ATEasy version 6.0 contains numerous enhancements to the test development environment, run-time and test executive. Among the new features included a new Test Executive Modal User interface used for touch panel or for users that requires simplified and more directed user interface. Fresh new look for the development environment and more. The following list summaries the new features available in ATEasy 6.0 and compatibility issue and system requirements:
Fresh new look for the development environment includes auto hide docking windows, gradient and color customization for menus and toolbars.
Multiple level programs in your project, new support for applications that have a large number of programs, ATEasy now provide an easy way to organize these programs. Essentially, the user can define folders under the Programs folders and organize its test program in a tree structure according to their functionality or UUT variants.
Create Misc folders in your project modules that can contain "baggage" information. Things like UUT documentation, fixture wiring, TRDs', software components, etc. These can be opened directly from ATEasy regardless of their application type - i.e. Word, Excel. Etc. The advantage to this is that now, all of the specific files needed for an application can be located in one location, facilitating source control, archiving and backup.
New Program Parameters Property page allows you to create and define parameters at design time for a program of type Numeric, String. During runtime the parameters' values can be read as well as write. Support for driver parameters has also extended to read as well as write of the parameters' values.
Allow to enter UUT in Program doc Shortcut item as well as doc itself at design time, and at run time it honors the UUT in shortcut if exists.
Force Compile Checkbox in Procedure property page: added a Compile checkbox, to force a procedure to compile even if it is not referenced.
Support for .NET v2.0
Support for LabVIEW 8.0/8.2
Support for calling ATEasy procedure from external DLLs and DLL callback
Support for ATEasy procedures as event handlers for .NET and ActiveX/COM
New class AVirtualKeyboard and new internal function EnableTouchScreen together allow you to control and display the Virtual keyboard on the screen, full keyboard support for applications that are designed for touch panel. This feature also includes support for an increased scrollbar size for all windows controls, multi line push buttons. (Note that under 98 or Me some of scroll bars will not resized, for example Tree Control or List box scroll bars.)
AForm.AutoScale - this property enables automatic sizing and scaling of a form by setting font size.
AProgram, ASystem, ADriver new property Type which returns new enum enumAAppItemType value.
AProgram new property Parent to return the parent folder
New classes AAppFolder and AAppShortcut
AProgram.Parameters new property, ADriver.Parameters also extended to support write at run-time.
ADriver.Misc folder, AProgram.Misc folder and ASystem.Misc folder new property used to store the application files.
ADriver.Tag, AProgram.Tag, ASystem.Tag new property used to store user defined string to the module files.
Append statement – allows you to append text to be appended to the log after the test results is printed.
New enum constant enumALogStringAppend (enumALogStringType) now returns the string that the Append statement set - the user can use this to append by himself instead relying on ATEasy - this is useful when you need to append the string in more than one Log.
Support for dynamically creating of menus AMenu.InsertMenu new method to dynamically insert a menu, AMenu.Move new method to move a menu item, AMenu.RemoveMenu. (This is similar to 5.0 dynamically creating of form controls using AForm.InsertControl and AForm.RemoveControl.)
AButton, ARadioButton, ACheckBox new support for multiple lines text and word wrap for the caption property
New file and directory functions FileGetStatus, FileCopy, DirectoryCreate, DirectoryRename, DirectoryDelete new internal functions, FileFind now returns optional structure structFileStatus.
ParseDateTime and FormatDateTime new internal functions for date time string manipulation
The statement AddHandler and RemoveHandler now support .NET, COM events, Control and Menu events (any object type that generate events)
AStatusBarPane new support for Progress bar pane – new properties ProgressMin/Max and Value, asbrpStyleProgressBar new member of enumAStatusBarPaneStyle
enumAGetDir has new constants aGetDirApp, aGetDirAppExe, also the aGetDirATEasy now always return the ATEasy folder (and not the EXE when running outside of the IDE)
ATab.InsertPage, ATab.RemovePage - you can insert a tab page (ATabPage class object) to a tab or remove one from it.
AUsers.ShowLogInDialog([hwndParent], [pbsToken]) - new optional second parameter returns user token (encrypted) containing user name and user password that can be used to log in the same user without Login dialog.
(from Build 134) DebugLog variable is no longer Const.
(from Build 134) GetCallerName() - new procedure under Misc\Internal Modules
Full support for touch panel user interface:
a. Modal and Modeless user interface. Modal user interface used mainly for touch panel to replace menus and toolbars with buttons forms to navigate and control the test executive.
b. The user can define forms designed for touch panel user interface that includes test executive commands or user defined commands to control the test executive's capabilities via the touch panel in Modal mode.
c. User groups based user interface, allow you to customize the user interface for production users, test engineers etc. Each group can have its own privileges and user interface (forms, menu, toolbars and options).
d. Customization of forms, menus, toolbar options and more per users group can be set by the administrator with no programming.
Automatic management and backup, save, delete and naming of log files
Profile driver – allow new Conditions to be added to tests in a profile.
New example, TestExecMini, shows how to build your own test executive.
Additional drivers (Marvin Test Solutions and other instruments vendors).
ATEasy 6.0 is fully backward compatible with prior versions of ATEasy (3.0-5.0) . Binary files saved in version 6.0 can be loaded using version 5.0 build 94a (but not always with versions prior to 94a). ATEasy 6 run-time can also used to run EXE files created with prior versions of ATEasy.
ATEasy 6.0 requires Windows 98/2000/XP/Vista. ATEasy 6.0 does not run on Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0.
ATEasy can be installed in Silent (Automated) mode. The silent mode is useful when incorporating the ATEasy setup to your own setup to distribute ATEasy applications.