Steps Pane

The Steps pane displays a list of steps in the currently executing step group for the sequence invocation currently selected on the Call Stack pane. The Steps pane contains the following columns:

• Step —The name and icon of the step. Click in the space to the left of the step icon to toggle the breakpoint for the step.
• Description —A description of the step that varies according to the type of step and the module adapter that it uses.
• Settings —The properties of the step that contain non-default values.
• Status —The value of the status property for the step. If the step has not yet executed, the status is an empty string. After the step executes, the status reflects the results of the execution. Possible status values can vary based on the type of step. Typical values include Passed , Failed , Done , and Error .

When execution is suspended at a breakpoint, you can view the steps of any of the active sequences on the callstack. Use the Call Stack pane to select the active sequence invocation to display on the Steps pane. Use the Threads pane to select which thread the Call Stack pane displays.

Tracing Enabled

Use the Tracing Enabled item in the Execute menu to enable or disable tracing.

If you enable tracing, the TestStand User Interfaces display the progress of an execution with a yellow arrow icon located to the left of the icon for the currently executing step. This icon is called the execution pointer. When the execution suspends at a breakpoint, the Steps pane displays the execution pointer next to the step that runs when execution resumes. After each step completes, the Execution tab updates the contents of the Steps pane and the position of the execution pointer.

If tracing is disabled, the Execution tab does not update until execution suspends at a breakpoint. The Steps pane might display no steps at all, or it might contain the steps and execution pointer displayed at the most recent breakpoint. Disable tracing when you want to avoid using computer time to display the progress of the execution.

When execution is suspended, you can access the Steps Pane context menu by right-clicking the Steps pane.

See Also

Call Stack Pane

Execute Menu

Steps Pane Context Menu

Threads Pane