Sequence Hierarchy Window

Use the Sequence Hierarchy window in the TestStand Sequence Editor to display a graph of the sequence call and callback sequence relationships among sequence files and sequences to more easily visualize, navigate, and maintain test sequences. The Sequence Hierarchy window does not provide a way to edit Sequence Call steps and does not show execution flow while running.

Use the options on the Sequence Hierarchy toolbar to configure the layout and horizontal and vertical direction of the graph and to arrange the nodes and links. Adjust the default graph layout to your needs before printing or saving the graph to disk, if necessary. The Sequence Hierarchy toolbar contains the following buttons:

Command Name Shortcut Icon Description
Graph Layout — The layout of the graph. The button displays the currently selected layout. Click this button to launch a submenu that contains the following layout options:
  • Layered Digraph —A layered graph that groups edges into layers so no two edges in the same layer cross. This layout option reduces link crossings and produces clean graphs. This is the default option.
  • Tree Graph —A layered graph that displays rapidly. Link overlapping can occur if cycles exist in the graph. Links can cross nodes if a node has more than one parent node.
Graph Direction — The horizontal or vertical orientation of the graph. The button displays the currently selected layout. Click this button to launch a submenu that contains the following graph direction options:
  • Horizontal —Displays a horizontal graph.
  • Vertical —Displays a vertical graph.
Expand All Nodes <*> Expands all the nodes in the graph.
Collapse All Nodes <⁄> Collapses all the nodes in the graph.
Expand One Level <+> Expands all nodes one level.
Collapse One Level <-> Collapses all nodes one level.
Allow Rearranging Nodes — Enables or disables the rearranging of nodes on the Call Graph pane of the Sequence Hierarchy window. Rearranging nodes is allowed by default. Click this button to disallow rearranging nodes. The icon changes to when rearranging is not allowed. Click this button again to restore the default setting.
Update From Sequences — Recreates the graph starting at the root sequence. The new graph reflects any changes you made to the call hierarchy in the sequence file. When you refresh the graph, the color palette might change.

Use the following methods to open the Sequence Hierarchy window:

  • Select View»Sequence File»Display File Hierarchy to display the hierarchy of all the sequences in the current sequence file or select View»Sequence File»Display Hierarchy Using»< Entry Point Name > to display the hierarchy from that entry point using the current sequence file as the client sequence file.
  • Right-click the list of steps on the Steps pane of the Sequence File window and select Display File Hierarchy from the context menu to display the hierarchy of all sequences in the sequence file or Display Hierarchy Using»< Entry Point Name > from the context menu to display the hierarchy from that entry point using the current sequence file as a client sequence file.
  • Right-click one or more sequences in the list of sequences on the Sequences pane of the Sequence File window and select Display Sequence Hierarchy from the context menu to display the hierarchy of the selected sequence or sequences, select Display File Hierarchy from the context menu to display the hierarchy of all the sequences in the sequence file, or select Display Hierarchy Using»< Entry Point Name > from the context menu to display the hierarchy from that entry point using the current sequence file as a client sequence file.

    If you do not select any sequences, the Display File Hierarchy option is available, and the Display Sequence Hierarchy option is disabled. If you select one or more sequences, the Display File Hierarchy is disabled, and the Display Sequence Hierarchy option is available.

  • Right-click a sequence file in the list of sequence files on the Windows pane or on the Workspace pane and select Display File Hierarchy from the context menu to display the hierarchy of all sequences in the sequence file, or select Display Hierarchy Using»< Entry Point Name > from the context menu to display the hierarchy from that entry point using the current sequence file as a client sequence file.
Note When you select Display Hierarchy Using»< Entry Point Name >, the graph starts at the given Execution entry point. The list of entry points varies according to the process model the sequence file uses, except when you open the Sequence Hierarchy window from the Workspace pane, in which case the graph uses the station process model.

The Sequence Hierarchy window contains the following panes:

  • Call Graph —The sequence call graph.
  • Legend —The sequence files the Sequence Hierarchy window uses when creating the graph, the types of sequence calls, and the different sequence types the sequence files use.
  • Graph Overview —Shows a reduced-scale view of the graph and supports panning and zooming of the graph.

To restore hidden Call Graph, Legend, and Graph Overview panes, right-click the Sequence Hierarchy window and select the pane you want to restore, or select the hidden pane from the View submenu of the context menu. You can also select View»Hierarchy»Call Graph, Legend, or Overview to restore the hidden panes.

See Also

Sequence File Window

Sequences Pane

Sequences Pane Context Menu

Steps Pane

Toolbar Buttons and Shortcuts

Windows Pane

Workspace Pane