Enter Synchronized Section Operation

Use the Enter Synchronized Section operation to mark the beginning of a synchronized section and to define the type of synchronization for the section.

The Enter Synchronized Section operation contains the following options:

• Section Name —A name for the synchronized section. Leave this control blank when you want TestStand to generate a unique name for you based on the step name.
• Section Type —The type of synchronized section. Options include Serial, Parallel, and One Thread Only.
  • Serial (One Thread at a Time) —Ensures that each thread in a batch executes the section sequentially and in the order you specify when you create the batch. When all threads in a batch arrive at their respective instances of the Enter step, TestStand releases one thread at a time in ascending order according to the order number you assigned to the threads when you added them to the batch with the Batch Specification step type. As each thread executes the Exit step for the section, the next thread in the batch proceeds from the Enter step. After all threads in the batch arrive at the Exit step, they exit the section together.
  • Parallel (All Threads Enter Simultaneously) —When all threads in the batch arrive at their respective instances of the Enter step, TestStand releases all threads at once. Each thread blocks after reaching the Exit step for the section until all threads can exit the section together.
  • One Thread Only (First Thread Enters, Remaining Threads Skip to Exit) —Use a One-Thread-Only section to specify if only one thread in the batch executes the steps in the section. Typically, you use this type of section to perform an operation that applies to the batch as a whole, such as raising the temperature in a test chamber. When all threads in a batch arrive at their respective instances of the Enter step, TestStand releases only the thread with the lowest order number. When that thread arrives at the Exit step for the section, all remaining threads in the batch jump from the Enter step to the Exit step, skipping steps within the section. The threads in the batch then exit the section together.
• Timeout Enabled, Timeout Expression, Timeout Causes Run-Time Error —A timeout behavior for when a thread must wait at an Enter step. If a timeout occurs, the Step.Result.TimeoutOccurred property is set to True .