TestStand New Features and Changes

Learn about updates, including new features and behavior changes, introduced in each version of TestStand.

Discover what is new in the latest releases of TestStand.
Note If you cannot find new features and changes for your version, it might not include user-facing updates. However, your version might include non-visible changes such as bug fixes and compatibility updates. For information about non-visible changes, refer to your product Release Notes.

TestStand 2025 Q3 Changes

Learn about new features, behavior changes, and other updates in TestStand 2025 Q3.

Introducing Nigel™, AI Advisor

Nigel is your trusted test and measurement advisor, trained on the NI platform and ready to help when you need it. Change TestStand and sequence file settings, learn TestStand concepts, and more!

Import Specifications Using the Specifications Pane

Use the Specifications pane to import specifications directly from a SystemLink Enterprise server or Excel file and convert the imported specifications into steps, sweep loops, and variables in your sequence files. This functionality replaces the Specification Compliance Manager (SCM) tool specification import workflow.

TestStand 2025 Q2 Changes

Learn about new features, behavior changes, and other updates in TestStand 2025 Q2.

TestStand 2025 Q2 Installation Location

If you install TestStand 2025 Q2 on a device where TestStand 2024 Q4 is already installed, TestStand 2025 Q2 installs as an update to TestStand 2024 Q4 rather than a separate instance of TestStand software. Installing TestStand 2025 Q2 on a device where no prior TestStand software is installed, or on a device where an older version of TestStand than 2024 Q4 is installed, installs TestStand 2025 Q2 as a separate software instance at C:\<Program Files>\National Instruments\TestStand 2024.

.NET 8 Support Updates in TestStand

All .NET-based tools, plug-ins, and interfaces in TestStand have been migrated to .NET 8, which allows you to call into .NET code modules from TestStand. This includes the following items:
  • TestStand Sequence Editor
  • TestStand user interfaces and operator interfaces
  • Tools such as the TestStand Sequence File Analyzer and TestStand File Diff and Merge Utility
  • Step settings panels and substeps of all TestStand step types
  • .NET-based plug-ins such as process models and the TestStand Sequence Analyzer
Note If you are using deprecated APIs or features no longer supported in .NET 8, you might need to upgrade to .NET core or make changes to your existing modules to retain functionality.

Git Pane

The TestStand Sequence Editor provides a Git pane that allows you to connect to Git repositories on platforms including Azure DevOps, GitHub, and BitBucket and perform common version control operations from within the Sequence Editor. This new pane eliminates the need to perform version control operations on TestStand project files using a separate Git client.

TestStand Usage Within Continuous Integration Workflows

TestStand Development licenses now support the use of TestStand within continuous integration (CI) and continuous development (CD) workflows. Single-seat license users can now use their TestStand Development System licenses for both development purposes and CI/CD workflows, while volume license agreement (VLA) users can add the TestStand Continuous Integration for VLAs part number to their VLA to use TestStand in CI/CD workflows without using a development license seat. The TestStand End-User License Agreement (EULA) supports CI/CD uses of the TestStand Development System license.

API and UI Control Additions and Changes

TestStand 2025 Q2 includes the following new enumeration values, constant values, properties, and methods.
  • Properties
    • DotNetModule.AllowUnload
  • Methods
    • DotNetAdapter.CacheAssemblyInfoEx
    • DotNetAdapter.IsClassValidEx
Note Although some TestStand components, such as the TestStand Sequence Editor, expose .NET assemblies, TestStand does not support the use of undocumented .NET APIs.

TestStand 2024 Q4 Changes

Learn about new features, behavior changes, and other updates in TestStand 2024 Q4.

.NET Adapter — .NET Assembly Execution Support

The .NET adapter now supports .NET 8 for .NET code module execution. You can still execute .NET Framework assemblies using .NET as long as the resources used in the .NET Framework assemblies are present in .NET 8.

Some items and resources are no longer supported. Consult the following list for some support changes and considerations to take note of when developing with the .NET Adapter and TestStand 2024 Q4:
  • The IOConfig step type no longer works with the .NET Adapter. The device drivers are located in the .NET Framework GAC location, and .NET 8 does not support loading assemblies from the GAC.
  • Creating remote objects in the TestStand .NET step using the CreateRemoteObject method is no longer supported.
  • Calling into the following assemblies is no longer supported:
    • GAC assemblies
    • .NET assemblies with dependencies on GAC assemblies
    • C++/CLI assemblies
  • Consider the following when working with .NET assemblies and LabVIEW:
    • .NET assemblies called by a VI are not automatically added to TestStand deployments. You must manually add these dependencies to deployments they are used in.
    • NET Framework assembly dependencies called by LabVIEW during the execution of a TestStand .NET step must be placed next to these .NET Framework assemblies to prevent runtime execution errors. These dependencies can be found in the LabVIEW installation directory.
    • Passing .NET objects between LabVIEW and TestStand is no longer supported.
  • Sequence Editor layout files from previous TestStand versions are no longer supported.
  • Consider the following when handling TestStand objects in managed code:
    • Explicitly dispose of instances of classes implementing IDisposable.
    • Explicitly assign null to class member variables of TestStand types, like Engine, SequenceContext, and PropertyObject, when the class is no longer in use.
    • Explicitly assign null to static variables of TestStand types, like Engine, SequenceContext, and PropertyObject, before shutting the TestStand Engine down.

Support for Using Sequence Files Across Multiple Versions of TestStand

The TestStand Engine no longer updates to a new version with every new release of TestStand. This allows you to use sequence files in multiple versions of TestStand without needing to use Save As to save the file for each version of TestStand you want to use it in. Save As now only needs to be used to run sequence files in versions of TestStand with different engine versions than the version it was originally written in. The engine version of your version of TestStand can be determined by consulting the program information at Help » About TestStand.

Features from later versions of TestStand are not supported in earlier versions of TestStand, even if the versions run on the same engine version. The TestStand Analyzer can detect these support mismatches and notify the user.

Support mismatches can also occur in custom types used between versions of TestStand. You can update your custom types according to the recommendations in Modifying Types Without Altering the Version Number to allow the TestStand Analyzer to detect and report support mismatches in custom data types.

Python Adapter — Support for Python Virtual Environments Created Using 'venv'

The TestStand Python Adapter now supports Python virtual environments created using the venv tool, in addition to virtual environments created using the earlier virtualenv tool.

LabVIEW Adapter — Source-Only VI Execution Support Through the Version-Independent Runtime Engine Support Feature

You can use the Version Independent Runtime Engine Support feature in the LabVIEW Adapter as an option to avoid potential issues when executing source-only VIs using the LabVIEW Runtime Engine through the LabVIEW adapter. These issues can occur if the LabVIEW version that the source-only VI was saved or mass-compiled in does not match the LabVIEW Runtime engine version, as VI version no longer gets updated during a save or mass-compile.

Auto Login for TestStand Default User

The default TestStand user account, administrator, no longer launches the login dialog prompting users to log in when launching TestStand. The login dialog only launches if at least one of the following is true:
  • A user clicks on the Login option
  • The administrator account has a configured password
  • Additional user accounts other than administrator are present

TestStand Sequence Editor Visual Design Updates

TestStand 2024 Q4 introduces visual changes to the TestStand Sequence Editor designed to provide better contrast in the Sequence Editor, provide relief in the menu and tool bars, and reduce the background colour of Sequence Editor panes.

New Help Delivery Experience

TestStand 2024 Q4 help links now direct you to the online TestStand help documentation in the NI documentation portal, ni.com/docs, when your system is connected to the internet. If your system is not connected to the internet, the help links launch the NI Offline Help Viewer that is installed with TestStand to connect you with help documentation. You can also use the NI Offline Help Viewer to launch TestStand help documentation from outside of TestStand.
Note Use the NI Help Preferences application to set the default method for accessing NI product help to online or offline.
Note TestStand 2024 Q4 removes offline help documentation sourced in the Microsoft Compiled HTML Help File (.chm) format.

API and UI Control Additions and Changes

TestStand 2024 Q4 includes the following new enumeration values, constant values, properties, and methods.
  • Enumeration and Constant Values
    • StepType_If
    • StepType_Else
    • StepType_ElseIf
    • StepType_For
    • StepType_ForEach
    • StepType_While
    • StepType_DoWhile
    • StepType_Break
    • StepType_Continue
    • StepType_Select
    • StepType_Case
    • StepType_End
    • StepType_StreamLoop
    • StepType_SweepLoop
    • StepType_Wait
    • VisualStudioDTEVersion_2022
  • Properties
    • EngineVersionString
    • ChildExecutionIds
    • ParentExecutionId
  • Methods
    • DisplayHelpTopicEx
    • GetExecution
Note Although some TestStand components, such as the TestStand Sequence Editor, expose .NET assemblies, TestStand does not support the use of undocumented .NET APIs.

TestStand 2023 Q4 Changes

Learn about new features, behavior changes, and other updates in TestStand 2023 Q4.

Build Source Files and Execute Feature

The new Build Source Files and Execute feature adds support for executing source-only VIs in TestStand using the TestStand LabVIEW adapter when it is configured to use the LabVIEW runtime engine. This feature adds this support by compiling LabVIEW modules necessary for execution into a Packed Project Library (PPL) before execution begins.

Import/Update from Specification Compliance Manager Tool

The new Import/Update from Specification Compliance Manager tool lets you connect to a Specification Compliance Manager (SCM) server from TestStand. You can import data from a server to a sequence file as variables to use in configuring measurement conditions, sweeps, and test limits. The tool also allows you to log results tied to imported data and pass the logged results back to SCM for analysis.

TestStand Installer Feed Optimization

Reduced TestStand ISO image size improves download times and decreases the necessary storage space for the ISO image. Installers for GraphControl, IVIStepTypes, Runtime32, and Runtime64 have been removed from the ISO image, but are still available for installation through NI Package Manager and NI Package Builder.

Improvements to Working with Variables

You can now filter variables and their properties by name in the Call Stack pane using the new Filter control on the Variables pane on the Sequence File tab.

Hot Reloading in Visual Studio 2022 for C# and C++ Code Modules

TestStand now supports modifying C# and C++ code modules during debugging sessions in Visual Studio (VS) 2022 without the need to reload the modules in TestStand to get the updated code modules reloaded to memory. This added functionality leverages the hot reloading capability in VS 2022.

Python Adapter Improvements

Improved TestStand performance when using the Enum data type with the TestStand Python adapter to pass Enum values between TestStand and Python code modules.

API and UI Control Additions and Changes

TestStand 2023 Q4 includes the following new enumeration values, constant values, properties, and methods.
Note This list may not be complete.
  • Enumeration and Constant Values
    • UIStyleFontType_Subtitle2
  • Properties
    • ApplicationVersionString
    • BuildAndExecuteAtStartOfExecution
  • Methods
    • ClearBuildAndExecuteCache
    • IsBuildAndExecuteEnabled
Note Although some TestStand components, such as the TestStand Sequence Editor, expose .NET assemblies, TestStand does not support the use of undocumented .NET APIs.