Support for Creation of Enumerated Type Variables

[Joe_H1]

Find yourself placing a Sequence Call step and trying to determine the appropriate value to enter for a numeric parameter called "Direction"?  Tired of creating sequences with numeric parameters named like the following: "Direction_0_Up_1_Down_2_Left_3_Right"?

The solution is to support the creation of variables with enumerated type within TestStand.  Enums could be created as custom variables and then used as wherever a self-documenting variable is required.

Enum type creation:

 

As seen from a Sequence Call step to a subsequence that uses an Enum as a parameter: 

[EMR]

It'd be doubly handy if such an enum type could do a 1-time snapshot matchup with a preexisting LabVIEW enum similar to how it detects LV clusters for 'create type'... (for other language adapters I'd be happy to simply have the ability to create it manually on both sides)

[crelf]

I'd also like users to be able to autocomplete on enum fields when they're typing - I had a customer ask for that yesterday!

[fazekasc]

I just logged in here to post this idea to find it's already here!

I use a lot of sub-sequence calls to keep my sequence file modular and easy to support by other engineers.  I'd like to use an enum in a sub-sequence call parameter to select different options that the sequence could perform.  It would be more intuitive than passing in integers that don't mean anything unless you reverse engineer the code or look up help text.  TestStand supports this for calling LabVIEW vi's very nicely.

[Jean-Louis]

Enums are very useful when creating NI TestStand custom StepTypes.
They can be used as input parameters for execution modules and configuration dialog box, especially with LabVIEW.

I think that the TestStand internal representation of an enum should be a custom DataType.
Thus when using an enum, all enum instances could be updated when changing the list of enum items within the custom DataType.

[LVB]

Expanding upon this idea, I think it would be important to have TestStand support Custom Data Types from LabVIEW Type Defs, including clusters.  There is a related feature request below for this:

http://forums.ni.com/t5/NI-TestStand-Idea-Exchange/Link-Custom-Data-Types-to-LabVIEW-Type-Defs/idi-p...

[warren_scott]

I wouldn't consider this a completed idea.  My interpretation is that there is a user need for an enumerated type within TestStand (that would also conveniently link to the enumerated types in other languages).  It seems like we improved connectivity to LV enumerated types, but we didn't give TS a native enumerated variable itself.

[Lars_L]

Although we don't yet have the ability to create enum or ring datatypes in TestStand, TestStand 2012 now provides full integration for LabVIEW ring controls where the parameter list on a LabVIEW adapter step populates with the ring list. This is similar to the LabVIEW enum support that has been supported for a while now. For more details take a look at the LabVIEW Ring Control Support section in the What's New in TestStand 2012 document: http://www.ni.com/white-paper/14148/en#toc5

[Lars_L]

Thanks for the clarification warren! I've changed the status from Completed to Under Consideration as we've addressed some ring/enum concerns but we haven't yet implemented the ability to create an enum or ring datatypes natively within TestStand. Thanks for the feedback!

Lars

[adayts]

If TestStand were to have a native enumeration type, would you expect it to work with LabVIEW ring controls as well as LabVIEW enums? If so, would you expect any differences in how it would interact with ring controls as opposed to enums?