MTS TW Elite - Manual (Page 70)

Using Variables in Activities
MTS TestSuite applications allow you to define many of the individual properties of test activities as
variables.
Normally, when you enter a value for a property in an activity, you can change the value only when the
test is stopped and the test procedure is unlocked. In this sense, the property is “fixed.”
With the use of variables, you can associate a property of an activity with a variable. This allows you to
change the variable value without selecting the activity.
Toggling Between Static Values and Variables
Static values
When a property value is static, that is, when you enter the value directly, it has the following type of icon:
Static Value Icon
Variable values
When a property value is associated with a variable, it has the following type of icon:
Variable Value Icon
Variable Example
Suppose you want the example test to perform the ramp in the GoTo + DAQ + Detection activity at a
different rate for some tests, and at the original rate for others. Rather than manually entering the new rate
for the ramp each time you want to use it, you could create a new variable with the new rate and select
the new variable when desired.
To do this, you would perform the following:
• Locate the Rate property on the property editor (1)
• Click the Test Rate variable and select <New Variable> (2)
• On the Edit Variables window, create a new variable for the desired test rate. In the example that follows,
the new test rate has a display name of “Test Rate 2”, and a default value of 2 mm/sec (3).
70 | MTS TestSuite
Design Guidelines