Where to define new custom data type ?

[Gary_H]

Hi,

In the past (TS 3.5) I've created our own custom type palette file which has been used

to store new data types and then passed the file to other colleagues. The file would be

stored in the ......\Program Files\.......\User area.

My question has arose because we are now using TS 4.1/4.2 which no longer has separate

NI and User directories in \Program Files.

Because I now want to edit an existing custom data type, I find that our custom type palette has

fallen by the way side, forgot about.

Even though I can see the custom data type definitions within sequence files that employ

the custom data types, which means I can modify them locally, I intend to return to

a custom type palette, i.e. global definition.

What is the relationship between data definitions in a custom type palette and the custom data

type definitions within a sequence file ?

When does a palette file update a sequence file ?, which takes control in the event of conflicts ?,

is a palette file actually necessary if separate sequence files using the same custom data type

can update each other ? What is good practice when defining custom data types ?

thanks,

Gary.

[RayFarmer]

Gary,

TestStand 4.1 become Vista friendly, therefore the User parts changed location to <TestStand Public> folders.

Checkout he whats new

http://zone.ni.com/reference/en-XX/help/370052H-01/tshelp/infotopics/41whatsnew/

So you can still have your Custom palette files but you need to relocate them to the new Public folder.

Hope this helps

Regards

Ray Farmer

[lordsathish]

Hi Gray,

I do not have answers to all your questions. But I'll try to answer as much as possible.

Custom Data Types are saved in the MyTpes.ini file. You can get its location, when you press Ctrl+T in your sequence editor your Types window must open up. Towards the left you will have all the ini files listing various types. When you move your mouse over MyTypes.ini it should show its location.

In the same types window you will see your sequence file also listed. This will contain all the types in the sequence file. When you use a type in the sequence file  its saved along with the sequence file.

When you open a sequence file it there is a conflict between the type in your sequence file and that in MyTypes.ini you will be prompted to resolve the conflict. You can chose either the one from MyTypes.ini or the one in your sequence.

Hope this helps.

Thanks 

[Captain_Jack]

Gary,

You might also want to check out the best practices for Type Management here: NI TestStand Type Management Best Practices

-Jack

[RER · Accepted solution]

Hey guys, 

This is an very interesting thread, and I whole heartedly agree with the advice given so far. I simply wanted to offer some additional advice on type conflicts - which with further answer the initial question regarding which type definition takes precedence in the event of a conflict. 

It is important to note that TestStand uses type Names and version numbers to identify the different types. It is also important to note that when you use a customer type definition within a sequence, the sequence file (.seq) which houses the sequence will retain a copy of the type definition. This makes distributing sequence files much easier. However, it also opens the door to potential type conflicts. 

TestStand only allows one uniquely named type to be loaded into memory at any given time, so it uses the versions number of the type to attempt to automatically resolve these conflicts. For example, TestStand can be setup to load whichever type has the highest version number (note that this can be changed via the Preferences tab of the Station Options dialog box). 

All of this information and more can be found in the following tutorials...

TestStand Type Versioning and Conflicts

How Do I Make a Custom Step Type?

Thanks for your time. I hope this has been useful!

Message Edited by RER on 02-05-2010 07:58 AM