Adding Execution Entry Points to TestStand Process Models

Execution Entry Points are sequences in the process model sequence file that allow you to provide different ways of running your tests. By default, Execution Entry Points appear in the Execute menu inside of the TestStand Sequence Editor and Operator Interfaces. You can add any number of Execution Entry Points to any process model file, but this tutorial will use the default TestStand Sequential Model as an example. The Sequential Model is located in <TestStand>\Components\NI\Models\TestStandModels\SequentialModel.seq. National Instruments recommends that you make any modifications to copies of the default TestStand files to avoid your edits being overwritten when you install subsequent TestStand releases. To do this, copy the <TestStand>Components\NI\Models\TestStandModels\SequentialModel.seq file to the <TestStand>Components\User\Models\TestStandModels folder.

Below is the All Sequences view of the default SequentialModel.seq.


Add another Execution Entry Point by right-clicking the Single Pass sequence and selecting Insert Sequence as shown below:




Rename the new sequence to "New Execution Entry Point". Right-click the New Execution Entry Point sequence and select Properties. Select the Model tab. On the Type control, select Execution Entry Point. Once you make this selection, the dialog will be populated with several other controls, such as Entry Point Name Expression (shown below). For a detailed description of each of these controls, please refer to the Process Model section of the TestStand User Manual.

Click OK to close the New Execution Entry Point Sequence Properties dialog. Notice that the icon for the New Execution Entry Point sequence is now reddish-orange in color as shown below. This color denotes that the sequence is an Execution Entry Point sequence.


Right-click the New Execution Entry Point sequence and select View Contents. You can now add steps to this sequence to implement your custom Execution Entry Point.

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