

 

Be careful though because there are a lot of other settings in that file that could affect them.

 

Regards,

jigg
CTA, CLA
testeract.com
~Will work for kudos and/or BBQ~
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Is there not a way to change only the palette structure instead of all the configuration ?

I just want to add my StepTypes without removing all the user's configuration.

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This is the recommended approach for distributing and controling the step insert palette/menu location of custom step types:

 

1) On a machine with a default install of teststand with regards to which step types exist and what their locations are, add your type palette.

2) Use the customize dialog to move your step types where you want them to be on target machines.

3) resave your type palette file.

 

Your type palette file will now have all of the location information stored within it. When you bring it to a new machine and load it, if those types have never before been seen on that machine (i.e. aren't already referred to in the machine's testexec.ini), then the locations saved within your type palette file will be used for the initial placement of your step types. If types with those names have already been seen though, then they will be located where the user on that machine last had them. If you think about it, this makes sense since the user should be able to customize the location of your types and have that remembered by TestStand. This is yet another reason why it's important to uniquely name your types (we recommend using your company's name as a prefix if you plan on distributing them outside of your company).

 

Let me know if you have any follow up questions. Hope this helps,

-Doug

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Hello,

 

i tried this in Teststand 2014. But it doesnt work.

 

I created my custom step types by copying and renaming NI Tests "Pass/Fail Test" and "Numeric Limit Test".

At my system i created a structure for my teststeps and created a types palette ini file.

At the target system my steps appear allways inside the folder of NI "Tests", even if i create the structure manually before i open the types palette file.

 

How can i get my structure of custom teststeps in Teststand 2014 deployed with my teststep libraries?

 

Best regards

Thomas

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On the target system, try renaming your testexec.ini file before launching teststand. Does that make it work? If so, then you already had types with those same names on that machine and thus the locations for them were already defined. On a clean machine that has never seen those types before the location should match what you have when you saved the type palette on a dev machine.

 

Hope this helps,

-Doug

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Hello Daoug,

 

thanks for your reply.

We made some more tests in this topic. A colleague created a new palette type ini file with a new step type with a new structure.

I opened this one at my machine and i got the same structure as my colleague.

I opened this file on second machine and i didnt get the defined structure...

 

Concerning this:

>>.. you already had types with those same names on that machine and thus the locations for them were already defined.

 

thus the mean:

I can't change (update) the structure of my test step library in the insertion palette on other machines, which allready uses the test step library?

 

Best regards

Thomas

 

 

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@T.L. wrote:

thus the mean:

I can't change (update) the structure of my test step library in the insertion palette on other machines, which allready uses the test step library?

 

Best regards

Thomas

 

 


Yeah, at least not without doing something more complicated like run a program which removes the step types' menu item data from testexec.ini. You can use the TestStand API to clear the TypeGroups array with something like the following expression: RunState.Engine.ConfigFile.Data.TypeGroups.SetNumElements(0), RunState.Engine.ConfigFile.IncChangeCount(), RunState.Engine.ConfigFile.SaveFileIfModified(False). Then when you restart teststand it should put everything back in the default locations specified by the type palette files.

 

The intent of the existing behavior is that if the end user on a specific machine moves a step type, that should override whatever the type palette says about where it should go. I agree that it would be nice to also be able to override that with a newer version of the step type. Please feel free to post to the idea exchange about this: http://forums.ni.com/t5/NI-TestStand-Idea-Exchange/idb-p/teststandideas

 

I will also record this as a potential issue to look at in a future version of TestStand.

 

Hope this helps,

-Doug

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