Purpose:

This document describes the steps required to add or modify the testers Symbol Table. It will use
the symbols that need to be installed for usage with the System Exercise test plan.

1. Due to configuration differences between testers the System Exercise test plan requires eight symbols to be added to the tester symbol table. They are as follows:

Symbol Resource Present Absent
Src3Exists Source 3 1.0 0.0
Src4Exists Source 4 1.0 0.0
SrcDMSGExists DMSG 1.0 0.0
VI2Exists VI 2 1.0 0.0
VI3Exists VI 3 1.0 0.0
SGExists Signal Generator 1.0 0.0
WFExists Waveform Generator 1.0 0.0
SOSCExists Oscilloscope 1.0 0.0

2. Begin by going to the tester container window and activating the desired tester to be modified. Once activated use a right mouse button click (RMBC) and select "Calibrate" from the menu that will appear.
3. Select "Program" from the upper menu bar and then "Symbols" from the pop-up menu. A table of all the tester symbols will now be displayed.
4. Check the symbol table for the symbols mentioned in step 1. If they exist they will be at the bottom of the table as the symbols are displayed in alpha-numeric order.
5. To add a symbol, next high light the bottom symbol in the table. Using a RMBC select "Add" from the pop-up menu. Type in the symbol name with a # sign preceding it. Make sure you type it in exactly as shown in step 1,
paying close attention to whether it is upper or lower case.
6. If you forget the # sign it will ask you if you want to define it as a global. Respond "NO" and try again remembering the # sign in front of the symbol name.
7. Once you have responded to the name request with "OK", the symbol name will appear in the table.
8. High light the "nil" value now appearing on the right hand side of the table. Change its value to either 1.0 or 0.0 depending on whether the resource is present or not in the tester (Step 1).
9. High light one of the other symbols in the table. When you do this you will be prompted to save changes.
Respond "Yes".
10. Follow steps 4 through 9 for each symbol to be added to the table.
11. Once all the symbols have been added, go back to the calibration window and select "Program" from the top menu then select "Save" from the pop-up menu that will appear.
12. Deactivate the tester, Reactivate the tester, and then repeat steps 3 and 4 to check that the symbols were actually saved.
13. Compile the System Exercise test plan and pay careful attention to the messages in the Programmers Message window. If you have forgotten a symbol or have typed it in wrong it will give the following message.

"get config XX --> XXExists is missing from symbol table"

XX refers to the specific resource. If this is the case use steps 1 through 12 to find and correct the symbol. If you do not correct the symbol, the system may assume that the resource is existing in the tester and try to test it.

The System Exercise test executive is now able to determine which test sections to skip because of the
absence of tester configuration options.

Symbol Table Overview.

There are four symbol tables; testplan, fixture, dib, and tester. The look up is in that order as well. For the fixture and dib the symbols are stored in the calData. For the tester it comes from a cal symbols list. These are used mainly for calibration.

The testplan symbol table is more interesting. This symbol table has two uses, setting symbolic values and disabling tests. Setting the value occurs via; symbols saved with the testplan, symbols added from symbol set buttons at the time of compile, edits from the menu pick or symbols loaded from a guru object (currently manually). Currently disables can only come from the external table load.

When you save the testplan all symbols from the testplan load, symbols edit, symbol file load and testplan compile ( if a compile was done ) are saved to the testplan file. No disables are saved. This is to make sure that all symbols have a value especially for simulation.

When a testplan is loaded the initial values are set from the testplan file. If an external table is loaded it appends to the existing values overwriting any duplicates. When the testplan is compiled the symbols set by the plan overwrite the prior values.

The current plan is to add the ability for the test exec to force load a symbol table and disables. Disables are those tests and sections disabled during the symbol table save. I plan to limit the visibility for tables to those for a device family ( this is set by the save ).