TestStand%20Customization%20Techniques

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TestStand Customization Techniques

• Doug Melamed
• TestStand Software Engineer
• Wed Aug 16
• 1200-115 p.m., 330-445 p.m.
• San Jacinto (5B)

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Agenda

• Using the TestStand ActiveX API
• Creating custom step types
• Customizing the process model
• Building add-in tools

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The TestStand API
Operator Interfaces
Sequence Editor
TestStand ActiveX API
Process Model
Step Types
Test Code Modules
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Typical Uses of the TestStand API

• Test modules and step type modules
• Access variables and properties
• Operator interfaces
• Start and monitor executions
• Process models
• Control result collection, etc.
• Sequence Steps
• Multithreading, etc.
• Custom add-in tools
• Inspect or edit sequence files

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Customizing the Operator Interface
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Step Types

• Advantages
• Code re-use
• Easier sequence development
• Facilitates third party add-ins
• Two categories of step types
• Complete drop-in functionality, no user written
  code
• Adds configuration and additional functionality
  to users code

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Creating a Step Type

• Add your own custom properties
• Specify default settings for built-in and custom
  properties
• Create substeps
• Edit create a dialog box in which the user can
  configure custom properties
• Pre specify actions to occur before the users
  code module
• Post specify actions to occur after the users
  code module

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Step Type Example
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What Is a Process Model?

• The set of operations that define the test
  procedure
• Scan serial number
• Test UUT
• Generate report
• Log to database
• Display pass/fail banner
• Configuration of these operations
• Configure report options
• Configure database options

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What Is a Callback?

• Process model operations that you can override in
  your test sequence
• Use to customize the test process for a specific
  test sequence
• Implemented as sequences in the process model
• Overridden by a sequence in a specific sequence
  file

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Process Models and Callbacks
Process Model
Test File
Init System
Step1
Scan New UUT
Step2
Call User Seq
Step3
Report
Step...
Shutdown
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Common Process Model Customizations

• Change report/database format
• Customize serial number entry
• Communication with line/board handler
• Adding system initialization and calibration

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Process Model Example

• On the fly report generation

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Building Add-in Tools

• You can create tools to inspect or edit sequence
  files
• Appear in sequence editor and operator interface
  menus
• Can be sequences or executables
• Example tools
• Sequence file documentation generator
• Sequence file converter
• Import/export limits

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Add-in Tools Example
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Questions?