Is it possible to embed LV Steps in a Custom Operator Interface?

[Tims]

Hi All

I would like to embed the distributed LV steps into a LV operator interface, has anybody done this before? How can I make Teststand find these imbedded VI's?

Thankyou

Tim

[AllanS]

Tims,

I am a little bit confused what you are asking? What do you mean by imbedded VIs? Which distributed steps are you talking about?

Allan S.
National Instruments

[Tims]

I am wanting to distribute a teststand/labview test system.

It consists of:
A customised operator interface, written in LabVIEW, which also doubles as the labview server.
Teststand sequences, with steps also written in labview.

I am not currently happy with the current way that teststand 2.0 tool assembles the labview steps in one large (messy) directory.

What I would like to do, is to include the teststand steps, written in labview, in the operator interface executable as dynamic VI's.

The only problem with this is, teststand cannot find the labview steps anymore.

So now the question is:
Can we make teststand find the labview steps even thought they are in the operator interface?

Tim

[AllanS]

Tims,

First, TestStand 3.x fixes this problem by preserving the paths even in the deployment kit. I am assume though you don't have access to 3.x so I will give you an idea I have for how this could be done in 2.0.

What you will do is create a Custom UI message which contents indicates which VI to run. So first in place of the LabVIEW steps you will create activeX steps that will Post a UI messsage (PostUIMessage). You will make the value of this message correspond to a VI. In the LabVIEW OI you will register this UI message and in the event handler have a case statement. The case will be selected based on the value of the UI message and in these cases will be the VIs you have embedded.

Let me know if you need more help on how todo this. Have a great day!

Allan S.
National Instruments