TestStand Design Search/Replace Functionality

[Mikef]

We are in the process of changing from using Measurement Studio/Visual Basic to using TestStand as the test executor. (We are just learning to use TestStand and LabView.)

Currently, all testing is done using VB as the low level calls, and VB scripting for the test automation.

Our plan is to start by putting the VB low level code into an Active-X DLL and as time permits, move the low level code to LabView.

The question is, as we create replacement functions using LabView, how do we Replace the Active-X DLL calls with the LabView functions?

My first thought was to use "Search and Replace" (as there is in most other language enviornments) but I can't find such a function in TestStand. IS THERE A WAY TO DO THIS?

M
y other thought is to somehow create a subsequence for EACH library call that points to a single block for that function, where that single block can be changed from the Active-X DLL call to a LabView call.

Examples would be that we have a Read/Write Parameter function as:

ReturnStatus=DLL_Parameter(Name,Instance,Value,Mode)

We would eventually create a new function in Labview and would want to replace ALL instances of the DLL call with a similar LabView function.

How do we design this in?

Mikef

[Simon_Holman]

Unfortunately a search/replace feature has only been introduced in the new TestStand V3.0. It allows for searching and some replacing of values, properties, etc. however this may not help what you are describing.

It is possible to write you own custom search/replace code that uses the TestStand API and can scan through a sequence file for particular step names or types and then insert a new LabView Step and remove the old DLL call step.

If you need to keep the DLL parameters you can access them using the Step.TS.SData cluster. (You may need to set the �Show Hidden Properties� in the Station Options to see this in the Sequence Editor).

Check out the TestStand API Reference and some of the Examples included in TestStand on how to use it.

Hope this helps

Simon Holman