Station Globals resource related question( how much it allocates / optimal size of it in system)

Question

Hi, 
I have some questions StationGlobal’s oriented:
1. Does the variables of type StationGlobal allocate equals amount of memory without reference to type?
   For example: Number/String/Boolean/Object Reference allocates equals resources:Number=String=Boolean=Object Reference=’X’ bytes)
   Or Number=’X’ bytes, String=’Y’ bytes, Boolean=’Z’ bytes?
2. Does it make the difference if I have 10 or 100 or 1000 StationGlobals variables allocated in my system regards  - resources of my system and
    how the quantity of it influences(or not influences) to performance of system/Test execution?
Those questions are important, because we want to know how the quantity/type of StationGlobal’s lvariables influence to overall throughput/performance of
System (e.g. Test running).
Thank you & Best Regards
*I use LabVIEW 8.X & TestStand 3.5/4.0.1 versions only

Answer 1

Not so strange IMHO. You might be making a mental analogy to C data structures where nothing is abstracted and you know exactly what is happening to each byte.
However, TestStand variables are black box objects with a lot more functionality than plain C data structures. Like most such objects you create via almost any object oriented API, their exact memory usage is NOT documented.
One reason memory usage is not documented is that we need to be free to change the implementation if necessary, which would not be possible if we make guarantees about exact memory usage. Another reason it is not documented is because in most practical cases, it is not important, and we don't want to mislead people into worrying about it.
If you are allocating data structures of such vastness that it actually does matter, then the task manager is an appropriate and easy tool to use to view the approximate magnitude of memory used by the objects you create. This applies to most objects from most APIs, not just TestStand variables.