how can I limit test time of a teststand test step with timeout function ?

[palio]

Because of some hardware problems on some of test steps teststand sequence running file getting locked and it takes to much time until we realize this. That's why I want to add time out function for some of steps or timeout for whole test sequence, so that if the test time for a step or whole test is to longer than timeout test will stop and marks the chassis as bad.

[Scott_Richardson]

Palio -
TestStand does not have any built-in feature to limit execution time for a step or a sequence. TestStand does allow you to define timeout behaviors but not like you want. A key reason is that if a step is invoked, the executing thread is typically blocked and there is no way for TestStand to take control of that thread back before the step returns. The only option TestStand has is to kill the thread and this is not always successful and it is not a recommended way to handle lock situations. The only suggestion that I have is for steps to know that they can lock and that the code module handle these situations.

Scott Richardson

[Steve_Block]

I need this feature to protect hardware which is more important than the thread, so I would like to see the ability to limit execution time for a step if possible.

[Norbert_B]

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Steve Block wrote:
I need this feature to protect hardware which is more important than the thread, so I would like to see the ability to limit execution time for a step if possible.

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TestStand is a testsequencing tool. TestStand can not, and even does not want to, communicate with instruments of any kind. You can only include other software in the testflow.

So the software you include has to take care of invalid states of the connected instruments themselves. This is the way to do it like Scott already said.

There is a global timeout setting in the station options available, but this is active for all steps then. As stated there, killing threads with a timeout recommens you to immediatly restart TestStand for proper future testing.

Maybe, NI could implement that feature on step-level as well (so maybe you can set a timeout only for a specific step with the same reactions a in the station options), but this would be a bad workaround for your issue. The modules themselves have to be modular, robust and "failsave". You must not move this features one level to the top.

Norbert