Sharing and syncronization TS configuration and components files

[Berezka]

Hi,

We have several TestStand development PCs and we are using Perforce to source control and share the work.

We need to share TS configuration file (TestExec.ini, StationGlobals.ini, Users.ini, etc.) and the following components:

SequentialModel.seq, FrontEndCallbacks.seq and CustomStrings.ini.

We work with configuration files, SequentialModel.seq and MyTypes.ini located under our project (not default TS folders).

1. Is it possible to set custom location also for FrontEndCallbacks.seq and CustomStrings.ini? If yes - how, otherwise - how can we share these files without deployment or manual copying?

2. How to synchronize the frequently changed files - MyTypes.ini, TestExec.ini and StationGlobals.ini? The files format is INI (text).

If two users will change the such file and one will submit the changed file, the second user will get conflict. Is there a convenient way to compare two file versions and resolve the conflict instead of using text comparing program (e.g. Beyond Compare)?

Thanks in advance

[Shawn_S.]

Hello Berezka,

TestStand checks for the location of FrontEndCallbacks.seq in two different locations:

<TestStand>\Components\User\Callbacks\FrontEnd

and

<TestStand Public>\Components\User\Callbacks\FrontEnd

If you configure a custom public directory (possibly on a network), then I could see files being shared between two development machines.  The following article explains how to accomplish this task.

How to Configure a Custom Public Directory for TestStand 4.1 and Later

http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/42A0D8B0DCEC64FE8625744F007F3A6D?OpenDocument

And as far as a side by side comparison of two files go, I would use the File Diff/Merge application when it comes to .seq files. This application is located at Start»All Programs»National Instruments»TestStand»Tools»File Diff and Merge.  However, I understand we're interested in .ini files.  Beyond Compare may be your best bet, but there are other apps I've found such as TortoiseSVN and ExamDiff.

[Berezka]

Hello Shawn,

Thank you for your reply.

1. I configured a custom public directory under our project directory and it works fine on my computer. Now I can add the needed component files to Perforce for sharing with other users.

The custom FrontEndCallbacks.seq and CustomStrings.ini are a part of our project deployment.

Where will these files be set on operator computers: in a default public directory or in the same directory as on the development computer? Do we need to make changes in registry on each operator computer?

2. I'm already using File Diff and Merge for .seq files, although its loading takes a lot of time.

The question is how to compare and synchronize INI files (MyTypes.ini, TestExec.ini and StationGlobals.ini)?

Regards

[James_Grey]

Have you tried setting the file format for those files to XML? XML is much easier to diff than INI.

[Shawn_S.]

Hello Berezka,

Yes, you will have to set up the new <TestStand Public> directory on each of your deployment machines. I would suggest a network location so the <TestStand Public> folder is shared among test machines.

And in my post on 11-29-2011 @ 04:00 PM I answered how to compare .ini files and provided three different applications to choose from.

Please review the previous post and good luck!