Process Model Plug-In Architecture

To better understand the information in this section, NI recommends that you familiarize yourself with the Process Models and the Process Model Architecture topics.

TestStand 2012 or later process models use sequence files called process model plug-ins to process test results and create result files. Each plug-in contains sequences TestStand calls during process model execution to accomplish results processing tasks, such as report generation and database logging tasks. TestStand includes built-in plug-ins to handle report generation, database logging, and raw result logging. You can create custom process model plug-ins to extend or modify the functionality of the TestStand process models without changing the TestStand process model files directly.

The TestStand 2012 or later process models include significant changes to implement a plug-in architecture for model sequence files. You can use the to achieve the following functionality:

• Decouple result processing, which includes report generation and database logging, from the process models to simplify the model files and sequence files
• More easily customize report generation and database logging functionality without having to modify the process model files and vice versa
• Output multiple reports and log to multiple databases
• Increase throughput by creating reports or logging data asynchronously to test execution
• Log result data in a fast and compact raw result format for at a time other than when sequence execution occurs or on a different computer

The following image illustrates the modular approach the TestStand 2012 or later process models use to interact with result processing model plug-ins. Because of the additional layers the process model plug-in architecture introduces, you can make changes to result processing functionality by modifying only the process model plug-in code or by creating a new custom process model plug-in without modifying the process model itself.

Although the TestStand 2012 or later process model plug-in architecture contains additional layers of abstraction between the process model and the actual result processing code, the underlying components that implement report generation and database logging are similar to the TestStand 2010 or earlier components. Even though some changes exist among the versions of the components, the TestStand 2012 or later components are compatible with the TestStand 2010 and 2012 process models.

Similarities between the TestStand 2012 or Later and TestStand 2010 Process Models

The TestStand 2012 or later process models maintain the following similarities with respect to the TestStand 2010 or earlier process model files:

• The same sequences and DLLs implement core functionality for report generation and database logging
• Report generation and database logging configuration options do not significantly change
• Callbacks defined in the process model file implement UUT & Serial Number tracking
• The modelsupport2.dll implements process model dialog boxes

Differences between the TestStand 2012 or Later and TestStand 2010 Process Models

Although many similarities exist, the TestStand 2012 or later process models include the following significant architecture differences:

• Process model plug-ins, not process model files, implement result processing
• Subsequences contain process model Execution Entry point functionality
• Modified existing components support the process model plug-in architecture

If you encounter an incompatibility in an existing test system when you use the TestStand 2012 or later process models or other circumstances prevent you from using the TestStand 2012 or later process models, you can use the equivalent legacy TestStand 2010 process models. You can use the Legacy Model Switcher tool to replace the TestStand 2012 or later process models with equivalent legacy TestStand 2010 process models.

Result Processing Improvements

You can use the built-in reporting, database, and offline results process model plug-ins to generate reports, log data to databases, and store results in compact offline result files for processing later, respectively. You can also create custom result processing plug-ins.

You can create multiple result processing configurations, which are named sets of instances of plug-ins you configure to accomplish a specific task, such as creating multiple reports with different formats or logging data to multiple databases. Creating multiple report processing configurations to use as the active configuration can help you quickly change how TestStand processes results. You can create result processing configurations to process results inline, meaning at run time, or offline. For example, you can specify to process offline results differently from inline results or you can specify to process offline result files differently when you store the files in different locations.

Select Configure»Result Processing to launch the default Result Processing dialog box, in which you enable or disable the installed built-in and custom result processing plug-ins in the active result processing configuration and also configure how the plug-ins process test results. You can insert multiple instances of the same plug-in with various configuration options.

TestStand Offline Results Processing Utility

You can use the TestStand Offline Results Processing Utility to process raw results files and generate reports at a time other than when sequence execution occurs or on a different computer,such as in situations in which performance is more important than generating immediate reports.