Select Configure»Search Directories to launch the Edit Search Directories dialog box, in which you can view the default list of search paths .

The paths that appear first in the list take precedence over the paths that appear later in the list. When you first run TestStand, the list contains a default set of directory paths. When you place a checkmark next to a path, TestStand includes the path in the overall search path. To reorder paths in the list, select a path and click Move Up or Move Down . Click Add to add a custom directory search path. TestStand stores the search directories in the SearchDirectories.cfg file in the TestStand configuration directory.

When you select a path, the following controls display the settings for the path:

• File Extension Restrictions —Searches only for files with specific filename extensions. For example, to search for only DLLs and executable files, enter the following string: DLL, EXE .
  • Exclude —Searches for all files except those files with specific extensions. A tilde ( ~ ) is visible at the beginning of the File Extension Restrictions column for the row you have selected when this option is enabled.
• Search Subdirectories —When you enable this option, TestStand includes all subdirectories within the selected path in the overall search path.
  Note

  • If you add a large directory tree to the search paths and specify the Search Subdirectories option, TestStand must search the entire tree each time it locates a file. You can improve performance by using the File Extension Restrictions control to limit the types of files for which TestStand searches a directory tree. For example, if a directory tree contains only VI files, specify VI in the File Extension Restrictions control to prevent TestStand from searching the directory tree for files of other types such as .seq and .dll .
  • For best performance, move the following search paths to the end of the search path list: the search paths you add that refer to large directory trees, directories on network drives, and paths that contain files which you use infrequently.
• Exclude Hidden Subdirectories —When you enable this option, TestStand does not search subdirectories of the directory you select when the subdirectories specify the Hidden attribute in the Windows file system. You can enable or disable the Exclude Hidden Subdirectories option for each directory listed in the Edit Search Directories dialog box. This option is disabled by default and is available only when you enable the Search Subdirectories option.