Archived: NI TestStand 4.0 Release Notes - National ... · NI TestStand Release Notes 6 ni.com 4. Place the Tools menu file you created in step 2 in the new directory. 5. Launch the

RELEASE NOTES

NI TestStandVersion 4.0

These release notes contain NI TestStand 4.0 system requirements, additional installation instructions, information about new features,and other changes since TestStand 3.5.

ContentsRecommended System Requirements..................................................... 2

Recommended Database Client Software........................................ 3Installing TestStand................................................................................. 3

Installing Additional Software Components.................................... 3Installing Multiple Versions of TestStand

on the Same Computer................................................................. 4Migrating User Components............................................................ 5Migrating Changes to TestStand Components ................................ 6

TestStand and Windows XP Service Pack 2........................................... 7Behavior Changes ................................................................................... 7

Acquiring Licenses for Applications ............................................... 7Using LabVIEW 8.x ........................................................................ 7Using Microsoft Visual Studio ........................................................ 7Change in Search Order for Subordinate DLLs

for LabWindows/CVI and C/C++ DLL Adapters ....................... 8New Default for FontSource Properties........................................... 10Engine.Reload.................................................................................. 10Sequence Editor Call Stack.............................................................. 10User Interface Configuration File .................................................... 11Make Step Names Unique When Inserting Steps ............................ 11Default Limits and Comparison Values........................................... 11

What’s New in TestStand 4.0 ................................................................. 11Redesigned Sequence Editor ........................................................... 11Creating Custom Sequence Editors Using TestStand

User Interface (UI) Controls ........................................................ 15New Sequence File Formats ............................................................ 15Custom Sequence File Translators .................................................. 16

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NI TestStand Release Notes 2 ni.com

API Additions...................................................................................17Other TestStand Enhancements........................................................17

Recommended System RequirementsNational Instruments recommends the following system requirements to run TestStand 4.0. Minimum system requirements follow in parentheses.

• Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 or Windows XP Service Pack 2

Note TestStand 4.0 does not support Windows Vista.

• Pentium 4/M or equivalent processor (Pentium III, Celeron 866 MHz, or equivalent minimum)

• 1 GB of memory (256 MB minimum)

• 1.8 GB of free hard disk space

– 1 GB of free hard disk space for TestStand

– Additional 260 MB (x86) or 610 MB (x64) of free hard disk space for Microsoft .NET Framework Version 2.0 if not already installed

– Additional 580 MB of free hard disk space for device drivers from the National Instruments Device Drivers CD

• SVGA resolution or higher video adapter (800 × 600 minimum video resolution for small fonts or 1024 × 768 minimum video resolution for large fonts)

• Microsoft Internet Explorer version 6.0 Service Pack 1 or later (version 5.5 minimum)

• Microsoft-compatible mouse

Use the following National Instruments application development environments (ADEs) with TestStand 4.0:

• NI LabVIEW 7.1.1 or later. You must use LabVIEW 8.2.1 or later to create custom sequence editors.

• LabWindows™/CVI™ 7.1.1 or later. You must use LabWindows/CVI 8.1 or later to create custom sequence editors.

• Measurement Studio 7.1 (or later) Enterprise Edition for integration with Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003 or later and Measurement Studio 8.0.1 (or later) for integration with Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 or later. TestStand supports Microsoft Visual Studio Standard but does not support Microsoft Visual Studio Express. The .NET and MFC examples use projects and solutions created in Microsoft Visual Studio 2005. If you are using an earlier version of

© National Instruments Corporation 3 NI TestStand Release Notes

Microsoft Visual Studio, create new projects and solutions from the source files TestStand provides.

Recommended Database Client SoftwareThe TestStand database components require Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) version 2.5 or later. Windows 2000/XP include MDAC and Microsoft Jet 4.0. The latest versions of MDAC and Microsoft Jet 4.0 are available on Microsoft's Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/data.

Use the following recommended database client software with the database components included with TestStand:

• Microsoft Access—Use the Microsoft Jet 4.0 OLE DB Provider.

• Microsoft SQL Server—Use the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server.

• Oracle—Use the latest Oracle Provider for OLE DB and Oracle Client software. You can download the Oracle Provider from the Oracle Web site at http://www.oracle.com.

Note National Instruments does not recommend using the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Oracle because it does not support all the OLE DB features that TestStand requires.

• MySQL—Use the MySQL ODBC Driver 3.51 or later.

• Sybase SQL Anywhere—Use the Adaptive Server Anywhere ODBC Driver 9.0 or later.

Installing TestStandRefer to the NI TestStand 4.0 Quick Start Guide for installation instructions.

Installing Additional Software ComponentsTestStand 4.0 installs the following additional software components:

• Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0

• LabVIEW 7.1.1 Run-Time Engine



• LabWindows/CVI 8.1 Run-Time Engine (RTE)

• LabWindows/CVI SQL Toolkit DLL version 2.05, cvidb32.dll

• National Instruments Session Manager


The National Instruments Device Driver CD contains the following suggested components:

• Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) 4.1

• IVI Compliance Package (ICP) 2.5

To use IVI, download and install IVI Compliant-specific drivers from the Instrument Driver Network, located at ni.com/devzone/idnet.

Installing Multiple Versions of TestStand on the Same ComputerYou can install TestStand 4.0 on a computer that contains a previous TestStand version, but you cannot install TestStand 4.0 over a previous version of TestStand. You must first uninstall a previous version of TestStand to install TestStand 4.0 in the same directory.

Because the uninstallers for versions of TestStand prior to 3.0 remove the <TestStand>\OperatorInterfaces\User directory, you must complete the following steps to safely uninstall the previous version of TestStand and preserve all configuration files and files located in the User subdirectories:

1. Move the <TestStand>\OperatorInterfaces\User directory to a location on your computer that is outside the <TestStand> directory.

2. Run the TestStand Uninstaller by selecting Start»Control Panel»Add/Remove Programs»National Instruments Software.

The TestStand Uninstaller might launch a dialog box that requests confirmation to remove all TestStand configuration files and pre-installed user components. Click No.

3. When the TestStand Uninstaller completes, move the OperatorInterfaces\User directory back into the original <TestStand> directory.

Note TestStand 4.0 renames the <TestStand>\OperatorInterfaces directory to <TestStand>\UserInterfaces.

You can now install TestStand 4.0 into this directory.

Although you can install TestStand 4.0 on a computer that contains a previous TestStand version, only one version of TestStand can be active at a time. If you must install TestStand 4.0 on the same computer as an earlier TestStand version, use the TestStand Version Selector to specify the active version of TestStand. Select Start»All Programs»National Instruments»TestStand 4.0»TestStand Version Selector to launch the TestStand


Version Selector application, TSVerSelect.exe, located in C:\Program Files\National Instruments\Shared\TestStand Version

Selector.

If you activate TestStand 4.0 and run a user interface from the previous TestStand installation, the user interface uses the engine, step types, and components from TestStand 4.0. If you activate the previous installation of TestStand and run a TestStand 4.0 User Interface or the TestStand Sequence Editor, those applications will not function correctly.

Migrating User ComponentsYou can copy the following directories and files from the previous TestStand installation to the TestStand 4.0 installation directory to migrate configuration settings and user components:

• <TestStand>\Cfg\DocGen.ini

• <TestStand>\Cfg\StationGlobals.ini

• <TestStand>\Cfg\TestExec.ini

• <TestStand>\Cfg\TestStandDatabaseOptions.ini

• <TestStand>\Cfg\TestStandModelModelOptions.ini

• <TestStand>\Cfg\TestStandModelReportOptions.ini

• <TestStand>\Cfg\TypePalettes\MyTypes.ini

(TestStand 3.0 and earlier)

• <TestStand>\Cfg\Users.ini

• <TestStand>\CodeTemplates\User

• <TestStand>\Components\User

• <TestStand>\OperatorInterfaces\User

Note TestStand 4.0 renames the <TestStand>\OperatorInterfaces directory to <TestStand>\UserInterfaces.

If you use custom Tools menu items in the previous TestStand installation, complete the following steps to export the items from that installation and import them into TestStand 4.0:

1. In the previous installation of TestStand, select Tools»Customize in the TestStand Sequence Editor to launch the Customize Tools Menu dialog box and click Export Items to File to launch the Export Tools Menu dialog box.

2. In the Export Tools Menu dialog box, select the menu items to export to a Tools menu file and click OK.

3. Create the following directory under TestStand 4.0:

<TestStand>\Setup\ToolMenusToInstall


4. Place the Tools menu file you created in step 2 in the new directory.

5. Launch the TestStand 4.0 Sequence Editor. TestStand adds the new menu items to the Tools menu and then deletes the Tools menu file.

Migrating Changes to TestStand ComponentsTestStand includes several components that you can customize, such as process models, user interfaces, and certain step types. If you made changes to one of these components and placed the changes in the appropriate User directory, TestStand does not overwrite your changes when you install TestStand 4.0. The modified component continues to function correctly with TestStand.

You can keep the changes you made to a component and incorporate the new functionality provided in TestStand 4.0.

If you made substantial or complex changes to the component, use a file-comparison tool to determine the changes between the TestStand 4.0 version of the component and the original version of the component that you modified and apply the TestStand 4.0 improvements to your version of the component.

If you made minor changes to the component, use a file-comparison toolto determine the changes you made to the component and reapply the improvements to a copy of the TestStand 4.0 version of the component.

You can use the following types of file-comparison tools:

• To compare sequence files, use the TestStand Differ by selecting Edit»Diff Sequence File With in the TestStand Sequence Editor.

• To compare text files, use a source code comparison tool, such as Microsoft Windiff. You can also use the Diff command in the Edit menu of the LabWindows/CVI Source and Execution window.

• To compare VI files, use the Compare VIs tool by selecting Tools»Compare in LabVIEW. This tool is available only in the LabVIEW Professional Development System.

Note Subsets of different versions of the same component are not necessarily interoperable without modifications. For example, you cannot replace a single sequence in the TestStand 4.0 process models with the corresponding sequence from older TestStand process models without making further modifications. If you customized the TestStand process models, you must ensure that TestStand can find all the subordinate components the process models use and that any of those components that are ActiveX servers are registered. The default process model sequence for TestStand uses separate sequences, DLLs, and ActiveX servers to support database logging and report generation features.


TestStand and Windows XP Service Pack 2Windows XP Service Pack 2 has added security measures that affect remote sequence calls in TestStand. For more information about setting up TestStand as a server for remote execution and remote sequence calls, refer to the NI TestStand Reference Manual and the following KnowledgeBase article: TestStand Remote Execution Fails When Using Windows XP Service Pack 2 With Error -17850 or -17851.

Behavior ChangesTestStand includes the following behavior changes between version 3.5 and version 4.0. Refer to the NI TestStand Help for more information about behavior changes between earlier versions of TestStand.

Acquiring Licenses for ApplicationsIn previous versions of TestStand, an application attempts to acquirea license when the Application Manager control creates the TestStand Engine or when the application directly creates theengine. In TestStand 4.0, a license is not acquired when creatingthe TestStand Engine. Instead, an application attempts to acquirea license when the application calls ApplicationMgr.Start, calls ApplicationMgr.IsEditor after calling ApplicationMgr.Start, or calls Engine.AcquireLicense. If the application does not acquire theappropriate license, calling methods such as Engine.NewSequenceFile, Engine.GetSequenceFile, and SequenceFile.Save also attempt to acquire a license.

Using LabVIEW 8.xRefer to Appendix A, Using LabVIEW 8.x with TestStand, of the Using LabVIEW with TestStand manual for more information about LabVIEW features supported in TestStand and whether there are any associated limitations.

Using Microsoft Visual StudioTestStand 4.0 installs Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0. The TestStand Sequence Editor, the new TestStand User Interface Variables Viewand Insertion Palette controls, and the .NET Adapter require.NET Framework 2.0.

You cannot use Microsoft Visual Studio 2003 to debug managed code in the TestStand process if TestStand loads the .NET Framework 2.0. Instead, you must use Microsoft Visual Studio 2005.


You can no longer use Microsoft Visual Studio 2003 to directly stepinto code modules from TestStand. Instead you must use Microsoft Visual Studio 2005. You can still manually attach and debug the TestStand process from Microsoft Visual Studio 2003.

In previous versions of TestStand, the C/C++ DLL Adapter initiated mixed mode debugging (managed and native) when stepping into a code module and automatically attached Microsoft Visual Studio to the TestStand process. In TestStand 4.0, the C/C++ DLL Adapter initiates only native debugging. To initiate mixed mode debugging in TestStand 4.0, you must manually attach and debug the TestStand process from Microsoft Visual Studio.

Operator interfaces based on the C# or VB.NET full-featured operator interface examples from TestStand versions earlier than 4.0 exhibit slow and flashy menu operation if you recompile them using the .NET 2.0 Framework instead of the .NET 1.1 Framework. To alleviate thisissue, call the new NationalInstruments.TestStand.Utility methods Menus.BeginUpdate and Menus.EndUpdate, as shown in the TestStand 4.0 full-featured user interface .NET examples.

TestStand 4.0 changed the drawing and resizing code for the User Interface (UI) Button control to address changes between the .NET 1.1 Framework and the .NET 2.0 Framework. If you run an application that uses the TestStand UI Button control with the .NET 1.1 Framework, the control font and the size of the control might be incorrect. Use the .NET 2.0 Framework instead.

TestStand 4.0 installs dynamic help for Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 only. TestStand 3.5 installed dynamic help for Microsoft Visual Studio 2003 only. Access the NI TestStand Help by selecting Start»All Programs»National Instruments»TestStand 4.0»Online Help»NI TestStand Help or by selecting Help»NI TestStand Help in the TestStand Sequence Editor.

Change in Search Order for Subordinate DLLs for LabWindows/CVI and C/C++ DLL Adapters

The order in which the LabWindows/CVI and C/C++ DLL Adapters directories search for subordinate DLLs has changed. Subordinate DLLs are DLLs that are called by DLLs that the adapters call directly. In TestStand 3.5 and earlier, when the LabWindows/CVI or C/C++ DLL Adapter searches for subordinate DLLs, it searches first in the directory that contains the application that loaded the adapters, typically the sequence editor or an operator interface. In TestStand 4.0, when the LabWindows/CVI or C/C++ DLL Adapter searches for subordinate DLLs, it searches first in the directory that contains the DLL it calls directly.


In TestStand 3.5 and earlier, when the LabWindows/CVI or C/C++ DLL Adapter calls a DLL directly, the adapter temporarily sets the current working directory to the directory where the DLL resides. As a result, the adapter finds subordinate DLLs in the same directory as the DLL it calls directly because the OS search directory precedence for subordinate DLLs includes the current working directory. The order in which directories are searched to locate subordinate DLLs in TestStand 3.5 and earlier is as follows:

1. The directory that contains the application that loaded the adapter.

2. The current working directory of the application, which the adapterhas set to the directory that contains the DLL it is calling directly. (Windows 2000 and Windows XP SP1 and earlier)

3. The Windows\System32 and Windows\System directories.

4. The Windows directory.

5. The current working directory of the application, which the adapterhas set to the directory that contains the DLL it is calling directly. (Windows XP SP2 and later)

6. The directories listed in the PATH environment variable.

In TestStand 4.0 and later, the adapters attempt to load subordinate DLLs without setting the current working directory and use an alternate search directory precedence that includes the directory that contains the DLL being loaded as follows:

1. The directory that contains the DLL that the adapter is calling directly.

2. The current working directory of the application. (Windows 2000 and Windows XP SP1 and earlier)

3. The Windows\System32 and Windows\System directories.

4. The Windows directory.

5. The current working directory of the application. (Windows XP SP2 and later)

6. The directories listed in the PATH environment variable.

Notice that the list of directories that TestStand 4.0 searches does not explicitly include the directory that contains the application that loaded the adapter. For backward compatibility, if a TestStand 4.0 adapter fails to load a DLL, the adapter attempts to load the DLL using the same approach used in TestStand 3.5 and earlier. National Instruments does not recommend placing subordinate DLLs in the directory that contains the application that loads the DLL because loading subordinate DLLs from this location might not be supported in the future.


New Default for FontSource PropertiesIn TestStand 3.5 and earlier, the default value for font source propertiesthat TestStand UI Controls use is FontSource_UseFontProperty. In TestStand 4.0 and later the default value is FontSource_UseGUIFont. This change affects existing applications that dynamically create TestStand UI Controls. When you rebuild an application using TestStand 4.0, control properties values do not automatically change, so you must manually update these controls if you want to use the new default font source setting.

This behavior change applies to the following control properties:

• Button.FontSource

• CheckBox.FontSource

• ComboBox.FontSource

• ExpressionEdit.FontSource

• Label.FontSource

• ListBox.FontSource

• ListBar.ButtonFontSource

• ListBar.PageFontSource

• SequenceView.CommentsFontSource

• SequenceView.HeaderFontSource

• SequenceView.TextFontSource

• StatusBar.FontSource

Note The default font for ReportView.TextReportFontSource is FontSource_UseSystemFixedWidthFont and has not changed.

Engine.ReloadAll global variables and their subproperties of type Reference that still exist after you call the Engine.ReloadGlobals method now retain the reference values they had before the call to ReloadGlobals. In previous versions, reloading the globals cleared all global reference values.

Sequence Editor Call StackThe first item in the call stack is now the most nested sequence invocation.


User Interface Configuration FileThe Application Manager saves configuration information in the <UserProfile>\Local Settings\Application Data\National

Instruments\<TestStand>\ directory. In previous versions of TestStand, the Application Manager used the OperatorInterface.ini file. TestStand 4.0 uses the UserInterfaces.xml file.

Make Step Names Unique When Inserting StepsThe default setting has changed for the Make Step Names Unique When Inserting Steps option located in the Sequence Editor Options dialog box. In TestStand 4.0, the setting is disabled. In TestStand 3.5 and earlier, the default setting is enabled. Use the Sequence Editor Options dialog box to change the setting.

For TestStand Custom Sequence Editors, use ApplicationMgr.MakeStepNamesUnique to specify whether the application ensures that steps you insert into a sequence have names that are unique within the sequence.

Default Limits and Comparison ValuesThe default limits and comparison values for the test step types in TestStand 4.0 have changed. If you do not configure the limit or comparison value, the step fails. The default limits for the Numeric Limit Test and Multiple Numeric Limit Test are now “9 <= x <= 11”, the default Boolean value for the Pass/Fail Test is False, and the default comparison string for the String Value Test is “<Specify your expected value here>”. This change does not affect existing steps.

What’s New in TestStand 4.0This section describes the new features in TestStand 4.0 and other changes since TestStand 3.5.

Redesigned Sequence EditorThe redesigned sequence editor includes the following enhancements:

• Dockable panes and tabbed windows

• Configurable window layouts that you can save and reset to the default configuration

• Customizable menus and toolbars with configurable keyboard shortcuts

• Configurable step list settings and columns


• Insertion Palette that makes it easier to insert steps into sequences

• Templates list that contains preconfigured steps, sequences, and variable instances, which you can add to sequence files

• Multi-step editing

• Undo/redo for most sequence file edits; however, edits to types clear the list of undo/redo operations

• New Output pane to display generic messages, warnings, and error messages that you generate with the OutputMessage expression function and the OutputMessage.Post method

Refer to Figure 1 for the location of features in the Sequence File Window. Refer to Figure 2 for the location of features in the Execution Window.


Figure 1. Sequence File Window Features

1 Sequence File Window – Displays sequences and other items in a sequence file.

2 Sequences Pane – Displays the sequences in the sequence file.

3 Step – Performs built-in operations or calls code modules.

4 Steps Pane – Displays the steps in the sequence you select in the Sequences pane.

5 Station Globals – Displays the variables you can access from anywhere within TestStand.

6 Types Window – Contains definitions of custom data types and step types that sequence files can use.

7 User Manager – Administers groups, users, login names, passwords, and privileges.

8 Variables Pane – Displays the variables and properties that steps can access at run time.

9 Step Settings Pane – Specifies the settings for the step, suchas code module parameters, switching, flow control, and post actions.

10 Insertion Palette – Displays step types and templates. The Step Types List displays the step types you can insert into sequence files. The Templates List organizes custom sequences, steps, and variables you can insert into sequence files.

10

2 4 5 6 73 8

9

1


Figure 2. Execution Window Features

1 Execution Window – Displays the threads, call stack, and steps that an execution runs. When execution completes, displays the report for the execution.

2 Output Pane – Displays output messages that expressions and code modules post to the TestStand Engine.

3 Watch View Pane – Monitors the values of specified variables, properties, and expressions during an execution.

4 Threads Pane – Contains a list of threads in the current execution.

5 Call Stack Pane – Displays the nested sequence invocations for the thread you select.

6 Breakpoints – Step settings that suspend an execution before executing the step.

7 Execution Pointer – Points to the currently executing step at the call stack level you select.

8 Windows – Displays the sequence files, executions, and other windows open in the sequence editor.

8

2

7

6

345

1


Creating Custom Sequence Editors Using TestStand User Interface (UI) Controls

The TestStand UI Controls support editing sequence files. You can enable sequence editing by setting the ApplicationMgr.IsEditor property or by using the /editor command-line flag.

The user interface examples now fully support editing sequences. In Operator Mode, the user interfaces behave as in previous versions of TestStand. In Editor Mode, the user interfaces display additional views, menu items, and toolbar buttons, such as the Insertion Palette control and the Variables View control, for editing sequence files. The user interfaces do not support dockable panes, and you must use dialog boxes to configure steps and code modules as in previous versions of TestStand.

TestStand 4.0 renames the <TestStand>\OperatorInterfaces directory to <TestStand>\UserInterfaces to reflect that the example applications can now optionally function as editors. In addition, the LabVIEW full-featured user interface was redesigned to simplify VI block diagrams, allowing you to easily make changes.

TestStand 4.0 includes a new TestStand Custom Sequence Editor License that you can use when using a custom sequence editor application. You can now use this license instead of the TestStand Development System License for a system where you deploy a custom sequence editor application.

Note TestStand applications that use the User Interface Controls to edit and save sequence files must set ApplicationMgr.IsEditor to True before calling ApplicationMgr.Start. If the application uses only the TestStand API, the application should request a custom sequence editor license by calling the Engine.AcquireLicense method after creating the TestStand Engine. If you do not call this method, TestStand automatically acquires the minimum license, the TestStand Base Deployment Engine License, when you call specific Engine methods such as Engine.GetSequenceFile and Engine.NewSequenceFile. If the application later attempts to save a sequence file, TestStand attempts to acquire a license that can save files and can prompt the user to activate the license.

New Sequence File FormatsTestStand 4.0 includes binary and XML sequence file formats in addition to the INI file format. Use the default binary file format if you want the fastest load and save times and the smallest files. Use the XML file format if you want your files to be human readable or if you want to parse the files as XML.


You can specify the default format for new files by selecting Configure»Station Options, selecting the Preferences tab, and clicking the File Format Options button. You can also change the format before you save sequence files by selecting Edit»Sequence File Properties, selecting the General tab, and changing the value in the File Format ring control. You can convert between file formats using the Sequence File Converter tool that TestStand launches when you select Tools»Update Sequence Files. You can use the tool interactively, or you can use command-line arguments.

Caution Changing between binary and other formats might require changes to source code control settings, such as changing the file type in the source code control provider to ensure that the provider stores the files properly.

Note In TestStand 3.5, protected sequence files were saved as INI files, but the file contained binary data. In TestStand 4.0, protected sequence files that use the INI file format now contain only text data and no longer contain binary data.

Custom Sequence File TranslatorsYou can create custom sequence file translators that TestStand uses to load sequence files with your own custom file formats. You can create translators in various development environments, use versioning schemes with custom files, and deploy translators with TestStand.

A custom sequence file translator allows TestStand to load test description files saved in a custom format, such as text or XML. The translator reads the contents of the custom sequence file, translates the contents to a TestStand sequence file, and opens the TestStand sequence file in the sequence editor or a user interface. Within the sequence editor or user interface, you can perform all typical operations supported in the TestStand sequence files, such as executing and debugging sequences, diffing files, adding custom sequence files to workspaces, and deploying custom sequence files. However, you cannot save changes you make to the TestStand sequence file back to a custom sequence file format. You must make all changes to the custom sequence file directly.

Refer to Chapter 15, Sequence File Translators, of the NI TestStand Reference Manual for more information about custom sequencefile translators. Refer to <TestStand>\Examples\SequenceFileTranslators for example custom sequence files and translators.


API AdditionsTestStand 4.0 includes new TestStand User Interface Controls and new API classes, methods, and properties. Additionally, some API methods and properties are now obsolete. Refer to the TestStand 4.0 API Additions and Changes topic and the TestStand 4.0 UI Controls API Additions and Changes topic in the NI TestStand Help for more information. The NI TestStand Help also documents API changes and additions for some earlier versions of TestStand.

Note Some components of TestStand, such as the TestStand Sequence Editor, expose .NET assemblies; however, the use of undocumented assembly API is not supported.

Other TestStand EnhancementsTestStand includes the following other enhancements:

• You can configure whether function tips show automatically in the Expression controls.

• You can configure the font size for text in Expression controls to one of the following settings: normal, large, or extra large.

• You can access the TestStand API in expressions without using the ActiveX/COM Adapter. The Expression control type-ahead feature includes support for the TestStand API. You can also specify TestStand API calls using the new TestStand API tab of the Expression Browser dialog box.

Note Although accessing the TestStand API in expressions is easier and simpler than using steps that use the ActiveX/COM Adapter, accessing the TestStand API in expressions is slightly slower than using multiple steps that use the ActiveX/COM Adapter.

• Test limits now accept expressions in the Numeric Limit Test and Multiple Numeric Limit Test step types.

• TestStand 4.0 includes a stand-alone Sequence File Differ application, located at <TestStand>\Bin\SequenceFileDiffer.exe.

• TestStand 4.0 includes a new Workspace Documentation tool that generates HTML or comma-delimited text reports that list the contents of a workspace. Select Tools»Workspace File Documentation to access the tool.

• The NI TestStand Help and manuals include updated content. The help files are located in the <TestStand>\Doc\Help directory. The manuals are located in the <TestStand>\Doc\Manuals directory. TestStand no longer includes the TestStand Bookshelf. With Adobe Reader 7.0 or later, you can search in multiple PDFs. Refer to the Guide to TestStand Documentation topic in the NI TestStand Help to learn how to search all of the PDFs installed with TestStand.


Note If you are opening help files from the <TestStand>\Doc\Help directory, National Instruments recommends that you open TSHelp.chm. This file is a collection of all of the TestStand help files and provides a complete table of contents and index.

National Instruments, NI, ni.com, NI TestStand, and LabVIEW are trademarks of National Instruments Corporation. Refer to the Terms of Use section on ni.com/legal for more information about National Instruments trademarks. Other product and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies. For patents covering National Instruments products, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software, the patents.txt file on your CD, or ni.com/patents.

© 1999–2007 National Instruments Corporation. All rights reserved. 372519L-01 Apr07

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Archived: NI TestStand 4.0 Release Notes - National ... · NI TestStand Release Notes 6 ni.com 4. Place the Tools menu file you created in step 2 in the new directory. 5. Launch the