Updating NI VMS Step Types in NI TestStand

Updating NI VMS Step Types in NI TestStand

In NI VideoMASTER 3.0.0 and NI VMS 3.1 and later, NI VMS step types in NI TestStand use the Flexible DLL or COM Adapter instead of LabVIEW VIs, and the value of the default adapter type is <None> instead of LabVIEW.

You must complete the following instructions to update step types in test applications created in NI VideoMASTER 2.2.0 and earlier:

Note:  To create well-defined test applications and maintain compatibility with future NI VMS releases, NI recommends updating NI VMS step types in NI TestStand applications written prior to NI VMS 3.0.0 even if your test application appears to function after upgrading to NI VMS.

1. Select Start»All Programs»National Instruments TestStand to launch NI TestStand.
2. Update the NI VMS step types.

   Note:  If you do not update NI VMS step types, a run-time error can occur when you run an NI TestStand application using the unconverted step types. The error that occurs depends on the NI TestStand LabVIEW adapter setup and the NI VMS step types in use.

   1. Open the test application that uses NI VMS and NI VMS Tool steps.

      Tip:  When opening an existing test program that has not been saved with the new Step Type definition, an asterisk (*) indicates that the program has changed and needs to be saved, as illustrated in the following figure.

      

3. Select File»Save or click the button to save the test application with the new step type definitions. The NI VMS step types in NI TestStand now use the Flexible DLL and COM Adapter.
4. Repeat Step 2 for each test application that uses NI VMS and/or NI VMS Tool steps.
5. Update the default adapter value to <None> in all NI VMS step types.

   Note:  If you created a test application in NI VideoMASTER 2.2.0 or earlier, a run-time error might occur when you run the application in NI VideoMASTER 3.0.0 or NI VMS 3.1 or later. The default adapter in applications created in NI VideoMASTER 2.2.0 or earlier is a LabVIEW VI that runs the NI VMS code in non-visual mode, also known as Run-Mode. To ensure full control over all code called from the NI VMS step types, NI VMS 3.0.0 and later changes the setting for the default adapter to <None> in the new step type definition and adds the Run-Mode as a pre-step substep. Thus, NI VMS defines all called code only in the step type.

   1. Open the update sequence, Update NI VMS Steps.seq, installed at Program Files\National Instruments\TestStand 4.x\Components. For NI TestStand 4.0.1, the file installs to the NI subfolder in the specified location.

      Note:  NI recommends that you back up your sequence files before updating.

   2. Click the button or select Execute»Run MainSequence to run the sequence, as illustrated in the following figure.

      

   3. The Select Sequence Files to Update dialog box appears, as illustrated in the following figure. In the Sequence File or Folder to Add field, specify a sequence file to update or specify a folder to update all sequence files within the folder. You can select Recursive to update sequence files in subfolders within the selected folder.

      

   4. Click ADD to add the selected files to the Added TestStand sequences list. To remove sequences from the list, select the sequences to remove, then click REMOVE. You can add an unlimited number of sequence files.
   5. Click UPDATE to update the sequences listed in the Added TestStand sequences list. The default adapter value in NI VMS step types has been updated to <None>.
   6. The Update NI VMS Types Report dialog appears, as illustrated in the following figure. The dialog box contains a report of the files and steps that NI TestStand updated. To save the report to file, click To Report File.

      

   7. Click Exit to exit the report.