Sunday, July 29, 2007

NI TestStand Panel Programming

It's Sunday, so this will be short. Yesterday I mentioned that to set up calling functions in TestStand a panel was popped up and the information was entered. A HUGE leap National Instruments has made between earlier TestStand's and there current version of 4.0 is getting away from Panel programming.

TestStands sequences resembled a programming language in many ways except for the Panels. Panel's were used to set up sequence steps, it was as if in a language like C, to enter an "i = i + 2", a panel had to be opened, the variable "i" is found and added to the statement, then the operation "=" had to be found and added, etc. Version 4.0 eliminates that. It meant a lot of mouse movement. TestStand is finally growing up.

TestStand 4.0 is more of an Integrated Development Environment (IDE). Group changes can now be made rather than opening a sequence in notepad and doing search and replace on multiple statements. Everyone who starts with TestStand 4.0 won't know the hassle's Pannel Programming, at least with TestStand.

All I can say to NI is thank you for TestStand 4.0...and my carpel tunnel syndrome thanks them too.

Have a good day

No comments: