How do I save a running sequence file

Question

Part of my testing requires a large number of variables to be passed to and from the UUT within TestStand. I can store some of these variables in the station globals, but I'd like the option to store others in the sequence files at run time and save them to disk (save the sequence file) at the end of the test. I can create variables in the station globals and commit the globals to disk just fine (LabVIEW vi's using the TestStand API). However, I cannot figure out how to do the same thing with a sequence file. My code is able to create and populate the locals variables with no problem, but I cannot save the running sequence file to disk with the new locals (or file globals) intact (they disappear when the sequence ends.) The reason I want to save the sequence file is to avoid manually entering all these variables into each sequence file locals list.
So, I think the questions are:
How do I make the new locals or file globals a part of the running sequence file?
How do I save the sequence file to disk before it stops running?
I can increment the change count on the file. I have figured out two or three ways to save the file while it's running without errors (although I doubt it's actually doing anything.) I'm using the TestStand API in LabVIEW vi's to pull this off and cannot find the functions I'm looking for.
Sorry if this is rambling, it's kind of hard to describe.

Answer 1

Hi Lars,
The reason that we can't save the local variables created during
runtime is because TestStand creates a runtime copy of the variables
when the sequence starts. After the sequence is finished executing,
this copy is discarded. The reason behind this is that TestStand allows
for a single sequence to have multiple executions at the same time, and
each instance gets its own runtime copy of the local variables. If new
locals could be saved to the actual sequence file in memory, it could
cause major problems for other execution threads of that particular
.seq file.
You can use the API to add variables to the actual file using
GetSequenceFileEx and incrementing the Change Count, or create a
separate sequence that modifies another sequence file, but adding these
locals to the sequence file from itself isn't possible.
Hope this helps Lars,
Have a good one.
Dan Weiland
Applications Engineer
National Instruments
www.ni.com/support
Dan Weiland