File Tab

The File tab specifies options for TestStand files, types, and version numbers.

The File tab contains the following options:

• Allow Automatic Type Conflict Resolution —Specifies when you want TestStand to automatically resolve type conflicts. TestStand normally resolves type conflicts when it loads a file with a version of a type that differs from the version of the type currently in memory and when you enable the Use the definition that has the highest version number option on the Version tab of the Type Properties dialog box or on the Version tab of the Step Type Properties dialog box for both versions of the type. In this case, TestStand updates the file with the lower version of the type to use the higher version. The Allow Automatic Type Conflict Resolution ring control contains the following options:
  • Always (same as TestStand 4.0.x or earlier) —Always allows automatic type conflict resolution by using version numbers, which can cause unintended propagation of types between files. For example, if you open a sequence file with a version of a type later than the version of the type currently in a type palette file, TestStand updates the type palette file and every file you subsequently open to use the later version. The updated type propagates to other files without warning or notifying you.
  • Only if Type Palette Files will not be Modified (default) —Disallows automatic type conflict resolution when the outcome of the resolution modifies a type palette file. This ensures that the application never uses a version of a type that is different than the version of the type in the type palette file without an explicit confirmation through the Type Conflict in File dialog box.
  • Only if a Type Palette File has the Higher Version —Further restricts automatic type conflict resolution. This option includes the same restrictions as the Only if Type Palette Files will not be Modified (default) option and includes the restriction that the type must be in a type palette file for automatic type conflict resolution to occur. Effectively, this option allows automatic type conflict resolution only in the case in which a type palette file has the later version of the type and a non-type palette file has the earlier version of the type. For example, this option does not allow automatic type conflict resolution between two sequence files for types that are not in type palette files. The Only if Type Palette Files will not be Modified (default) option does allow this.
  • Never —Disallows all automatic type conflict resolution. When TestStand loads two different versions of a type, TestStand always prompts you or reports a type conflict error . When you select this option, opening files from TestStand versions earlier than the current version almost always results in type conflict prompts. Use this option only for debugging purposes or to ensure that all files have exactly the same version of every type.
• Auto Increment Sequence File Version —Automatically increments the specified portion of the sequence file version number when you save a sequence file that contains modifications.
  • Version Number to Increment —Use this control to choose the portion of the number you want to increment. A version number consists of four numbers with separating periods. The numbers are named from left to right in the following order: Major, Minor, Revision, and Build.
• Before Saving Modified Types —Specifies how the TestStand Sequence Editor increments the version of types marked as modified before saving a file that contains the type. The following options are available in the ring control:
  • Auto Increment Type Versions —Instructs TestStand to automatically increment the version of types.
    • Version Number to Increment —Use this control to choose the portion of the number you want to increment. A version number consists of four numbers with separating periods. The numbers are named from left to right in the following order: Major, Minor, Revision, and Build.
  • Prompt to Increment Type Versions —Instructs TestStand to launch the Modified Types Warning dialog box.
  • Do Not Increment Type Versions —Instructs TestStand to save the types without incrementing the version of types.
• Do Not Mark Files as Modified if Modification is Caused Only by Automatic TestStand Version Upgrade —Specifies when TestStand marks files as modified. Enable this option when you do not want TestStand to mark files as modified when the only changes to the file are the result of the automatic conversions TestStand makes when you open files from an older version of TestStand in a newer version of TestStand. These automatic conversions occur when TestStand upgrades older versions of built-in, National Instruments-created types and step types and then resolves data format changes that exist between the versions. This option is disabled by default. When you enable this option, TestStand marks as modified only the files with user-defined changes so you can avoid resaving and revalidating files you did not directly modify. Enabling or disabling this option does not change how TestStand loads the file into memory or saves the file to disk.
  Note This option applies only to National Instruments-created types, step types, and file modifications. Use this option to prevent TestStand from prompting to resave upgraded files, which might require revalidation. When you enable this setting, TestStand marks files as modified when type conflict resolution results in updates to user-defined types and step types in the file. Resave files in the version of TestStand you are using to optimize performance when opening files.
  Regardless of the value of this option, opening files from a TestStand version older than the version you are using requires TestStand to perform an in-memory conversion. Resave files in the version of TestStand you are using to optimize file loading performance.
• Max Number of Backups Saved for Station Globals File on Startup or Max Number of Backups Saved for Station Globals File When Saved —Enter a non-zero value for one or both of these options to automatically save up to the specified number of backup files for the station global variables file at startup, on station globals file save, or both. If the most recent backup file is the same as the current file, TestStand does not create an additional backup file. Enter 0 in one or both controls to disable the backup file option. TestStand creates the backup files in the TestStand < config > directory, the same location as StationGlobals.ini , and uses the file extension OnStartBackup# or OnSaveBackup# , where # is the number between 1 and the value you specify, with 1 being the most recently saved backup file.
• File Format Options —Launches the File Format Options dialog box, in which you can specify the file format for new files, the station globals file, the users file, the templates file, and type palette files.

See Also

File Format Options dialog box

Modified Types Warning dialog box

Station Options dialog box

Step Type Properties dialog box

Type Conflict in File dialog box

Type Properties dialog box