NI Switch Executive

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Route Specification Strings

Route Specification Strings

Route specification strings are the paths connecting two channels and are composed of one or more routes delimited by ampersands (&). For example, in the following line of syntax, there are three defined routes or route groups:

routeOrGroup & routeOrGroup & routeOrGroup . . .

where routeOrGroup can be the following:

  • Route name
  • Route group name
  • Two endpoint channels to be connected that are delimited by ->. NI Switch Executive dynamically determines the path between the endpoints. In this mode, a hardwire alias name can be substituted for the endpoints.

    channel -> channel

  • Fully specified path enclosed in square brackets consisting of one or more endpoint channels delimited by ->:

    [channel -> channel -> channel...]

    where channel can be the following:
    • A channel alias name
    • A unique name created by combining the IVI device logical name and IVI channel name separated by a forward slash (/) delimiter, such as device/iviChan.
Tip  NI Switch Executive has the option of finding an available path at run time by slightly modifying the syntax. Remove the square brackets and enter the two endpoints of a route delimited by a ->.
Notes Note  
  • Any channel, other than an endpoint, within a route specification string must be reserved for routing or directly hardwired to one of the endpoint channels.
  • channels used as endpoints must not be reserved for routing channels.
  • When connecting a route, the list of channels must obey the exclusion rules both explicitly in the route specification string as well as implicitly by any previous connections. Exclusion violations result in an error.

The following are samples of route specification strings for a matrix:

Route Specification String ExamplesDescription
A->BConnect channel A to channel B. NI Switch Executive automatically determines the path between the two channels.
[SampleMatrix1/c0->SampleMatrix1/r1->SampleMatrix1/c4]A fully specified path between column 0 and column 4 of SampleMatrix1. Row 1 must be marked as reserved for routing.
[Scope->R3->SampleMatrix1/c6]A fully specified path between the channel named Scope and column 6 of SampleMatrix1. Row 3 must be marked as reserved for routing.
Scope->SampleMatrix1/c6Connect the channel named Scope to column 6 of SampleMatrix1. NI Switch Executive automatically determines the path between the two channels.
ArbToInput & ScopeToOutputComplete the connections for route group ArbToInput and ScopeToOutput.
PowerDevice & [Scope->R3->UUT_Out]Complete the connections for route group PowerDevice and complete the fully specified path between the channel named Scope and the channel named UUT_Out. R3 must be marked as a reserved for routing.

Each supported ADE has an associated Route Specification String Example. Refer to the Examples for the appropriate ADE to see how route specification strings are used when programming.

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