Adding Users and Setting Privileges

Use the TestStand User Manager to maintain the list of users, user names, user passwords, user privileges, groups, group privileges, and members of groups. TestStand can limit the functionality of the TestStand Sequence Editor and User Interfaces depending on the privilege settings you specify in the user manager for the current user and the groups to which the user belongs.

The user manager helps you implement policies and procedures that concern the use of test stations. The user manager is not a security system, and it does not inhibit or control the operating system or third-party applications. Use the system-level security features the operating system provides to secure test station computers against unauthorized use.

Note Completed solution files are located in the <TestStand Public>\Tutorial\Solution directory.

Adding a New User

Note This tutorial assumes you are currently logged in to TestStand as the administrator user. If you are not logged in as administrator, select File»Login and select administrator from the User Name ring control. Leave the Password field empty and click OK.

Complete the following steps to add a new user.

  1. Click the User Manager button on the toolbar to open the User Manager window, which shows all the users and groups configured on the test station.
  2. Right-click the Users item, select Insert User from the context menu, and enter a name to create a new user.
  3. Right-click the new user you just added, select Properties from the context menu to launch the <User> Properties dialog box, and complete the following steps.
    1. Confirm that the User Name control displays the new name you entered.
    2. Enter the full name in the Full Name control.
    3. Enter a password in the Password and Confirm Password controls.
    4. Select Operator in the Group Privileges control.
    5. Click OK to close the User Properties dialog box.
  4. Save the changes to the user manager.
  5. Select File»Login to launch the Login dialog box. The User Name ring control now includes the new user you just added.
  6. Select the user you just created, enter the appropriate password, and click OK.
  7. Open <TestStand Public>\Tutorial\Computer.seq.
  8. Select the Execute menu and notice that the Single Pass and Run MainSequence options of the Execute menu are disabled because the user you just created does not have the privileges to execute them.
  9. Right-click the Steps pane to insert a new step. The Insert Step menu command is also disabled because the user privileges have changed.
  10. Select File»Login and select administrator from the User Name ring control. Leave the Password field empty and click OK.

Creating a New Group

You can use the user manager to modify the default groups and to create new groups that define a combination of appropriate privileges.

The default Operator, Technician, Developer, and Administrator groups define a set of privilege settings for the new user to inherit. By default, the Operator group grants a user the privilege to execute, terminate, and abort sequences but does not grant the privilege to create or debug sequences.

Complete the following steps to create a new group.

  1. Open the User Manager window.
  2. Expand the Groups item to show the four default groups.
  3. Right-click the Operator group and select Copy from the context menu.
  4. Right-click the Groups item and select Paste from the context menu.
  5. Rename the new group Senior Operator. The new group is identical to the Operator group except for the name.

Modifying Privileges

The TestStand User Manager stores user and group privileges as Boolean properties and organizes the privileges in the following categories:

  • Operate—Privileges for executing sequences and terminating and aborting executions.
  • Debug—Privileges for controlling execution flow, executing manual and interactive executions, and editing station global variables and run-time variables.
  • Develop—Privileges for editing and saving sequence files, editing and saving workspace files, and using source code control.
  • Configure—Privileges for editing process model files and configuring station options, users, adapters, application settings, and report, database logging, and model options.
  • Custom—Custom privileges you define. Customize the NI_UserCustomPrivileges data type to add new privileges.

You can grant all privileges in a specific category for each user or group in the user manager, and you can grant specific privileges for each user or group. In addition, when you add a user as a member of a group, TestStand grants the user all the privileges of the group. TestStand grants a privilege to a user or group when the property value for the privilege is True or when the value of the GrantAll property in any enclosing parent privilege category is True. For example, a user has the privilege to terminate an execution when one of the following properties is True:

  • <User>.Privileges.Operate.Terminate
  • <User>.Privileges.Operate.GrantAll
  • <User>.Privileges.GrantAll
  • <Group>.Privileges.Operate.Terminate
  • <Group>.Privileges.Operate.GrantAll
  • <Group>.Privileges.GrantAll
Note TestStand stores the privilege categories as subproperties of the Privileges property. The Privileges property also includes a Boolean GrantAll subproperty. The property Privileges.GrantAll applies to all privilege categories. When you set the GrantAll property to True, the user or group has all privileges. You must set the GrantAll property to False to honor privilege settings within each privilege category.

Complete the following steps to modify the default privileges for the group you created in the previous section of this tutorial.

  1. Expand the Senior Operator item and expand the Privileges property.
  2. Expand the Debug item, which is a property that contains Boolean subproperties. Use the Value column ring control to change the SinglePass property under Debug to True.
  3. Complete the following steps to add the user you created in the Adding a New User section of this tutorial to the Senior Operator group.
    1. Right-click the user you previously created under Users and select Properties from the context menu to launch the <User> Properties dialog box.
    2. Disable Operator in the Group Privileges control and enable Senior Operator instead.
    3. Click OK to close the User Properties dialog box.
  4. Save the changes to the user manager.
  5. Select File»Login to launch the Login dialog box. Select the user you previously created, enter the appropriate password, and click OK.
  6. Select the Computer.seq window.
  7. Select the Execute menu. Notice that the Single Pass option is now available, but the Run MainSequence option is disabled because the user you created does not have the privilege to execute sequences without a Model entry point.
  8. Close all the windows in the sequence editor.
  9. Select File»Login and select administrator from the User Name ring control. Leave the Password field empty and click OK.

Refer to the Creating & Deleting Users Using API.seq example located in the <TestStand Public>\Examples\TestStand API\Creating & Deleting Users Using APIs directory for information about how to use the TestStand API to add and remove users programmatically.