Using Search Directory as the root for relative paths in NI TestStand Calls

[tavta]

Hello,

is it possible to configure TestStand to use a specific <desired_anchor_dir> to construct relative paths for sequence calls, instead of using the location of mySequence.seq that I'm editing?

My goal: when I refer to a file (.vi or .seq) in my step settings, I wish that TestStand would use my Search Directories to determine the relative path to the file I'm calling (based on first found) . Instead, the relative path is constructed based on the location of the sequence file which I'm editing. I can always manually correct the relative path, but I don't wish to do that.

Is it possible to achieve the desired behaviour of TestStand via some configuration? Or another simple/elegant way?

Much appreciated,

Rok

PS: More verbose description:

 - I'm editing <my_working_dir>\my_sequence_dir\mySequence.seq

 - I add a SequenceCall to <my_working_dir>\dir\another_dir\anotherSequence.seq

 - at the top of my list of Search Directories, I have <my_working_dir>\dir\desired_anchor_dir\, this is my <desired_anchor_dir>

 - I want that TestStand would give me the relative path "..\another_dir\anotherSequence.seq", instead of "..\dir\another_dir\anotherSequence.seq".

 - I can always manually remove the "\dir" part of path that TestStand offers (because the referenced file will be successfully found based on Search Directories), but I would like to avoid that manual step.

PS2: Currently, we're thinking of this workaround:

- for each subsequence inside anotherSequence.seq, make a Template, which already includes the correct relative path (..\another_dir\anotherSequence.seq), i.e. without "\dir"

- then instead of drag/dropping the subsequences from anotherSequence.seq to mySequence.seq, we'd drop their corresponding Templates.

[SercoSteveB]

Hi tavta

You can specify a TestStand path using an expression, it sounds like that is what you need.  Not sure if you can do something similar for a LabVIEW code module call I will have a look.

Regards

Steve

[bienieck]

---

@SercoSteveB wrote:

Hi tavta

You can specify a TestStand path using an expression, it sounds like that is what you need.

If you specify by expression you will not have an "interface" visible. You would need to do extra steps to specify prototype. Rok would like to avoid extra steps - he already need to alter relative path.

[bienieck]

I will add some more clarification to Roks question (we both try to solve this issue). Rok please correct me if I messed up something.

The structure is as follows:

├───a
│       a.seq
│
└───b
    ├───c
    │       c.seq
    │
    └───d
            startup.bat

We start SeqEdit.exe from startup.bat so initial working directory is C:\b\d. The search directories are configured to first check initial working directory and then current sequence file directory.

When we drag and drop subsequence from c.seq to a.seq, TestStand engine suggest relative path ..\b\c\c.seq, even that it should try to match (according to search directories) ..\c\c.seq (initial working directory points to directory d, so it should go one level up and then to c directory).

Because of that each time subsequence from c.seq is placed in a.seq relative path needs to be converted manually from ..\b\c\c.seq to ..\c\c.seq. We would like to avoid this manual labor. So, we figured out a workaround with templates with preconfigured paths. We are wondering if we could avoid workarounds and simply configure TestStand engine to suggest relative path in accordance to the order of search directories.